Your Song

youngstranger · 12-23-2008, 04:19 PM

Has anybody got an MP3 of this? I came accross some mentions of it on the forum, and am trying to imagine what Lightfoot sings Elton must be like!

Thanks!

charlene · 12-23-2008, 04:39 PM

As far as I know Lightfoot has never sung or recorded "Your Song"...

BILLW · 12-23-2008, 04:55 PM

I seem to remember a link to a "partial" mp3 of that awhile back. I know I have it on my iPod. maybe joveski or another technically adept member can post it back here for you.

Bill

formerlylavender · 12-23-2008, 04:57 PM

I remember it too...I remember it sounding really good. Actually I'd like to listen to it again too.

charlene · 12-23-2008, 05:32 PM

hmmmm...well I've checked my files and I DO have an mp3 of it! 1:57 long.
The memory is officially shot..
How do I get it from my file to here?

joveski · 12-23-2008, 07:07 PM

here ya go... just open the following link and there'll be a download option at the bottom of the page. merry christmas everybuddy!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tpwwmo

12-23-2008, 08:38 PM

tears in my eyes

youngstranger · 12-24-2008, 10:21 AM

thanks a lot joveski, that's a great Christmas present. Beautiful lyrics that really suit Gord's voice, he must have been a bit of an Elton John fan. Didn't he also say he would like to have written Take Me to the Pilot?

Oh, Linda · 12-24-2008, 10:59 AM

How cool is that? Thanks a lot for that one!

12-24-2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngstranger

thanks a lot joveski, that's a great Christmas present. Beautiful lyrics that really suit Gord's voice, he must have been a bit of an Elton John fan. Didn't he also say he would like to have written Take Me to the Pilot?

Take Me to the Pilot? Really? That's interesting. Great song.

wow there are quite a few EJ/BT songs I'd love to hear Gordon sing/play but his rendition of Your Song here is #1. Would be nice to hear him do, "Don't Let the Sun..." and "Love Song" -which if I recall correctly was from John's 1st album, but he didn't write it.

oooooohhh and Skyline Pigeon

!!!

banjobench12 · 12-25-2008, 12:51 AM

I've listened to it a few times now. I really don't think its Gord. The first few lines sound close but as the song continues, its not him...............in my humble opinion.......lol

podmed · 12-25-2008, 10:04 AM

Thank you so much for this. New member here. Have LOTS to contribute to this group....

podmed · 12-25-2008, 10:06 AM

I thought it was not him as well, but I have lots of backstage rehearsal recordings I have made and its dead on - especially the fingerpicking and guitar playing styles.

charlene · 12-25-2008, 01:53 PM

backstage recordings? gord?
where from?
tell us more!

Unsettled 1 · 12-25-2008, 02:43 PM

As an occasional visitor, I would like to respectfully submit that it's way too pitchy to be Gord. See, "playin' in tune on time". He never missed a note in those days.

charlene · 12-25-2008, 03:20 PM

sounds like Gord..especially when he speaks at 1:05..
he's obviously trying out some vocals and arrangements on the guitar so it's not a polished recording that would meet his high standards as a finished product for public consumption..I'm pretty sure many rehearsals are not note-perfect..that's why they have them - so we the paying audience/record buyer get the perfect version.

12-26-2008, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banjobench12

I've listened to it a few times now. I really don't think its Gord. The first few lines sound close but as the song continues, its not him...............in my humble opinion.......lol

ooooh I am 100% certain this is indeed Gordon and -ok I'd bet on it (Ron? lol). 1st because of the way it affected me, the phrasing, then also the unique inflection and vibrato of his vocals. Then...I felt the changes of some of the words ("build" in place of "buy") would be something Gordon would do/feel while interpreting this song.

RM · 12-26-2008, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by podunklander

ooooh I am 100% certain this is indeed Gordon and -ok I'd bet on it (Ron? lol).

Assuming I am the Ron you are referring to......my response is "No thank you ma'am".

I tend to agree with Charlene. It sounds like Lightfoot hashing out a tune that he liked.

DawnsMinstrel · 12-26-2008, 12:09 PM

Well, here's my two cents. On first listen, I was certain I was going to come down on the side of the skeptics. Unsettled is right about the pitchiness of the singing. Gord is just too well trained. As for the guitar, podmed refers to some fingerpicking, but the guitar is being strummed. It certainly sounds like something Gord might/could do, but it doesn't sound distinctively like Gord to me. But I was listening to it through my laptop's speakers without my hearing aids on. I figured it deserved a closer listen....

