Customer Reviews

Something Old, New, Borrowed, And Some Blues

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those fans of Dan Fogelberg who attended his concerts with his various bands in the 90's will be thrilled with this keepsake to relive that experience. As Dan says in his liner notes, this Live CD is 100% live with all the technical glitches and all. Although "critics" will probably harp on that aspect, it makes me feel like I was right there. It makes it all the more real and that's what I prefer! I personally appreciate the rawness of it. The songs are a fantastic mix and shows Dan's diverse talents in voice and guitar...from the oldies from 1972 to his unbelievable never released blues numbers. (He MUST make a blues album! ) No wonder Dan has sustained his loyal following. What a tremendous talent!

What a shame that this truely brilliant live album has only been released on a small label and will probably not receive the attention it deserves.

Dan Fogelberg - a brilliant singer,songwriter and instrumentalist who has survived in this business for almost 30 years now - released his first live album in 1991 (Greetings From the West), also highly recommended. But this new album, which is a collection of material recorded live between 1992 and 1995, sounds much closer to real thing.

No overdubs, the occasional glitch - it's really like being there in the concert hall. Unlike other reviewers I do think that Dan's voice has matured nicely over the years, and the live versions of his early classics sound even better on this disc.

Timothy B. Schmit, veteran member of Poco and The Eagles, provides some very nice harmony vocals on this record. There are a lot of as yet unreleased songs here, including some very intense and highly emotional Blues tracks as well - which all helps to prove just what a brilliant singer and musician Dan Fogelberg is.

This is certainly gift to his devoted fans but it should also extend beyond that loyal core of people. Beautiful, handmade music is a timeless treasure, and nobody does it better than Dan Fogelberg.

The energy level of this CD and Dan's guitar playing are both off the charts! It grabs you right from the start with the uplifting, toe tapping "Magic Every Moment" and "Songbird". Then he brings it down a bit with the "something old" still carrying that energy with sweet harmonies and his famed acoustic guitar playing. "The Innocent Age"-- precious, beautiful harmonies between Dan and Timothy B. Schmit. "As The Raven Flies" -- a bit slow, but great (electric) lead guitar. "Hard To Say" , "Make Love Stay", "Changing Horses" and "Looking For A Lady" -- love them all, great presentation vocally and rhythmically. I really loved hearing these songs of the 70's performed with more maturity both musically and vocally. I love that lower, seasoned voice. Well done!

Then somewhere between "You Better Think Twice" and "She Don't Look Back" I found myself lost in FANTASTIC guitar and GREAT vocals. I love that rassssssspy blues thing going on! Dan really cuts loose with these tunes. His lead guitar ranging from a down home country acoustic to blues to rock. Is there anything this man cannot play! "You Better Think Twice" -- this is a very high energy tune. You cannot sit still with this one (great acoustic lead). "Don't Let That Sun Go Down" -- WOW, this song (and performance) is exceptional, truly a sample of the amazing songwriting we have come to know . And then some blues, oh baby, fantastic! Great acoustic slide on "Statesboro Blues". The electric lead on "Blow Wind Blow" blows me away, so fast and fluid. And this man can sing the blues like blues should be sung! "She Don't Look Back" is really rockin, again excellent guitar. Then Dan introduces "Here Comes The Sun" saying it's "just for fun", mellowing you in a way only a Beatles tune could, helping you to regain your composure. He does the Beatles so well. This CD is a wonderful "live" experience. I loved it! Thanks Dan!

I realized I haven't said much about the other musicians featured on this CD --their excellent contributions help make it all come together, but Dan is definitely the star on this album as far as I'm concerned.

This is a wonderful compilation of live songs performed by Dan Fogelberg with various band members during the 90's. I had to the good fortune to see three of his shows during that time and always made a list of the songs played each night. Afterwards I would create a cassette of the songs available to re-live the concert. This record includes some previously unreleased material and it puts me right back into one of those seats again.

Dan's incredible versatility and power as a peformer is showcased here. In addition, his breadth as a musician is demonstrated again & again. Songs like "The Innocent Age" and "Make Love Stay" are unmatched in lyric and melodic composition. And then the power and raw emotion of "Don't Let That Sun Go Down" is indicative of a side of Dan's music of which the Top 40 listener is unaware. And then his tip of the hat to the Beatles in "Here Comes The Sun" reminds us of why we all were influenced by their sound.

For anyone who wants to experience Dan Fogelberg in Concert and glimpse the variety of his talent and his ability to reach out and hold an audience, then this album will put you right there! A definite 'Recommended Buy'

What diversity! Dan turns the old songs into new classics. His covers of "Here Comes The Sun" and "You Better Think Twice" are excellent and the blues numbers are indescrible! Absolutely incredible! His voice is made for the blues! Dan's never released "Don't Let That Sun Go Down" is one of the best I have ever heard. This is the best collection of Live music from Dan's band years that I could ever hope to have. He did a great job on keeping it authentic. I would imagine he released this mainly for his true, hard core fans but I know I will be giving this to my friends proudly to let them see for themselves why Dan Fogelberg is my favorite artist. Always has been and always will be. Keep them coming, Dan. We'll always be here for you!

