With the exception of Whispers Of The North and Biscuit City, I'd stay away from the Salute and East of Midnight albums. (at least until they got to liking Gordon Lightfoots music better. :) )

Interesting. I guess we all have different ideas on what others would like because after I wore them out on Don Quixote the next CD I would play straight through would be East Of Midnight to sort of show them his full range. I can't say I'd stay away from anything really.

Bill :)

spelling

If I'm tryin to make them a fan,I certainly know not to start with 80's or 90's. I'd also "save" Endless Wire LP for later as well.

Always,if you're going to basically "inform" a friend or anyone on Gordon Lightfoot,it's best to start at the beginning and show them how his music grew and progressed.

If you start with Harmony or in the middle,then go to the UA & then Reprise,it might seem a bit too mixed up. '66 to '04,remember that! ;)

I agree with Borderstone. Start at the beginning.

I'll throw my hat in the B ring too. Take the chronological approach!

In fact, while I have no problem offering an opinion when asked, it is rare I actually "recommend" anything (outside of common sense, that is) because everyone has their own individual tastes and feelings. I happen to enjoy pretty much all of Gord's incarnations over the past five decades, but I'd rather let a new listener choose their own form of enjoyment, and the most logical and unbiased way to do that is to start at the beginning.

Wow.Well I Know for a fact that Gord was going thru some really difficult stuff during the late '70's."Endless Wire" was over-produced in the studio.There is no question about that.
Pee Wee Charles did play some sick pedal steel guitar though.I'm sorry,but that version of "The Circle Is Small"is so sappy and uninspiring to me.
"Daylight Katy" is a great song,but they really coated it up way too much.

"Cold On The Shoulder" has some awesome songs on it but it has some weak and mundane stuff too.
I'd stay away from "May I"from "Did She Mantion My Name"(although i love the banjo/guitar thing at the end).That album is great regardless.
"East Of Midnight" has a few duds on it as well.
David Foster helped Gord produce it and brought in a band of very talented yet very commercial session musicians.Aside from Gords' drummer Barry Keane,
most of the album had the Lightfoot Band sitting on the sidelines.

The Soul Is The Rock is a good song, but the 1st time a person hears it, (especially if they're new to Gordon Lightfoot) it can sound rather silly.

I'd also steer clear of May I, Keepin On Yearnin', Canary Yellow Canoe, and Never Say Trust Me, and Beautiful.

WHAT??? (just kidding!!) Yeah, <sigh>, I know, it's a girl thing, I guess. We just loooove being sweet-talked. Hey, works better than chocolate, fellas.

MistyMoppens , - I am both shocked and relieved to finally hear that point of view from a female re " Beautiful". To me the lyrics sound like a fairly standard line (which probably works 99% of the time) with a view to jumping on a gal's bones...

For me what sets Gord's lyrics apart is that they are very rarely predictable , gushing or trite...I reckon in "Beautiful" he dips his toe into those murky waters.....

[ October 17, 2005, 03:14: Message edited by: Sydney Steve ]

and yet many times Gord has said BEAUTIFUL is one of his fave songs.....
it doesn't have the special meaning for me anymore but I do love his voice in it and the lyrics still touch that 'girl' in me...

my toe thanks you....
lol.

hop-along

I don't like that song either, and May I would be my second choice.

Cathy

Actually, I kind of like A Lesson In Love because of the music produced in it. I don't listen to the words much, though.

WHAT??? (just kidding!!) Yeah, <sigh>, I know, it's a girl thing, I guess. We just loooove being sweet-talked. Hey, works better than chocolate, fellas. [/QUOTE]I hate to admit it but this is another one I just don't like. Never have. (sorry Char!!! don't hit me, GF!)

To me, the only thing more tedious & tiresome than the melody are the lyrics. The entire song lacks his usual passion & creativity. It actually smacks of, "OK. I'll tell you anything you want to hear. It's not as though I haven't said it a million times before to a million other chicks. *yawn*..."

Just another female point of view! [/QUOTE]It could be that Lightfoot didn't intend on Beautiful being a popular song. Maybe he wrote it just to fill up some space on the album, and then the song caught on. If I remember correctly, If You Could Read My Mind was written as a filler song, but it turned out to be one of his biggest hits.

Cathy

Perhaps this should give MM an idea for another showdown. Who knew this wonderful little tune could set off such a debate, LOL. I bought DQ before Beautiful became a hit and have loved it since I first heard it. I'm sure I even used a few 'quotes' from it over the years. Taken in context if you play the whole album it fits perfectly. Oh well I guess that's why Baskin Robbins didn't stop at vanilla and chocolate.

And I must say that it means so much to me
Just to be the one who's telling you
I'm telling you
That you're beautiful

Really,

Bill :)

really...thankyou Bill.
;)

I'd steer them away from his more 'country sounding' songs. Those always seem to put a downer on a lot of people.
'Waiting for You' is his best I think, most mature and meaningful.

I don't care for "Beautiful" either and I'm another female saying that. It just doesn't do it for me - it drones.

