Customer Reviews

Souvenirs

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2 star:		(1)
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Do not be fooled by either the release date of this album (Feb. 2008)or the blurb about it being a limited edition 2007 Japanese pressing. What you will get is a standard CD with the same artwork and packaging that it has always had. The mastering sounds pre-1990, claustrophobic and inauthentic. Yes, the price can't be beat and for some people that's enough. But this album deserves to be heard with modern mastering. Anyone who cares about good sound, save your money, listen to your vinyl. Sony will probably remaster this shortly.

"Souvenirs" is one of Dan Fogelberg's strongest works. This is a fairly eclectic collection.

You can find a song for almost every mood here. There's the sparkling upbeat opener "Part of the Plan" which received most of the airplay from this collection. "Someone's Been Telling You Stories" rolls out in a smoky tempo taking the part of a man who's been lied about. "Song from Half Mountain" is just Dan singing with his guitar, telling the story of a beautiful part of nature in such a personal way that he could almost be in your living room.

There's really no bad Dan Fogelberg and I've said that before his untimely death. I'd neglected to upgrade "Souvenirs" from vinyl and I'm very glad I did.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008

Timeless, Timeless, Timeless!!!! Great Sophomore album from the great Dan Fogelberg. Dan had the best of the best back him up on this album/cd. For the non Fogelberg fan, that want to cross over? Dan's voice is higher and softer than later recordings,due to tonsils being removed later in career. He's voice is "Awesome" and his acoustic guitar is just "Magical". Dan can also play one heck of a electric guitar. Listen to it and say "WoW!, that cool looking dude on the cover did this?? This is a must for everyone to treasure.

Many others rate 'The Innocent Age' as Dan's classic work, but for me this one gets the prize. Eaglish, Joe Walshish, but ultimately Dan Fogelberg's most classic of classics.

Souvenirs brings back so many great memories. I still remember the first time I heard it in my dorm room in Waterson Towers at Illinois State University - it totally blew me away. Dan created a timeless masterpiece that has survived the years by uniquely blending rock, folk, country, classical, and bluegrass styles. Listening to Souvenirs today is just as enjoyable as it was in 1974.

This is Deborah (not Richard), because the CD was for me. I used to have Dan Fogelberg "Souvenirs" on LP, listened to it years ago when I was drawing. I've moved on to watercolors, but this is still THE BEST EVER CD for art work! I like every song on the CD, which is saying alot. I mean how often do you like every song? AND I got it for a great price - shipping was FAST, too, so couldn't ask for a better all around DEAL.
Fogelberg has a lovely mellow voice that is soothing and the rythms don't change drastically, so it makes his music well suited to art work - at least for me! I love classical too, but when I'm reading, LOL.
I'm a happy happy camper!

This is one of my all-time favorite Dan Fogelberg albums. I love all of his older music. Each and every song on this album is quality. It's beautiful music through and through.

I have always been a huge fan of Dan Fogelberg and this is an album I never really listened to when I spent many hours during my college days listening to "The Innocent Age", "Phoenix" and "Twin Sons.." I bought the CD in conjunction with the guitar lesson DVD teaching how to play some of the songs on the album. I really fell in love with this album after several plays. "Part of the Plan" has always been one of my favorites, but I also like "Illinois", "There's a Place in the World for A Gambler" and "As the Raven Flies". The album is very country/bluegrass. Joe Walsh, who produced it, lends a big hand on guitar. I highly recommend this album to anyone who is a Dan fan who missed his early stuff or if you are looking to get an intro into his music. While I still believe "The Innocent Age" is his seminal album, you should definitely stick with Souvenirs if you want to hear Fogelberg's bluegrass/country roots. Many critics unfortunately branded Dan as sappy because of songs like "Longer", but if you talk to a true Dan fan, they will tell you what a great musician and writer he was. What a shame he was taken away.

This one is my favorite Fogelberg album, along with "Home Free" which I find to be a close second.These were the songs he was playing way, way back when I saw him live.Dan Fogelberg was a consummate musician and songwriter, and a gentleman on stage( when he played the show I went to there couldn't have been more than 300-400 of us total in that arena but he was gracious all the same--had us all crowd up close to the stage and then he played two sets--one solo and then one with his backing band Fool's Gold).RIP Dan, and God bless.

Dan Fogelberg's Souvenirs (1974) is an album that's perfectly represented by it's album cover. It features a photograph of Dan sitting in an antique rocking chair as he holds an eagle feather and looks directly at you. Simplicity can be a beautiful thing in this complicated world where things aren't always the way that they should be. It's honest and reassuring, and it connects each generation with the wisdom of the past. The music on this album is heartwarming and natural in it's simplicity, and it is also thoughtful, compassionate and as crisp and clear as the morning mountain air in Colorado where Dan lived during this time.

Dan Fogelberg was a musical master craftsman who carefully wrote and arranged intricate songs that were elegant and precise. His down-to-earth lyrics of love and life were genuinely majestic, and his mastery of the acoustic guitar was impressive. On this album he also played the electric guitar, piano, synthesizer, organ and the vibraphone.

Joe Walsh, who produced Souvenirs, played the electric guitar, 12-string guitar and sang backing vocals along with The Eagles' Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner and Don Henley (who also plays drums on the album).

Souvenirs opens with the hit single, Part Of The Plan. It's an acoustic guitar driven and philosophical song that Dan convincingly sings with sincerity and spirit.

Await your arrival
With simple survival
And one day we'll all understand...

Part Of The Plan is the most famous song here, but it's only just a sampling of the purity and wisdom that can be found on Souvenirs. Changing Horses, Souvenirs and Song From Half Mountain feature lovely acoustic guitar arrangements and are just gorgeous. Illinois and Better Change are country-folk/soft-rock gems with meaningful lyrics and beautiful vocal harmonies. Morning Sky works well as a contemporary bluegrass (w/ drums) number, and As The Raven Flies is a minor-key acoustic/electric guitar free-for-all and warning of evil disguised as beauty that really rocks.

There's A Place In This World For A Gambler is the album's masterpiece. The compassionate lyrics and inspiring arrangement make this gently compelling song the perfect way to close this album of "souvenirs".

There's a calm at the eye
Of every storm
There's a light in the depths
Of your darkness

Let it shine
Oh, let it shine

Dan Fogelberg, you've given us a gift we never can repay...