Dan Fogelberg, the #102 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

Fogelberg was growing both as an artist with deep songs and complex music, but he wanted to do an album for himself.  The project became a duet with flautist Tim Weisberg, the 1978 album Twin Sons of Different Mothers.  

But fate plays a strange part.  This "personal album" became Fogelberg's breakthrough.  A song added late in the process, "The Power Of Gold", became one of his biggest hits to date.  Still, with a peak of #24, it is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*. 

"Since You've Asked" is another great early Fogelberg song.  

Fogelberg and Weisberg combined for the instrumental, "Guitar Etude No. 3".

The album went Gold, and Dan fulfilled a career goal by playing Carnegie Hall in New York City to a sellout audience that included his parents.  Dan reached the ascension up the ladder to fame with the album Phoenix, released in 1979.  "Longer" is considered one of the quintessential love songs, a #1 smash on the Adult Contemporary chart and #2 overall.

"Heart Hotels" rushed to #3 on the AC chart, the most accurate measure of tastes, since adults by now dominated the Rock audience.

Phoenix is nearing three million in sales. This is one of the great album tracks of all-time:  "Tullamore Dew/Phoenix"

Dan recorded this song following the crisis at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant on March 28, 1979.  Over the next few days, radioactive gas was released into the air and 40,000 gallons of radioactive waste water was released into the Susquehanna River.  The song is an attack on nuclear power and the powerful interests be hind it, as well as an appeal to turn to solar power instead--"Face The Fire".

One of Fogelberg's most beautiful songs is "Along The Road".

Another great track on this tremendous album is "Gypsy Wind".

We hope you enjoyed this salute to Dan Fogelberg.  Join us tomorrow for Part Three!