Lightfoot in my life etc..
Glut...@aol.com
Hello!!! I am glad to find a place for Gordon Lightfoot fans to meet and
talk. I have posted 3 small RE's to this page so far, but after reading
Steven Dunbar's article about Lightfoot Imagery, I wanted to respond in
depth. I have noticed how some of you are interested in how people have
found GL and how it has affected their life. I wish to relate my history
here. ** I apologize for the length of this story, this is NOT a
quickie! : - ) NOTE: I capitalize album names to differentiate them
from song titles. I am in my mid 20's, single, white, and have many
different hobbies. One of my fascinations since I was 8 or so has been
sound and music. I lived in a rural subdivision of Rockford Illinois
Until I was 10. The music I grew up with was what my parents listened to
and had on records. My Dad also played guitar and banjo - not expertly,
but he would get another guy over to play guitar, and his buddy Art would
get out his harmonica, and me and my brother would ususally listen to
them jam. My parents had stopped buying music in the middle 60's, and
had a few albums from a record club from about 1975. Also, we had my
Mom's 45's from the late 50's. Me and my brother often listened to the
old singles, but on album, we mostly had one Kingston Trio album we
liked. There was no Lightfoot among any of this. However, the radio
often played Lightfoot, so it was familiar to me. At some point, I
realized that if I had the money, I could actually OWN a piece if my own
music. I was living here in Fort Collins, CO by this time. I had
gradually turned to Pop music, but after buying a few current singles, I
somehow got hooked by a country station. I still had a liking for
bluegrassy music, and liked novelty records, and so my first album I
bought was a used copy of C.W. McCall's BLACK BEAR ROAD. I listened to
this many times and wanted more. I soon was over at the used record
store a lot. One day, While leafing throught the Used Folk section
heading for "M", I hit "L". And there it was!! SUNDOWN. I had heard
much of Lightfoot on the Country station, and Carefree Highway was often
played. I had forgotten ever hearing that song as a small kid, so I was
shocked when I saw the "copyright 1973" on the bottom. It cost $3.99,
and I had the cash. So I got it. I rode my bike the 2 miles home (I was
14, I think) and popped it on the turntable. I do not know if you will
understand this, but except for Sundown, and Carefree Highway, I disliked
the album. But I had so little music at the time, and lots of time to
kill, so the album got played. That was when the magic started. One
night, I was out at an empty school, while my Dad was inside in the gym
as part of a basketball league, and it was snowing lightly. The gym had
those little cube glass panels that you can't see through, but let light
and shapes show through. These were set up high on the walls of the gym.
I was outside and could see the light from the gym on the empty dark
playground. That was when the GL line hit me from Circle of Steel: "High
windows flickering down through the snow." This was the first time I had
ever really THOUGHT much about that song. But I found I knew most of it.
I had the melody in my head all night long. When I got home, I went
straight to my record player,and played that song. Actually LISTENING to
it made such a difference. I was by no means a student of poetry, but I
knew that this man - Lightfoot - had a very good talent with his
songwriting. After that song caught me for a few days, another one did,
and then another. Every time I listened to that album, I would like it
more and more. And even today, I consider that particular album to be one
of the best produced, performed, written and mixed of any album I own by
ANYBODY. I had to have more Lightfoot. So I went looking. I had no
idea of how much was out there. I cannot remember what album I got next.
I looked in the indoor flea markets we have out here, used record
stores, the Goodwill (all records were 60cents back then!). But if I
found several albums of his at once, and I only had a couple bucks, I
would have to choose. So I got his albums in a very stilted order.
Early on, I got a MONO version of THE WAY I FEEL. Again, I had to play
that album several times to appreciate it, but I eventually did. I LOVE
that album. Even though I now have 2 stereo copies on record, and the
Bear Family CD, I still like to get out that scratchy mono recording
every now and then. It brings back the times me and my brother would
listen to old 45s in our basement. -Time passed, I got many of
Lightfoot's records. I wanted to know more about the artist, however..
