I'm Not Sayin' it's the Gordon Lightfoot listening thread (but it is)...new album every Thursday

Canadian national treasure, folk rock legend, etc. etc.

This is the thread for listening thru Gord's discography, I'll post a new album every Thursday.

To start...

Lightfoot! - 1966

"Rich Man's Spiritual" – 2:44
"Long River" – 2:46
"The Way I Feel" – 3:43
"For Lovin' Me" – 2:25
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – 3:10 (Ewan MacColl)
"Changes" – 2:30 (Phil Ochs)
"Early Morning Rain" – 3:04
"Steel Rail Blues" – 2:48
"Sixteen Miles (To Seven Lakes)" – 2:05
"I'm Not Sayin'" – 2:28
"Pride of Man" – 2:41 (Hamilton Camp)
"Ribbon of Darkness" – 2:39
"Oh, Linda" – 3:09
"Peaceful Waters" – 2:01

fuck yeah

Invariably I end up talking more about Gord's voice and lyrics than the music. But I really love the guitar intro in The Way I Feel. It separates it as a real step up from the first two songs I think, and it's where the record takes off. Long River feels oddly lyrically plain for one of his songs to me, if he had written it a couple years later I think it could have been a better song.

I was just reading about this album on Allmusic as I listened to it and found out that apparently Spike Lee's dad played bass on this record. If that's true his work on The Way I Feel is perfect.

Rich Man's Spiritual is a fun listen but I often skip the first two songs. I'll give it more time this week.

love this cover version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHbN8Qd0XPo

"Steel Rail Blues" makes me want to go on a proper ramble every time I hear it

^ yes, Steel Rail Blues is my favourite song on this record, and maybe my favourite of his songs, either that or Christian Island.

Hellz yes.

Just looking over the track listing, this album is packed with classics. The only 2 I can’t immediately call to mind are “16 miles” and “peaceful waters.” Will give a listen this weekend & brain-barf about it. I have both the mono and stereo versions, might try a Steve Hoffman Forum style sound comparison too.

Generally: Gord’s voice is just a treasure. The ease with which he sings is almost unparalleled — except maybe by Lyle Lovett? — he virtually floats his melodies on top of his nimble guitar paying. Regardless of his occasional lapses in taste, his talent just carries him along like a riverboat.

I was planning to listen to the discography in order anyway — I already have the records pulled off the shelf and sitting by the turntable — so, good timing!

There's a documentary about him at Toronto's Hot Docs this year.

http://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=89970~6052eab3-8904-4c72-8914-433e6b8b62f1&epguid=2157979d-886e-46a2-ace8-e46670981e8a&

Well, apparently I don’t have both versions anymore, just the stereo one — and apparently I need to look out for a copy in better condition, since mine has “the warm crackle of vinyl” all the heck over it.

Still a crazy classic debut. Part of me wants to pick it apart — some of the songs are overwrought, the covers more than the originals IMO — and there’s a little too much “I’m a rambling troubadour, babe” about it... and “peaceful waters” is hardly there at all. But still, it’s packed with classics. Some of the guitar-and-bass work is beautifully hypnotic. I could listen to instrumental loops of “the way I feel” forever.

This is exciting! I'm curious but a bit trepidatious about venturing post-Endless Dream. I've never knowingly heard any 80s adult contemporary David Foster-era Gord!

hell yes

yeeeee-haw

that Fotheringay cover of The Way I Feel is ace. It has a sinister, witchy undercurrent to it. Those drums.

Hell yes I've waited fifteen years for this thread.

I'm wondering if he might be the second-most-covered Canadian behind Young.

Even just Early Morning Rain covers. I unabashedly love the Peter, Paul and Mary cover of that...which made him famous initially, I think?

Internationally famous, not just Canadian famous, obv.

I’m super interested in the reactions of folks who’re coming to this thread from a casual knowledge of Lightfoot’s music. For me it’s so bound up in personal history that I can’t really trust my own responses.

The United Artists albums, especially, just get me in a way that I suspect they don’t quite merit. I hear him overreaching and overwriting in a similar way to Paul Simon during the same period. The casual sexism rankles a bit. But I can’t bring myself to fault the records for it.

That Fotheringay cover, Good god!

Very glad to see this thread. I've been into Gord since...geez, 15. Half my life!

It's all because of that hidden camera show "Trigger Happy TV" - they do this sketch about a depressed painter in the park, and I always thought the background music was absolutely gorgeous. I looked up what it was; "If You Could Read My Mind", so next time I was at the shop I decided to put down the $11.99 for "Complete Greatest Hits", only to find that the American version of the show used soundalikes. Didn't matter, I loved the CD anyway. I thought it was cool to dig something so far away from what I normally listened to (if you know my posting here, my tastes haven't really changed much), plus I'd wondered for years about "Sundown" and "Edmund Fitzgerald", both songs I liked but never know who sang 'em.

At the time myself and another dude were the weekend closers at Burger King and we used to play this CD in the kitchen at closing all the time. Really annoyed some of the managers, but we were the ones doing the real work. That was nice because we usually got done around the time "Edmund Fitzgerald" came on so I never had to hear the uh..."less good" later stuff. In college I bought a ton of Lightfoot LPs for a buck or two each - every shop had like 5 copies of Endless Wire and Summertime Dream but if you dug around you could get the earlier stuff. On Amazon you could get "The United Artists Collection" for $9.99, a double disc with his first four albums on it...such insane value for the money.

Anyway...looking forward to Gording out with y'all

I also spun “Early Lightfoot” this weekend, since I don’t think we’ll be covering it in this thread. 10 sides he cut in, I think, ‘62? The debut record is such a huge leap forward, it’s amazing to think it was recorded just over a year later. Intriguing to hear how he just shamelessly ripped off “Remember Me, I’m the One Who Loves You” (same as he did with The First/Last Time I Saw Her/Your Face”). Jim Reeves vibes all over the place. And you can hear echoes of “Negotiations” in “Rich Man’s Spiritual” although he’s synthesized multiple influences there. Definitely not essential listening, but instructive for the hardcore fan.

Some brief but interesting notes on some of the songs incl a couple of the early ones here: https://www.lightfoot.ca/songnote.htm

This guy is probably my favourite songwriter tbh!

Ever since I got Tidal I play his stuff fairly regularly, wonderful morning music.

I've never listened to "Early Lightfoot" I'll give it a spin for sure. My parents got me into Gord when I was a kid, after my sisters and I graduated from listening to kids music in the car, especially on long drives we crossed the mountains from Central Alberta to get to my grandparents in Vancouver and then up to Quadra Island ever summer, Gord was what my parents played. And it was pretty much all they played all the time. My parents were really religious (that didn't stick with me but Gord did) and for some reason his music was okay for us to listen to but say Fleetwood Mac was not. Which really made no sense to me as I got older and figured out what the hell he was singing about. I must have listened to Gord's Gold I & II a thousand times.

Like I said earlier Steel Rail Blues is my favourite off this record though. When I lived in Toronto I met my wife and she lived up in North Bay. We did the trip via train (back when the Northlander still ran) a few times and I've spent a lot of time learning about the history of the trains in Northern Ontario since I've moved up here so the fact the song came to him during his trip via train from Toronto to Moosonee has really stuck with me over the years.

I like his take on Changes too, but pretty hard to fuck that song up, the McColl cover I'm not a fan of.

I like it! Gord's voice is so pure at this point. "Changes" is a better cover, but still.

Lightfoot was 28 when this was released...kind of surprising, 28 is pretty late for a debut album (especially in the 60s!) but at the same time, he sounds like he's been singing for decades

I grew up hearing the "Gord's Gold" versions of the United Artists songs, and still have a soft spot for them. I'm not sure if it's true that Lightfoot really didn't like his older recordings, or whether he only wanted to update and re-release them for Warners. I can understand why people would prefer the re-recordings (better recording quality, strings) but the UA material is perfect as it is. His voice improved in the 70's -- it became richer and more throaty -- but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing about this album.

yeah the version of "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" on the next album is absolutely perfect, the Gord's Gold version unnecessarily fucks with it

^ yeah totally, CRT didn't need changing at all.

Also I like this Marty Robbins Ribbon of Darkness cover...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZifcpG5cl0

I've listened to Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs a lot lately, was psyched to find out that he covered a Lightfoot song. It's not the greatest thing ever but I like it as a country song.

CRT is especially an achievement (in my mind anyway) as it’s “social commentary” aged far better (as did Gord’s other political songs) than did many of his other contemporaries or say Randy Newman

*its

Newman actually did some arrangements on Lightfoot albums, iirc?

Ya, he made an album with Ry Cooder Van Dyke and Randy, "Sit Down Young Stranger" I think? Great album

Weird note: I was in a band with Gord's son for a couple years when I was 21/22. He's a monster drummer

Never realised "The Way I Feel" was a Lightfoot song tbh! At least i get why Trevor sings it now.

Ya, he made an album with Ry Cooder Van Dyke and Randy, "Sit Down Young Stranger" I think? Great album

― flamboyant goon tie included, Tuesday, April 2, 2019 10:39 AM (fifteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That makes total sense. Sit Down Young Stranger definitely feels different than the first 3 UA albums and I always wondered why.

It's Thursday! lets do this again...

The Way I Feel - 1967

"Walls" – 2:53
"If You Got It" – 2:31
"Softly" – 3:26
"Crossroads" – 2:58
"A Minor Ballad" – 3:15
"Go-Go Round" – 2:40
"Rosanna" – 2:42
"Home from the Forest" – 3:04
"I'll Be Alright" – 2:27
"Song for a Winter's Night" – 3:01
"Canadian Railroad Trilogy" – 6:22
"The Way I Feel" – 3:02

This album starts slow but ends really hot for me. I have a soft spot for Go-Go Round too, in my teenage days I scrawled some of the lyrics of it on the inside of one of my dresser drawers in one of the weaker acts of parental disobedience I took part in. I still remember my mother seeing it one day and just asking what song it was from then never mentioning it again. Teenage me was really let down.

