"Beautiful" review on Folkwax

[Auburn Annie]

This week's Folkwax (10/16 edition) reviews the tribute CD:

A Beautiful Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot, (10/15/03)
In 1972, the Canadian Folk performer, Gordon Lightfoot, released the album Don Quixote, an eleven-track collection that included his song "Beautiful." Although there's no rendition of "Beautiful," fourteen Lightfoot compositions are covered on this fifteen-track tribute album, with the performers mainly being Canadian-born compatriots of Gord's.
"The Way I Feel," a song about human loss that, lyrically, employs natural world images, appeared on Lightfoot's debut as well as his sophomore album, and the Cowboy Junkies open this collection with an appropriately dark rendition. The latter cut is one of three on Beautiful that has been taken from Gordon's debut Lightfoot [1966]. Ignoring the album title track, The Way I Feel [1967] furnishes a quartet of his tunes. The latter selections include the tale of the broken hearted "Go Go Dancer" performed by Blue Rodeo, while Gwen Swick [ex-Tamarack] arranged the vocal for Quartette's contribution, the reflective "Song For A Winter's Night." This four-piece harmony group also features the voices of Sylvia Tyson [of Ian & Sylvia fame], Cindy Church and Caitlin Hanford. Bruce Cockburn's choice is "Ribbon Of Darkness," another song that focuses on the loss of love.

In the annals of contemporary Texas Folk/Country music Steven Fromholz's "Texas Trilogy" [written during the late sixties and first recorded in 1969] is, to my mind, a movie projected in words that encapsulates small town life in the Lone Star state, circa the 1950s. Lightfoot's seven-minute-plus-long "Canadian Railroad Trilogy," actually commission by the CBC, entered the public domain in 1967, and traces the laying of the shining rail, across a mostly untouched land, from "the sea to the sea." A powerfully descriptive paean that captures numerous images of the traversing of a continent, Gordon's song is similarly a, movie projected in words. Lightfoot has credited the late Bob Gibson's "Civil War Trilogy" as the pattern for his composition. It's what we lovingly call "the Folk process." James Keelaghan's performance of the "Trilogy" closes with a reel performed on the Uillean pipes. A neat twist, that could be interpreted as personally tipping his cap to the ancestors, from across the ocean, who were responsible for laying mile after mile of rail.

Performed by Rock band The Tragically Hip, the most overly political lyric on this collection, "Black Day In July," recalls the riots in Detroit, Michigan, during July 1967, and the song first appeared on Lightfoot's Did She Mention My Name [1968]. "If You Could Read My Mind" the title cut from the album of the same name, saw Lightfoot score a #5 Pop single hit in 1970, and on this disc it's given an emotion filled appraisal by Connie Kaldor. Maria Muldaur, one of only a pair of American contributors, offers "The Same Old Obsession" from Old Dan's Record [1972]. Colin Lindon, the Executive Producer of Beautiful is a member of Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, an aggregation that features another, sometime, solo performer, Stephen Fearing. Blackie & Co.'s contribution is the title cut from the 1971 album Summer Side Of Life. In terms of major chart success, "Sundown," a tale of infidelity, gave Lightfoot a #1 single in 1974, and long time Canadian resident Jesse Winchester's weary but funky performance fits the bill.

While thirteen of the songs covered on Beautiful predate 1975, Ron Sexsmith's choice, "Drifters," features an older person looking back affectionately at his life and the song, was the opening cut of Gordon's most recent album A Painter Passing Through [1998]. This tribute album closes with "Lightfoot," written and performed by Aengus Finnan. An Irishman by birth, who was raised a Canadian, Finnan, currently thirty-one years old, has been a lifelong Gordon Lightfoot fan. I first heard Finnan's song during his main stage set at the Kerrville Folk Festival a few months back. His performance that evening confirmed that the torch that Gordon Lightfoot lit is in safe hands. The songs of this Irish/Canadian are finely observed, from a distinctly Canadian perspective [See Note #1]. As for "Lightfoot," Aengus cleverly marries, into the lyric, countless reference to Gord's songs and life including - "from east to western sea; from her shield and from her shoreline; true north; from the wide and rolling prairies to the lights of Massey Hall; early morning rain; you travelled through the southland; the river boat and Yorkville days; the lines the navvies laid; still here are the tracks you made."

