Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - top 100 Canadian Albums

charlene · 12-01-2007, 04:52 PM

I LOVE this book! Great pics and stories about the albums..an early XMAS gift to me..from me!

The top 100 CANADIAN albums – Bob Mersereau – 2007 – Goose Lane Editions
http://www.gooselane.com/gooselaneeditions/?page_id=39

#23 – Gord’s Gold – Reprise 1975

“I was listening to Gordie’s Gold in a bar in New York with my headphones on. It just sang so deeply to me. I remember deciding that I wanted to move back to Canada.” – Greg Keelor, Blue Rodeo. http://www.bluerodeo.com

May 11, 2007, and Gordon Lightfoot walks on stage at the Moncton Coliseum: “Sorry, I’m four and half years late.” Lightfoot had cancelled this show because he was in hospital for internal bleeding. He nearly died. “We felt sorry when we missed those dates back in 2002,” he tells the crowd. “It does my heart good, I’m really glad we came.” Lightfoot plays a full two-hour show, many of the songs from Gord’s Gold.

This collection is far from the usual Greatest Hits. Lightfoot was as he recalls, “having a bit of a dry spell,” and hit on the idea of re-recording some of his early songs from the sixties. His current label didn’t own rights to the old songs, so re-recording them would be a way to get versions for it to sell. These aren’t simply copycats, though. Lightfoot adds an orchestra and does medleys he’d been doing in concert – not the cherished originals, nut a new appreciation of the songs. Lightfoot can’t even pick a favourite version, and has no problems today with the re-recordings: “It wouldn’t matter – no, I like the orchestra.”

The second album in this two-LP set contains regular versions of all the hits from the early seventies. This is Lightfoot at his peak of popularity. But something was wrong, and he knew it. He says he had a serious illness back then, too: “I probably could’ve achieved more had it not been for alcohol. But at the same time, alcohol was the fuel that was driving my engine. I (quit the drinking) in 1982, at the same time as a relationship came apart. It was being on my own and being alone that allowed me to do it. With some professional help I’m actually quite lucky that I’m sitting here talking to you right now. I probably could have put myself away right there. It took a toll.”

Gordon Lightfoot doesn’t make any secret of his drinking problem, just as everyone knows about his 2002 illness. He felt lucky to be in Moncton that night, having battled through two life – and career-threatening illnesses. The audience felt lucky to have been there, too.

#69 – Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind – Reprise 1970

“When I saw him live at Massey Hall, it clarified what I wanted to do. Here was a guy on stage singing these great songs, not making a big deal about it. He looms so large in my career.” – Ron Sexsmith

A new decade means a fresh start to Gordon Lightfoot’s recording career. He signed with Reprise, a strong US company, with the hope of hits, and delivered an album with a title track that meant a lot to him: “That was put out during the Viet Nam war. That song was supposed to be my contribution to a cause of sorts to try to end the situation over there. I loved the song, and I loved what it said, and that’s why I called the album Sit Down Young Stranger. It sold 80,000 copies and it stopped.

“They (Reprise) called and said that they’d got a nibble on a single on the album. By this time, it was seven or eight months alter. In Seattle, a station was going to program ‘If You Could Read My Mind’.”

Reprise thought they might be able to capitalize on it: “They said, ‘will you change the album title?’ And I said no. So they flew me out to California. I said, why do you want to do it, what difference will make? And one of the guys said, it’s the different between X and 7X. So what he did was, he explained it to me algebraically. I knew he was right; he was telling me we’d probably sell about seven times as many albums. But it took an airplane trip to California and back for a meeting for me to make the decision, that’s the really crazy, ridiculous part about it.”

By early 1971, the album had a new name and Lightfoot had his first real hit in the US: “The funny thing was, I didn’t sing it at all until it got singled off that album. I didn’t see the strength in it. I was playing ‘Sit Down Young Stranger’.”

#74 – Sundown – Reprise 1973

“The album contains ten of the most gritty, yet beautiful original Lightfoot songs to be found. And unlike many artistic triumphs, this album resonated with the public worldwide.” – Wayne Francis, www.lightfoot.ca (Wayne was a Juror)

Gordon Lightfoot hadn’t hit the Top Forty since “If You Could Read My Mind” in 1970. For this album, a change was in the works. Lightfoot got to reunite his core sixties’ players – musicians he trusted and with whom he loved playing: “I got my old bass player (John Stockfish) back for that, and I got Red Shea (on guitar) back, too.”