Haven't listened yet, but discovered Beautiful---A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot while cruising for outlier Maria Muldaur tracks on Spotify---other than MM and the Cowboy Junkies, got enough Canadian Content for the CBC, I should think! (Even if you don't count my favorite draft dodger, Jesse Winchester RIP.)
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Beautiful-A-Tribute-To-Gordon-Lightfoot/release/2361090

this one is more hit & miss than the first album but I think it's a better album because the high points are so freakin' good. I'll have a listen tonight with a pint of Labatt.

xp Cowboy Junkies are from Toronto, and Maria Muldaur records for a Canadian label (Stony Plain). Jesse Winchester did become a Canadian citizen.

There's a great cover of Rosanna by The Unintended, which was a short-lived(?) Toronto-based supergroup made up of The Sadies, Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo, and Rick Wright from Eric's Trip/Elevator, etc. It's on this great split EP with the Constantines from 2006. The Unintended do Lightfoot songs, and the Constantines do Neil Young. All the Gord covers are awesome, imo. This particular one made me really pay attention to a song I never paid much attention to before. White on lead vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP_WBSJaHSk

argh, Rick *White

That split is one of the most expensive albums I own! I adore Rick White

"Softly"'s popularity mystifies me, but yes the end of the record is so so strong. "Trilogy" is one of my favourite songs of all time.. this fucking lyric:

For there was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real

Holy shit! I mean , it makes sense that it would be pricey given it was a limited pressing, but still. That record is awesome, though, and it should be more widely heard. Re: CRT - That lyric just stills me and makes me pay attention.

slight aside, but my lord I loved the Constantines. I think one of the best shows I ever saw had them headlining a bill w/ Jim Guthrie (ft. a wonderful string accompanist...), Gentlemen Reg, and the Sea Snakes at a teensy Mtl venue that no longer exists. that was a formative gig for me, not to mention a wondersul little assemblage of Canadiana in a small space. (It was the fall "Funeral" was released and it was played between sets over the PA to an adoring, singalong audience.)

^ Now I gotta go back and listen to the Constantines all day, been too long!

Also, and its for corny Canadiana reasons, but I love that they named an album Tournament of Hearts.

I saw the Constantines quite a bit during their active period, and man did they cook - *especially* in a teensy venue. When they were in the zone, I found they really had complete command of the language of that communal small venue show experience, if that makes any sense. <3 the canadian trivia easter egg of the tournament of hearts line. that's some corn I can get behind!

That "Rosanna" cover is great. The Sadies must have one hell of a Rolodex by now.

To complete the circle back to Gord: Travis and Dallas Good of the Sadies are the sons of Bruce Good of the Good Brothers (1970s country/bluegrass outfit) who played on Old Dan's Records (and maybe other stuff?). Could that mean that Gordon Lightfoot himself is on the Sadies' Rolodex?

It's possible! I'll ask them next time I see them. Constantines were the best band, really, around album #3 they kind of started taking more cues from The Band than Fugazi and I liked them less but still loved them. Their reunion shows have been off-the-hook good

loved the first Bry Webb record, too. actually not a million miles from Gord.

https://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/lightfoot.jpg

I wonder what they're talking about

“Walls” is heckin great, just a mid-60s jam from front to back. “Hey, I discovered honesty!” Also classic for the “socks” coda.

I think I hear echoes of Nico’s version of “I’m not saying” in the intro and outro of “If You’ve Got It”.

“Softly” is balls.

“Crossroads” is a fantastic warm-up for CRT.

“A Minor Ballad” is pretty minor. But a top-notch exhibition of Gord’s vibrato. Also when he harmonizes with the cello (?) in the break, yeah!

“Go-Go-Round”, I’ve never been a huge fan of. Unnecessary double-tracking on the vox. Good refrain but the whole thing feels too much like a formal exercise.

“Rosanna” is another exercise in 60s chauvinism. Forgivable... and kinda forgettable. Nice energy tho, and I like the chord changes. I see it as being transitional — there’s some good imagery and experimentation in narrative technique.. but ultimately, bleh.

“Home From the Forest,” totally a pleasant nothing.

Interesting transition production-wise from “Forest” to “I’ll be Alright”. Stylistically very similar but check the vocal treatment, from distant and narrative to intimate and personal. A piffle of a song tho.

“SFaWN” is another trifle. The fact it’s the third in a series of indistinguishable shuffles in a row doesn’t help it.

CRT starts similarly. You could be lulled into thinking it’s yet another pleasant interlude... and then they (it feels v much like a band effort) break into that speedy boom-chicka thing, and the “look away” bit makes it weirder and more urgent. Then the slow bit about the navvies, then a transition back to the boom-chicka bit... aw, hell, what’s he doing? A little triumph, not quite the nation-defining achievement it’s sometimes made out to be, but you know what? It’s close enough.

The re-recording of “The Way I Feel” is thoroughly unnecessary. Do I detect an attempt to channel “Tomorrow Never Knows” in it? I understand why they were drawn there, but the original was more genuine and more hypnotic.

All my moaning aside, this is a record you can put on front to back and there’s nothing that makes you cringe. The playing is top-notch and Gord’s voice is in fine form. The songwriting is deepening - sure there are missteps but you really begin to hear him developing his own style here.

Just popped the mono version of The Way I Feel on. Immediately it’s more engaging.

The echoes of Nico’s “I’m not Saying” are in “Walls”.

“If You’ve Got It” is a whole other beast. Great band performance.

I'm perplexed by the re-recording too. I actually like the song better that way, with the reverb and rhythm-heavy arrangement giving it a real brooding feel, but it stands out a bit oddly on the album. I don't think there's another Gord tune that sounds quite like that. Actually I think a lot of this album sounds as though it was recorded in different studios. The mix is all over the place. The fingersnap (?) on "Song For a Winter's Night" made me think my turntable was skipping.

Still, it's better than I remembered. Can't believe I've never noticed the connection between "Crossroads" and "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" before. I agree "Softly" is a bit naff but I think he pulls it off. "Go-Go Round" I love...makes me feel like I went to high school in the 60's. Side 2 does have some filler-ish tunes but Gord's voice is so good at this point, you could listen to him read the phonebook.

by the way...the "song of the future has been sung" part of CRT is probably my favorite moment in the catalogue...its like Gord Overdrive

"If You've Got It" is such great song, is that an outlier, it seems pretty pop for him, at least in a folky pop way?

I also find "May I" from Did She Mention My Name really poppy, or at least very British Invasion-y. The piano riff that shows up feels so very different than other Lightfoot songs to me. "Magnificent Outpouring" kinda continues on the same vein a little. I really like both of this songs.

That said, here is the next album!

Did She Mention My Name - 1968

"Wherefore and Why" – 2:51
"The Last Time I Saw Her" – 5:10
"Black Day in July" – 4:10
"May I" – 2:19
"Magnificent Outpouring" – 2:20
"Does Your Mother Know" – 3:33
"The Mountain and Maryann" – 3:35
"Pussywillows, Cat-Tails" – 2:48
"I Want To Hear It From You" – 2:22
"Something Very Special" – 3:19
"Boss Man" – 2:10
"Did She Mention My Name?" – 2:27

I much prefer this album overall compared to The Way I Feel. The Mountains and Maryann is a favourite of mine, its vaguely spiritual "All is well" takes me back to church in a good way. I love the country outro to Magnificent Outpouring. The horns that show up in "I Want To Hear It From You". I love all of the little touches on this album.

"Magnificent Outpouring" is pure magic. though for whatever reason the recording doesn't sound very good

...also the title track, while it feels strange as a closer its such a great song. It feels of a kin with The Circle Is Small on the album. I like his understated longing and jealous songs.

*on the next album

There's something about Pussywillows, Cat-tails that sounds like it could be arranged for a precocious elementary school choral group to sing, and I think I read somewhere that Gord himself doesn't like it. Still, I remember being captivated by it as a kid (and even now, sure). Beautiful winding melody and an air of mysteriousness, like paddling a canoe down a meandering stream in some Northern Ontario provincial park.

Agreed that there are some really nice little details in the arrangements on this album. Always loved the sorta-kinda Spector drums on Black Day in July.

Pussywillows, Cat-tails definitely feels like with a few tweaks and the right children's choir it could fit right in on Song's For Friday Afternoon's era Benjamin Britten.

(btw, I meant the country outro on May I, not Magnificent Outpouring in my earlier post, I need to re-read what I write more today it seems)

ok I'm listening now. it's great. really playful in spots. "May I" is a really weird song for him to do...it's like a folky version of Syd-era Floyd

Did She Mention My Name (the song) has such a Canadiana Nostalgic thing going on for me. I grew up in south-western Ontario, and even though Gordo isn't from my era, or quite from my area, I feel like I can easily conjure up the scene I think he's painting. He's clearly keen to universalize the lyrics, but for me there's really a time and place to it. Mythical and sentimental of course, but legitimately evocative.

Will otm that the title track is a weird closer. I grew up with is as (I think) the first track on the UA best-of, which was one of about 10 records my parents owned. It’s a gem, easily one of my favourites of his.

Will, that's otm re: britten. I totally sang "old abram brown" in a grade school choir. You nailed the aesthetic i was thinking of.

This album is a stone cold classic.

I totally agree with the title track being prime Canadian Small Town Nostalgia, separate from the Big City national nostalgia of songs like CRT. Did She Mention My Name and Summertime Dream (coming up in a few weeks) are my go to songs for reminiscing about the small town experience I never had growing up in a big city like Toronto.