Gordon Lightfoot is currently approaching his sixty-fifth year [November 17] and despite a health scare that involved hospitalisation just over a year ago, he has promised to independently release a new album early next year. In the liner booklet, each performer offers a sort narrative that relates the effect Gordon's music had on them [personally], or comments about the song covered. These day's tribute recordings are ten a penny, with many amounting to little more than ho hum executions of the material. Executive Producer/musician/album producer Colin Lindon is an astute practitioner of his trade who has been around the block sufficient times to know what works and what doesn't, and in tandem with the Borealis and Northern Blues labels, he has helmed a fine tribute to the music of this Canadian pioneer and legend.

Notes:
#1 - James Keelaghan, who is a decade ahead of Finnan careerwise, has also, in his songwriting, significantly maintained the bar at a high level.

Arthur Wood is a founding editor of FolkWax

********************************************

There is also a link to 3 30-second samples (Lightfoot, The Way I Feel, and If You Could Only [sic] Read My Mind. The Folkwax rating was 8

[Auburn Annie]

This week's Folkwax (10/16 edition) reviews the tribute CD:

A Beautiful Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot, (10/15/03)
In 1972, the Canadian Folk performer, Gordon Lightfoot, released the album Don Quixote, an eleven-track collection that included his song "Beautiful." Although there's no rendition of "Beautiful," fourteen Lightfoot compositions are covered on this fifteen-track tribute album, with the performers mainly being Canadian-born compatriots of Gord's.
"The Way I Feel," a song about human loss that, lyrically, employs natural world images, appeared on Lightfoot's debut as well as his sophomore album, and the Cowboy Junkies open this collection with an appropriately dark rendition. The latter cut is one of three on Beautiful that has been taken from Gordon's debut Lightfoot [1966]. Ignoring the album title track, The Way I Feel [1967] furnishes a quartet of his tunes. The latter selections include the tale of the broken hearted "Go Go Dancer" performed by Blue Rodeo, while Gwen Swick [ex-Tamarack] arranged the vocal for Quartette's contribution, the reflective "Song For A Winter's Night." This four-piece harmony group also features the voices of Sylvia Tyson [of Ian & Sylvia fame], Cindy Church and Caitlin Hanford. Bruce Cockburn's choice is "Ribbon Of Darkness," another song that focuses on the loss of love.

In the annals of contemporary Texas Folk/Country music Steven Fromholz's "Texas Trilogy" [written during the late sixties and first recorded in 1969] is, to my mind, a movie projected in words that encapsulates small town life in the Lone Star state, circa the 1950s. Lightfoot's seven-minute-plus-long "Canadian Railroad Trilogy," actually commission by the CBC, entered the public domain in 1967, and traces the laying of the shining rail, across a mostly untouched land, from "the sea to the sea." A powerfully descriptive paean that captures numerous images of the traversing of a continent, Gordon's song is similarly a, movie projected in words. Lightfoot has credited the late Bob Gibson's "Civil War Trilogy" as the pattern for his composition. It's what we lovingly call "the Folk process." James Keelaghan's performance of the "Trilogy" closes with a reel performed on the Uillean pipes. A neat twist, that could be interpreted as personally tipping his cap to the ancestors, from across the ocean, who were responsible for laying mile after mile of rail.

Performed by Rock band The Tragically Hip, the most overly political lyric on this collection, "Black Day In July," recalls the riots in Detroit, Michigan, during July 1967, and the song first appeared on Lightfoot's Did She Mention My Name [1968]. "If You Could Read My Mind" the title cut from the album of the same name, saw Lightfoot score a #5 Pop single hit in 1970, and on this disc it's given an emotion filled appraisal by Connie Kaldor. Maria Muldaur, one of only a pair of American contributors, offers "The Same Old Obsession" from Old Dan's Record [1972]. Colin Lindon, the Executive Producer of Beautiful is a member of Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, an aggregation that features another, sometime, solo performer, Stephen Fearing. Blackie & Co.'s contribution is the title cut from the 1971 album Summer Side Of Life. In terms of major chart success, "Sundown," a tale of infidelity, gave Lightfoot a #1 single in 1974, and long time Canadian resident Jesse Winchester's weary but funky performance fits the bill.