So after a few closer listens I'm hearing some things that make me think it could be Gord. There is a distinctive nasal quality the way Gord sings words that end in the letter Y. Think "navvy" in CRT. In this recording as I listen to the singer sing the word "funny" I think, okay, maybe. That does sound Gord-like. On the other hand, the word "house" doesn't sound quite right, but I'm basing this more on my impression of how Canadians pronounce "ous" words, so maybe that's just my bias showing up. When we get to the phrase "best I can do" and the pitch changes that occur there. Well, maybe he'd been drinking or was tired, but the singer really slirred that in a way that Gord would never have. At least not when someone's listening. He just has too much control over his pitch. Too much training. But then we get to the word "again" in "then again". Boy that really does sound like the way Gord would sing that word. As for the spoken voice at 1:05. I'm half inclined to think that's someone else. The pitch of the voice is too low. Listen to any Gord interview. His spoken voice always sounds higher pitched than his singing. I remember how surprised I was the first time I heard his spoken voice. Took me quite by surprise. In any case, it just didn't sound like his voice even aside from the pitch. Of course this doesn't mean the singer isn't Gord.

Other words that sound "Gord Like" later in the recording "my gift is my SONG", "put down it the WORDS" . These I have to admit do sound like GL.

So, in my unscientific conclusion, I'm not quite as skeptical as I was. It could be Gord. The sound quality of the recording is just too rough, there are too many rough edges in the performance for me to be sure particularly knowing how picky Gord is about such things. It would be cool as hell if it was him, especially if there's more where this came from. I still wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that it wasn't him and a little surprised to learn that it is. But I can see both sides. How's that for decisive analysis?

-DM

Suzi · 12-26-2008, 01:26 PM

It's Gord. "Your Song" came from the Skip Weshner Show recorded sometime in 1970. Skip hosted a very popular radio show in Los Angeles. When Skip retired he moved to San Diego. Skip died in 1997 and left his recordings to a friend in Los Angeles. Not all of the tapes were labeled, but four tapes were labeled with Lightfoot. Three tapes were of his radio show (1968, 1969 and 1970) and one tape was from a party at Skip's home with Lightfoot, Hoyt Axton and Doug Dillard. I got my copies directly from the heir of the estate and can say that it is a legitimate Lightfoot recording.

johnfowles · 12-26-2008, 05:47 PM

Basically I am surprised that anybody can hear this apparent radio broadcast recording and discern enough to try to decide if it really is Gord singing. I think that I might have previously said that the recording that Mende so kindly uploaded to that unsatisfactory sendspace file storahe website sounds to me like the broadcasting studio was a lead lined dungeon in Los Angeles. l have made a few dire sounding off air recordings myself but never as bad as this one.I note that on Waynes radio appearancs page
http://www.lightfoot.ca/radioapp.htm

he states that Gord performed Your Song and Wayne is usually an authoritative source. I do also note that the relevant posthumous Skip Weshner CD
has two possibly identical tracks each 1:58 long

I have only ever heard that one track courtesy of Mende, so maybe he could comment on whether they are in fact one and the same and therefore equally poor despite being allegedly two year's difference,
or was the whole thing an elaborate Aoril Fool's joke??

12-26-2008, 06:45 PM

Thanks for the info Suzi (lucky you, to have this

! And John for the reference @Wayne's website.

ah so a radio show broadcast and oh I just feel so lucky to get to hear this...despite it not being a quality recording, it is what it is and I find the quality of Gordon's voice, interpretation, etc., to be #1

.

charlene · 12-26-2008, 07:47 PM

none of us have ever sat around with The Man and listened and watched him noodling around and hashing out a sound he's happy with while trying out a now song, especially one that is not his .. I would imagine that he would find it a bit of a task to get the phrasing to sound like "Lightfoot" as his cadence and syntax are very original and Elton John/Bernie Taupin don't have that 'sound. His speaking voice is as I have heard it on different broadcasts - same "Lightfoot" sound as per my Canadian ear.
I still have to say that it's Lightfoot.

joveski · 12-26-2008, 08:08 PM

i've also got the Skip tapes and it IS gord. as for the quality, i got the file posted here from the CDs of the show. basically ripped it to my computer and converted to mp3. the 3 shows arent the best sound quality from the beginning. i think there's only one source of them out there. the 68 one is beautiful!

DawnsMinstrel · 12-27-2008, 01:12 AM

Hmmnnn, well, Suzi's description of provenance is, of course impossible to argue with without questioning the assertions made themselves which I wouldn't think of doing here. And as I said, I did hear some Gord-like vocalizations in the recording which is as Sir John was saying is quite poor. True also is that I was completely unaware of the Skip Weshner show recordings, also some good evidence. If the recording was made at a party, that could explain the voice(s) that don't sound like Gord to me. But I'd just point out that we were recently introduced to a GL cover artist about whom many people have been remarking concerning the uncanny similarity between his voice and Gord's. I think his name is Brian E. or something like that correct? So being the scientific type myself, I guess I'm just going to reserve judgement, step out of the debate and just say I can't really blame anyone for thinking it's him and enjoy it for what it is.

But before I do, a final word: Podunklander is correct, GL, had he made a professional grade recording of Your Song, would have done wonders with it. All due respect to EJ Gord's voice was pure gold.


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