The Last Time I Saw Her is one of his most underrated songs. It's one of his most heart wrenching deliveries and one of the few vocals where you feel he's letting it all hang out.

been listening to these records to follow along. have only known the greatest hits cos my mom was a fan. pretty every song is at a bare minimum 'good'.

love the studio trickery on something very special, was unexpected. i keep going back to the album opener on this one tho.

Wherefore and Why is great, I also like this Glen Campbell cover of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-mk_8uh-8

...and its Thursday, time for a new album!

Back Here On Earth - 1968

"Long Way Back Home" – 3:02
"Unsettled Ways" – 1:51
"Long Thin Dawn" – 2:57
"Bitter Green" – 2:42
"The Circle Is Small (I Can See It in Your Eyes)" – 3:26
"Marie Christine" – 2:54
"Cold Hands from New York" – 5:16
"Affair on 8th Avenue" – 3:25
"Don't Beat Me Down" – 3:16
"The Gypsy" – 2:45
"If I Could" – 4:02

The most underrated song on this album to me is Long Thin Dawn, its gotta be the most country Gord ever gets. The harmonies in the chorus are great. Is it Stockfish & Shea doing the harmonies?

The Circle is Small just kills me, "I can see the way you look, when his name is mentioned and I die".

I had no idea there was an 'early' version of this - it's really great (the one I had for years on a Greatest Hits album was the later, re-recorded version)

don't remember much from this album so I'll give it a listen now. "If I Could" was pretty great if I recall

frogbs, you mean an early version of 'The Circle is Small'?

As an aside, I like that so many people in this thread got into Gord thru their parents playing the shit out of his GH or a record of two of his. There's a Velvet Underground style everyone that heard it started a band reference in here I can't quite make fit.

There are a few misses for me on this album though, Cold Hands from New York starts strong but I tire of it in the second half.

I like Bitter Green well enough, but I'd rather to listen to Christian Island or High and Dry or TWOTEF when it comes to his nautical songs.

I can never decide if I like Affair on 8th Avenue or not, depends on the day, I do really like the imagery of these lyrics and especially their delivery, that plus the descending chords and pace shift get me.

And our fingers entwined like ribbons of light
And we came through a doorway somewhere in the night

I also don't love Don't Beat Me Down. I feel like he packs too many syllables into it, if I want to listen to an urgent social issues song of his I'd rather hear Black Day in July.

I find The Gypsy slight, but I think about the lyrics every so often and they bug me, he sings in the third verse

You were taught to read and write, to take your lessons home at night
A little knowledge serves you well but the golden rule does not

and in the fourth verse he sings

And now I see with due respect, the more we learn the worse we get
So if you feel you've no regrets, go have your fortune read

But these don't reconcile right? Or is he saying he understands now that fortune telling is useless? Or am I over thinking some lyrics he threw together? haha.

There are some lovely melodies on this album, Bitter Green in particular, but on the whole the lyrics, arrangements, and execution feel rushed. The next studio album is a massive step forward, and the next album proper is one I tend to reach for when I need to hear him.

that long thin dong...

About 30 seconds of "Sundown" turns up in Beach Bum.

Hm not feeling this one so much. bitter green, circle is small and if i could are the only keepers for me.

are we doing Sunday Concert? I know it's a live album, but half the songs don't appear on any studio albums, including "The Ballad of Yarmouth Castle", which I think is excellent...almost a prelude to "Edmund Fitzgerald"

listening to Back Here on Earth again...never really appreciated this one, since a lot of the songs feel a bit like retreads of other songs from the UA albums, and it's right before his big hitmaking period. but it's really quite good I think...stripping back to just the three musicians makes it sound a lot more focused than the last record, and I've come to see "Cold Hands From New York" as existing in the same vein as "Canadian Railroad Trilogy". and "The Circle is Small" is indeed a classic. I like the last couple tracks too - nice to hear him get this straightforwardly melodic. It's a bit slight to recommend but it's good.

I was planning on doing Sunday Concert unless there's a lot of opposition to it!

Sunday Concert, hell yes.

Sunday Concert - 1969

"In a Windowpane" – 3:11
"The Lost Children" – 2:47
"Leaves of Grass" – 3:43
"I'm Not Sayin'/Ribbon of Darkness" – 2:54
"Apology" – 4:33
"Bitter Green" – 2:43
"Ballad of Yarmouth Castle" – 5:18
"Softly" – 3:16
"Boss Man" – 2:26
"Pussy Willows, Cat-Tails" – 2:53
"Canadian Railroad Trilogy" – 6:41

I'm goin for the "Sunday Concert - Plus" version, cuz I feel like Gordin' out a little harder today

"Lost Children" and "Yarmouth Castle" are both keeps from this. Actually all the 'new' songs are nice, though you can hear why they weren't recorded...they're fairly similar to stuff he's done already

actually, scratch that..."Apology" is excellent. one of his most poetic songs yet.

This is an amazing album, listened to it twice this morning. I have no fondness for “Softly” but the enthusiasm with which it is always received is infectious

Love this album so much. I made my own pilgrimage to see Gordon Lightfoot at one of his Massey Hall love-ins in 1987, and he was still performing about half the songs on this album with new arrangements (Pee Wee Charles on pedal steel, Mike Heffernan on keys). But Sunday Concert does a marvellous job of capturing the sound of that room.

this ones really good hadnt listened to it before

I like Yarmouth Castle a lot as well. I like how its a classic folk ballad style, Woody Guthrie-esque, makes it a nice counterpoint to the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

It might be weird to say but I wish Gord wrote more nautical disaster songs, especially more focused on the great lakes.

Ρεμπετολογια that would have been a great concert to see, I didn't see Gord til after 2000 and his voice was no longer as powerful as it once was of course.

That said, this seems like the appropriate place to ask what Gord concert stories people have?

I saw him in 2010. I heard his voice was pretty shot so I figured I wouldn't drive far to see him but he actually came to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, so what choice did I have? It's true that he didn't sound like he used to but it was still decent...the band was great and Gord himself was pretty affable, telling stories between songs and joking around a lot. It was a pretty varied set, I feel like he probably played at least one song from every single one of his albums, and there were a lot of great deep cuts like "The Watchman's Out". I had reservations but I definitely did not regret going.

I'm so Gord-ignorant I didn't know 'til I looked it up just now that he wrote "I'm Not Sayin'," even though I've had the single by Nico for 20-odd years, and could have looked at the label---and he's joined it to "Ribbon of Darkness" here! Gotta get it.

The more I listen to Sunday Concert, the more I like In A Windowpane. Apology is really great as well. I agree frogbs, its really poetic, I love the double time chorus as well, "I made a grab at anything the earth was gone and I was on a vicious circle then", really excellent.

I think the last time I saw him was the same tour you saw him frogbs, I saw him in Tampa (or St. Petes, I can't remember) in February/March 2010. He played all of the standards and the crowd of mostly snowbirds went crazy (or about as crazy as they ever get). I was also pleasantly surprised.

Kind of a slight era for Gord here, although his technical prowess is increasing. Back Here on Earth is a fine listen; the band is in great form and the simple production is spot-on, but none of the songs is a stone classic to my ears. Same goes for Sunday Concert. There’s something a little distant about the performance (maybe just the ambient sound of the room?) that keeps me from engaging with it too much. Sounds nice, tho.

Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind - 1970

"Minstrel of the Dawn" – 3:26
"Me and Bobby McGee" – 3:38 (Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster)
"Approaching Lavender" – 2:56
"Saturday Clothes" – 3:20
"Cobwebs & Dust" – 3:20
"Poor Little Allison" – 2:30
"Sit Down Young Stranger" – 3:26
"If You Could Read My Mind" – 3:48
"Baby It's Alright" – 2:58
"Your Love's Return (Song for Stephen Foster)" – 3:55
"The Pony Man" – 3:27

Here we are in the 70s

This album feels very unique to me in his catalog. Like was said earlier in the thread Ry Cooder, Van Dyke Parks and Randy Newman all worked on this album and I think it shows.

title track sure is something

"if you could read my mind" i mean - didnt realize this was released under two names

pls no one link the Stars on 54 version

but yeah obviously an incredible song

I think this is my favorite Gordon Lightfoot album. Though I suppose in the coming months I will know for sure. "Approaching Lavender" and "Your Love's Return" have long been two of my favorite deep cuts

yeah "Lavender" is a beaut

yeah wow good call on "your love's return"

that string flourish in the chorus ("roses are waiting for dewdrops to fall") is one of my favorite moments in the whole catalogue. Maybe that's why I considered this my favorite...there's a few songs I don't really like that much, like "Cobwebs & Dust" and the "Bobby McGee" cover (maybe because I can't stop thinking about Janis Joplin)

on the other hand "Baby It's Alright" is pretty fun and "Saturday Clothes" kind of has a cheery Sesame Street vibe to it

Summer Side Of Life - 1971

"10 Degrees and Getting Colder" – 2:43
"Miguel" – 4:12
"Go My Way" – 2:13
"Summer Side of Life" – 4:05
"Cotton Jenny" – 3:26
"Talking in Your Sleep" – 2:56
"Nous Vivons Ensemble" – 3:45
"Same Old Loverman" – 3:21
"Redwood Hill" – 2:48
"Love and Maple Syrup" – 3:13
"Cabaret" – 5:49

I didn't spend enough time with IYCRMM last week, partly because its one I've already listened to so many times and partly because of work getting in the way, but I agree about Approaching Lavender, I think it's my favourite. I like Poor Little Alison and Saturday Clothes as well, I agree Saturday Clothes has got a real innocence to it that is appealing. Gord manages to write really innocent songs, The Pony Man as well, yet also write the most worldly and knowing tunes and flip between them with an alarming ease.

I think the album starts slowly though, I am not a big fan of Minstrel Of The Dawn and I agree that the Bobby McGee cover, while competent, just can't stand up to Joplin's so whats the point.

