Impex Records, in a joint effort with Iconic Artist Group and Epic Records, has just released Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition, a limited LP reissue of Dan Fogelberg's classic second studio album. Fogelberg's debut album failed to chart, and in the aftermath his manager, Irving Azoff, suggested a change of scenery might be in order. He'd been watching the groundswell of creativity in the country-folk-rock community in southern California, and in 1974 suggested Dan move there to record his next album. After renting a house in Laurel Canyon, Dan Fogelberg quickly assimilated into the local music scene, falling into the sphere of musicians like Joe Walsh, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey among a multitude of others. Souvenirs reflected that myriad of changes; Dan Fogelberg had sharpened his musicianship and songwriting skills, and the album he crafted proved to be his critical and commercial breakthrough.
In what is becoming the norm for high quality LP reissues from their back catalog, Sony Music supplied Impex Records with a 1:1 flat transfer tape copy of the original analog tapes for Dan Fogelberg's Souvenirs. Charles L. "Chuck" Granata supervised Vic Anesini's transfer of the tapes at Battery Studios NYC; the 1:1 flat transfer from the original tapes was actually done twice, with one of the transfers done backwards, which can minimize wear and improve the transfer process. Chris Bellman then mastered from the resulting transfers at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. An all-analog, AAAA (analog original to analog mix, master, and lacquers) process was used throughout; Bellman's newly cut lacquers were then sent to Record Technology Inc. where the reissue was plated. The 180 gram LP was pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, where Rick and Edward Hashimoto oversaw their production. The album package was created at Stoughton Printing, including the heavy, tip-on outer jacket that features pristine album artwork sourced from Sony Music's vaults; all additional photography was licensed directly from Henry Diltz. A 16-page booklet features a contemplative essay from music historian, producer, and journalist Chuck Granata; it's filled with reminisces about Dan Fogelberg and the making of Souvenirs, with commentary from session participants like Russell Kunkel and Kenny Passarelli. Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition is not only an album reissue, it's an experience!
Impex continues to set the bar high, again proving their reissues are the industry standard for audiophile LPs. Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition was produced by Abey Fonn, James Bantz served as executive producer, and Bob Donnelly was the associate producer. Robert Sliger designed the beautiful full-color booklet that's features Henry Diltz's original photography, Chuck Granata's incredible essay, additional images of memorabilia, and lyrics for all the songs. The booklet's vibe expands on the earthy feel of designer Gary Burden's vision for the original album, and Sliger's superb redesign of the gatefold jacket greatly improves the flow of the wealth of information within. And the jacket's gold foil stamping distinguishes Impex's reissue and enhances its overall presentation. Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition is strictly limited to 3000 individually numbered copies; you can order one from their partner Elusive Disc HERE.
My personal take on Dan Fogelberg and his music
As a 16-year-old in 1974, I was a wannabe hippie-loner who had essentially two interests in life: music and backpacking. I scrimped to save money to buy a pair of Swiss-made Raichle hiking boots; my brother helped out by getting me a decent frame pack. And I slowly started working towards spending every moment possible on the Appalachian Trail, but not with the intent of pushing myself physically, but more to commune with nature. I led a fairly solitary existence, had few distractions, and didn't spend money on girls or less noble pursuits—if I wasn't buying some essential bit of trail gear, I was spending every remaining dime on LPs. Before too long, I discovered the music of Dan Fogelberg.
Of course, we have to qualify things: there was no internet, no MTV, and the most current information about music came from Rolling Stone, Creem, or some Atlanta deejay on a late night radio broadcast. Which was the only time slot they'd play albums outside the mainstream; before hearing Dan Fogelberg's first album in the wee hours late one night, I'd never even heard of him. In those days, for self-styled outdoorsmen like myself, the obvious choice would have been to go with the iconic "Rocky Mountain High" of John Denver; that angle didn't appeal to me one whit. But when the March 13th, 1975 issue of Rolling Stone hit the newsstand, and Dan Fogelberg was interviewed inside, it changed my world. He had the look—the scraggly beard, the long hair, and all that I totally aspired to—and he came across as so much more legitimate than John Denver.¹ He talked about his new album, Souvenirs, and Dan Fogelberg hung out with Joe Walsh, the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Graham Nash—he was seriously legit.
