GL questions.

i 1st heard of Gordon Lightfoot when i was young in the 70s. my dad had some albums. including the 75 Gorndon's Gold release. here;s some questions. 1st why was the GordonLightfoot.com site shut down? >2nd why did Lightfoot re-record all of his 1960s songs that were put on the 75 GG release? if it were me, i would of rather have had the original recording if i were buying the album epecially if i was familiar with them. i read on the Lightfoot tribute page i mentioned that he had a good amount of single releaesed in Canada inthe 60s.but either weren't released in the U.S. or didn't chart. why was that? it seems also not much of anything durring the 60s was release out of Canada and it wasn't till the 70s when you began to hear a lot more Canadian bands and artists. wonder why that was as well?

1. Valorie didn't have enough time to run the site, I think.

2.Gord didn't like the way he sounded when he was with United Artist, so he re-recorded them with Warner Brothers, and included some songs already recorded when he was with Warner Bro.s.


What I don't get is why they left the re-recorded version of "Affair" off. They should've left one of the ones that was an original off, because now I don't get to hear how affair sounds .

[Rob1956]

Apparently to fit the whole double album on one CD, they had to leave off one song. Perhaps "Affair" length-wise fit the best balance between putting the most music on the CD and the shortest song to leave off.
>Valerie had some time constraints, yes, but it appears there are some other reasons at work as well as to why she did not continue the site.
-Gord is, maybe not obsessed, but certainly driven by perfection, and if he felt his performance of those songs was superior in 1975 than when he recorded them in the mid to late 60's, I don't think anyone could have convinced him not to rerecord them.
-Cananian radio stations have to play a certain percentage of Canadian artists per day, so it makes sense that Gord would have more available space on their playlists. Therefore the record company would release more singles of his up there than in the US.

but what about other Canadian artists? Joanie Mitchell" earliest hit single i know of is Paid Paradise wich was in 1970 but i believe is 5 years under Lightfoot wich mean she might of been recording sometime before that. here's a coupel of Canadian rock bands. The Band and The Guess Who. the Band started out as Ronnie & The Hawks and TGH was Chad Allen & The Expressions. they had 1 hit here in the states in 1965 called shake it all over though it's hardly played today but it would of been another 4 years untill they had continuing commercial success here. same with the band having their 1st album under the name The Band in 1968.

[Rob1956]

By "paid paradise", do you mean the phrase "paved paradise and put up a parking lot"..from "Big Yellow Taxi?

quote:Originally posted by Rob1956:
By "paid paradise", do you mean the phrase "paved paradise and put up a parking lot"..from "Big Yellow Taxi?
ok i guess i misheard the lyrics. thanks for the correction.

never heard the Black Day in July song. but i know it was about the 1967 Detroit race riots. i asked Varerie about the song when her GL site was in operation and i think she claimed it was released as a single in the Detroit area and was banned. she even claimed he got a lot of heat for it. while she gave me her thoughts and what she knows, i'd thought i'd ask if any of you know exactly what or why people were irritated at Lightfoot and who did he get citisizum from? i've read the lyrics to the song and they don't seem all that bad. what do you think?

I don't know why they refused to air that song back then .

I was actually listening to one of the CBC clips from the link someone provided here about Black Day in July. It was an early interview with Lightfoot. The song was written about the race riots in Detroit and it was banned by stations all across the U.S. The timing was unfortunate in that Martin Luther King had been assasinated just after the song was released and programmers probably did not want to be considered guilty of inciting violence and/or they were just plain scared. Who knows whether they were right or wrong. From what I understand of that period it was an extremely volatile time. I was too much of a baby to remember anything that far back.


quote:Originally posted by miketouhy:
never heard the Black Day in July song. but i know it was about the 1967 Detroit race riots. i asked Varerie about the song when her GL site was in operation and i think she claimed it was released as a single in the Detroit area and was banned. she even claimed he got a lot of heat for it. while she gave me her thoughts and what she knows, i'd thought i'd ask if any of you know exactly what or why people were irritated at Lightfoot and who did he get citisizum from? i've read the lyrics to the song and they don't seem all that bad. what do you think?

