Showdown #Fourteen

[Shutup and Deal, I'm Losin']

#1. Waiting For You (A Painter)

#2. A tie between Salute & Harmony

#3. Don Quixote (Dream Street Rose

#4. GG2 (A Painter)

#5. East Of Midnight (Salute)

#6. Cold On The Shoulder (Summertime Dream)

#7. Summertime Dream (Summer Side Of Life)

#8. Shadows (Dream Street Rose)

#9. Salute (Back Here On Earth)

#10.Gord's Gold (Gord's Gold II)

#11.Don Quixote (If You Could Read My Mind)

#12.Did She Mention My Name (Endless Wire)

#13.Waiting For You (Harmony)

Sorry Bill, twas late at night, and I wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize I had already done this one. I need to tighten up.

Old Dans Records vs. Summer Side Of Life

[Scott Mac]

Summer Side of Life. But both are wonderful!

[brink-]

Summer Side of Life

[New 12 String Mike]

Old Dan's Records.

[Borderstone]

Well,I went to the albums link and read the titles of my favorite songs from each LP and....
by a slim margin it's,"Summer Side Of Life".

ODR is great too,so,I'll put a proverbial "1 point" between them.

[Jesse Joe]

Summer Side Of Life, Songs like Miguel, dont come around too often.

[joveski]

summer side of life

[Glenmark]

Summer Side of Life, easily.

[DJ in MJ]

Oddly enough, my favourite song of both albums is Old Dan's Records. But for the overall quality and enjoyment of the actual album as a whole, I have to give the nod to Summer Side Of Life.

[LSH]

ODR hands down

[Don Quixote]

Interesting selection. SSOL are, in my opinion, very similiar, in that they are slightly weaker albums that come between two of the stronges (SSOL between IYCRMM and DQ; ODR between DQ and Sundown). For those of you who are offended by the "weaker" designation, first of all let me say that "weaker" doesn't mean "bad", just not up to the heights of the best. Second, let's look at the number of songs on each album that nobody, or virtually nobody, talks about, even on this forum. From SSOL, when has there been a serious discussion of the greatness of "Cabaret" or "Talking in Your Sleep"? The only time they're really talked about is regarding the background noises ("pick a potato"? "is it a beer pop-top or not"?)--not as great songs. "Go My Way" hardly ever gets mentioned; it's OK, just not a great song. "Love and Maple Syrup" is a great title, but certainly doesn't have stir up any strong feelings on this forum. "Redwood Hill" is a song I like, but would anyone rate it in his/her top 100? "Nous Vivons Ensemble" is cute, but does it stir any great emotions? On ODR, it's much the same. How many people have talked about "Farewell to Annabel", "You Are What I Am", "Mother of a Miner's Child? So, that seems to leave the stronger tracks:
SSOL--
Ten Degrees and Getting Colder--kind of classic "Tell a small, personal-level tale and tell it well" that GL does so well. Have you noticed the change in pronunciation--as he got into the more growly, rougher "ya" instead of "you" style, he also started droppin' the final "g" in his present participles (that's the "ing" form for the grammatically challenged), but listen to how beautifully he pronounces "getting" at the end of the song here.
Miguel--I know that some people really love this song, and sometimes I do, too. It's very dramatic; you could almost make a movie out of it, and the emotions are very strong: eternal love beyond death, enormous shame of poverty, etc. But sometimes I also think, "you know, this guy DID kill a lawman". I also worry about the Mexican stereotyping, illegally crossing the border, violent solutions to problems, even the "macho" posing. I like the song, anyway.
SSOL--The title track is interesting; for most of the song, the strong anti-war message of wasted youth and shattered dreams is understated and subtle, then at the end there are louder drums and crashing cymbals and a whole chorus to beat the point home.
Cotton Jenny--In a way, not too far from "Lazy Morning". We're not rich, but life can be good with what we've got around us. I like the appreciation of the woman more in CJ, as opposed to the "Coffee's in the kitchen, woman's on the run" of LM, but LM has some other things going for it.
Same Old Loverman--This song shows what might have happened if he had stayed in the same style of "Remember Me" and "It's Too Late, He Wins"--tinkling piano, crooner's voice. SOL is, of course, better and more sophisticated than the earlier stuff, but it sounds like that style. It sounds a little out of place for the early '70s, but it also shows what GL could have done, in a positive way, with this style.
So...an OK album, some songs better than others, but I don't think the highlights are as high as on the great albums, and the lesser-liked songs are more numerous.

ODR--
First of all, I like the judicious way that GL has branched out into using other instruments, while still maintaining the basic sound of that time. More piano, some nicely-done strings on a couple of songs, and is that even a harp on "Can't Depend on Love"?
The strongest songs can hold their own with some of the best of the GL catalog. I've already written about elsewhere about what a subtle masterpiece "It's Worth Believin' (no final "g") is; I just got back from a trip and am working (workin'?) on about 2 hours of sleep, so maybe someone else can look it up. "Same Old Obsession" received excellent reviews when it came out, and deserved them. I remember that I was in Spain when I heard it first, and couldn't believe what a sadly poignant song it was. If you remember the first time you heard a song, and it was over 30 years ago, that gets my vote.
"Lazy morning" fits right into the "summmer" songs like "Summertime Dream" and "Cotton Jenny"--you can be contented with life on a small level, if you're surrounded by those you love. "Can't Depend on Love" is a song I like a lot. It's an intelligent juxtaposition; the melody is kind of light and romantic, but the lyrics are pessimistic and weary-sounding. That's a lot of GL's charm in a nutshell.
I like the title song, just because it's nostalgic and because this young generation probably has no idea what he's talking about--"78s'"? "Foxtrot, jitterbug and jive"?--anymore than if our grandparents told us "23-skiddoo" or some such.

Final judgment after long-winded review: ODR is better.
DQ

[RM]

ODR.

DQ,

You certainly make your points interesting. My thoughts are that he was in a "record-a-year" mode and that the gems that one can glean from each album were rich enough to create a solid fan base, which culminated in "Sundown".

ODR - one of my top five or so favorite GL songs. SSOL is a great one, but this is not close for me.

[formerlylavender]

I have to vote for Summer Side of Life, but this is a VERY close one for me. I LOVE Farewell to Annabel.