On the flip side I haven't listened to Summer Side of Life in forever, I'll need to give this one a little time. The title track is fantastic and one of my favourites of all of his work. Cotton Jenny is a nice little song. I didn't realize Talking In Your Sleep made it to #64 on the charts in the US.

I never liked the title track much...I don't think those big brassy band arrangements suit him well

I also haven't listened to this one in a long time. Between the bland cover, the fact that I always mix it up with Summertime Dream, and the lack of hits, I kinda forgot about it. But there are some deep cuts on here I like - "Nous Vivions Ensemble" (does Gord speak fluent French?) and "Love and Maple Syrup", which almost sounds like say, Flight of the Conchords doing a Gordon Lightfoot parody (I mean that in a good way, of course). In fact I think the whole second side of this is pretty great ("Same Old Loverman" could be Elvis Presley!). And "Cotton Jenny", of course.

I've come to like this album a lot after listening to it a few times. Miguel is really beautiful and melancholic. Talking in Your Sleep is simple yet effective. That's a great point Frogbs about Same Old Loverman, I really have come to like it and it would fit right into Elvis' wheelhouse. I think Love & Maple Syrup has grown on me the most though, your right about how it could be a parody but it really works and feels very unique.

Some misses though, 10 Degrees and Getting Colder feels like paint by numbers Lightfoot. Go My Way just washes past me.

I think I agree about the second side of the album though, there are no duds at all.

Nancy Griffith’s cover of “10 Degrees & Getting Colder” is pretty great.

i'll have to check that cover out.

also i don't think Gord speaks French. At least that's the implication I get from this old Macleans article https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1968/9/1/gordon-lightfoot

I feel bad about not keeping up with this at all. I've not spent much time with these albums front-to-back but there are amazing songs on all of them. I think the project just seemed daunting and it's more so now that I'm five albums late or so. Will do what I can.

I'm Not Sayin' you gotta start from the beginning (but I am)

I started with The Way I Feel, which I enjoyed pretty well. I was reading while listening so wasn't focusing on lyrics, which I should come back to. I do like his voice and playing a lot. Obv, I knew "Song for a Winter's Night" and "Canadian Railroad Trilogy", which are both classic. The rest was all pleasant. "A Minor Ballad" felt a little proto-Nick Drake in a way. "Go-Go Round" stood out a bit too.

I've never thought of A Minor Balland as Proto-Nick Drake but I can definitely hear it.

new week, new album

Don Quixote - 1972

Don Quixote" – 3:41
"Christian Island (Georgian Bay)" – 4:02
"Alberta Bound" – 3:07
"Looking at the Rain" – 3:40
"Ordinary Man" – 3:19
"Brave Mountaineers" – 3:36
"Ode to Big Blue" – 4:48
"Second Cup of Coffee" – 3:03
"Beautiful" – 3:23
"On Susan's Floor" (Shel Silverstein, Vince Matthews) – 2:58
"The Patriot's Dream" – 6:04

This album has my favourite lightfoot song, Christian Island, so I've listed to it a tonne compared to Summer Side Of Life, that said SSOL really grew on me this past week and I think I'd place it up with Did She Mention My Name? and If You Could Read My Mind. This one might fall in my estimation this week though. Christian Island and Second Cup of Coffee are both excellent, Beautiful is probably the biggest hit on the album and I like it, far more than Softly, which it feels like an update on.

my folks live out in the Georgian Bay area and I've somehow never heard that song. will rectify.

Definitely rectify that!

Also, I totally forgot about Alberta Bound, that might be the most famous off this album.

this is a really solid album - more traditionally folky, despite some strings and harmonies it's mostly stripped back. reminds me of Back Here on Earth, though the songwriting is better. though I dislike the "Skyline of Toronto/is something you'll hold on to" rhyme, it's like he wrote it down but didn't think about how it would actually sound

also, no one holds onto TO's skyline.

That's not how you pronounce Toronto anyways

One of his best albums for sure. Great version of Shel Silverstein's "On Susan's Floor" - I wonder if he ever participated in one of those late night Nashville guitar pulls? I used to play in a cover band that would do "Beautiful", perfect mush for weddings and similar occasions, all those plaintive maj7s.

Yeah, I love the melody and vibe of Alberta bound, but the whole verse about Toronto is clunky, including the bit about the "written guarantee to make you smile". Ugh. Maybe weirdly, it almost offends me that Gord, who spent a whole lotta time in Toronto, gets all hackneyed and big-city-amirite where he could have done a more nuanced job. Otherwise, I have relatives in Alberta, and they love this song, plus it sounds like a folk song that's always existed. So I love it anyways.

I tried to view this album more critically, but I still love it. Certainly one of his best I think.

Aside from Christian Island & Second Cup Of Coffee, I really like Ordinary Man, for a i'm on the road and missing the girl i left behind song it feels very applicable to people not living that life.

Brave Mountaineers reminds me of my childhood so i find it very affecting, especially this verse...

"Born in the country and I like that country way
of the uncles and the cousins and the
card games they would play
While the young ones slept overhead
Beneath the quilts that mother made,
when all the prayers were said"

I feel like Ode to Big Blue should be really corny when I think of it but the song itself really works. Again a nautical song just works for him somehow.

Alberta Bound is not my favourite but I agree that it sounds like its always existed. I agree about the Toronto verse though I do love the 'its snowing in the city and the streets are brown and gritty' line though even though it falls apart after that, I do not miss snow in the city.

Old Dan's Records - 1972

"Farewell to Annabel" – 2:59
"That Same Old Obsession" – 3:46
"Old Dan's Records" – 3:05
"Lazy Mornin'" – 3:43
"You Are What I Am" – 2:37
"Can't Depend on Love" – 3:12
"My Pony Won't Go" – 3:50
"It's Worth Believin'" – 3:24
"Mother of a Miner's Child" – 3:18
"Hi'way Songs" – 3:37

I must admit I don't know this album well at all, its probably the one I've listened to the least of all of his records up to and including Shadows so I am really interested to give it few listens this week. Considering it comes between two albums like Don Quixote and Sundown its strange how little time I've given it.

that's understandable, it's his only 'classic' period LP with no real single on it, and I don't even remember ever seeing it in the thrift store. looking forward to giving this a spin though because I remember it being quite good..."Can't Depend on Love" was a great one wasn't it? plus the pun in the title track is so corny I can't help but love it a little

I can’t believe I’m so far behind on this thread. One album a week shouldn’t be too onerous.

Just spun SDYS/IYCRMM. It’s a fine recording — sonically a lot more hi-budget than anything from the UA years. I’ve never really connected with it, though. Songs, playing, and production are all high quality but it just leaves me a little cold. It’s pleasant all the way through and it’s understandable why it was a hit at the time.

The only real missteps IMO are the busy band arrangement on “Baby It’s Allright”, and “Bobby McGee”, which would be merely inessential except for Gord’s unbearable bungling of the “Salinas” verse.

does anyone else think "My Pony Won't Go" is about erectile dysfunction

i'd never really thought about it but now i can't un-think it

This album doesn't do it for me as much as the last few.

It starts pretty strong with Farewell to Annabelle/That Same Old Obsession/Old Dan's Records (agreed the pun is excellent).

Then I find it really boring until It's Worth Believin' then it trails off. Hi'way songs is a decent closer but nothing special.

There are a pair couplets as bad as the Alberta Bound one for awkward rhymes. I can't think of them of the top of my head now but there are a couple moments I cringe while listening.

I think it's kinda the opposite, Side 2 is pretty strong and memorable, Side 1 sorta drags

Can't Depend on Love is one of his best tunes, happy to rediscover that one

Sundown - 1974

"Somewhere U.S.A." – 2:50
"High and Dry" – 2:12
"Seven Island Suite" – 6:00
"Circle of Steel" – 2:45
"Is There Anyone Home" – 3:15
"The Watchman's Gone" – 4:25
"Sundown" – 3:45
"Carefree Highway" – 3:45
"The List" – 3:00
"Too Late for Prayin'" – 4:15

A straight up classic this one of course.

I really love Circle of Steel, I'll write more later.

Ooooh, it’s sundown time. I’m gonna have to soak in this one a bit.

First thing that struck me was I forgot how excellent Seven Island Suite is. The twinkling between the changes in the 'suites' is a great touch.

I've always loved this couplet...

It's time you tried living on the high side of the bay, you need a rest
Any woman or a man with a wish to fade away could be so blessed

"The Watchman's Gone" is my pick for my favorite Lightfoot track that wasn't a single. Favorite lyric: "If I wait for the right moment/You can bet I'll climb aboard unseen/I've done it before/I know I can do it in my sleep"; kinda like "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" or "Edmund Fitzgerald", you can just picture it when he sings it like that.

Anyway, I think this is my favorite one so far. Every song on this one is great. I think it hits all his strong suits without feeling saturated. And the two singles are great. Classic cover shot, too. I was always amused that such a popular and successful artist would pick a shot that screamed "this is my only nice set of clothes"

ive been keeping up with the listening, not a ton to say. the last couple have been good but in a cherry-pick-a-few-tracks type of way. but.. this one is front to back great, and just enough variance in sound from song to song to separate it from earlier works/sounds. dont think i could ever get tired of the title track.

the production sounds pretty different on this, has a little more punch. lenny waronker still the producer tho. maybe the recording techniques changed for this one? love that synth in the background of seven island suite.

frogbs your whole post is otm. The Watchman's Gone is excellent. His delivery of I've done it before/I know I can do it in my sleep has always been a favourite.

I agree about the production too Spottie, Listening to these albums in succession makes me feel like this one is a culmination of the ideas they started trying on Summer Side of Life, but since that one failed commercially they backed off a little bit, made a couple hit records, then brought things back in for Sundown and its better than all of the others because it captures both sides.

Also, between the two singles I think I prefer Carefree Highway to Sundown, but its really hard to pick, both are top notch. Carefree Highway is unsurprisingly one of the better driving songs ever. But Sundown feels like you are being let in on a secret. Tough choice.

