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

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.

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