Faktor-
Sundown is a good choice. I personally would not go with Summertime Dream, even tho it is also a great album.
My reason is that the Wreck is a song that many people absolutely detest due to its length and repetitiveness. Hard to believe, but I saw it somewhere on a list of most hated songs (along with "I Am Woman," "(My baby takes the) Morning Train," "MacArthur Park" and anything by Barry Manilow or Yoko Ono). Although I like Wreck, it would not have hooked me as a fan.
For that reason, I think that IYCRMM is the best starting point. Gord's voice is so beautiful on that album. And those of us who have been fans forever tend to forget that IYCRMM was the launching point for Gord's success in the US charts. Since that's the song that hooked the USAmericans, I would select that album to introduce a new listener.
By the way, I would not pick either Gord's Gold album as a starter. For one thing, I do not like the remix of the UA songs as much as the originals (with minor exceptions). I also miss the backup vocals on High&Dry. GG1 and GG2 are good pocket versions of Gord's work, good primarily when you can't have access to the whole body of work. I tend to think that a new listener might tend to stop buying Gord after buying GG1 and GG2, thinking that he/she already had enough of the "essential" Lightfoot. Start with a real album, not a "greatest hits," if you want to get the flavor of an artist.
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"And the laughter came too easy for life to pass me by." - SDYS
[This message has been edited by 2Much2Lose (edited July 23, 2000).]
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