So one summer day, I spent many hours in the CSU library, looking up
every magazine reference I could find. I found bad and good album and
concert reviews, artist profiles, interviews, etc... But that all did not
amount to much. I did learn, however, the answer to one of my oldest
Lightfoot puzzles. I had all of the albums that were on Disc 1 of Gord's
Gold, except Old Dan's Records. I had never heard of that album. I had
never SEEN that album. Nobody at the used record stores could remember
when the last time they had seen that album. I knew that there had to be
an album I was missing, and had been looking for it for over a year. Now
I actually knew for sure the title of that record, and went looking. It
took me over a year to find a copy. When I got it, I was a little
disappointed. I had hoped for a more upbeat album, but it was kind of
depressing. I later learned to like the blues more, and my liking of
this album grew, but to this day, my favorite songs on that one are the
most upbeat - You Are What I AM, Hiway Songs (my favorite), and It's
Worth Believin'. My having to choose between several albums at once,
sometimes led me away from the better albums (although I now like ALL of
them!) Early on, I had to choose between the 1971 collection CLASSIC
LIGHTFOOT, and SHADOWS. I chose CLASSIC LIGHTFOOT - I thought GL looked
like Hal Linden on the SHADOWS album picture, and that scared me away!!
That was not so bad, though, because I was able to hear Yarmouth Castle
for the first time. Later on, I had more money, and went to Denver to a
large used record store, and they had the Capitol Re-Issues of the old
UA albums. I bought SUNDAY CONCERT and LIGHTFOOT and DID SHE MENTION MY
NAME?. However, I forgot to look close, and after I got home, I noticed
the "THIS IS AN ABRIDGED VERSION OF AN ALBUM PREVIOUSLY RELEASED" box on
the back cover. And on top of that, the first time I went to play
SUNDAY CONCERT, I managed to drop it and messed up 3 songs on one side.
I was ticked off! So what did I do? I went and looked for the original
UA releases! That was the last school vacation I had before employment
obliterated my summers. At the time, I was good at riding my bike. I
was pretty poor in my THINKING however. I had already ridden my bike the
40 miles each way to Greeley, CO - to a record store there - a few times.
I decided to try the record stores in Boulder next. I got on my bike,
and rode the 50 miles or so, and I found a few Lightfoot singles there,
and more importantly, I found DID SHE MENTION MY NAME? on UA! I got it
and some other albums, and went to some other stores, and then went to go
home. However, I had spent a while there, and it was like 99 degrees
that day. I got sunstroke on the way home. I almost made it, within 5
miles or so. My records, however, had gotten drenched with sweat through
the "waterproof" backpack I had. And the one side of DSMMN that got
sweaty has always sounded funny - but I have a much nicer copy nowadays
anyway. A week later, I decided to try my luck again. I went to
Cheyenne, WY. It is an uphill ride to Cheyenne, and several flat tires
really slowed me down. The record store was nice though, because they
had SUNDAY CONCERT on UA!!!!! I was very happy to get it at long last!!
I had no idea it would be a fold-out with tons of pictures! I left the
store, and had another flat tire. So by the time I got back over the
state line to Colorado, the normal afternoon south wind had developed! I
could not make it all the way home again! No sunstroke this time, After
20 miles of that wind, my legs stopped working, and I found a phone and
called for a lift. The next week, I took a short ride 12 miles to
Loveland, where I found a nice copy of DON QUIXOTE really cheap, so I got
it. Then I got home, and I had a message about a job. I got that job,
and then worked instead of listened. But I did hook up a tape player in
my shop at work so that I could listen when I was working out there! By
the end of the summer, I had saved enough money to get a much nicer tape
deck and tuner, and then a CD player. My first CD?? SUNDOWN of course!!
