I also am partial to Disk 2, probably because that's the era that drew me to Gord.
I also think that Disk 4 is the weakest, but ask me again in a month or so. I like all the "unreleased" cuts on all of the disks with the exception of "Canary Yellow Canoe," which I find harmless but not very interesting. However, I think the rarities included on Disk 2 are the greatest additions to the album. I agree with Mary Ann that Disk 4 is like a whole new album, not only because of the quantity of unreleased material, but also because Shadows and Salute are not available on CD.
The reason I say to "ask again" about Disk 4 in a month or so is that Songbook, and in particular Disk 4, has prompted me to reexamine my views of the later phase of Gord's work. Until recently, I had not been particularly fond of GL's post-70's albums as compared to his earlier work (with the exception of Shadows, one of Gord's alltime best, IMHO).
Songbook prompted me to give the later albums a fresh look. I can already see that I underestimated East of Midnight (although I still do not care for "A Lesson in Love"). I also would have preferred that Disk 4 had included "Anything for Love" and "Stay Loose" and perhaps "Ecstacy Made Easy" to go with "Morning Glory," instead of the other selections from East of Midnight.
For my "ideal" disk 4, I would have preferred some "lighter" songs in the mix, perhaps "Blackberry Wine," "Biscuit City," and "RingNeck Loon." Perhaps also some more uptempo songs (perhaps "Drifters" and/or "I'd Rather Press On" ?) I'd rather have had had the Shadows version of "Triangle" in Songbook than "Baby Step Back," which has an adequate version on Gord'sGold2. I also think "Restless" would have been a good representation of the type of song that only Gord can pull off.
Actually, on further reflection, I would have needed a disk 5. The absence of that disk is the biggest omission.
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"And the laughter came too easy for life to pass me by." - SDYS
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