Evil Thing

Background

“Evil Thing” was the B-side of "You Got the Magic", the third 45 rpm single John Fogerty released after signing with Asylum Records.   The disco/white funk song was recorded at Wally Heider Recording in San Francisco and engineered by Russ Gary. Fogerty plays all the instruments by himself.

The single was released in April 1976. "Evil Thing" didn't chart. The 45 rpm was a sample from Hoodoo, the third solo album of John Fogerty, but the LP was eventually never released.

The Hoodoo sessions were also the last ones between Fogerty and Gary. Furthermore, fans had to wait for the next release from John Fogerty for almost nine years. 

Timeline

Information on the Hoodoo sessions is very sparse. According to Russ Gary, the single cuts "You Got the Magic" and "Evil Things" were recorded first.   After a break, Fogerty worked on the album tracks (email correspondence with Russ Gary by a fan). It's possible that the recording of Hoodoo was still in process when John gave a couple of interviews in April 1976. Scrapping of the LP took place after mid-June 1976 (Dana Doak).   

Collector's notes

The single was released with different cover sleeves in Denmark, France and Germany. The US version didn't have a cover sleeve. In the UK, the single was launched as a promo disc (Peter Koers, Green River: The Illustrated Discography, 1999). 

Live versions

John Fogerty has never performed "Evil Thing" live in concerts.

Critical reception

"This time the electronic stuff gets laid on TOO thick, syntheseizer and all, but the early Creedence style and strong vocals again save it from the Biz Bag." -Billy Miller, The Kicks, New York, Issue 3, Summer 1984. 

"--- another great song, good tune, fun lyrics." -Adam Bryant

Fans' views

"OOOh, the spooky chords we all crave and love are in here. Fuzzy and furry song. Lusty vocals. Great stuff."

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