I even got it used from the same store as I got the LP! Although it cost
8.99 this time I think! I thought Lightfoot sounded SO GOOD on the CD,
especially with headphones on. Over the years, I have bought many
lightfoot records and CD's. On LP, I would often get a bad copy, find a
better one, then a perfect one. So I have a lot of copies. I have a
Canadian copy of SIT DOWN YOUNG STRANGER that has no title on the front,
just the pic of Gord. I also Have a copy of that same album only this
one has "If You Could Read My Mind" as the title, but "Sit Down Young
Stranger" on the spine!! I of course have a normal SIT DOWN YOUNG
STRANGER and IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND. My most favorite Lightfoot song
is "Love and Maple Syrup" from SUMMER SIDE OF LIFE. I think that song
has so much power, it grabbed me harder than any other Lightfoot song
has. I once found an unopened copy of that album, and had to get it
(only 8 bucks) so that I could finally get a CLEAN copy of my favorite
song. But after I opened it, I was diasappointed, it had scratchified
itself while sitting in its wrapper!! I had also hoped to listen more
closely for the "mystery noise" on Cabaret. Oh well, I soon found a
better sounding copy for a couple bucks the flea market. And years
later, when i heard about SUMMER SIDE OF LIFE coming out on CD, (I read
it in the music news column of the newspaper) I immediatly ordered it
from the local record store! -- Have I bored you enough yet? I hope
not. I wanted to lay my background for those who are interested. I wish
to discuss my views of how Lighfoot's music has changed over the years.
When I first listened to lightfoot, most often, I would be captured by
the sounds of the music. With my Dad's guitar and banjo playing, I have
a strong liking for those instruments. (My Dad had his old junky guitar
restored a few years ago, and now it is just beautiful. It is some 1902
Mexican made Spanish style guitar. And I wish I could play it, but I
damaged my fret hand's middle finger's tip, and now it hits 2 strings at
once - so I never learned to play) Anyhow, the sounds, and the
combinations of good sounding combinations of words captivated me. Along
with Lightfoot's strong voice. Later on, after a relationship broke up on
me, I listened to GL's songs in a different light. All of the
bittersweet love songs that I had only listened to before for their
sound, now I heard the words and the stories. And many of these songs
were the UA songs. I happen to have about an equal liking for all of
Lightfoot's musical styles. It is his attention to detail in the
arrangement and the writing that makes the music good. He has to get
everything right in his songs. I have always wondered just how many
songs he has thrown away over the years. Is there ever going to be an
album of studio out-takes? I know that GL is such a perfectionist that
he probably would not ever consider releasing songs that were not good
enough in the beginning.
I wish to respond to the use of synthesizers that has been mentioned
recently. When I first got EAST OF MIDNIGHT, I was very disappointed.
The vocals were too buried to hear well, and something was missing. I
had to listen many times, and compare that album to SALUTE and SHADOWS
before I figured it out. What was missing was the strong acoustic rythm
guitar, and Pee Wee Charles' steel guitar.The funny thing is that I never
once had a problem with the synthesizers on that album. And I may add,
that I agree with many of you in that listening to that album with the
headphones really helps that album come alive. The more you can
appreciate the complexities of the music, the better it gets. I
especially liked the bass work on A Lesson in Love. Too bad that most of
that album was made without his touring band. - Then, I got Gord's Gold
II, and I was really disappointed. This was where I found that i really
started disliking the synthesizers. And the continued policy of mixing
Lightfoot's voice way deep with the instuments really hurt too. - Waiting
For You was the album i was hoping to get, mostly. The acoustic rythm
guitars were back. I liked the whole album, once i learned the lyrics.
The first time I heard Fading Away, I thought, "All right, a rocker, i
gotta turn up the volume!!" however, once I did, I realized that I could
not understand a word he was singing. Now I know the lyrics, and it does
not bother me anymore. I feel that the song Restless really just cried
out in pain for a real string section. However, I believe the rest of
the songs on that album all came out fine with the keyboards the way they
were. I especially like I'd Rather Press On. - The album SALUTE was one
of my favorites, because of the rocking nature it had on a few songs. I
did not moan the fact that synthesizers were taking over, I instead
rejoiced at some good rockin songs to be able to crank out of my car
stereo whenever they came up on my (home-made) tapes. Songs like Knotty
Pine were done very well with the synthesizers, and I had no complaint. -
The album SHADOWS is also one of my favorites. Every song on it is
excellent. When I bought that album, I happened to be re-reading J.R.R.
