Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One Of Dan Fogelberg's Best ALbums!, August 28, 2000
This incredible album helped to propel Dan Fogelberg's popularity in the late 1970s, and represented an announcement of his arrival as a major figure in the folk-rock pantheon. This was the follow-up album to a string of successful efforts that started with "Souvenirs' and went on to "Captured Angel" and "Twin Sons Of Different Mothers", leading up to this instant smash release. All in all, it provides terrific testimony to his talents, and proof positive of the incredible talents of one of folk-rock's most under-appreciated artists. From the stirring and dreamy opening instrumental of "Tullamore Dew" to the pulsating segue into the complex and quite accomplished lyrics of "Phoenix" describing Fogelberg's near submersion in a negative relationship and his rise above its pain to recreate himself, this album showcases Dan's wide range of songwriting, musical, and arrangement skills.Of course, the album was also helped along to the top of the charts by the inclusion of the hit single "Longer", which was a number one song. Fogelberg tends to favor a very full "wall of sound" approach to his music, and sometimes tends to somewhat overproduce arrangements by having too much going on simultaneously in his works. In this case, however, the songs are clear, crisp, and simply terrific, from "Gypsy Wind" to "Last To Know" to a terrific performance of "Face The Fire", Fogelberg's personal contribution to the "No Nukes" anti-nuclear power movement. My own personal favorites here are "Face The Fire", with its intricate, amazing, and powerful electric guitar arrangement, "Along The Road", a dreamy recolelction of life on the run, and "Wishing On The Moon". This is a wonderful album, folks, and a splendid example of Mr. Fogelberg's considerable skills and talents. I highly recommend it. Enjoy.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My First Fogelberg album, April 7, 2004
I remember hearing "Longer" on the radio back in the early 80's and thought, What a beautiful song! I know a lot of folks consider it a sappy song, but when you're in love, the words fit perfectly. I liked the song so much that I had to pick up the album to see what the rest was like. I wasn't disappointed. It seems this is an album Fogelberg fans either love or hate. "Phoenix" has Dan venturing outside of his more acoustic based songs into more fully orchestrated and polished pop/country songs. For me, this musical direction is really appealing. This is one album that I can listen to from front to back without ever skipping a song. You know how music can trigger memories? For me, "Phoenix" evokes memories from warm, care free Spring nights back in my teens -- a good feeling. After this album, I made it a point to get a hold of Dan's other albums and found him to be a highly versitile artist, exploring lots of musical styles. This album of his, though, is my favorite. Highly recommended. Enjoy!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tried and True!, July 9, 2005
This album is a collection of the best songs Dan Fogelberg has ever written. It has been one of my favorites since first released some 20+ years ago. I bought it on vinyl when it originally came out, cassette to listen to it in the car as a teen-ager, and finally CD, as it is a must have. Fans will recognize it as being his finest work, a masterpiece, and truly timeless. Being as old as it is, it is not at all dated.
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