Circle of Steel is a favourite of mine, not only is it placed in and around Christmas it feels like a Chritmas Carol in parts. Especially the first verse. Something about the simplicity of the delivery, feels like anyone could pickup and sing it at someone's door. He has a great skill for writing songs that are both very specific in content but generic enough to feel relatable. I don't feel like a Canadian artist had that skill again (at least not used consistently) until the Rheostatics came along.

Just a couple more notes about Sundown... I love the triangle sound way down in the mix in CoS. The List is a really underrated track. I think the only song on Sundown that doesn't really do it for me is Too Late For Prayin' but I get why he wanted to end on a quieter note. If you switched Too Late For Prayin with It's Worth Believin' I think Sundown is pretty much perfect but it gets close enough anyway.

On to the next!

Cold On The Shoulder - 1975

"Bend in the Water" – 2:59
"Rainy Day People" – 2:48
"Cold on the Shoulder" – 3:00
"The Soul is the Rock" – 5:49
"Bells of the Evening" – 3:56
"Rainbow Trout" – 2:51
"A Tree too Weak to Stand" – 3:22
"All the Lovely Ladies" – 3:35
"Fine as Fine Can Be" – 2:58
"Cherokee Bend" – 5:02
"Now and Then" – 3:09
"Slide on Over" – 3:43

I feel like the change from Side 1 to Side 2 on this album marks a change in Lightfoot's music into the Adult Contemporary world.

This was the first one I got on LP. Really loved "Bend in the Water" but that song skipped a lot. I guess this one is a bit like Old Dan's Records - no real hits (I guess "Rainy Day People" was one?) and it's not quite as good as his better-known albums but it's still pretty good, despite having some odd stuff on it ("Bells of the Evening" - the only Gord song with no guitar?). It's maybe his most outdoorsy album, like half the songs come back to fishing somehow. Always loved "The Soul is the Rock", one of the most 'epic' tracks he did (outside of the obvious ones), and probably the best tune here.

Side 2 is sort of a bore to me...the music is pretty as always but I don't find many of these songs memorable ("Fine as Fine Can Be" maybe but it's sappy as hell). "All the Lovely Ladies" has that "wish I could know them one by one" line which kinda skeeves me out. "Now and Then" is a great tune though.

https://vimeo.com/228122562

Believe it or not, I'm new here. I'm sorry to double post, my link did not embed before. I too really love Gordon Lightfoot and am enjoying this thread.

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/228122562"; width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>

What gives

hey guys, apologies on missing this week, work and live have been nuts. We can keep enjoying Cold on the Shoulder until Thursday of this week and I'll move us on then!

life*

I'm pretty much in agreement with you on this one frogbs. The first side towers over the second. Bend in the water is a great opener. Rainy Day People is one I've liked less and less over the years. Still a good song but he's done better similar songs I think. The title track's alomst clip-clop rhythm is a nice touch, feels like the songs being sung on horseback during a cattle drive. The Soul Is a Rock is really great, I always took the song to be about Newfoundland broadly, but I'm not sure exactly what to make of it upon re-listening.

...and we're back!

Summertime Dream - 1976

"Race Among the Ruins" – 3:21
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" – 6:32
"I'm Not Supposed to Care" – 3:31
"I'd Do It Again" – 3:14
"Never Too Close" – 3:04
"Protocol" – 4:02
"The House You Live In" – 2:55
"Summertime Dream" – 2:30
"Spanish Moss" – 3:51
"Too Many Clues in This Room" – 4:49

One song here obviously towers over the rest, but I've always kinda liked I'm Not Supposed to Care. Race Among the Ruins & the Title Track are the two other big ones. I'm interested to give this one a re-listen.

this is definitely the one i've listened to most, it's good front to back imo. don't think the wreck even towers over it.

'protocol' is wonderfully haunting

I get this one & Summer Side of Life mixed up a lot...they even both have a monochrome headshot as the cover! but this is a much better album - don't have much to say about *that* song except A) I drive past Whitefish Bay all the time and B) is this the first appearance of a synthesizer on a Gord album? (that little twiddly line about 2:30 in)

"Race" has some of my favorite lyrics - "When you wake up to the promise/Of your dream world comin' true/With one less friend to call on/Was it someone that I knew?"

anyway, this album is fine...don't know if I really like the steel twang on nearly every track, but the songs are good. "Too Many Clues in This Room" was a nice tune to rediscover.

Protocol was my big find this week. Spanish Moss is pretty great even if it throws me off to hear him sing about the American South.

I've recently read a book about the history of shipwrecks on the great lakes so I found The Wreck particularly affecting lately.

Endless Wire

"Daylight Katy" – 4:18
"Sweet Guinevere" – 3:16
"Hangdog Hotel Room" – 2:35
"If There's a Reason" – 4:52
"Endless Wire" – 4:07
"Dreamland" – 2:53
"Songs the Minstrel Sang" – 2:49
"Sometimes I Don't Mind" – 2:53
"If Children Had Wings" – 3:50
"The Circle Is Small (I Can See It in Your Eyes)" – 4:03

I've got a lot of love for this and the next two albums. Which is about as far as I've ever gone in Lightfoot's catalogue. The title track is a favourite of mine. I like the first four songs as well. The retread of The Circle is Small isn't really necessary but always welcome.

I get this one & Summer Side of Life mixed up a lot...they even both have a monochrome headshot as the cover! but this is a much better album - don't have much to say about *that* song except A) I drive past Whitefish Bay all the time and B) is this the first appearance of a synthesizer on a Gord album? (that little twiddly line about 2:30 in)

― frogbs, Thursday, June 20, 2019 2:22 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was looking at the personnel lists on some of the albums and Gene Martynec that did the Moog work on Summertime Dream also did the work on Seven Island Suite & Is There Anyone Home. I think those two were the first two songs Lightfoot did with Synth on them. Then Gene is credited just generically for all songs on SD. Then the synthesizer doesn't appear again until Shadows after which he uses it on all his albums except Waiting for You. Assuming all of the personnel lists are accurate.

really sounds like Gord is starting to slide into middle age here. his voice is still in good form but it's undermixed and there's this feeling that his shtick is played out. I don't think any of the songs here are particularly great (and "Daylight Katy" is a remarkably flaccid album opener) but it's a solid album. hearing him do Chicago-style blues funk on "Songs the Minstrel Sang" is quite odd but I still like it. "Sometimes I Don't Mind" sounds like late-period Elvis! idk I'll have to listen to this one a few more times. I never really ventured out past Summertime Dream, though I had this one on vinyl - I think this one was the easiest one to get for a buck.

You know its funny, maybe I'm getting old, but I've really grown to love this album (and the next couple). But I really like Daylight Katy. Its feels more placid than flaccid to me, placid in a good way.

I like the title track a lot, it might be one of my ten favourites of his.

Sweet Guinevere has dropped in my estimation this week. I love Hangdog Hotel Room though, it's maybe not very good objectively though.

I have really come to appreciate the second half of the album a lot though. Dreamland is really relaxing and confident musically if a bit lyrically boring. Sometimes I Don't Mind is really excellent. I think I really wish Gord did an Elvis cover album.

...and we're in the 80s! I'm not surprised we've lost a fair bit of the following on this thread by now, but these albums have some nice underrated songs on them. His 80s music is the stuff I'm most excited to listen to again.

Dream Street Rose - 1980

"Sea of Tranquility" – 3:17
"Ghosts of Cape Horn" – 4:09
"Dream Street Rose" – 2:58
"On the High Seas" – 3:18
"Whisper My Name" – 3:12
"If You Need Me" – 2:50
"Hey You" – 2:53
"Make Way for the Lady" – 3:43
"Mister Rock of Ages" – 3:33
"The Auctioneer" (Leroy Van Dyke, Buddy Black) – 3:51

I'll give this one a few listens and get back with some thoughts.

Still reading the thread & interested to hear everyone’s thoughts. Can’t do listening club rn because of life constraints.

priorities...I can't do life because of Gordon Lightfoot listening club constraints

You know how to live, frogbs.

You know how to live, frogbs.

― Una Palooka Dronka (hardcore dilettante), Friday, July 5, 2019 4:08 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I need to get my goddamn priorities straight myself. I've been following along, but am sorely behind on my listening. Need to spend a bit of time with 80s Gord. I've heard songs here and there, but I haven't ever actively listened beyond Endless Wire, which as has been suggested seems probably typical. But, surely a/c-era Gord has some hidden gems! Anyways, huge props to Will for keeping this going.

first thought about this album is the production on the faster paced songs is way too busy. I've heard the title track live and I like it much better than the album version. I can't seem to track down a live version of it anywhere online though, does anyone know of one?

okay this is where I'm truly hearing them for the first time. I don't think I've heard any of his post-Endless Wire albums, outside of Harmony - felt like I owed it to him to buy that one, since he quite literally cheated death to make it. Anyway...I'm actually digging this one, it's short and mostly sweet, and I actually kinda like the cluttered arrangements - by this time his band was incredibly tight, I don't care how many guitars they layer on. kinda amusing that there's another dead sailor song, "Ghosts of Cape Horn"...actually feels a bit like a Gord parody track, though I still think it's pretty good.

actually this strikes me as a better album than Endless Wire...feels like there are more ideas here (is "Make Way For the Lady" the first time he's ever tried jazz?) and it's less dreary. the title track is really nice, it's just one long chorus. I wish more people would write songs like that. I'd imagine the cover of "Auctioneer" was not so well received but I like it. It's like the "Scatman" of the 50's

Shadows - 1982

"14 Karat Gold" – 3:56
"In My Fashion" – 3:05
"Shadows" – 3:02
"Blackberry Wine" – 3:05
"Heaven Help the Devil" – 3:14
"Thank You For the Promises" – 2:53
"Baby Step Back" – 3:59
"All I'm After" – 3:23
"Triangle" – 4:10
"I'll Do Anything" – 3:25
"She's Not the Same" – 3:11

Been off on holiday, sorry for dropping this in the interim!