Tolkein's The Lord of The Rings. While reading, I put SHADOWS on in the
background, stopping to flip the record over repeatedly. It was in this
fashion that I became aquainted with SHADOWS. And every time I hear
songs like Heaven Help the Devil and In My Fashion and others, I get a
brief flashback to the Lord of the Rings. I agree that Lightfoot should
have done a Tolkein-inspired album. Anyway, I think the use of
synthesizers here also were done nicely. In all, I really hope that the
upcoming album will keep the strong acoustic base that so many of GL's
fans like. I was very pleased to hear that Pee Wee Charles was a guest
artist! I would really like a "deep" album of complex instumentalism
(mostly acoustic) wrapped around some well written songs - like the way
SUNDOWN and COLD ON THE SHOULDER were. With stongly mixed vocals and
sparse but intelligent use of the synthesizer. This may be too much to
hope for. Those days are over. Whatever record is released, I am sure I
will like it. I just hope they hurry up and release it!
I will stop boring you for now. If you actually read all of this, I
appreciate the effort. I will make my future posts shorter, I promise. I
will be going to the Casper and probably the Cheyenne WY concerts on the
24th and 25th. I will be sure to bring a notepad and write down a set
list and any comments from GL to include with my review of the show.
Andy T. (glut...@aol.com)
"May this world find a resting place,
where Peaceful Waters flow....."
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Telekidd
Hi Andy:
Well, first off, your post gave me a great opportunity to irritate the
heck out of the newsgroup (like I don't do enough of that already!)--after
all, I could have responded by copying your entire post, then writing one
sentence at the bottom of it, like "Good thoughts--thanks!"
But, being in a merciful mood, I'll just write a short note to say how
much I enjoyed reading your post. It does indeed seem that a common
thread throughout this group is how GL's music has touched us all, through
the many events and changes that we've all gone through in our lives. As
you point out, sometimes personal events can cause one to hear certain of
his songs more clearly--suddenly they "speak" to one.
I also enjoyed your mention of occasionally pulling out the old LPs and
listening to them, rather than the CDs. Though I haven't done that for
awhile, my old LP of Don Quixote is obviously still etched in my
brain--while listening to the CD, I find I keep missing little pops and
noises that I was used to hearing from the LP!
Regarding your comments on the instrumentation and production on some of
the albums, I think I've mentioned here before that I just don't care for
the production on GG2. It's not just the synth--I don't think *any* of
the instruments sound all that good. But I do think that overall, as with
strings in the past, the synth and keyboards have been used deftly and
intelligently by GL. (To me, there have been exceptions--I don't care for
the strings on Endless Wire, and I think EOM is a bit too "synthy.") GL
has always worked with very intelligent and tasteful musicians, and Mike
Heffernan on keyboards is certainly no exception.
I'm not sure about a Tolkein-inspired work. I'll have to ponder than some
more. To me, one of the appealing aspects of GL's writing is that it's
based in reality and real experiences. From this base, he then seems to
soar upward on thermal currents, taking those who care to go with him to a
place that transcends the original reality from which the song sprang.
Tolkein, conversely, based the reality of LOTR in the fantasy world of
Middle Earth, from which the reader could draw parallels to the real
world. I guess I've always heard, as a Tolkein soundtrack, a classical
composition with strong folk overtones, such as many of the works of
Vaughan Williams or Dvorak. Of course, I haven't read Tolkein for many
years, so I probably shouldn't be writing anything regarding this...but
it's too late now, and my "delete" key doesn't seem to be working! :-)
Anyway, loved your post and hope to see more from you around here!
Derek
Glut...@aol.com
Hi Derek
Thank you for letting me know that you liked my post! I intend to do
more! I wanted to respond back about a few things you mentioned!
> Regarding your comments on the instrumentation and production on some of
> the albums, I think I've mentioned here before that I just don't care for
> the production on GG2. It's not just the synth--I don't think *any* of
> the instruments sound all that good.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Only the new song, If It Should Please
You, was any good. On that one, it almost seemed like the vocal had been
recorded several years in time before, because it was easily the best
vocal on that album. I also think that the production of the other songs
just totally ruined them, especially when played next to the originals!