While thirteen of the songs covered on Beautiful predate 1975, Ron Sexsmith's choice, "Drifters," features an older person looking back affectionately at his life and the song, was the opening cut of Gordon's most recent album A Painter Passing Through [1998]. This tribute album closes with "Lightfoot," written and performed by Aengus Finnan. An Irishman by birth, who was raised a Canadian, Finnan, currently thirty-one years old, has been a lifelong Gordon Lightfoot fan. I first heard Finnan's song during his main stage set at the Kerrville Folk Festival a few months back. His performance that evening confirmed that the torch that Gordon Lightfoot lit is in safe hands. The songs of this Irish/Canadian are finely observed, from a distinctly Canadian perspective [See Note #1]. As for "Lightfoot," Aengus cleverly marries, into the lyric, countless reference to Gord's songs and life including - "from east to western sea; from her shield and from her shoreline; true north; from the wide and rolling prairies to the lights of Massey Hall; early morning rain; you travelled through the southland; the river boat and Yorkville days; the lines the navvies laid; still here are the tracks you made."

Gordon Lightfoot is currently approaching his sixty-fifth year [November 17] and despite a health scare that involved hospitalisation just over a year ago, he has promised to independently release a new album early next year. In the liner booklet, each performer offers a sort narrative that relates the effect Gordon's music had on them [personally], or comments about the song covered. These day's tribute recordings are ten a penny, with many amounting to little more than ho hum executions of the material. Executive Producer/musician/album producer Colin Lindon is an astute practitioner of his trade who has been around the block sufficient times to know what works and what doesn't, and in tandem with the Borealis and Northern Blues labels, he has helmed a fine tribute to the music of this Canadian pioneer and legend.

Notes:
#1 - James Keelaghan, who is a decade ahead of Finnan careerwise, has also, in his songwriting, significantly maintained the bar at a high level.

Arthur Wood is a founding editor of FolkWax

********************************************

There is also a link to 3 30-second samples (Lightfoot, The Way I Feel, and If You Could Only [sic] Read My Mind. The Folkwax rating was 8

[Borderstone]

Hi,ANNIE! I love it when you post these! Keep up the good work! I'm outtas time! later!

------------------
Borderstone - AZ's answer to GL! (but what was the question?)

Folkwax is a good magazine. You should sign up for it if you're into other folk music. They just did a career retrospective of David Mallett recently, and the magazine is free.
Matthew

Folkwax is a good magazine. You should sign up for it if you're into other folk music. They just did a career retrospective of David Mallett recently, and the magazine is free.
Matthew

[SomewhereupinMichigan]

Several of you may recall some weeks ago that I, grudgingly, indicated I might purchase the Beautiful Tribute CD, if for no other reason than to demonstrate continuing interest in GL. I expressed my opinion that most Tribute albums are woefully lacking. It is, therefore, with some small amount of egg yolk firmly embedded in the hairs of my chinny-chin-chin that I come before you now to express my wholehearted appreciation for this effort! Simply put, "Beautiful" is the one word descriptive for this Tribute CD. Well done, and my hat's off to Colin Linden and the others who brought it to us. Beautiful may not cause me to rush out and buy up every other tribute CD that I see, but this one will provide some definite hours of enjoyment on my cold winter nights, waiting for the "real thing" from Gord in the New Year! Buy it!

[muklucannie]

it IS wonderful isn't it???
glad you enjoy it! Colin is a fabulous performer as well as producer - I've seen him a couple of times in concert with colin James. Great stuff...

[Char1]

it IS wonderful isn't it???
glad you enjoy it! Colin is a fabulous performer as well as producer - I've seen him a couple of times in concert with colin James. Great stuff...