I've not had the chance to give this one a listen yet. But In My Fashion is my favourite 80s Gord song that I can think of off the top of my head. Very interested in giving this a re-listen.

oh yes in my fashion is very good, never heard it

blackberry wine is some proper dad rock

Baby Step Back is kind of Sundown Pt 2.

yeah "In My Fashion" is really nice

"Blackberry Wine"....lmao. I'm glad these 80s albums are at least entertaining.

overall I thought this was okay. maybe I should give it another listen or two but by the time I get to "Triangle" it's like...yeah, it's nice, but we've heard this a dozen times before. his voice is still in good shape though.

can't help but notice the cover resembles a boomer trying to snap a selfie for Facebook

Yeah I get that same feeling from this one, starts off with my attention, and I like the production better than Dream Street Rose but I lose the plot after Baby Step Back.

Specifically I like 14 Karat Gold as well as In My Fashion and the title track is solid, but I start losing the plot after that. Blackberry Wine is some intense dadrock, Heaven help the Devil floats by.

Thank You for the Promises sounds a lot like another of his songs but I can't think of what one. Is it a re-do from an earlier album?

Ρεμπετολογια you are totally right about Baby Step Back. To the point it feels like Gord was listening to his old albums and just re-arranging them and writing new lyrics.

Like you are saying frogbs, his voice and lyrics (mostly) are still good but his music isn't changing at all at this point.

Forgot to mention my favourite part later in this album, on All I'm After when he sings "I think I got it made" and holds the note for a few beats. That felt unique in his catalog.

Salute - 1983

"Salute (A Lot More Livin' to Do)" - 4:24
"Gotta Get Away" - 2:54
"Whispers of the North" - 3:20
"Someone to Believe In" - 3:32
"Romance" - 3:31
"Knotty Pine" - 4:00
"Biscuit City" - 2:55
"Without You" - 3:07
"Tattoo" - 4:28
"Broken Dreams" - 4:05

A day late, but here we are. Now I really do not know this album at all. I'm fairly certain I know at least a song or two off the rest of his albums but I don't recognize the names of any of these ones.

always avoided this for the cover shot alone. you can practically hear Gord's thoughts, "I'm not proud of this album, please don't take my picture for the cover"

Haha, Gord's all "I will NOT fucking salute" on this cover

oh man, Gord's voice aged pretty rapidly. he'd be around 45 when this came out but he sounds about 65. he can still sing but a lot of that richness is gone and there's sort of a whine on his upper register. weird because he sounded alright on Shadows, which only came out a year before.

anyway, this is sorta how I expected all his 80's albums to sound; I figured sooner or later he'd get a producer that 'punched up' the rhythms and blended the steel guitar & synths into a fine paste. It's a bit Huey Lewis sometimes ("Someone to Believe In") and the poppin' bass on "Gotta Get Away" is kinda hilarious. there's a couple of real pretty songs on this one though - I thought "Knotty Pine" and "Tattoo" were pretty good. "Tattoo" actually sorta works with his ravaged voice.

the album might've worked better with the sides flipped - the first side falls into pretty much every trap a 70s folk artist could fall into, but the songs on Side 2 ain't bad. incredibly corny sometimes but it's still an okay listen. I don't think I wanna hear it again, but still.

yeah, this is a strange album. I don't hate the title track, but just why you know. It's my favourite on side one though, I can see why it was the single.

Gotta Get Away sounds more like his normal music, but its worse for it, terrible.

Whispers of the North & Romance are just real struggles lyrically.

Agreed on Knotty Pine, really pretty little song. The synth line that shows up at the end of the lyrics is refreshingly understated.

My favourite is Tattoo, these are the songs I want from Gord at this stage, resigned to his fate, looking back on life and making peace with it. Biscuit City works on this same wavelength.

Broken Dreams feels like Salute again, he started and ended the album with really similar songs. I wonder if that was intentional.

East of Midnight - 1986

"Stay Loose" – 3:53
"Morning Glory" – 3:24
"East of Midnight" – 3:58
"A Lesson in Love" – 4:05
"Anything for Love" – 3:43 (Lightfoot, David Foster)
"Let it Ride" – 3:40
"Ecstasy Made Easy" – 4:05
"You Just Gotta Be" – 3:34
"A Passing Ship" – 3:55
"I'll Tag Along" – 3:08

The only song I know off this one is the David Foster collab, which manages to pull off both sounding like a Gord song and a David Foster song at the same time. I'll give it credit for that but not much else. Curious to see how the rest of this album did after taking a 3rd year to release for the first time.

First impressions...

this one starts well, then really loses the bit around the Foster song. Thank god for A Passing Ship & I'll Tag Along. I especially liked A Passing Ship on first listen.

A few more thoughts.

Even in the 80s how did Anything for Love get on the country charts? bananas.

Saying it starts well is maybe a bit much, its starts okay, Stay Loose is a silly song, kinda like Salute. Its not one I need to re-listen to but I don't hate it.

Morning Glory is like a lesser GL song from the 70s. The title track is passable.

Then from A Lesson in Love to You Just Gotta Be is horrific, the worst run of songs in his career. Sappy lyrics, over produced, voice is lacking. Sounds nothing like anything I want from GL.

Then I really love A Passing Ship, it's like a Gord power ballad. It might challenge In My Fashion for 80s GL songs.

I'll tag along is much like Morning Glory, a lesser 70s song, still nice to hear.

The country charts were bananas in the mid-80s. 51 different songs made it to #1 on the Billboard country chart in 1986 alone, a lot of them even more bland and MOR than Anything For Love (which only got to #71 anyway). Gord's biggest country hit was Sundown which made it to #13 in the summer of "74. His biggest hit as a writer was Marty Robbins's "Ribbon of Darkness", #1 in June 1965.

okay I think I will have to redownload this album since the Foster collab in fact appears to be "Nothing You Can Do About It" by the Manhattan Transfer. was really confused for a sec there.

but, judging by the other 9 songs...I think kreuzer is basically right, the middle section of this album is garbage. kinda reminds me of those late ELP albums where they were writing really bland adult contemporary ballads that wouldn't have worked even if his voice wasn't shot. it sounds like he's channeling Chris De Burgh on half of these tunes. I almost want to make vaporwave out of it.

"A Passing Ship" sorta falls into that too but I agree there's a much better actual tune there. idk if I really wanna hear it again.

"Morning Glory" was kinda nice

Back on our usual Thursday schedule...

Waiting For You - 1993

"Restless" – 3:36
"Ring Them Bells" – 2:56 (Bob Dylan)
"Fading Away" – 3:10
"Only Love Would Know" – 4:18
"Welcome to Try" – 4:03
"I'll Prove My Love" – 3:10
"Waiting for You" – 3:35
"Wild Strawberries" – 4:17
"I'd Rather Press On" – 3:43
"Drink Yer Glasses Empty" – 3:16

Curious to see what happens on this album vs. his 80s ones. Haynes & Clements are back on bass & lead after not doing East of Midnight. Also the credits list is stripped back down to his basic core group. Feels like its going to be a back to basics sort of album.

not sure im gonna be able to go on the rest of this ride with gordo. last couple albums doing absolutely nothing for me.

yeah I think Dream Street Rose was pretty good, better than Endless Wire but not as good as any of the ones before that

Shadows and Salute had moments but Gordo was just not made for the 80s

will be listening to this one in a bit (though uh...it is Wednesday isn't it?) - "Restless" was on the Greatest Hits disc I had and I remember liking that a lot, felt like the sort of tune that suited an aging Gordon Lightfoot well. kinda got me choked up, maybe just because it was the last song on the disc which implied it was basically the end of his career

haha, it sure is wednesday, i'm off friday and moved all my normal meetings earlier in the week by a day and i've apparently fallen into it completely.

yeah fair enough Spottie. I think as Gord's losing his voice it really makes these albums a slog. He's lost a lot of other skills sure but I really miss the voice most of all.

we're almost at the end (just two more after this) so I'll finish off with whoever wants to join for the last two just to be completest.

only two more ok i think i can do it, at least skip through the albums anyway. its been good tho ive discovered a ton.

this one is definitely better than the last 3, mostly because it avoids all the 80s trappings and gets back to folk songs. the tempos still feel too quick for this sort of music ("I'd Rather Press On") but with the richness in his voice gone I guess it doesn't really matter. the title track and "Restless" are nice.

While I was listening to this one on spotify Daylight Katy came on after Drink Yer Glasses Empty and it didn't feel out of place. Now I like Daylight Katy well enough but I think that kinda shows the value of this albums. I agree with you frogbs on the title track and Restless. I like Drink Yer Glasses Empty most I think though.

His voice really struggles though, Ring Them Bells and Welcome to Try especially stood out for me in that regard, but the song writing is a huge step up from his 80s albums for sure. I listened to this one a few times over and didn't skip a song. I don't think that's happened since Endless Wire or Dream Street Rose. I didn't realize how much I missed his creative lyrics. Even on I'll Prove My Love, I don't cringe while listening like I did on A Lesson In Love for example.

The tasteful production is nice of course.

I think I'll come back to this one more.

A Painter Passing Through

"Drifters" - 3:27
"My Little Love" - 4:08
"Ringneck Loon" - 4:14
"I Used to Be a Country Singer" (Steve McEown) - 3:16
"Boathouse" - 4:13
"Much to My Surprise" - 3:42
"A Painter Passing Through" - 3:55
"On Yonge Street" - 4:27
"Red Velvet" (Ian Tyson) - 2:37
"Uncle Toad Said" - 3:29

Second last one. I only Drifters off this one.