The only song that I particularly cared for among the remakes was Race
Among The Ruins.
> I'm not sure about a Tolkein-inspired work. I'll have to ponder than some
> more. To me, one of the appealing aspects of GL's writing is that it's
> based in reality and real experiences. From this base, he then seems to
> soar upward on thermal currents, taking those who care to go with him to a
> place that transcends the original reality from which the song sprang.
> Tolkein, conversely, based the reality of LOTR in the fantasy world of
> Middle Earth, from which the reader could draw parallels to the real
> world.
I agree with you here also. What I think I had in mind was the STYLE and
DETAIL that GL put into albums like SHADOWS and SUNDOWN would be aptly
applied to a Tolkein work. However, I think that the actual songwriting
might not be his cup of tea! It would be a very difficult job to do
well, and I am not surprised he turned down an opprotunity to do that
song for the movie.
Andy T.
Fort Collins CO.
Roger W Guinn
Glut...@aol.com wrote:
>
> >>>>Major snippage to get to the point....
> I wholeheartedly agree with you. Only the new song, If It Should Please
> You, was any good. On that one, it almost seemed like the vocal had been
> recorded several years in time before, because it was easily the best
> vocal on that album. I also think that the production of the other songs
> just totally ruined them, especially when played next to the originals!
> The only song that I particularly cared for among the remakes was Race
> Among The Ruins.
Just a minute! "It's Worth Believin'" is the original cut off of ODR, and
"Make Way for the Lady" was also not re-recorded.
That is the ONLY CD version of "Worth Believin" around!
--
Roger W Guinn, PE
Structural Analysis, Vibration, Loads, Stress
"Take-off's are optional. Landings are Mandatory"
Lynn M. Oatman
In article <5lb08l$4l...@newssvr02-int.news.prodigy.com>,
NQQ...@prodigy.com (Shirley Hoggard) wrote:
>>> If you actually read all of this, I appreciate the effort.
>
>appreciate YOUR effort. It made my day. :-)
>
>Shirley
>
Andy, Ididn't get your original post (why do I not get some of the postings on
this list?) Anyway, if you'd like to pos to me privately, I'd like to read
"the whole thing"
lynn oatman
Wayne Francis
>>Only the new song, If It Should Please
>> You, was any good. On that one, it almost seemed like the vocal had been
>> recorded several years in time before, because it was easily the best
>> vocal on that album. I also think that the production of the other songs
>> just totally ruined them, especially when played next to the originals!
I'm gonna check in with some positive GGII comments to balance the scale
somewhat. I like the GGII remakes almost without exception. Endless Wire is
done much better than the original, with a much more open, uncluttered
arrangement. Although the original High And Dry is exceptional, I like the
different arrangement used on GGII which gives us a glimpse at how Lightfoot
and the band have evolved with that song over the years. I even have to say
in all honesty that I like listening to the redone Edmund Fitz. It's done
just a tad faster than the original, and while Pee Wee's steel is missed,
Mike compensates with some memorable riffs of his own. And the list goes
on...
Overall, I think it's very generous of Lightfoot to go to the trouble and
expense of redoing these songs, which make it a much more special package
than just rehashing the previous recordings into an all too typical greatest
hits album. They certainly don't make any true Lightfoot devotee discard the
original recordings, nor are they meant to. For me they are an invaluable
collection, showcasing Lightfoot and his band reinterpreting his songs 10 or
15 years after originally recording them. And it's not like he's gone and
hired different musicians to re-record them. Instead, we get his
incomparable band who played on the songs in the first place.
While there may be those who don't like the re-makes, I for one just wanted
to say thanks Gord for going the extra mile to give us something, short of a
live album, that gives us a permanent record and lets us in on how your
interpretations of some of your, and our, favourites have evolved over time!
Wayne
Telekidd
In article <8636588...@dejanews.com>, Andy writes:
>I also think that the production of the other songs
>just totally ruined them, especially when played next to the originals!
And the funny thing is, I like the new arrangements when I hear them
live--I just don't feel that CD captured much of the dynamics of them.
