Track Listing

1. Nether Lands
2. Once Upon a Time
3. Dancing Shoes
4. Lessons Learned
5. Loose Ends
6. Love Gone By
7. Promises Made
8. Give Me Some Time
9. Scarecrow's Dream
10. Sketches
11. False Faces

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4183 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Pure Perfection!
This album is my favorite - ever! I have worn out so many copies that I can't even tell you how many there were.

Dan goes from Symphonic to Country Twang, to soft Ballad in that harmonious way only he can do. Songs like Once Upon A Time remince to Home Free. Dancing Shoes is a fan favorite ballad. And Nether Lands a full orchestral experience unlike any you've probably ever experienced before.

Dan Fogelberge shines on this album.. it's no wonder so many think he's a musical genius.

A thoughtful work of consistently high quality
In his first two albums, Dan Fogelberg was finding his feet and developing his style, although on his third he seemed rather to have lost his way. This was rectified in 1977, with 'Nether Lands' being the album in which he really seemed to find his niche artistically. From then on, he moved forward confidently and met with considerable commercial success.

However, this album does not make any concessions in order to be commercial and contains no hit singles - it is an uncompromising artistic effort and merits sustained listening in order to fully appreciate its deep qualities. This was the first Dan Fogelberg album which I heard, and initially I did not particularly enjoy it. However, that soon changed, and it became the much-loved 'soundtrack' for an important time in my life. It remains my favourite Fogelberg album, sounding as good as ever after more than 20 years.

Whilst all the musical styles used here appear in some form or another in Dan's other albums, this one perhaps contains the broadest range of styles, as he experiments with intricate arrangements ranging from dramatically orchestrated ballads (the title track and 'Sketches') to rolling country-rock ('Once upon a time' and 'Lessons learned'), gentle acoustic guitar picking ('Scarecrow's dream'), light jazz ('Give me some time'), and slow, moody rock ('Loose ends'). And throughout, Fogelberg's tasteful guitar and keyboard work, and his soaring vocal harmonies, demonstrate his maturing musical talent.

Whilst not a concept album in the accepted sense, the mood and lyrical content of the album has a consistency throughout, the themes being the search for direction in life, issues of conscience and idealism, and the transitory nature of many relationships. Dan seems to have been going through a particular period of self-examination when this album was written, and there is a sense of strong feeling being put into the songs. This work is thought-provoking rather than entertaining, and is best listened to alone, without distractions.

It would be perhaps unfair to single out a particular track, but in many ways the closing song 'False faces' epitomises Dan Fogelberg at this time, with its powerful orchestration, strong vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and lyrics expressing the inner struggles of the artist.

Underrated and underappreciated - one of Fogelberg's finest
Although it peaked at a respectable #13 on Billboard's album charts in June of 1977, this album is still unknown to many that have only listened for Dan's chart hits. Two singles ("Love Gone By" and the promo "Nether Lands") failed to achieve any true commercial success, but that statistic belies the greatness of content. "Nether Lands" contains some of Dan's finest compositions and flows beautifully, stirring many dimensions and genres of musical styles. For those attuned to the pure lyrical and melodic trademark folk style of Dan's, there are generous helpings here. For those with an ear for commercial pop, listen to the aforementioned tunes, as well as "Once Upon A Time" and "False Faces". Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and John David Souther are among the fine talents that lend a hand in crafting the sounds heard on this disc, and the compostitions are introspective and bold. This was a harbinger of great things to follow, and those who did buy this when it was a fresh 12-inch piece of wax knew it. Great from start to finish, and severly overlooked. Even more sad is that the CD is in great need of remastering, as the direct analog transfers are much too "tinny" without the lower registers and midrange represented well. Still a five-star event due to the artistry.