The Innocent Age is an album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1981. It was 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 Innocent Age | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1981 | |||
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| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 80:01 | |||
| Label | Full Moon/Epic | |||
| Producer | Dan Fogelberg, Marty Lewis | |||
| Dan Fogelberg chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Innocent Age | ||||
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The album includes his song "Times Like These", from the 1980 Urban Cowboy soundtrack. Two of the prominent contributing vocalists are Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Glenn Frey and Don Henley.
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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the album "banal and overblown."[2]
Track listing
All tracks written by Dan Fogelberg, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Writer(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 Utley | 6:24 |
| 9. | "Ghosts" | 7:16 |
Production
- 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
Album
| 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
| 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 |