>I agree with you here also. What I think I had in mind was the STYLE and
>DETAIL that GL put into albums like SHADOWS and SUNDOWN would be aptly
>applied to a Tolkein work. However, I think that the actual songwriting
>might not be his cup of tea!
Got it! Thanks for clarifying that for me!
Derek
Telekidd
In article <5leqke$c...@storm.cycor.ca>, wfra...@peinet.pe.ca (Wayne
Francis) writes:
>Overall, I think it's very generous of Lightfoot to go to the trouble and
>expense of redoing these songs, which make it a much more special package
>than just rehashing the previous recordings into an all too typical
greatest
>hits album. They certainly don't make any true Lightfoot devotee discard
the
>original recordings, nor are they meant to. For me they are an invaluable
>collection, showcasing Lightfoot and his band reinterpreting his songs 10
or
>15 years after originally recording them. And it's not like he's gone and
>hired different musicians to re-record them. Instead, we get his
>incomparable band who played on the songs in the first place.
I couldn't agree with you more on this Wayne. Though it may have been for
different reasons, he also remade the UA songs for GGI, giving the
purchaser a little more bang for the buck, as well as some interesting
re-arrangements. (I also can't help thinking it would be most interesting
to have a document of the UA songs as the band plays them *now*, wouldn't
it?) For example, the "Trilogy" on GG1 has a much different feel than the
UA version--and I can't honestly say which one I prefer--they both have
their high points. I would love, however, to hear a re-recording of that
as the song is arranged now, with Mike H's keyboard part, and Terry C's
guitar lead.
I should probably repeat here that I have no problem with the re-makes
and, as you say, there are elements on both the original recordings and
re-makes that make both versions well worth listening to. My complaint
regarding GGII has do more with the *production* of the album, rather than
the arrangements or performances.
>While there may be those who don't like the re-makes, I for one just
wanted
>to say thanks Gord for going the extra mile to give us something, short
of a
>live album, that gives us a permanent record and lets us in on how your
>interpretations of some of your, and our, favourites have evolved over
time!
And I'll chime in with a wish here! Some years ago, another favorite
artist of mine, Joe Jackson, recorded an album entitled Big World. Having
become frustrated with the "dryness" of the recording studio, and yet not
liking "live" albums, he hit upon the idea of hiring a theatre and
recording the new songs in front of an audience while being recorded (I
believe JJ once said that, since he, his band, and the recording crew
spent several rehearsal sessions perfecting the songs, he thought the
album might have been the first in history to be "mixed" *before* it was
recorded!). The audience was asked to keep as quiet as possible and to
hold their applause. These performances were recorded direct-to-digital
and JJ remarked that, while the audience was silent, he felt their
*presence* was reflected on the album as he believed both he and his band
gave much more "committed" performances than they might have in a
coventional studio recording.
Since then, a number of artists have used this idea. Just yesterday I was
listening to a CD by the Ray Brown Trio entitled Don't Get Sassy. For the
two nights recording (in 1993), they invited friends into the studio as
they recorded the album. The result is a bit different than JJ's album as
you *can* hear the audience, but, in both cases, the sound is far and
beyond a standard "live" album--it's studio quality. Also, in both cases,
there is much more excitement contained within the performances
themselves.
So, if I could have wish granted, it would be to have GL and the band
record an album in this manner--GL has such a wonderful rapport with his
audiences these days, and it would be just terrific to hear that warmth
caputured on disc, along with the superlative performances he and the band
invariably deliver.
Ah, well, 'tis but a wish!
Derek
Wayne Francis
In article <8637429...@dejanews.com>, Glut...@aol.com wrote:
>( And Wayne, I am sorry If my GGII bashing upset you, if so, please
>accept my apology. I have sent you my check, but not yet recieved my
>Internet Tribute part one- or two-, and would hope you didnt hold that
No apology necessary. It certainly didn't upset me, Andy. Everyone's
entitled to their own opinion. I really enjoy GL's re-recordings on GGI &
II, so I just wanted to balance the scales by indicating my position on
them.
Wayne
PS - Your Tribute I is in the mail and Tribute II will follow as soon as I
have them. Thanks.