With his other guitar player, Terry Clements, there as well, the basic tracks for the album were recorded in Toronto. Producer Lenny Waronker had a few tricks to add, though: string parts, some keyboards, and drums, something Lightfoot still didn’t use in concert.

The album was just that little bit more modern, a little more produced. Lightfoot says the hit “Sundown” put his career back on track: “We really needed (a hit), and that was the perfect place to get one. It set me up to continue on for another five or six years after that.”

“Carefree Highway” came next. Lightfoot attributes his affinity for songs about traveling to an early favourite singer: “Hank Snow: I’ve been everywhere, man. Definitely the country music influence. I wrote that in Arizona, I was driving one night from Flagstaff to Phoenix, and I saw a road sign that said ‘Carefree Highway,’ and I said, here’s a song. Just very perfunctorily I had the whole thing done in fifteen minutes in my head.”

Travelling is a good metaphor for Gordon Lightfoot’s career. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. “When it’s done, it’s done, you might as well keep moving,” he says. Apart from illness, he’s never stopped touring or recording. Or, as Hank Snow put it, “I’m Movin’ On”.

#91 – Lightfoot! – United Artists, 1966

Gordon Lightfoot started out in folks music during the revival of the early 1960s. At first, he played the usual covers, but by 1964, new singers were being encouraged to write their own songs. “By that point, I was hearing Ian & Sylvia and Bob Dylan and people like that. Around about the time I wrote “Early Morning Rain.”

Lightfoot added another element, some Hank Snow-inspired country, to give his act a bit more edge for the types of places he was playing: “I had one place where I used to have to work in around the hockey game. It was Steele’s Tavern, Saturday night. I would always let the hockey game go because I knew people wanted to see it.”

At least in 1964 the Leafs were winning, and Toronto was a happening music town: “I had a good place in the pecking order there. I had a bit of a reputation as a songwriter, which was what drew Ian & Sylvia ion to see me at Steel’s Tavern. Which is how the song (‘For Lovin’ Me’) got from Ian & Sylvia to Peter, Paul and Mary. One thing just led to another.”

Lightfoot had those country chops, too: “Marty Robbins took that song ‘Ribbon Of Darkness’ and turned it into a hit. Before we knew it, we had a whole list of cover recordings. Of course, the importance of all that sunk in later. Through that I got a good contract with United Artists, so I had pretty good distribution with that “Lightfoot! Album. When it sold a hundred thousand copies, I was actually quite shocked, I never believed that would be possible.”

Having been influenced and supported by the leading folks and country performers of the day, Lightfoot was now writing hit songs and selling albums just like them: “I did feel that I had gotten into that particular club, yes.”

#98 – The Way I Feel – United Artists 1967

“Go-Go Round” – I’ll tell you who did that one great. Blue Rodeo did a wonderful job on that tribute album. They sang the balls off it, I’ll tell ya, it was great. – Gordon Lightfoot

When the time came to release his second album, Gordon Lightfoot had already had a hit from it, at least in Canada. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” had captured the nation’s spirit of patriotism in its Centennial year, on TV: “Bob Jarvis called me up from CBC one day and said they were doing a New Year’s Day special. There’s a railroad segment, could you write a song for it? And I said, about how long? As long as you want to make it. I said it should be fairly long. Then he sent me to read a book about Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, who was in charge of the railway. And I took it from there. Three days later I had the song and I was singing it to him at his desk.”

One song directly inspired Lightfoot’s Toronto folksinger days was “Go-Go Round”: You know how I got the idea for that song? I got it from Ronnie Hawkins. And I don’t really think I have to say anything more. It was just from that atmosphere of watching Ronnie on the strip, and they would, in turn, come up and see me up in (Yorkville) Village. It was really quite an interesting time. Our families interacted, and it was quite fun there for a number of years.”

There were many triumphs in 1967, including a month-long stay at the Riverboat, the first of the now-traditional yearly sold-out shows at Massey Hall, a week outdoors at Expo ’67, and this landmark album. It was also the year of “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”, the best six minutes and ten seconds of history class Canadian kids have spent ever since.

more in next post...