The lack of response here is telling. I thought this was known as his worst album, though RYM apparently thinks East of Midnight is worse. At this point his voice is just gone and I don't really feel anything from any of the tunes. He sounds okay when he doesn't have to sustain any notes but when he does you can really hear the age in his voice. There's clearly a lyrical theme of being past your prime on this album so I guess Gord was feeling it himself. I mean "Drifters" and "Painter" both come off as being auto-biographical and I feel like "Uncle Toad Said" is sorta poking fun of himself. Very much of a "life is winding down and I made lots of mistakes but have no regrets" sorta vibe here. I do like a few tunes here, particularly the Tyson cover and the title track, which I imagine might have sounded pretty nice if he wrote it 25 years before. The second half of this album is pleasant, there's more good stuff there than all of East of Midnight but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Yeah this one is not doing much for me at all. Definitely a step down from Waiting For You. I think I'd take East of Midnight over it, just for A Passing Ship. This album has less horrible songs than East of Midnight though.

Ringneck Loon feels awkwardly delivered, Boathouse is really just boring.

I wouldn't turn off Much To My Suprise if it came on Adult Contemporary radio, probably the same for the title track. I kinda like On Yonge Street, but I'm sure thats just nostalgia from my own time living there. That's about all I can muster for this one.

Harmony - 2004

1."Harmony" – 3:11
2."River of Light" – 3:48
3."Flyin' Blind" – 2:49
4."No Mistake About It" – 4:03
5."End of All Time" – 3:41
6."Shellfish" – 3:45
7."The No Hotel" – 5:54
8."Inspiration Lady" – 3:08
9."Clouds of Loneliness" – 2:52
10."Couchiching" – 3:20
11."Sometimes I Wish" – 3:37

Last one!

looks like its just you and me now, bud.

Unlike all the other post-Endless Wire albums, I actually do know this one. It came out when I was really getting into Gord (though a greatest hits) and I figured I'd buy a copy out of respect (admittedly, I was pretty stunned when he actually started singing). As you might know he had some pretty severe heart issues around this time and there were rumors swirling around that he was on death's door. If I recall correctly a lot of the album was written & arranged from the hospital. As a result the critics were a lot easier on this one, although I think it really is one of his better post-70s efforts. The melodies here are actually pretty memorable, in fact I still remember how a lot of these go. The instrumentation is super mild but it sounds pretty good as a whole. I like the keyboard line on "No Hotel" a lot.

Granted his voice sorta ruins this thing, he sounds a lot like the various grandpa characters on the cartoons I used to watch as a kid. But a year removed from surgery you get a pass for that, especially if you saw the photos of him from that time, he looked like he weighed about 80 pounds (though to be fair I believe all the vocals outside of the live tracks were taken from pre-surgery demos). It's kind of hard to divorce the album from its context, particularly when it's got lines like "I won't be looking up old friends ever again" on it. A lot of these songs have a "ready to die" them to them which gives tunes like "End of All Time" & "Shellfish" a real emotional punch.

I'm surprised that this turned out to be his last album (unless he suddenly decides to make another one at the age of 80). Maybe they weren't selling or he just got sick of writing songs but he seems to be on more of a creative streak here than he was over, I dunno, the last two decades.

TS: Couchiching - Gordon Lightfoot vs. Ch Ching - Lady Sovereign

This one was a nice listen, nice to wrap up on something that's not terrible. I especially liked Inspiration Lady thru Sometimes I Wish.

His voice is really bad at this point, sounds like what I remember from him in concert, the drop from A Painter Passing Through is really noticeable but I agree that this is a stronger collection of songs. I think if I consider Salute the beginning of his real tailspin, this one and Waiting For You are his best two overall albums of his final 5. It is really an emotional listen though, I wonder sometimes if he doesn't write another album 'cause he already wrote what he thought was his last album and assumed he wasn't gonna make it out the other side of his illness at the time. Couchiching/Sometimes I Wish feel a lot like a final here's to my hometown and here's my final take on life sort of songs.

Thanks for joining frogbs, and everyone else, found or rediscovered a boatload (heh) of great songs. I'll post a bunch of my favourites and some comments on them in time, just trying to hit another writing deadline so trying not to split my focus right now. Would be cool to here the same from anyone else that wants to post their's.

Amazon has Gordon Lightfoot The Complete Albums 1970-1998 for download for $7.99 -- "Sit Down Young Stranger" through "A Painter Passing Through"

Robbie Fulks takes on Gordon Lightfoot's catalog and is crushingly OTM .

that piece is *fantastic*, thanks for sharing

Robbie Fulks may be my favourite music writer. His tour diaries and essays on his website are just such a pleasure to read and explain the vocation of being a songwriter/performer so succinctly .

Wow, I will read everything that guy writes, that was fantastic

yeah, that was so good I actually want to check out *his* music!

nothing to add, just echoing the other comments. that was a really great read.

great article indeed, i echo Simon's point that i definitely want to check out Robbie's music now. It was really interesting to read about Gord's tuning obsession and his detailed look at the mechanics of the music was really illuminating, my own understanding of music theory is small so this was really helpful in understanding the songs more deeply.

my only thing is on this point he makes...

“Sometimes I think it’s a shame, when I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain.” Regret over feeling better, while a neat irony, isn’t a known emotion in the human repertoire.

'feelin' no pain' means getting drunk to everyone else right? Not sure if its just something i heard from the old guys at the bars in my small hometown. I can definitely understand that the line makes no sense if you don't know the euphemism.

that was always my assumption

a lot of times when I don't understand a particular line I just assume it's about drinking or groupies

wait did he just surprise drop a new album in the middle of coronavirus panic

Ok boomer moment?

"Return Into Dust" was on my Release Radar this week. Sounded good and spooky...I'll have to check out the rest.

I've read the Robbie Fulks article on Lightfoot a couple of times now. It's very well-written, contains a lot of insights and obviously was a lot of work, but I still take exception to how he characterizes Lightfoot's later work as an example of the perils of the artist in decline.
First, he's "debunking" a bunch of records that have been heard by nobody except the people on this thread and a subset of Lightfoot fans; his new albums stopped getting airplay even on Canadian MOR radio by the time of Salute. It's not like he's John Prine, whose voice and skills arguably suffered an even steeper decline, but continued to receive critical plaudits and ever-increasing sales. I mean, if Prine had written the verse that Fulks quotes from "Wild Strawberries", it would have been cited as an example of his warm, self-deprecating humour. It's true that Lightfoot is not Paul Simon in terms of striving for originality and innovation, but in 1986 they both made records that stretched the boundaries of their music in new ways, and at least East of Midnight doesn't have that horrible booming snare sound from Graceland.
I do feel sorry for Fulks, force-feeding himself these albums over the course of a month or two in order to write his article; Lightfoot is not really noted for the diversity of his songs, and cramming dozens of them in short order is certainly not the best method of appreciation (it's taken me more than thirty years to get around to them all). I would agree that the records post-Sundown and pre-sobriety (1975-1982) are a drop-off (despite some great songs), but Salute and the following albums are, to me, good examples of late-career work from an artist who does not necessarily want to push for innovation. David Bowie, for example, sweated and slaved over 1. Outside, but it doesn't even have as many good songs as Waiting for You, and Bowie's strain looks effortful compared to Lightfoot's ease and modesty (and I'm a Bowie fan). Lightfoot's voice has declined over the period (not as much as Elton John's, I'd say), and he certainly should not be doing shows like the one linked in the article, but I think he has adapted to his limitations on record and still conveys a lot of feeling and nuance.
I still haven't heard Solo, but will do in a week or two, and, since no-one else seems to be doing it, I'll be back to provide a conclusion to this thread (unless Gord releases a final, final album of originals in 2036) and hopefully won't be taking back all my effusions above.

I don't know enough about Lightfoot to make a comparison, but I disagree about Prine having a steep decline. I actually think he's a rare example of a songwriter who made it to old age without a really noticeable decline; his great songs came less often after the eighties but they continued to come. It's hard to say for sure, but I don't think that verse he quotes would have impressed me in a John Prine song. It feels forced, and Prine's humor has always felt very natural and unforced to me, like it's just a natural result of seeing the world at an odd angle most of the time.

OK, I was mostly trying to say that the latter-day Lightfoot records don't have any particular acclaim for Fulks to deflate. Lightfoot has put out seven albums in the last forty years, mostly unheard, so Fulks accusing him of "watering down his legacy" makes little sense (meanwhile, Neil Young has released about thirty over the same period, many of which are disliked even by his fans). Has anyone (other than, maybe, Robbie Fulks) had their enjoyment of "Sundown" ruined by "Ringneck Loon" or "Shellfish"?
I find Prine gets corny post-Common Sense, I find Lightfoot open and thoughtful by contrast. I know a lot of people would reverse those judgments.

hey somehow i missed the new album coming out last year!

I just listened to it last night for the first time and I don't know if I liked it as much as Harmony, it was strong in the Return Into Dust thru Just a Little Bit section especially I think. His voice is real thin at this point of course, which is a shame 'cause I felt like I couldn't always hear the lines he was delivering, but the quiet man & guitar production definitely was the right choice considering.

I think I liked it better than A Painter Passing Though, though I will admit I haven't gone back to that one at all since we listened to it in this thread so maybe i should give it a re-listen.

As to your point Halfway. I will admit I have hardly listened to John Prine (though much like Tom Waits I assume I will like him when I finally get around to it), but I agree that I don't think Gord's really hurt his legacy. Also, I will ride pretty hard for East of Midnight at this point, I still go back to it a lot since we listened to it on this thread, A Passing Ship is one of my favourite of Gord's songs now.

I didn't mean to turn this into a referendum on poor John Prine, just that he was, by contrast, an older artist whose acclaim and sales climbed even as his voice withered.