[joveski]

self portrait, eh dmd3?

i know i'm asking a lot here. i'd like to try to ask enough questions at 1 time but i visit a lot of site a night and cram them into a few hours. it's claimed that his 1st album Lightfoot was releassed in 1966 and while it's probably true for the most part, but i've noticed here from some stuff that was copied from interviews by Lightfoot or whatever, couple of them i can't rememeber where says released in 1965. 1 of them even has him caiming 65 was when the 1st 1 came out. were those mistakes? i've heard sometimes when singles or albums are released towards the end of the year, years later DJ's or other sources of information will credit them to the following year. case in point Stevie Wonder's uptight though most times is credited to 1966 it was actually released in late 1965. somebody told me the reason for this on another site though i've since forgotten. or was it possible Lighfoot was released in Canada late in 65 and released in the states early the following year?

ok hopefully i'll try to sqeeze in as much as i can think of. i once heard the original recording of the circle is small on an internet radio station. it sounded good. never really heard the original recordings of the others. between the original and re-recorded versions what are the differences? looking at some of the info on the other pages i think he did have a bans and circle is small had a bass in the song. i think in 1 of Valerie's emails she said Canadian RR Trilology might of been a slower song and wherefore and why that's the 1 that starts with when i woke up this morning something inside of me. told me this would be my day. sounds like he really modernized that one.that 1 certainly sounded more like 1975 than 1967. >in 1 of the past posts somebody mentions the PBS seris Sound Statge and i do rememebr seeing that show one song he played witch someone is going to have to give me the title to starts out with him whistling and i think it had something to do with ships. Matter of fact i rememebr some PBS documentary from the 80s that used the song. sorry i don't rememebr what it was called. by the way if you don't know by now, Sound Stage is back on the air again. unfortunatly they're not showing any old episodes. >also anyone know of any other internet stations that play Lightfoot's music? the one i referred to is a live 365 station called My Generation witch is out of England while plays a lot of British rock does play other music. i've typed of Gordon Lightfoot on the live 365 search section and unfortunatly came up with nothing. i did hear another GL song once on another live 365 sation witch as since become preferred membership. don't rememeber the song's title though was probaly another early song.

[Cathy]

The whistling song you're referring to is Ghosts of Cape Horn.

Ghosts Of Cape Horn, ©1980 by Gordon Lightfoot

All around old Cape Horn
Ships of the line, ships of the morn
Some who wish they'd never been born
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn

Fal de ral da riddle de rum
With a rim dim diddy and a rum dum dum
Sailing away at the break of dawn
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn

See them all in sad repair
Demons dance everywhere
Southern gales, tattered sails
And none to tell the tale

Come all of you rustic old sea dogs
Who follow the bright Southern Cross
You were rounding the Horn
In the eye of a storm
When you lost her one day
And you read all your letters from oceans away
Then you took them to the bottom of the sea

All around old Cape Horn
Ships of the line, ships of the morn
Some who wish they'd never been born
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn
Fal de ral da riddle de rum
With a rim dim diddy and a rum dum dum
Sailing away at the break of dawn
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn

Come all you old sea dogs from Devon
Southampton, Penzance, and Kinsale
You were caught by the chance
Of a sailor's last dance
It was not meant to be
And you read all your letters, cried "anchors aweigh"
Then you took them to the bottom of the sea

All around old Cape Horn
Ships of the line, ships of the morn
Some who wish they'd never been born
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn

Fal de ral da riddle de rum
With a rim dim diddy and a rum dum dum
Sailing away at the break of dawn
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn


Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com

looking at the list it seem like the only re-recorded song that didn't appear on the 75 GG album was the circle is small. is that just a coinncidence or did he re-record that 1 about the same time and perhaps planed to put it on the GG release but for whatever reason didn't?

in the song summer side of life anyone know who were the people singing back up? the songs i know of mostly from my dad's albums he owns that's the only song those people sang on and sometimes when an artist has somebody or some people sing backup witch you don't normally hear i wonder who they are. i also wonder who played organ on the song and played piano on Cotton Jenny i don't recall hearing either 2 intruments on other songs. > the song protocol. anyonw know exactly where in time this song takes place in and the meaning? and while all the songs on the album are original recordings, that 1 sounds a little bit older than from the time the album was put out.

