Customer Reviews

Portrait: Music of Dan Fogelberg 1972-97

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Dan Fogelberg is one of those few songwriters that can blend great lyrics with wonderful music. His songs don't just tell a story they paint a picture. Although he's known for his top 40 hits he never compromised his standards when writing and producing his albums. This box set gives the listener a great feel of how his music progressed though the years.

One of the strengths of this collection is the format. Each of the 4 CDs included have a main theme. CD #1 is a "greatest hits" listing, covering all his hits from A to Z. CD #2 are ballads that weren't hits but were popular with his main-stream fans. CD #3 covers his "rock-n-roll" side, and CD #4 has his stories of places and people. Each CD is well worth listening to. Of course all the hits are wonderful, but some of my other favorites are "Nexus" off CD 4, "As the Raven Flies" and "The River" of #3, and "Tucson, Arizona" off #4.

I would recommend this to any music fan who is looking for a great musical experience.

Dan not a man who should be contained inside a box,
Never to be labeled just a Balladeer.
And most of all, never to be underestimated as a true
songwriting force that this generation should overlook.
The best of Dan isn't what we have heard in his "Greatest Hits" or "The Very Best of"....though certainly those songs were the very reasons why Dan became among the most respected singer songwriters of the 70's and 80's,
It's just that "Portrait" is Singularly the reason why Box sets are produced and sold like they are......To allow you to consider
the artist as a whole, and judged purely on volume, and to let the story be dignified by His output and purpose behind the music.......each song indexed by Dan consists of His own story behind each song.

So if your remotely considering buying this box set,
here are some helpful hints as what to expect.
A well conceived layout, conveniently attractivly shaped case,
surrounded with four very appealing pictures of Dan from his three decades of music......also....lots and lots of Pics of Dan.
The stylish booklet inside holds the essence of his music in words.......if your expecting a wild tale of sex, drugs and rock and roll decedance ,then may I suggest VH1 Behind the Music where very doubtfull Dan will ever appear, for his life and lifestyle has been greatly guarded throughout his long career.
But you will come away from reading the booklet respecting his views and musical aspirations......and of course the man himself.

But you buy it for the music......and the music never dissapoints.
Four Cd's in four catagories......The first is "The Hits"
Containing those well loved songs you have heard on the radio.
"Longer"...."Same Old Lang Syne"......"Leader of the Band"....
"Part of the Plan".....if those songs dont sound familiar, they will!

Second Cd is "Ballads"....."Too the Morning" starts this Cd Beautifully.....its what I call an Epic Ballad.....one of those songs that plays on and your taken in soley by its sense of perfection......."Stars".....most recently covered by Alison Krauss.....and then "Wysteria".....a haunting poetic song that allows you to consider its true meaning from your own heart.
There are 17 songs on this Cd alone.....Of the Four Cd's this one I listen to the most.

Next Cd is "Rock and Roll".......if your not aware, Dan writes all of his music, Plays Most all the Instruments including Acoustic and Electric guitars and Piano....and he is no amateur,
Dan is geniunly gifted and it shines through so personally that it inspires so many others to play like he can......each song selected here contains a notch or two above his Ballads as far as his musical range, meaning he has more to say than just Love songs.

The last Cd is called "Tales and Travels".
A personal favorite here is "The Last Nail".
Dans ability to tell a story so poetically are for those who
desire more from a song than just a chorus a bridge and a unestablishing solo, Dan showcases his brilliance with true stories from his personal relationships, songs that reflect our own realness.

On a side note......one song that was not included on this Box set for some Ungodly reason........"There's a Place in the World for a Gambler" can be found on his "Souvenirs" Cd.
If you have...that same eternal question.....Why was this song not included......then be suprised and go out and buy "Souvenirs"....its one of those songs that I called an "Epic Ballad".....well worth looking into.

How can you describe a set that includes "Same Auld Lang Syne"(will melt your heart) and "Tell Me to My Face" (turn it up and let it melt your speakers). The only word I know is fabulous.
I have listened to Dan Fogelberg since the mid-70's. My first acquaintance with him came through "Netherlands" which I played until the grooves wore out. I then followed that with "Phoenix", "Innocent Age", etc. and loved them all. Sometime during the 80's, I moved on to other artists and lost touch with Dan's music. "Portrait" gave me a chance to rekindle this relationship with a vengance. I love the music in this set for several reasons. First, it compiled virutally all of his best among the four discs. Second, it allowed me to discover incredible new music like "Seeing You Again" and "The Minstrel"(who else could write such a beautiful song about a boat?). Third, the format of the discs allows me to trace his development as a songwriter and last, the liner notes where he discusses each of the songs are a treasure.
In my mind, there is only one glaring omission from the set; that being "Ghosts" from "Innocent Age" Other than that, load up the multi-disc player, sit back, close your eyes and enjoy.

Through the better part of three decades now, Fogelberg has continued to please his loyal audience with music of high quality. Rarely has any performer combined gifts for melody, harmony, musicianship, and lyricism in such a consistently pleasing fashion. This collection offers a representative sampling of his work from the release of his first album, "Home Free," up through the present. ("Don't Lose Heart" was recorded specifically for this collection.) It is also representative in terms of the various genres Fogelberg has explored down through the years. Though most of his "hits" have been ballads, it is fair to say that Fogelberg was New Age before the term existed (especially as regards his collaborations with Tim Weisberg), and also has delved into bluegrass, country-rock, blues, and full-tilt rock n' roll with equal success. Even if you already own the Fogelberg Cd's individually, the sound quality of the newly remastered material presented here make this set a valuable addition to your collection.

