Phoenix

This is a fantastic recording, one which I think should be in every rock lovers collection. I wanted the vinyl version for a friend who loves vinyl recordings. I bought used, which I recall was listed as "very good." After listening to the recording, I feel it was slightly over rated. The record was well played and had excessive pops and clicks at the head of the recording on both sides, indicating a possibly poorly aligned cartrage (cheep player) previously played this record. The rating should have been listed "fair." The sheath was however in like new condition. Keep in mind, I am very tight on quality listings. My "fair" is most peoples "good!" The seller did offer a money back warenty on the page, and the quality of the recording was not bad enough to return. It was just over rated. I feel a "Very good" or better, should play like a new recording.

This record goes much deeper than the hit single Longer. The lyrical stories and musicianship are excellent. Fogelberg got lumped into the easy listening/yacht rock of the late 70's and early 80's but he is far elevated above the others as an artist.

I have been in love with Dan Fogelberg since I was a teenager and listening to Phoenix reminds me of all the reasons I love him. I have never experienced the depth and meaning in an other artists work like I do with Fogelberg. All you Fogelberg fans understand what I am talking about, those of you that don't just need to listen and you will inderstand. I saw him many times in concert and I was never disappointed. It is truly tragic that he has left us so soon but he will live forever through his beautiful music and in the hearts of those who love him.

This is a great Fogelberg album he was a great lyricist and singer songwriter. I saw him several times in the 70s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and in Charlotte North Carolina how long his innocent age tour

Over the course of Dan Fogelberg's career, he has demonstrated that he is an extremely talented artist. He had a lot of capability and was quite ambitious, & he aimed high, & this resulted in a very mixed output, but there are many fantastic songs to be found. His 6th album (including the "duet" album with Tim Weisberg, "Twin Sons of Different Mothers"), "Phoenix", was released in November of 1979, & it's a strong introduction to his work--although his weaknesses are in evidence, they are far outweighed by his strengths. He handles all of the lead & background vocals on the album, all of the guitars (aside from "Face the Fire", which presumably features Joe Walsh on slide, though the credits don't flat out say so) & nearly all of the keyboards as well, & he wrote all the songs himself & also served as the primary producer--all that said, Fogelberg is running the show in a big way. Over the years he has displayed a taste for having brief (minute & a half or so) instrumental album openers, a tactic he got excellent mileage out of here with the outstanding "Tullamore Dew", featuring a haunting guitar melody which is punctuated by light, but very effective use of phasing, as well as atmospheric synthesizer & percussion. It also serves as a terrific prelude to the exciting, driving title track, with masterful, thick layers of guitar--lyrically, it's about breaking free from one's troubles, "getting out there", & being yourself, & despite their simplicity, he sings them passionately & convicingly. "Gypsy Wind" & "The Last To Know" are both nice, tuneful, somewhat country-fied ballads, although the former highlights him slipping into the annoying vocal inflections that at times get in the way (the way he sings the line "It's only when you listen that you learn" is a perfect example). ("The Last To Know", at 2:27, just after the guitar solo, is entirely reminiscent of the Doobie Brothers/ Carly Simon tune "You Belong To Me".) "Face the Fire" features very direct, angry lyrics regarding the fears/ dangers of nuclear energy, and the tune ends up being kind of a drag--it exhaustingly beats the simple, endlessly repeated riff into the ground, & the chorus feels badly forced, though the extended guitar soloing that ends the song is engaging. On the other hand, "Wishing On The Moon" is a solidly enjoyable, melodic mid-tempo rocker (the half-baked chorus leaves a bit to be desired though), & features a cool, riffy instrumental break. A pair of hit singles are placed side-by-side. I'm not going to say "Longer" is a sap-free ballad--it certainly isn't, but it's not EXCRUCIATINGLY sappy, & it's pretty, & also relatively stripped down (though there are a couple of slightly, yet gratingly, off-key notes in the harmony vocals). Even better though is the outstanding "Heart Hotels"--a lyrically clever song about romantic desperation, it starts out with bright, rich piano chords shaded with electric piano (played in unison), before morphing into an irresistibly bouncy song, additionally graced with an effective lyricon solo. However, "Beggars Game", is a solid example of Fogelberg aiming high & not being able to carry out his ambitions in a fully satisfying manner. It's a minor-keyed story song about a man who falls prey to a seductive woman--the guy expresses his realization that he's another "fool" to fall for her, but a blink of an eye later, the music swells & switches to a major key for what's supposedly the chorus (though it doesn`t feel like a chorus), & the "chains fall free"--then there's an instrumental break, after which Fogelberg, seemingly out of steam, goes back & repeats the first verse & the chorus again. It's painfully anti-climactic, & the verses are additionally marred by the annoyingly melodramatic vocals, despite the strong melody. He does end the album in fine fashion with the melodic ballad "Along The Road" (which reprises the "Tullamore Dew" sound, & features a refreshingly mellow vocal). In the end, the album really does strongly capture of essence of Dan Fogelberg, warts and all--the excellent tracks that are here, & the fact that the album is consistently strong overall, make it worth checking out, & it`s also a good place to start if you`re new to him/ curious about him.

Dan Fogelberg was at the top of his game. Tullamore Dew and Phoenix are my favorite songs on this album-a wall of sound!I bought this to replace the vinyl album- I had every album of his when I was young and he was my favorite artist.My least favorite song on this album, Longer was a big hit for him. My favorite songs of his were never his hits. His best music in my opinion, were not the hits.I highly recommend this album. He was such a talented artist!

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!

I loe the song Longer by Dan Folgerty. My husband to be got this album for me 39 years ago....it's since hit the dust. So it was awesome to find it in CD form after all these years!