I definately wouldn't play "Canary Yellow Canoe" either!

I disagree with not playing the country sounding songs though. My mom always said that she thought Gord was too "sad" sounding--- so I played "Mama Says" and she loved that one.
I think picking the songs depends entirely on who you are picking them for.

The thing I find so odd about "May I" is that this song made it onto an LP but the really great,"You'll Still Be Needing Me" got shelved??!! :eek: I don't get that idea at all! :rolleyes:

I don't hate "May I",it's amusing but the latter in my view,is timeless! It's from the '60s and yet it doesn't "sound" '60s. :)

By the way,I was listening to Complete Greatest Hits last night and another song i definetly would not select..."Race Among The Ruins".

Not just because I say start at the beginning but of all the songs on Summertime Dream to be the follow up single to "Wreck",why that one? :confused: "Spanish Moss" was a much better choice! :cool:

Thanks to all who supported my "beginning" stance. :) Much appreciated!

> i definetly would not select..."Race Among The Ruins".

what!?!?

I'm in with my countrymen (even if they are from Melbourne!) on this one...
"Race Among The Ruins" is in my opinion too, a very strong track and not first in line to be ditched....

This is excellent advice, Borderstone. It also gives a new listener a chance to hear how his music evolved over the years.

On no. Can this site handle two Cathys?

I also think "Race Among the Ruins" is a fine track, musically very tight, representative of the Pee-Wee Charles era, great vocals and an excellent message. Also, don't just take my word for it--didn't Gord have "Race Among the Ruins" as the working title for the LP, before it got changed to "Summertime Dream"?
He must've thought it was pretty good, too.
DQ

I, too, have wondered at many sad lyrics being combined with upbeat melodies. Strange, but, somehow Gord does it and does it well. Not an easy task. And we are the eager, slavering listeners. Well, some of us are, ha!

[ November 02, 2005, 22:29: Message edited by: Sheryl ]

Okay! :rolleyes: We seem to have a "mis-defenition" of what I meant about "Race Among The Ruins". First off,it's one of the very first Lightfoot songs I ever heard,so I do not dis-like it. What I meant is,it's good,but not exactly a place I'd start a new listner off.

As for being a single,I stand by my comment. The top 40 is "rough country" for artists trying to get hits and I just felt that "R.A.T.R" wasn't the kind of song one hears on the radio. Commercially speaking,"Spanish Moss" would have been the stronger choice.

No malice to Gordon or his songs intended. ;)

I Want To Hear It From You and Johnny Cash's Ring OF Fire are two songs that fall into that category.

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

Okay, assuming I was having a conversation with someone who had never heard of Gordon Lightfoot, then they said to me "Alright, let's here a few songs of this 'Lightfoot' guy you keep boasting about. Make me a CD and I'll go home and give it a listen". For the songs I WOULD MOST want on the CD are:

-Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (probably the #1 of all time G.L. recruiting song)
-Go Go Round
-Ordinary Man
-Second Cup Of Coffee
-Rainbow Trout
-I'll Do Anything
-Sit Down Young Stranger
-Whispers Of The North
-The House You Live In
-Dream Street Rose
-Mister Rock Of Ages

And now for the songs I WOULDN'T want to put on the disc. (Note: keep in mind the songs I'm about to list are not necessarily bad songs, they're just songs that WOULD NOT MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION is all).

-A Message To The Wind
-Keepin' On Yearnin' (I like it a lot, fact of business is, it's one of my favorites, but it wouldn't make a good 1st impression on GL).
-Endless Wire
-Canary Yellow Canoe
-For Lovin' Me

That's all I can list for now, it's time for me to have lunch. ;)

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

The Auctioneer song. It wasn't his song and he didn't do it any better than anyone else ever did, and maybe just as bad.

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

I second that idea. I had the great good fortune to get to see his Live In Reno concert broadcast on our local PBS station this evening, and miracle of all miracles, though my mum wouldn't admit it, she was even hummimg along with the music, which for me is a good start, as she normally wouldn't listen to him.

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

I would skip Knotty Pine.
Well, I guess I should say...I always skip over Knotty Pine...lol.

I think it's too clever and I am not that crazy about the way he sings it.

Several people here gave me the advice to start at the beginning with Gordon's music. It turned out to be the best way for me and I love the early music.
I probably would not have bothered with the United Artist Collection if people here hadn't given me a heads up on it.
It is still one of my absolute favorites to listen to.

I love Beautiful. A guy can sing that song to me anytime...lol. :)

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

I definitely wouldn't play My Pont Won't Go from ODR. I almost always skip that one.

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

i'm probably the only person here that skips Beautiful!

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

shame on you!

;)

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

sorry! :)

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

I highly doubt that an apology will be enough to avoid banishment.

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

cash..we're talking cash.. and I don't mean Johnny...
;)

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

I would have to say not one thing. I love all of his music. My boyfriend loves his music too. :)

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

Yeah, me too, christine75. What would I play, depends on the friend and the mood.

Re: If you were intoducing a friend into Gord, what songs WOULD'NT you play?
 

No, you're not. :)