Not a bad cd. Though I heard this was recorded in the early to mid 90's, I do not recall hearing many of these songs performed live. Dan's setlist does not change much period, so many of these must have been one offs. The inclusion of 'Changing horses' makes it worth the price alone.'Looking for a lady' and 'as the raven flies' only sweeten the offer. A few other surprises are when Timothy B. Schmidt joins the fun for old Poco nugget 'You better think twice.' And a "where did that come from" reading of 'Statesboro blues.' Mr. Harrisons 'Here comes the sun' ends the acoustic set nicely. I probably would have rated this higher if it weren't for the inclusion of a few tunes that need not be here.

I am assuming Dan knew this would be largely a "fans only" disc thus I do not see a valid reason for the inclusion of 'Make love stay' and 'Hard to say' which make their umpteenth appearance here. They could have, should have, been left off.

I would reccomend any of Dan's 70's catalog first. But if you are already a fan then this should do nothing to change that. One other thing is that this album is on a tiny record label (Chicago records) so it may be wise to pick this one up before it dissapears!!

This is the Dan Fogelberg CD you can put on when your friends are around! You needn't be embarrassed.

This album shows how Dan's career really does add up to something. Those old songs sound better than ever with a bit of grit in the throat, and the new song and blues covers are a treat. Playing with a live band seems to work magic too; Dan sounds to be having FUN, and that makes all the difference. So what if the recordings were made years ago?

This is well worth getting.

Fans will be thrilled to once again "attend" a rock and roll band concert of Dan Fogelberg's! It is so real and so raw that you feel like you are sitting in the crowd soaking up every note. I love the rough edges to it -- just like it is when you watch Dan jam with his incredible guitar playing and growling those unbelievable blues. I particularly enjoyed the new treatments of the older classics "The Innocent Age", "Changing Horses" and "Looking For A Lady." "Don't Let That Sun Go Down" -- there aren't words to describe the power of that song. I am so glad Dan finally released it. "You Better Think Twice" is fantastic. And, well, the blues is the blues and Dan does them to perfection. This CD is filled with incredible energy and amazing talent. Thanks, Dan, for giving us this keepsake of your concerts to keep those memories of the concert experience alive in our hearts!

Thanks Dan for all the great music over the years...this CD beats "Greetings From The West" for dollar-for-dollar-pound-for-pound showcasing Dan's music and especially wide-ranging talent. If you only think of Fogelberg as a "soft folk-rock balladeer" this CD will certainly change your mind.

Although Dan Fogelberg may not jump around much onstage when he moves from guitar to piano, the music alone on this live compilation release is enough to keep most fans jumping for joy.

If it takes more hits than misses to score a successful musical release, then consider `Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Some Blues' to be a winner.

Longtime fans of this artist's work will appreciate the tunes from his early career as they bring back a bit of nostalgia. Fans of his more recent releases haven't been forgotten either as evidenced by some great material written in the late 80's or early 90's that went somewhat unnoticed by the masses. An even better treat for all is `Don't Let That Sun Go Down'; a heretofore-unreleased number written by Dan guaranteed to knock most people's socks off upon first hearing it. But the album's strongest suit comes from the tightly woven Fogelberg interpretations of some marvelous cover tunes, including Statesboro Blues, Here Comes the Sun, and Blow Wind Blow. From blues to ballads, up-tempos to downbeats, suns coming up to suns going down, it's all here.

The album is reminiscent of McCartney's `Unplugged' in that it has a bootleg feel and sound that makes it seem wonderfully unpolished and off the cuff - a great departure from the anesthetized sounds so prevalent today. Since the tracks were recorded live in concert, the music has a very palpable, breathable quality to it. Kudos to Dan, ever the perfectionist producer in the studio, who chose instead to let the undiluted music be the chief engineer on this album.

Some live albums are more `live' than others. This album, whether by design or not by Dan, has quite a lot to say about life's chords and discords. `Magic Every Moment' celebrates the smallest miracles we've all rejoiced to in life. `The Innocent Age' harkens back to our earlier years and reminiscences. `Looking for a Lady' explores the favored pastime of searching for the right partner. `Makes Love Stay' ruminates on how to secure that lasting relationship. `Changing Horses' reflects on the directions we choose to take in our lives. `She Don't Look Back' echoes of love gone bad while `Don't Let That Sun Go Down' seems to chastise death's early arrival and always ill-timed interruption in our lives. Just when you think you can't take anymore of the lowdown blues that both life and Dan have chosen to include in their respective packages, the musical show closes with a resurgence of hope and warm rays of optimism in `Here Comes the Sun'.

So who cares whether White Men Can't Jump - as long as the music continues to move you.