Jennifer: I do envy you discovering new GL music ! I remember very well and written long bits on my first few albums, so I don't want to bore the majority. But I DO know what you mean, "like a kid in a candy store"-as I recall you saying as a relatively new listener.
One question, regarding "Oh Linda" - I like that song as well from "Lightfoot!" - the album. I am no jazz expert, but that song struck me as experimenting in jazz for GL. Question is, do you hear similarities between that song and the first 1/2 of "Make way for the Lady" ? - from the Dream Sreet Rose album ?
I love both songs, and recall reading once, if memory serves, that Gord spoke fondly of testing the waters hear and there of jazz being a little enjoyment of his, spoken of as a rainy day thing to sorta play with.
As a drummer way back, if not jazz, at least the kind of song you can play on the hi-hat with the classic " (pedal-closure)-click, (open & strike twice) tzz-tzz, click tzz-tzz, click tzz tzz ,etc, onward, as in here is "Mr. Cool" -an excerpt from GL's lyrics
O man I love that beat. Done best in the 50's-60's in a tux, martini in one hand, cig in the other, and that hi-hat beat in the background !
Not Gord's style per se, but a fun image with those two tunes, more so with Make Way...
I'd say he could have done a few more in that vane to the delight of many fans.
What do you think ?
geo Steve