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Auburn Annie · 07-03-2003, 07:39 AM

From the Rocky Mountain News:

Fogelberg comes around
Singer-songwriter returns to '70s style on new tour, CD

By Carol Simmons, Dayton Daily News
July 3, 2003

Dan Fogelberg was all of 20 when he signed his first recording deal with Columbia Records in 1971. And he penned many of his biggest hits during the course of that decade.

Although he came to national attention as part of a popular music trend of the time that heralded singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, Fogelberg always followed his own muse, exploring a variety of musical paths through the years.

As he prepares to begin a summer tour, which includes a Friday show at the Paramount Theatre, Fogelberg finds that the singer-songwriter genre is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Younger acts such as David Gray, John Mayer and Jack Johnson are filling venues across the country.

So the timing appears right for Fogelberg's latest album release - his first all-new studio project in 10 years - in which he re-creates the Southern California, country-tinged folk-rock balladry of his youth.

Fogelberg called the effort Full Circle for a reason.

"This is pretty much where I began, stylistically," he said. "I've been off on a lot of musical directions. I've gone down a lot of roads personally, as a musician and artist. It's kind of ironic; I found on my 50th birthday that it took me back to where I began."

While nine of the collection's 11 tracks are Fogelberg originals, the title track is a lesser-known Byrds song. Fogelberg counts the Byrds as one of his earlier influences, along with George Harrison and Gordon Lightfoot.

But Gene Clark's lyric - "You think you're lost / And then you're found again . . . Each time around there's something new again" - captures Fogelberg's sense of the world as he continues making music in his home studio.

The circle imagery allows the Peoria, Ill.-born Fogelberg to include songs from throughout his career - going back as far as the beginning, with a song he wrote in the early 1970s and somehow never got around to recording, Drawing Pictures.

But it also brings him to the present with a pair of songs that state his thoughts and feelings about two issues closest to his heart: the role of the artist in society and the necessity for ongoing environmental vigilence.

In press materials put out in conjunction with the new album's release, Fogelberg said that, while Earth Anthem, written in the mid-'60s by Bill Martin, "represents the nature of my own being to protect and preserve and love nature," Icarus Ascending "is the high-water mark of this record, for me.

"It's perhaps as close as I will ever come to really expressing my core philosophy."

07-03-2003, 07:39 AM	#11
Auburn Annie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 3,101	From the Rocky Mountain News: Fogelberg comes around Singer-songwriter returns to '70s style on new tour, CD By Carol Simmons, Dayton Daily News July 3, 2003 Dan Fogelberg was all of 20 when he signed his first recording deal with Columbia Records in 1971. And he penned many of his biggest hits during the course of that decade. Although he came to national attention as part of a popular music trend of the time that heralded singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, Fogelberg always followed his own muse, exploring a variety of musical paths through the years. As he prepares to begin a summer tour, which includes a Friday show at the Paramount Theatre, Fogelberg finds that the singer-songwriter genre is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Younger acts such as David Gray, John Mayer and Jack Johnson are filling venues across the country. So the timing appears right for Fogelberg's latest album release - his first all-new studio project in 10 years - in which he re-creates the Southern California, country-tinged folk-rock balladry of his youth. Fogelberg called the effort Full Circle for a reason. "This is pretty much where I began, stylistically," he said. "I've been off on a lot of musical directions. I've gone down a lot of roads personally, as a musician and artist. It's kind of ironic; I found on my 50th birthday that it took me back to where I began." While nine of the collection's 11 tracks are Fogelberg originals, the title track is a lesser-known Byrds song. Fogelberg counts the Byrds as one of his earlier influences, along with George Harrison and Gordon Lightfoot. But Gene Clark's lyric - "You think you're lost / And then you're found again . . . Each time around there's something new again" - captures Fogelberg's sense of the world as he continues making music in his home studio. The circle imagery allows the Peoria, Ill.-born Fogelberg to include songs from throughout his career - going back as far as the beginning, with a song he wrote in the early 1970s and somehow never got around to recording, Drawing Pictures. But it also brings him to the present with a pair of songs that state his thoughts and feelings about two issues closest to his heart: the role of the artist in society and the necessity for ongoing environmental vigilence. In press materials put out in conjunction with the new album's release, Fogelberg said that, while Earth Anthem, written in the mid-'60s by Bill Martin, "represents the nature of my own being to protect and preserve and love nature," Icarus Ascending "is the high-water mark of this record, for me. "It's perhaps as close as I will ever come to really expressing my core philosophy."