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. He was also an expressive artist who touched many hearts through his work. 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).

The album opens with the hit single, Part Of The Plan, an acoustic guitar driven and philosophical song that Dan convincingly sings with sincerity and conviction.

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...

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.

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" 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

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 big old 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.