The 1st time you time you heard the song of the Fitzgerald

speckbacke · 08-01-2006, 03:56 PM

The other topic about this inspired me to start this topic.

For those of you who remember hearing on the news about the Big Fitz going down, exactly what went through your mind a year later when you heard the "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" on album? Did Gord ever say in concert he was going to write a song about it? Or did he just surprise you with it on album?

Shutup and Deal, I'm Losin' · 08-01-2006, 03:56 PM

The other topic about this inspired me to start this topic.

For those of you who remember hearing on the news about the Big Fitz going down, exactly what went through your mind a year later when you heard the "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" on album? Did Gord ever say in concert he was going to write a song about it? Or did he just surprise you with it on album?

brink- · 08-01-2006, 08:20 PM

I don't remember exactly when or where I heard it, but I was in the car and pulled off the road to listen to it.

Sydney Steve · 08-01-2006, 08:46 PM

Ms Brink types with forked fingers:

Quote:

I don't remember exactly when or where I heard it, but I was in the car and pulled off the road to listen to it.

Sure we believe that one.

*Time travels back to 1976*
Deb in musical tones of her own : "Oh boyfriend -O-mine, I will just have to pull over to the side of the road in this secluded and dark little corner while I listen to this song..."

That rates right up there with "would you like to come in for coffee" in the credibility stakes...

brink- · 08-01-2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sydney Steve:
Ms Brink types with forked fingers: *Time travels back to 1976*
Deb in musical tones of her own : "Oh boyfriend -O-mine, I will just have to pull over to the side of the road in this secluded and dark little corner while I listen to this song..."

You forgot to finish "while I listen to this song...." along with my 3 year old.

lol

DJ in MJ · 08-02-2006, 02:33 AM

[quote]Originally posted by brink-:

Quote:

" along with my 3 year old.

Talk about dampening a romantic possibility! :D

BILLW · 08-02-2006, 04:17 AM

I don't remember hearing it on 'the news' but I do remember the song being played at least 3 times a day when I was stationed in California. I don't know if they were the 'good old days' but it sure was easier to find a Lightfoot song on the radio, LOL.

Bill

Jesse Joe · 08-02-2006, 04:26 AM

He surprised me on the album. To tell you the truth, in those days, 1975-76, I was totaly devoted to him, as I have always been. But my lifestyle was a whole lot different than it is today.

In reality, the song introduced me to the story, that had happen the year before. {Enough said} LOL ...Jesse.

[ August 02, 2006, 04:44: Message edited by: Jesse -Joe ]

Jesse Joe · 08-02-2006, 04:26 AM

He surprised me on the album. To tell you the truth, in those days, 1975-76, I was totaly devoted to him, as I have always been. But my lifestyle was a whole lot different than it is today.

In reality, the song introduced me to the story, that had happen the year before. {Enough said} LOL ...Jesse.

[ August 02, 2006, 04:44: Message edited by: Jesse -Joe ]

Doug · 08-02-2006, 02:12 PM

I vividly remember the first time I heard WOTEF. This was before the release of Summertime Dream. He was on tour in San Diego at Golden Hall. He was playing some of the songs which would be released on Summertime Dream.

At the time I had been a fan for only a few years, and been trying to get older LPs. I wanted everything he'd done. I was especially blown away when I heard CRT a few years earlier in concert. His shows had been almost exclusively acoustic.

As I remember he gave a little intro recounting reading about the disaster in Newsweek. With the first notes of The Wreck, my eyes got big and a smile broke my lips. This was gonna be different ..... no regular love ballad this. This was gonna be an epic story along the lines of CRT. I can still remember my mouth hanging open when the song ended ..... turning to my new bride and saying "That's gonna be a huge hit!".

The next day I was with some other folks who knew I was a Lightfoot fan. Now remember this is 1976 he received regular airplay and was fairly well known. I told them I'd heard Lightfoots next hit last night, and they'd be hearing soon.

Being in Southern California we weren't familiar with the Great Lakes shipping enterprises... We didn't know what an Edmund Fitzgerald was, but for the only time in my life I was right about how popular this Lightfoot song would be!

geodeticman · 08-03-2006, 09:21 AM

like you Doug, I heard it in concert first. I think it was fall of '75, my senior year. A friend of mine, an exchange student from New Zealand and I went to the concert at Colo. State Univ.'s Moby Gym.

It was remarkably built to look like an open whale's mouth and a huge venue when Gord was packing stadiums. I have never seen a concert outside of stadium rock supergroups in the 70's pack a house like that night. It was truly standing room only.

CSU had its roots as an aggie school, and as such had a large amount of earth sciences students, key word *earthy* and a VERY big ratio of Lightfoot fans there. We bought tickets late in the process and that was the farthest away I have ever listened to Gord from. I often wonder, while the money was good, we've all heard GL's preference (and ours) for intimate venues.

TO THE POINT: Gord spoke quite a bit between songs in this concert. He mentioned he wanted to try a song on us and see what we thought. He gave a brief recount of the Fitz story, which although I had grown up on the shores of Lake Erie west of Cleveland proper, I had not heard of the sinking.

He started with "...and it goes alittle something like this..." uh ONE TWO THREE.. and, even more so than the rest of the concert, he owned that whole teeming throng of half-drunk and stoned and otherwise ..students, who quieted to a respectful silence while listening to TWOTEF.

He received a standing ovation, and after the cacaphone quitted, he mentioned it would be on his next album. That song, CRT, IYCRMM, Sundown, Beautiful, et al the hits, and so many rare gems in the concert was one the most invigorating and inspiring events I've ever been to.

History made and further in the making. The fact that electric guitar was as he said "trying a few new instruments" in TWOTEF and of course Sundown did let down the acoustic fans, as the use of the electric guitar worked so well....

Needless to say the song was a huge hit to all that heard it there that night and then on the radio. That was the third year I was into his music, and that night I thought he'd be mobbed when he tried to get off the stage after I believe 3 encores.

When I heard it later on, on the radio (while driving...LOL) it left me dumbstruck again particularly on the "the lake they called gitchee-gumee ( please forgive spelling).

Thats my memory of TWOTEF. Thanks for reading.

geo Steve


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