A week later, on my seventeenth birthday, I got a car—a beater of a 1969 Volkswagen Squareback station wagon. The first thing I did was drive to the nearest record store to get a copy of Dan Fogelberg's Souvenirs, which had been out for less than six months. I also grabbed his first album, 1972's Home Free; later that year, Captured Angel was released and quickly acquired. And in May, 1977, Nether Lands completed what I considered to be his classic period. Within a few days of its release, Dan Fogelberg was the subject of a nationally distributed AOR radio interview segment. Where for two hours he waxed poetically on recording his last two albums in Colorado and on his personal ethos, and I knew in my heart of hearts he was a kindred spirit. He was the real Rocky Mountain High. Dan Fogelberg was a bit country, but mostly folk; mostly folk, but a bit rock-n-roll; a bit rock-n-roll, and increasingly, a bit classically-inspired. And I felt a powerfully emotional connection to his music—and thank God, he wasn't freaking John Denver!
Of course, time rolls on; I was in college, and no longer as focused on hiking the Appalachian Trail in its entirety (I did manage to hike all of Georgia and North Carolina). And—I had finally discovered girls. Then a friend dragged me to a Devo concert, and the wheels really came off in terms of my musical interests. I still bought the next three Dan Fogelberg albums (my friends thought I was insane!), but as he transitioned from folk-rocker to pop star, the magic started to fade for me. He was the artist I once most respected in the music industry, and I completely ghosted him from the mid-Eighties on. In recent years, I've re-evaluated his legacy.
Dan Fogelberg, Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition, 180 gram LP, Impex Records, $39.99.
Dan Fogelberg's debut album, 1972's Home Free, showed glimmers of the genius yet to come, but was still a fairly mixed bag of mostly folk-rock and country. It failed to chart, but developed a grass roots following over the next two years, such that many of the album's tunes began to get AOR airplay and positive local press coverage. His manager, Irving Azoff, encouraged him to relocate to southern California for his next recording, and Fogelberg quickly became part of LA's vibrant folk-rock scene. Azoff also helped Fogelberg form his own production company and record label, Full Moon. It was decided that Joe Walsh would produce the new record, Souvenirs, and he even played guitar on most of the album's eleven tracks. Walsh hired studio veteran Bill Szymczyk to engineer the sessions, which took place at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, in September 1972.
Fogelberg and Walsh gathered a stellar collection of musicians for Souvenirs. Dan Fogelberg played acoustic and electric guitars, piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer, and even contributed percussion to many of the tracks. Joe Walsh played a variety of acoustic and electric guitars, and recruited members of his outfit Barnstorm (most of them also played with Stephen Stills' Manassas), including Kenny Passarelli on bass, Al Perkins on pedal steel and banjo, Paul Harris on piano, and Joe Lala on congas and timbales. Walsh also brought along Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Randy Meisner of the Eagles; Henley played drums on one track, and all three contributed background vocals. Graham Nash offered harmony vocals on a couple of tracks, and Gerry Beckley of the group America added some acoustic guitar. LA session veteran Russell Kunkel played drums and percussion on most of Souvenirs' eleven tracks.
The album was recorded fairly effortlessly, and was released later that year in October. Two singles were chosen; the first, "Changing Horses," failed to chart, but the high-energy "Part of the Plan" landed at number 31 on the singles chart. And propelled sales of Souvenirs, pushing it to number 17 on the Billboard album charts. Within five months, Souvenirs had become a critical and commercial smash, reaching the double platinum sales mark. Fogelberg's musical vision had finally gotten the validation both he and Irving Azoff were certain was inevitable.
Dan Fogelberg's Souvenirs sounds better than ever!
