New songs sound a little rough around the edges

[knightmoves]

Ouch....look out...duck...how dare I...Well thats just my opinion from hearing the sample soundbites on Vals Website. Of coarse one does not hear enough of the songs (if one is Canadian...LOL) to really know if one really likes the songs. Some people say GL. has lost a bit in his vocal capability over the years...I think it may be slightly, and unsurprisingly true. I will buy his album regardless of what I think of it. I'm sure the money goes somewhere good anyway. I have GL to thank for a lifetime of treasure that will be with me until the end of my days. I dont even need a cd player or any kind of music playing device, because alot of it is buried deep in a special place, and from time to time, I unlock the vault, dust off the cobwebs, and I watch and listen.

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knightmoves

[BILLW]

I think you'll change your opinion when you get a CD in a decent sound system. Of course he DO NOT sound like he did at 25 and if you don't care for his current voice you will not like the new songs.

Bill

[TheWatchman]

I love his voice as it was in the 70's, but I also love his voice as it is now. It's different, but it's a fact of life.

[Borderstone]

Knightmovies!! It's "of course"! Not "coarse"! Coarse is what you are saying about GL's voice on his songs,"rough around the edges." Just helpin'! Later!

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Borderstone,gonna post some lines tonight!:D

[Restless]

Hearing only the samples, I too am a bit "concerned" about the new songs. But one of the three has a VERY unexpected organ thing happening, which immediately puts Lightfoot in the category of "way cool"!

(I think the production on PAINTER is precisely what Gord's voice needs--lots of warmth and decent bass. If HARMONY matches that, then there's some hope.)

[brink]

I also like Gord's voice from the 70's but I also like his voice in Painter and Shadows. I think, from what I've heard, that his voice is sounding better on this CD than in the last couple years. Maybe the time in the hospital and off cigarettes helped, and his vocal cords must have gotten quite a rest during that time also.

[TheWatchman]

quote:Originally posted by brink:
I also like Gord's voice from the 70's but I also like his voice in Painter and Shadows. I think, from what I've heard, that his voice is sounding better on this CD than in the last couple years. Maybe the time in the hospital and off cigarettes helped, and his vocal cords must have gotten quite a rest during that time also.

He recorded his voice for "Harmony" before he fell ill in September. Having said that, we have not yet heard if quitting smoking has had any effect on his voice. Assuming he didn't start back up...

[knightmoves]

quote:Originally posted by Borderstone:
Knightmovies!! It's "of course"! Not "coarse"! Coarse is what you are saying about GL's voice on his songs,"rough around the edges." Just helpin'! Later!



I truly apologize for my spelling mistake.LOL Of course, I was wondering if I had the right spelling as I typed it. I take my spelling pretty seriously. One of my pet peeves is when someone does not capitalize a person's name.

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knightmoves

[knightmoves]

quote:Originally posted by BILLW:
I think you'll change your opinion when you get a CD in a decent sound system. Of course he DO NOT sound like he did at 25 and if you don't care for his current voice you will not like the new songs.

Bill
Bill: I did like his voice in Painter. The songs there showed an older sounding voice, but they were still good...very good. I will have to decide how much I like the new stuff when I buy the whole cd.

[Iron]

Your entitled to your opinion,almost everyone is.Not a thing wrong with sayin what ya think.I have to admit that the first time I heard "A Painter",I was a bit taken aback at first,as I was the first time I saw him live when he first walked on stage after not seeing him for twenty years..But you know what,even though I love the Gord of yesteryear,I like the present day Gord even better!!And just for the record,at least for me,when I hear him perform live,He sounds just like the original recordings to my ear..I look at it as a fine wine,just improves with age..Anyway you gotta give the guy(and the band)credit for doin what they've been doing for all these years.
Gordon kinda reminds me of my Dad,or vica verca,I'm not sure which way it is.My Dad retired about 5 years ago,and He still gets up with the sun every day,takes His packed lunchbox and enters into whatever the day has in store for Him.I admire and respect these Men...