Dan has been one of my favorites since he started recording, and this set showcases a brilliant career. But like a lot of others, I wonder what happened to A Place In the World For A Gambler. Of all the box sets in my music collection, this is the only one that NEVER gets dusty. I play it at home, in the car and it goes to work with me, too. I've even turned some of the 20-somethings I worked with onto this man and his incredible music. Dan is amazing, on record and in concert, and this set is nearly perfect.

A fan would be putting things lightly for me. He has been with me through many years of growing up and adulthood. It all began with Part of the Plan, then came the album Netherlands oh WOW nothing more could be said. I loved the whole album and memorized it word for word and when I learned to play guitar played it note for note as with every other album he came out with. When has anyone ever seen an artist so complete, rock, country, bluegrass, jazz, ballads anything you wanted Dan could produce. His album High Country Snows took me to anouther level of appreciation, bluegrass is very differnt than what I assumed and if Dan Fogelburg would not have that album I would never had learned to appreciate that too. Then came the song Nexus unbelievably beautiful and humbling that so much talent can shine in one song. This guy has the most beautiful lyrics anyone could want. They have meaning and he is well versed in language and some of the lyrics he writes will floor you. Dan Fogelburg is by far the greatest in my book. His music stays in my car and home. Even my teenage boys love his talent, his music is ageless and passionant. How many times teasingly I've told my husband who is also a very good musician that he would be perfect if only he had Fogelburg's voice. Through the years I have listened to his music mature and expand. This CD set is perfect because anyone that can really appreciate Dan Fogelburg will understand the divercity and growth and new ways of entertainment he has blessed us with. Every mood and every heartache and every joyous moment has been shared with his music. There is nothing anyone can really say, there's no real discription of him. He's the Mozart of our music today. Dan thanks for the music and this great CD set. For all of us that have laughed and cryed with your music, we love you and through your wisdom and talent we will all be Part of the Plan.

I bought this CD set about 10 years ago from now, and it has a booklet which has Dan's brief history (up till 1996), it also has CD guide to purchase his CD indivually (I got Sovenir, Twin Sons, Captured Angel after this CD set), and the CD set is divided by 4 categories
1. hits: I don't have to say much, it has the hits, but the ending track is brand new one: Don't Lose Heart, a hidden gem, still pretty heartful
2. Ballads: Dan produced good amount of Folk/Country/Bluegrass/Scottish Traditional, and pretty beautiful sound, most of my favorites are in this one
3. Rock and Roll: other than soft sound, he can sound so tough, but I notice this: Democracy, that reveals how dissatisfied for Bush SR.
4. Tales and Travel: a unique one, and every track has the story behind, I found "Song of a Carpenter", this is a duet with The Chieftains (a famous Irish Traditional band), that I know he's also fond towards Scottish/Irish traditional sound (The Mistrel, From Mountain to the Sea, Song of a Carpenter), it's ended with Ever On
Dan has passed away, but like his final track on CD4: Ever On
I give 99%

I recently was able to purchase Portrait: Music of Dan Fogelberg 1972-97 which completes my library of Dan Fogelberg CD's. I have always like Dan's music, at least the ones that received air play but never purchased a record or CD until Dan had passed away. I often considered attending one of his concerts but regrettably never did. On Dec. 16th, 2007 around 8 pm I was shopping in a Walmart and "Leader of the Band" was playing. Unaware that Dan had died I decided I would Google Dan when I got home and what a shock to learn of Dan's death that morning. As I searched for info and started listening to YouTube videos, particularly of songs that did not receive airplay, I came to realize the immense talents of Dan Fogelberg as a songwriter and musician. Portrait is a must have for any DanFan because Dan chose the songs on this 4 CD set as his personal favorites for the time period covered. If you only know Dan Fogelberg by the standards that received airplay, then you have missed out on a treasure vault of his other great works.
Rest in peace Dan for your music will be played by generations to come!

Have been a fan of Dan Fogelberg for 30 years - a genius at integrating uncommonly beautiful poetry with just the right instrumental backgrounds and rhythms to make the songs expressively complete. He also composed lovely, impressively complex instrumentals which he performed individually and in concert with other gifted musicians. Truly this compilation is a "Portrait" of the personality and spirit of DAN FOGELBERG expressed through his music - lots of very familiar tunes, and many which were never played commercially but are great songs and I love nonetheless. We miss you!

This is an absolute MUST HAVE for any Dan Fogelberg fan. You can get into bidding wars or just buy it for whatever the going price is...but BUY IT. You won't regret it. The four disc set contains some of Dan's most popular and best known songs, but also contains three previously unreleased songs that quickly became my favorites; Don't Lose Heart, Mountains to the Sea and Song for a Carpenter. If you think the music's good, wait until you see the liner insert! It is filled with pictures of Dan as well as Dan's thoughts and inspirations behind the songs. It is a MUST HAVE that you'll treasure forever!