I played Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition on my all-analog system; you can click on my name in the header above to see its complement of components. The focus is on a pair of stand mounted XSA Labs Vanguard compact monitors that run in tandem with a pair of Caldera 12 subwoofers. The Vanguards are an homage to classic British monitors like the LS3/5A, and the subs add a couple of extra octaves to help the system project a remarkably coherent aural impression. Impex's new LP was played on the ProJect Classic EVO turntable that's mounted with an Ortofon Quintet Bronze moving coil cartridge; a PS Audio Stellar phono preamp and a PrimaLuna EVO 300 tube integrated amp complete the system. The amp has a new quad of RAY Tubes Reserve KT88 power tubes, and my playback of Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition was powerful, dynamic, and emotionally thrilling!
Hearing Souvenirs again for likely the first time in forty years was like visiting with an old friend! Even though no claims were made to the "audiophile" street cred of the vinyl Fidelity Record Pressing used for this LP, playback was perfection incarnate, with no audible groove or surface noise. You get so spoiled hearing Impex's 1STEP LP pressings on Neotech Supervinyl, it's easy to forget how very close Fidelity's other vinyl formulation is to the ne plus ultra. The new KT 88 tubes kickstarted the system's dynamics, and "Part of the Plan" was delivered with thrillingly raucous immediacy, with Graham Nash's perfect harmony vocal taking it to another level of goodness. The poignant "Illinois" was beautifully rendered with the kind of intimacy and delicacy my original pressing couldn't touch. And "As the Raven Flies" features Dan Fogelberg and Joe Walsh trading electric guitar licks from opposite sides of the soundstage, and is even more highly charged and visceral now than the first time I heard it fifty years ago!
Chuck Granata's essay states that Fogelberg learned Joni Mitchell's guitar tunings for the hauntingly effective "Song from Half Mountain." Which merited multiple repeat plays, and really took me back to a place I hadn't been in forever: I couldn't believe I'd virtually forgotten this superb song! "Morning Sky" offers Souvenirs' only real nod to the country leanings of his debut Home Free. "Someone's Been Telling You Stories" is another outstanding tune, with a great harmony motif, and it's really great to hear the more youthful voices of Don Henley and Glenn Frey joining in on vocals with Dan Fogelberg. Joe Walsh offers some superb flatpicking in the song's center. Souvenirs closes with "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler," which starts out low and slow, but builds to a steady burn; Fogelberg's piano turn in the center is truly impressive, and the backing choir that features Don Henley and Randy Meisner adds to the song's majesty. As the final note slowly fades, the quiet and clarity of Fidelity's vinyl adds immeasurably to the effect.
Final impressions
Souvenirs was undeniably Dan Fogelberg's first fully-formed statement as an artist, and its critical and commercial success propelled him to even greater heights for close to a decade. Success doesn't always entirely resonate with an artist's fan base, however, and I jumped ship following his album Phoenix in 1984. That said, I now realize the absence of Dan Fogelberg's music from my world for four decades has left a great hole. It was incredibly refreshing to hear Impex's new reissue of Souvenirs in its ultimate incarnation, and I've been moved to take a long-overdue deeper dive and reevaluate his catalog of albums.
Souvenirs has been out of print domestically on LP for over 45 years now, with only a single, limited-release LP reissue pressed by Friday Music a decade ago. Minty originals are few and far between on Discogs, and from my own crate-digging experience, I rarely come across any of Dan Fogelberg's albums in used record bins. That will make Impex's new edition of Sovenirs even more valuable to fans and collectors alike.
The brilliance of Abey Fonn's vision for Impex shines forth from surrounding herself with the most talented people in the industry, while also aligning Impex with peerless professionals whose technical expertise can bring that vision to fruition. Like those at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Fidelity Record Pressing, RTI, and Stoughton Printing—any Impex reissue LP will always be the very best of the best, and with sound quality second to none. Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition is beyond doubt the album's definitive edition, and is emblematic of the excellence Impex brings to the audiophile world. Many thanks to Abey Fonn, Impex Records, and Elusive Disc for making this review possible. Souvenirs, 50th Anniversary Edition comes very highly recommended—Impex's new reissue has shocked me with its goodness!
Impex Records
Elusive Disc
All images courtesy of Impex Records, Elusive Disc, and the author.
¹ John Denver lovers of the world, I offer my sincerest apologies for any offense I might have wrought with my sour comments.