Considering the lengths to which GL went to get this CD out despite being sick and flat on his back.... I'm impressed with the quality of the 3 tunes I have heard so far... now I have some time to get River of Light down pat... I always like having new music to play the drums to

[BILLW]

I think it helps a whole lot if you have been lucky enough to see him live lately. Just because that's what he "sounds" like at this point in his life. The more you get used to it then it starts to sound "normal". I'm not expressing this well, sorry.

Bill

Not only that, it's a novelty to me hearing all the old songs in his "new" voice

[Old Dan]

What surprises me when I hear Gord in concert is that while his voice has definitely changed, it's not only suited to his later songs, like Painter, but his early stuff as well. His work from the late 70's to mid 80's has been adapted somewhat, and his voice is stretching in places to do the job. But his 60's and early 70's songs seem perfectly well suited to the changes his voice has gone through. Interesting. Has anyone else noticed this?

[SomewhereupinMichigan]

quote:Originally posted by Old Dan:
What surprises me when I hear Gord in concert is that while his voice has definitely changed, it's not only suited to his later songs, like Painter, but his early stuff as well. His work from the late 70's to mid 80's has been adapted somewhat, and his voice is stretching in places to do the job. But his 60's and early 70's songs seem perfectly well suited to the changes his voice has gone through. Interesting. Has anyone else noticed this?

Well, what you say is true except for those early songs which he simply no longer performs, of which there are many. Obviously, there can be many reasons for no longer doing certain songs. However, I dare say that one reason is that Gord simply doesn't have the vocal range to perform some of the early tunes which were staples in his repertoire. One great example is Minstrel of the Dawn. When was the last time anyone heard this tune in concert?

[vlmagee]

quote:Originally posted by SomewhereupinMichigan:
Well, what you say is true except for those early songs which he simply no longer performs, of which there are many. (Portions omitted ...) One great example is Minstrel of the Dawn. When was the last time anyone heard this tune in concert?


2002. I guess you weren't as lucky as I was, huh? He brought it back in 2000, in response to a fan request. As I recall, the fan wrote and requested it for a show he'd be attending later that year. I think I caught both the "rehearsal" (the first time he did it in long time) and the actual show where he did it for the person who requested it. He did a dynamite job on it each time, and continued to perform it relatively frequently into 2002. It was a highlight for me every time.


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Valerie Magee

Visit my GL fan site at gordonlightfoot.com and Cathy Cowette's web site at cathycowette.com

[brink]

I think the only song that I don't like with his older voice, is IYCRMM. I still like the deep voice with that. But I only like him singing it.

[superiorsings]

This may not fit this topic, but every time I hear "Only Love Would Know" I wonder why he sings WAY above his range on those last few lines about tears of passion. One can hardly make out the words. His voice keeps changing over the years and it's interesting to hear the variations of one song. But I liked his voice best in the early to mid-70s.

[Doug Letcher]

I feel that it is amazing that artists like
GL can maintain any type of singing voice at all after all those years. Many of my
favourite singers such as GL eventually
have to "go with the flow" as far as where
the voice takes them, and often it's not
a better voice or a worse voice, just
different. Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan,
Eric Clapton, just to suggest a few.

He sang "Minstrel Of The Dawn" at the 2001 Keswick show, I was there. He opened that show with "Triangle" I remember that was the first time I saw Gord live. In 2002 he opened with "Sea Of Tranquility" and since i was in the 4th row, I saw him up close, very cool experience.

[SomewhereupinMichigan]

Thanks to all who have heard Gord sing TMOTD in concert in recent years and letting us know that it is still in his repertoire. I hadn't been to any concerts since the mid-90s and really was under the impression he had dropped it completely and feared it exceeded his current range. Great to know he still includes it. I've always thought it is one of his finest songs of oh-so-many!