Tom Fogerty - Excalibur (Vinyl)

Creedence Clearwater Revival split in early 1972, which is only part of the reason why it was a busy year for Tom Fogerty. When CCR's farewell arrived in the spring of 1972, he already had an eponymous album in stores, recorded with keyboardist Merl Saunders, bassist John Kahn, drummer Bill Vitt, and guitarist Russ Gary. This same lineup quickly went back into the studio to cut another record, this time swapping Gary for a guitarist of greater renown: Jerry Garcia. The appearance of Captain Trips on Excalibur is logical, as the album essentially features the group that was gigging around the Bay Area as the Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia band (if anything, it's a surprise that Jerry didn't sit in on the first Fogerty LP), and this fact puts the LP in a different light. While Tom Fogerty still sounds a bit like his brother John and is more inclined to choogle than his bandmates -- who are nevertheless happy to follow him when he decides to lay into the New Orleans -- this shouldn't be