[Borderstone]

Mike! Oh Mike!!!! Easy big fella! One question at a time!!

Okay,on the back of Summer Side Of Life's album jacket the "voices" (as they're referred to)are Gordon Stoker/Neal Matthews/Hoyt Hawkins/Ray Walker/Laverna Moore & Mildred Kirkham,most likely studio session singers. By the way,that LP was recorded from 12/1970 to 4/1971.

The 1st version of The Circle Is Small (I Can See It In Your Eyes) is on the 1968/69 "Back Here On Earth" LP,the second version was specifically recorded for the "Endless Wire" LP in 1977. That version became Gord's last hit. It hit the top 40 the 3rd week of March 1978 and peaked at #33 before the end of it's 3 weeks in the Top 40. Gord has not been in the Top 40 since Saturday,April 8th,1978. (Saturday is the last day any artist would have anyway.)

As for Black Day In July,most protest songs of the 60's didn't stand much of a chance at radio to begin with. I've listened to it and it's not so much of a protest song as it is a tribute to those who were killed or injured in the riots themselves. In some people's eyes at that time,it most likely seemed too political and yes,the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. certainlywas a factor.

Protocol is a commentary on not just Vietnam but war itself and the duties and tasks they had to take part in. War is a little different now than it was then but for most peopl that are anti-war,it still rings true today,given our soldiers in the Middle East.

I'd answer more questionsMike but my recommendation to you is go check out the album list here on the site and get all of Gordon Lightfoot's albums (or CD's) and give 'em all a listen and enjoy. It's nice that you want to know the Wherefore and Why's of his music but I know you'll learn even more about it by owning and listening to it all yourself. Once you know the songs,the messages and just the great feel of the music,it really wont matter as much about when or why they exist. It will matter that the music is just there to enjoy. Aurevoir,dude!

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"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." - Borderstone



[This message has been edited by Borderstone (edited June 22, 2004).]

[Borderstone]

Oh and by the way everyone,here's "sort of" a Gordon question.

Is it just totally and completley messed up thatGordon Lightfoot's,"Harmony" has not cracked the Billboard Top 200 album chart but Gene Simmons (lead singer of KISS) has a solo album out called "***hole" that just debuted at #86? Life's just not fair sometimes is it?

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"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." - Borderstone

[Rob1956]

It's all about getting out there and promoting. I've heard Simmons on at least
3 network radio talk shows over the past few days. I haven't seen or heard Gord since the release party in Toronto last month.

[stationmaster]

I hope that this jewel doesn't get swept under the rug. It is a shame that people are not aware of this great album. Where are the promo people with all their hype and hoopla! Gord did more work on this than the rest of his hired help. Imagine if he was well!

what the meaning of it's cold on the shoulder and you know your gonna get older everyday?

[jeffyjo]

is Mildred Kirkham the same Millie Kirkham who used to sing for Elvis Presley on his gospel and some secular materials in the 60s?

Jeff

[Borderstone]

Mike,the statement you mentioned in your closest above message means,"Life can be cold or heartless but with age and wisdom,you learn to deal with it."

Jeffy Jo,yep! She's "that" Millie and or Mildred Kirkham! Later!

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"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." - Borderstone

the answer will probably be no but i'll ask anyhow. did he ever appear on the Smothers Brothers show and maybe he sung the song. BDIJ?

[brink]

Not that I ever heard. Since it was outlawed on a lot of radio stations I doubt that the censors back then would have allowed it. I don't have a definitve answer though.

[Borderstone]

I don't believe Gordon made a lot of U.S. TV appearences in the 60's. I don't believe he was known well enough to networks promoters & producers.

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"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." - Borderstone