The Innocent Age

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The Innocent Age
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1981
Studio
GenreSoft rock
Length80:01
LabelFull Moon/Epic
ProducerDan Fogelberg, Marty Lewis
Dan Fogelberg chronology
Phoenix
(1979)
The Innocent Age
(1981)
Greatest Hits
(1982)
Singles from The Innocent Age
  1. "Same Old Lang Syne"
    Released: 1980
  2. "Hard to Say"
    Released: 1981
  3. "Leader of the Band"
    Released: 1981
  4. "Run for the Roses"
    Released: 1982

The Innocent Age is an album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1981. It was also one of his most successful albums; three of his four Top 10 singles on the Billboard pop chart ("Hard to Say" (no. 7), "Same Old Lang Syne" (no. 9), and "Leader of the Band" (no. 9) were from this album, as well as another Top 20 single in "Run for the Roses" (no. 18). All four also reached the Top 10 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart, with "Leader of the Band" reaching number 1 on that chart.

The album includes his song "Times Like These", from the 1980 Urban Cowboy soundtrack. Two of the prominent contributing vocalists are Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris.

The Innocent Age drew its inspiration from Thomas Wolfe's major novel Of Time and the River. The Innocent Age was originally released as a 2-LP Vinyl set and later as a 2-disc CD set.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the album "banal and overblown."[2]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Dan Fogelberg, except where noted.

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Nexus"6:04
2."The Innocent Age"4:15
3."The Sand and The Foam"4:19
4."In The Passage"6:28
5."Lost in the Sun"3:53
6."Run for the Roses"4:18
7."Leader of the Band (concludes with an excerpt from "The Washington Post" march arranged by Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, performed by the UCLA Band)"4:48
8."Same Old Lang Syne"5:21
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stolen Moments" 3:12
2."The Lion's Share" 5:10
3."Only The Heart May Know" (duet with Emmylou Harris) 4:09
4."The Reach" 6:30
5."Aireshire Lament" 0:52
6."Times Like These" (from the 1980 Urban Cowboy Soundtrack) 3:02
7."Hard to Say" 4:00
8."Empty Cages"Fogelberg, Russ Kunkel, Norbert Putnam, Michael Utley6:24
9."Ghosts" 7:16

Production[edit]

  • Producers – Dan Fogelberg and Marty Lewis
  • Engineer – Marty Lewis
  • Recorded at Northstar Studios (Boulder, CO); Caribou Ranch (Nederland, CO); Rudy Records and Wally Heider Studios (Hollywood, CA); Sunset Sound (Los Angeles, CA); Record Plant (Sausalito, CA).
  • Mixed at Sunset Sound
  • Cover Design – Kosh
  • Cover Photography – Dan Fogelberg and Andy Katz
  • Liner Photography – Andy Katz
  • Liner Notes – David Awells
  • Text – Thomas Wolfe

Charts[edit]

Album[edit]

Chart (1982) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 6
Australia Albums Chart[3] 38
Year End Chart (1982) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 19[4]

Singles[edit]

Single Chart Position
"Same Old Lang Syne" Adult Contemporary 8
"Same Old Lang Syne" Pop Singles 9
"Hard to Say" Adult Contemporary 2
"Hard to Say" Pop Singles 7
"Lost In The Sun" Mainstream Rock 45
"Leader of the Band" Adult Contemporary 1
"Leader of the Band" Pop Singles 9
"Run for the Roses" Adult Contemporary 3
"Run for the Roses" Pop Singles 18

References[edit]

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 254, 255.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 115. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Top BIllboard 200 Albums of 1982". www.billboard.com. Billboard Magazine. January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2020.