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

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.