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59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Dan, August 20, 2009
Love In Time is Dan Fogelberg's final studio album and it is truly among his finest. I can't seem to stop playing the album. Every song sounds like classic Fogelberg.
The first song on the album, "Love In Time", is a song I first heard on a very fine studio album Dan produced back in 1983 called Beauty Lies. This album was a solo project for Michael Brewer, who was one half of the acclaimed duo, Brewer and Shipley. Beauty Lies is a must have for any Fogelberg fan, since it features Dan's trademark vocals and musicianship throughout the album and it's also a real enjoyable listen; unfortunately, it's been out of print for some time. I'm not even sure if it was ever released on cd.
"Nature of the Game" is a song that I vividly remember seeing Dan perform at a live show years ago. This is one great song. I think it was a good decision on Fogelberg's part to keep the song simple, using only one acoustic guitar, as he had done when I had seen him perform the song in concert.
As other reviewers noted, Fogelberg's rendition of "Birds" is beautiful, but haunting and very sad. It was wise for Dan to put this song at the very end. As one listens to the album, one is captivated by the songs and one is driven to hear more; however, after Fogelberg finishes singing his very emotional version of "Birds" and one hears the very first sound that begins "To The Morning" from Fogelberg's first album, the album really feels like it's over and needs to end.
Musically, the album covers a lot of territory and brings to mind the best of Fogelberg's earlier works. There's rock, blues, country rock, ballads and a great deal of harmony on this album. And his playing, as usual, is stellar.
Jean you did good by releasing this very fine album. Your husband will be missed by his friends, family and fans, but his music will live on.
I bet there's a lot of unreleased music by Dan Fogelberg in the vaults, including unreleased songs and recorded live shows. My hope is that at some point in the near future the powers-that-be decide to release some of these songs and performances to the public.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dan is still the man..., August 15, 2009
Dan Fogelberg's final album is classic Fogelberg. To many, Fogelberg was a more popular version of Dan Hill and other mid seventies "soft" rockers. To most, Fogelberg IS the song "Longer". My guess is he regretted on more than one occassion having ever written and recording that song. The reality is Fogelberg's music dipped into many styles: country, folk, world, blues, jazz and, probably more than all the others, rock and roll. "Love In Time" touches all the bases.
The opening tune, the title song "Love In Time", brings to mind the 1984 hit "The Language of Love" and strikes an incredibly optimistic note considering the battle with cancer Fogelberg was waging while working on this record. "So Many Changes" is pure upbeat pop (in the best sense of that word) and allows Fogelberg to show off his incredible falsetto. "Come To The Harbor" would have been right at home on Fogelberg's mid seventies country/rock albums, i.e. "Souvenirs". "Diamonds To Dust" is Country Dan right down to the ground and brings to mind Fogelberg's venture into bluegrass on the awesome 1985 album "High Country Snows". Fogelberg's real country puts the current group of country pretenders to shame.
Probably the highlight of the album is "Nature of the Game", with it's scorching one minute thirty five seconds blues guitar lead-in. It's Dan on the dark side and, despite stereotypes, a place his music went to often.
Fools run where an angel fears to follow
We've come to a place no fool would go
Sparks fly when the truth rings harsh and hollow
It's the same old song we've sung so long
It's the only dance we know.
"Days To Come" is right in Fogelberg's wheelhouse! It's 1975 in southern California! It's the Eagles before they became bloated money grubbers. It's upbeat, guitar based country/rock with Fogelberg singing his own harmonies - it could just as easily be Jackson Browne, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. It is classic Dan Fogelberg.
The song that will probably get the most notice is "Birds", a Neil Young penned tune that is literally Dan Fogelberg's swan song. It is slow, plaintive and everything you would expect from a dying man leaving behind the woman he loves. The last words Dan Fogelberg sang on record were "it's over". The song fades, then there is a brief swell of music that sounds eerily similar to the lead-in to "To The Morning", the first song on Fogelberg's first album "Home Free". It's Dan telling us, with a tear, a wink and a nod, it's not really over.
"Love In Time" is classic Fogelberg; his strongest effort since "The Wild Places". Incredibly, it does not sound like a dying man's record. Fogelberg chimes in on the theme he has visited and revisited for over thirty years, the passage of time, without sounding maudlin or as if awash in self pity (places he had every right to go). It's a brave record, but more important, it's a great listen and a fitting tribute to an artist I feel will only grow in stature as the years pass. Fogelberg was about talent and heart. Both are out of fashion these days, but always come back around.
Dan still is, and always will be, the man...
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Overwhelming in every way, August 14, 2009
What a final masterpiece... thank you Jean Fogelberg for sharing the songs with us. I still can hardly listen to "Birds", the swan song that ends "Love in Time", without getting all choked up, and I don't dare to imagine how hard it must have been for Jean.
From "Home Free" to "Love in Time", Dan's music has accompanied me for all of my adult life, and his passing on Dec. 16, 2007 hit me really hard. I was fortunate enough to experience the musical magic on stage six times, even if it meant flying half around the world every time. "Love in Time" is nothing but amazing, every song a classic to treasure for years to come. The instrumental, vocal and lyrical mastery of Dan Fogelberg is incredible.
By the way: Amazon will not allow international downloads of this album, so all of you non-US Dan Fans will have to wait for the physical album release (or know someone overseas). I'll buy the album as soon as it will be officially available for everyone, especially since the Prostrate Cancer Foundation will also benefit from all sales.
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