Released two years ago, Dan Fogelberg's first album, Home Free, acquired a cult, though it received scant critical or commercial notice. Set against a glowing Norbert Putnam production, Fogelberg's pastoral romantic ballads, delivered in a high, quavering tenor, sounded as appealing as sweet Crosby Stills & Nash. Souvenirs is more elaborately textured, a tour de force of instrumental and vocal overdub, in which Fogelberg sometimes sings four or five parts at once in a voice more detached and echoey than the one on Home Free. Produced by Joe Walsh, Souvenirs shows off Fogelberg's extraordinary sensitivity to vocal harmony and his impressive facility at mixing his own guitar (both acoustic and electric) and keyboard playing into crystalline textures.

Though occasionally the overdubbing sounds like a substitute for melody, more frequently Fogelberg shows above average ability as a tunesmith. The title cut, an elegiac waltz, is especially captivating. A similar plaintiveness characterizes "Changing Horses," "The Long Way," "Song from Half Mountain" and "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler," reveries about the passage of time, while the gorgeous production complements their imagery.

Original album advertising art. Click image for larger view.

The near preciousness of these ballads is offset by several tougher CSN&Y type songs (the best, "As the Raven Flies" is reminiscent of Young's "Ohio") and by one country rocker, "Morning Sky."

Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: Album Review: Captured Angel Album Review: Nether Lands Album Review: Phoenix Album Review: The Innocent Age Dan Fogelberg: In His Own Words Dan Fogelberg Lyrics Dan Fogelberg Videos Dan Fogelberg Mugshots

- Stephen Holden, Rolling Stone, 12/19/74.

Bonus Reviews!

Very pretty set from singer/songwriter, with acoustic sounds predominating. Help from the likes of Joe Walsh, Graham Nash and various members of the Eagles, with over-all sound coming closest to an Eagles/Southern Hillman Furay style. Country flavor on some of the cuts, just plain soft music on the majority of them. Fogelberg has been around for some time and is slow on releasing LPs but ones of this quality prove well worth waiting for. Chance for a hit single on some of the more uptempo material.

- Billboard, 1974.

It took this poor fellow three years to write these songs -- why, just the title of "Changing Horses" represents weeks of thought -- but in a heartwarming show of togetherness his friends helped with the record. Joe Walsh produced, Don Henley played some drums, and Graham Nash sang a few harmonies, though in the spirit of his overarching vision Fogelberg prefers to tape those on himself. Inspirational Verse: "...you wish someone/Would buy your confessions." C-

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

This Joe Walsh-produced effort includes Fogelberg's first hit, "Part of the Plan." Overall, this isn't as strong as the debut. * * *

- Rick Clark, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Souvenirs has moments of fine songcraft that predates Fogelberg's gradual slide into schlockdom. * * *

- Peter Blackstock, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

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