Face the Fire

'Face the Fire' by Dan Fogelberg
from the album Phoenix (1979)

Singer / songwriter Dan Fogelberg (1951 - 2007) is best remembered for his somewhat insipid ballads that were high on the top 40 charts in the 1970s and early 1980s, such as 'Leader of the Band', 'Longer', and my favorite Christmastime weeper, 'Same Old Lang Syne'. 

But on his 1979 LP 'Phoenix', on the track 'Face the Fire', Fogelberg showcased his skill as a guitarist with a great, hard rock solo that was rather out of keeping with his persona as a 'mellow' California-style folk / country rock artist.

'Face the Fire' was part and parcel of a 1979 antinuclear movement that arose after the Three Mile Island disaster. Featuring prominent singer-songwriters, such as Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, and Graham Nash, the Musicians United for Safe Energy performed concerts throughout 1979 to advocate for 'No Nukes'. Fogelberg was one of the performers at these concerts. 

Jackson Browne (left) and Dan Fogelberg (right) at the Washington D.C. 'No Nukes' concert, May 6, 1979