12-01-2007, 04:52 PM	#1
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	top 100 Canadian Albums - "Lightfoot" excerpts from book I LOVE this book! Great pics and stories about the albums..an early XMAS gift to me..from me! The top 100 CANADIAN albums – Bob Mersereau – 2007 – Goose Lane Editions http://www.gooselane.com/gooselaneeditions/?page_id=39 #23 – Gord’s Gold – Reprise 1975 “I was listening to Gordie’s Gold in a bar in New York with my headphones on. It just sang so deeply to me. I remember deciding that I wanted to move back to Canada.” – Greg Keelor, Blue Rodeo. http://www.bluerodeo.com May 11, 2007, and Gordon Lightfoot walks on stage at the Moncton Coliseum: “Sorry, I’m four and half years late.” Lightfoot had cancelled this show because he was in hospital for internal bleeding. He nearly died. “We felt sorry when we missed those dates back in 2002,” he tells the crowd. “It does my heart good, I’m really glad we came.” Lightfoot plays a full two-hour show, many of the songs from Gord’s Gold. This collection is far from the usual Greatest Hits. Lightfoot was as he recalls, “having a bit of a dry spell,” and hit on the idea of re-recording some of his early songs from the sixties. His current label didn’t own rights to the old songs, so re-recording them would be a way to get versions for it to sell. These aren’t simply copycats, though. Lightfoot adds an orchestra and does medleys he’d been doing in concert – not the cherished originals, nut a new appreciation of the songs. Lightfoot can’t even pick a favourite version, and has no problems today with the re-recordings: “It wouldn’t matter – no, I like the orchestra.” The second album in this two-LP set contains regular versions of all the hits from the early seventies. This is Lightfoot at his peak of popularity. But something was wrong, and he knew it. He says he had a serious illness back then, too: “I probably could’ve achieved more had it not been for alcohol. But at the same time, alcohol was the fuel that was driving my engine. I (quit the drinking) in 1982, at the same time as a relationship came apart. It was being on my own and being alone that allowed me to do it. With some professional help I’m actually quite lucky that I’m sitting here talking to you right now. I probably could have put myself away right there. It took a toll.” Gordon Lightfoot doesn’t make any secret of his drinking problem, just as everyone knows about his 2002 illness. He felt lucky to be in Moncton that night, having battled through two life – and career-threatening illnesses. The audience felt lucky to have been there, too. #69 – Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind – Reprise 1970 “When I saw him live at Massey Hall, it clarified what I wanted to do. Here was a guy on stage singing these great songs, not making a big deal about it. He looms so large in my career.” – Ron Sexsmith A new decade means a fresh start to Gordon Lightfoot’s recording career. He signed with Reprise, a strong US company, with the hope of hits, and delivered an album with a title track that meant a lot to him: “That was put out during the Viet Nam war. That song was supposed to be my contribution to a cause of sorts to try to end the situation over there. I loved the song, and I loved what it said, and that’s why I called the album Sit Down Young Stranger. It sold 80,000 copies and it stopped. “They (Reprise) called and said that they’d got a nibble on a single on the album. By this time, it was seven or eight months alter. In Seattle, a station was going to program ‘If You Could Read My Mind’.” Reprise thought they might be able to capitalize on it: “They said, ‘will you change the album title?’ And I said no. So they flew me out to California. I said, why do you want to do it, what difference will make? And one of the guys said, it’s the different between X and 7X. So what he did was, he explained it to me algebraically. I knew he was right; he was telling me we’d probably sell about seven times as many albums. But it took an airplane trip to California and back for a meeting for me to make the decision, that’s the really crazy, ridiculous part about it.” By early 1971, the album had a new name and Lightfoot had his first real hit in the US: “The funny thing was, I didn’t sing it at all until it got singled off that album. I didn’t see the strength in it. I was playing ‘Sit Down Young Stranger’.” #74 – Sundown – Reprise 1973 “The album contains ten of the most gritty, yet beautiful original Lightfoot songs to be found. And unlike many artistic triumphs, this album resonated with the public worldwide.” – Wayne Francis, www.lightfoot.ca (Wayne was a Juror) Gordon Lightfoot hadn’t hit the Top Forty since “If You Could Read My Mind” in 1970. For this album, a change was in the works. Lightfoot got to reunite his core sixties’ players – musicians he trusted and with whom he loved playing: “I got my old bass player (John Stockfish) back for that, and I got Red Shea (on guitar) back, too.” With his other guitar player, Terry Clements, there as well, the basic tracks for the album were recorded in Toronto. Producer Lenny Waronker had a few tricks to add, though: string parts, some keyboards, and drums, something Lightfoot still didn’t use in concert. The album was just that little bit more modern, a little more produced. Lightfoot says the hit “Sundown” put his career back on track: “We really needed (a hit), and that was the perfect place to get one. It set me up to continue on for another five or six years after that.” “Carefree Highway” came next. Lightfoot attributes his affinity for songs about traveling to an early favourite singer: “Hank Snow: I’ve been everywhere, man. Definitely the country music influence. I wrote that in Arizona, I was driving one night from Flagstaff to Phoenix, and I saw a road sign that said ‘Carefree Highway,’ and I said, here’s a song. Just very perfunctorily I had the whole thing done in fifteen minutes in my head.” Travelling is a good metaphor for Gordon Lightfoot’s career. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. “When it’s done, it’s done, you might as well keep moving,” he says. Apart from illness, he’s never stopped touring or recording. Or, as Hank Snow put it, “I’m Movin’ On”. #91 – Lightfoot! – United Artists, 1966 Gordon Lightfoot started out in folks music during the revival of the early 1960s. At first, he played the usual covers, but by 1964, new singers were being encouraged to write their own songs. “By that point, I was hearing Ian & Sylvia and Bob Dylan and people like that. Around about the time I wrote “Early Morning Rain.” Lightfoot added another element, some Hank Snow-inspired country, to give his act a bit more edge for the types of places he was playing: “I had one place where I used to have to work in around the hockey game. It was Steele’s Tavern, Saturday night. I would always let the hockey game go because I knew people wanted to see it.” At least in 1964 the Leafs were winning, and Toronto was a happening music town: “I had a good place in the pecking order there. I had a bit of a reputation as a songwriter, which was what drew Ian & Sylvia ion to see me at Steel’s Tavern. Which is how the song (‘For Lovin’ Me’) got from Ian & Sylvia to Peter, Paul and Mary. One thing just led to another.” Lightfoot had those country chops, too: “Marty Robbins took that song ‘Ribbon Of Darkness’ and turned it into a hit. Before we knew it, we had a whole list of cover recordings. Of course, the importance of all that sunk in later. Through that I got a good contract with United Artists, so I had pretty good distribution with that “Lightfoot! Album. When it sold a hundred thousand copies, I was actually quite shocked, I never believed that would be possible.” Having been influenced and supported by the leading folks and country performers of the day, Lightfoot was now writing hit songs and selling albums just like them: “I did feel that I had gotten into that particular club, yes.” #98 – The Way I Feel – United Artists 1967 “Go-Go Round” – I’ll tell you who did that one great. Blue Rodeo did a wonderful job on that tribute album. They sang the balls off it, I’ll tell ya, it was great. – Gordon Lightfoot When the time came to release his second album, Gordon Lightfoot had already had a hit from it, at least in Canada. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” had captured the nation’s spirit of patriotism in its Centennial year, on TV: “Bob Jarvis called me up from CBC one day and said they were doing a New Year’s Day special. There’s a railroad segment, could you write a song for it? And I said, about how long? As long as you want to make it. I said it should be fairly long. Then he sent me to read a book about Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, who was in charge of the railway. And I took it from there. Three days later I had the song and I was singing it to him at his desk.” One song directly inspired Lightfoot’s Toronto folksinger days was “Go-Go Round”: You know how I got the idea for that song? I got it from Ronnie Hawkins. And I don’t really think I have to say anything more. It was just from that atmosphere of watching Ronnie on the strip, and they would, in turn, come up and see me up in (Yorkville) Village. It was really quite an interesting time. Our families interacted, and it was quite fun there for a number of years.” There were many triumphs in 1967, including a month-long stay at the Riverboat, the first of the now-traditional yearly sold-out shows at Massey Hall, a week outdoors at Expo ’67, and this landmark album. It was also the year of “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”, the best six minutes and ten seconds of history class Canadian kids have spent ever since. more in next post...