It was East of Midnight that inspired my revival of this thread, it was the last of the older Lightfoot records I hadn't heard. There was an interview where he suggested that it was an underrated album that he would like more people to listen to. "Anything for Love" is probably his worst, but there is some unusual stuff like "You Just Gotta Be", with syncopated drum machines and a bewildering array of chord changes. It also has his classic folk style on "Let It Ride" and "I'll Tag Along", and some of the AOR of Salute on the title track and "Ecstasy Made Easy".

Gord doesn't really have a high-profile commercial failure - Endless Wire is the one post-"Edmund Fitzgerald" album that a lot of people bought and apparently only listened to once or twice (you can find pristine copies of it everywhere for two bucks), the other ones you almost never see which suggests that no one really bought them. Unlike Bowie I don't think anyone really expected much out of him after the 70's, and obviously you know he's not going to start delving into industrial technopop or anything. Even the people I know who are really into him don't listen to those albums. If not for this thread I never would have either.

Did you got anything out of the later records, or do you feel they were justly ignored?

not much, if I never heard them again I wouldn't mind. but I thought Dream Street Rose was at least pretty fun and gladly paid $2.99 for it - it was actually the only time I've seen a post-Endless Wire LP in a shop. and "Restless" is a fitting, would-be beautiful swansong. it's just kind of hard to stomach his voice at a certain point - not because of how great it once was, but because his delivery is straight up bad sometimes. he flails around and hits bum notes and on the last few albums it's hard to even make out what he's singing.

I guess the other good thing about East of Midnight is it's the last record before his singing really does start to suffer.

fwiw Shadows, Salute and East of Midnight have all been on my mental "give this another shot" list, though they've been sitting there for a couple years now :/

"Shadows" the song is in my top 10, maybe top 5 Gord.

picked up a "very best of" comp for three bucks, since it has a bunch of early material I don't have on vinyl. very odd cover design, isn't it?

https://dalescollectibles.com/products/gordon-lightfoot-the-very-best-of-gordon-lightfoot

forgot how much of his first album was "sorry babe, big Gord's gotta fuck"

He hates "For Lovin' Me" now, associates it with the end of his first marriage. I like the way he undercuts it on Gord's Gold, by performing it as a medley with "Did She Mention My Name".

"Can't Depend on Love" has been on repeat a lot for me lately. his lyrics are easy to relate to because the specifics of the scenario have pretty much all been stripped out, but there's something in his delivery that gestures at some kind of meaning, and so even little nonsense filler phrases like "I'm right or wrong" seem to have some kind of import. In other words, he's an ideal artist for people who project their emotions and experiences onto the music they listen to (and I'm one of those people).

Love "Saturday Clothes", just scratching the surface with this guy.

Whew, glad it’s not a mortality revive.

It's got such a nice mood, discretely sad or something

its that autoharp

Whew, glad it’s not a mortality revive.

Gord's used to those kind of rumours; he heard a Toronto radio station announce that he had died while he was in the chair at the dentist. He called them up and went on the air to prove he wasn't.

It's partly about the lyrics because it sounds to me like someone who is admitting to being a little sad but there's much more disappointment and sadness than he's willing to admit. Maybe putting a brave face on.

It's true; he has lots of melancholy songs and lots of "quotidian" songs, but they're usually not one and the same.

Here's a deep track that I've been listening to a lot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FihE2nwkLVw

I was also thinking that his career ending with Solo is like a long highway travelling through cities, towns, and countryside that eventually ends in a muddy one-lane track leading to a broken-down abandoned shack. It's like a gesture of humility on his part.

Sadly, now passed on after some recent health issues

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-dead-1.6828991

Wow. So much will be written in the next few days, especially up here. Bob Dylan seemed to revere him.

RIP

I'd have to check, but I think I had this on my music-video list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PINZNB6knaA

yeah, when I saw his shows had been postponed I kinda had a feeling that would be it. gonna miss ya Gord, glad you loved Wisconsin enough to hit it multiple times on each tour

A terrible day. Rest in peace Gord.

RIP

Big part of my childhood years. He meant a lot to my mother, who I can remember being very excited when she told me that she finally got to see him live for the first time. "Go My Way" holds a special place for her and me.

Unrelated, but I spent a portion of my youth years in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Goes without saying we did the uper trip to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and get a layout of where all the famous shipwrecks are in Lake Superior. Jump to not long after and a little league teammate's dad invites my younger brother and I to a ride back from our baseball game in Escanaba. Only we're taking his private plane.

So my teammate's dad is flying us back and as we get towards the airfield, he offers to take us over Lake Superior so we can see nearby shipwrecks visible at the bottom of the lake. To this day, it was amazing how clear the water was and how much detail you could see of the boat wreckage up in the sky. It was right then my brother asked "Does this plane go any faster?" The dad joyfully said, "It sure does!," and immediately took the plane into a nose-dive, towards the oncoming Superior ship wreckage.

Whew, glad it’s not a mortality revive.

― The land of dreams and endless remorse (hardcore dilettante), Sunday, 2 April 2023 22:22 (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

:(

Very sad. He was the best.

my story is kind of odd, but bear with me

when I was a teenager there was this hidden camera show called Trigger Happy TV, which obviously originated in the UK, as the dude was clearly British. anyway I thought it was pretty funny but what I really liked was the soundtrack. in particular there was this really pretty song that played when he was doing these pranks as a suicidal artist in the park.

I looked up what it was and it was "If You Could Read My Mind". the next time I went to the record store I looked him up and there was a CD called Complete Greatest Hits for $11.99. I figured what the hell and bought it.

Skipped right to Track 7 and guess what...the song actually was NOT "If You Could Read My Mind"! It was one of those soundalikes they do for US TV in order to get around having to pay royalties. So that was disappointing, but it was made up for - I was working at Burger King at the time, and there was this one country/folk song they played over the PA I really liked, but I never heard enough of the lyrics to figure out what it was. I thought it was something from the 90's...turns out it was "Sundown"

as part of the BK closing crew I brought this CD in a lot. there were a couple guys who really dug it. everyone else thought it was lame as shit, but when you're 17 that's also funny in its own way. I grew to really love it and when I started getting into vinyl I bought a ton of his records because they were all so cheap. lo and behold most of them were really good! there's treasure on all those albums. at least to a certain point. actually I think Gord is what made me really get into vinyl, I kinda loved how you were rescuing these beat up things that were clearly once important to someone, at least judging by how the covers would be written on or certain bits of the lyric sheet clipped out. felt like time travelling a bit.

I got to see him 3 times. obviously it was in his later years, but he really loved touring the Midwest and actually hit Manitowoc twice. one time he was playing literally down the street from me, which was cool. yeah his voice wasn't there but the shows were fun. he had a pretty good attitude and told some funny stories. and the band sounded nice. I wanna say it's tragic he's gone, but in reality the dude lived a lot longer than anyone would've thought. I felt bad since in those later years it was clear he was just touring to pay the medical bills. oh well. you're free to haunt the old shipyards now, bud.

guess what...the song actually was NOT "If You Could Read My Mind"! It was one of those soundalikes they do for US TV in order to get around having to pay royalties.

I'll use that as a cue to post this; I'm sure, as your post indicates, he had a great sense of humour, so I bet he loved this (favourites: "Dueling Banjos," "Theme from Mannix," and "White Rabbit").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZpk0A4hZes

I'm in a really good grade 1 class today, so I've been playing Lightfoot all morning as they work.

is that Rick Moranis singing?? he sounds almost exactly like him!

Could be--never really thought about who's doing the singing. Something tells me Moranis joined a season or two later than the others, and I think this is early, so not sure.

oh, I mean to say the singer sounds like Lightfoot, at one point I actually wondered if it WAS Gord

drove from north bay down to toronto today and listened to gord along the way in homage, passing orillia and hearing the watchman's gone choked me up tbh. he had a superb talent for taking a thing like RFK's funeral train and merging it with his own ruminations on death, throw in train & sea references and you have maybe his most perfect *gordon lightfoot* song.

also the orchestral build and transition from part 2 to part 3 of CRT is a thing of beauty. the second half of cabaret is a simple, lovely tune to listen to while coming down highway 11.

in those later years it was clear he was just touring to pay the medical bills

With the Canadian health system, this isn't really a factor.

it is moranis who was singing in the sctv lightfoot thing, i think i have posted a link to that at least 3-4 times over the years here, how he finds the mellow gordo groove in every song is remarkable

Coverage up here was as extensive as I'd hoped. Huge front page stories on the Star and the Sun (bought my Star out of town--the variety store here has stopped carrying newspapers!), lots on the radio and CBC. One station yesterday interviewed a Timmins MPP or MP who grew up with Lightfoot. And everyone you knew seemed to post on FB.

Globe and Mail, too. He got the Canadian Newspaper Trilogy treatment.

the variety store here has stopped carrying newspapers!

dang. There's a song in there

My version of that SCTV sketch consists of fingerpicking Gmaj7 and Cmaj7 chords and singing the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen" à la Gord .

Here's another parody/tribute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rh5slFWPlY

Contacted a friend in Toronto about going up to Orillia on Sunday, but getting this friend to do just about anything is an ordeal, so that's not going to happen.

https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/huge-event-orillia-prepares-to-say-goodbye-to-gordon-lightfoot-6954286

Some consolation: the rep theatre in London is screening the documentary from a few years ago tomorrow. Haven't seen it, so I'll go see that instead.

Forgot all about this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOaFHmMYikc

Gordon lightfoot is a blind spot for me but I picked up his first two lps for cheap the other day and they're real nice. In places his voice reminds me of Robbie basho, when he sang on some of his albums. Wouldn't be surprised if Robbie was influenced by him a bit.

If you find me feedin' daisies/Please turn my face up to the sky

If I wait for the right moment
You can bet I'll climb aboard unseen
I've done it before, I know I can do it in my sleep