When random selection produced this CD for review, I realized an omission on my part: when an artist I like passes away, as it happened with Gordon Lightfoot a year ago, I usually spend some time listening to their records. In his case, I must have been preoccupied with something else; I don't remember listening to these songs recently. Granted, I don't have many of his albums in my collection: just this compilation and a 60's LP on vinyl. I remember owning one or two more vinyl records of his, but I seem to have sold them during the great vinyl purge. Infuriatingly, this compilation is one of those budget CDs that contain no information on the artist or recording year of the tracks within. I can't fathom why; would it cost more to add a few words? They wouldn't even waste more paper, the inner side of the booklet is completely blank. In any case, I researched the provenance of the selections, and it turns out that this isn't so bad a selection: almost all of the albums he released during this period (a dozen, in as many years) are represented by one of two tracks each, neatly presented in chronological order, the better to appreciate the artists' evolution. Starting with his very first 7' single "(Remember Me) I'm The One", a 1962 Elvis-like ballad, and the only cover here. The next entry ("I'm Not Sayin") comes from 1966, and his LP debut, Lightfoot. It shows a definite Dylan influence, with a touch of Phil Ochs in the vocal department. From 1967's The Way I Feel we get "Go Go Round" and "The Way I Feel", songs that remind me of Simon & Garfunkel. These are followed by the more upbeat, socially conscious, "Black Day In July" (Did She Mention My Name, 1968), a vivid recounting of the bloody Detroit race riots of the previous year. "Bitter Green" (Back Here On Earth, 1968) is lighter, with a hint of country a la Glen Campbell. "If You Could Read My Mind" (Sit Down Young Stranger, 1970) is another ballad in the same vein; from here on his songs retain the same influences but have richer, albeit always tasteful, orchestration, bridging the gap between earnest folk and MOR easy listening. I can only think of one other artist who did it as successfully, and that was Cat Stevens. "Talking In Your Sleep" and "Summer Side Of Life" come from the Summer Side Of Life LP (1971), "Beautiful" from Don Quixote (1972), and "Sundown" and "Carefree Highway" from 1974's Sundown. All are great, but the best are the ones on the two opposite ends of his pop folk hybrid: "Rainy Day People" (Cold On The Shoulder, 1975) is a smooth pop ballad, while "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" (Summertime Dream, 1976) is narrative folk at its very best. The compilation closes with "Race Among The Ruins" (also from Summertime Dream), and two selections from Endless Wire (1978): "The Circle Is Small" and "Daylight Katy". After that, Lightfoot's international popularity declined, although he still held national treasure status in his native Canada. Now, as with any compilation, the question is how good is this as an introduction to the artist? The plus points here are that it covers his most acclaimed period, and aims to be representative by including something from each release. Is this really "The Best Of" Gordon Lightfoot? To be fair, the compilers don't make any such claim; and indeed, there are some obvious omissions. On the other hand, what's here is pretty good; after all, if Dylan's quote that “Lightfoot died without ever having made a bad song” is true, one could not go too wrong with selecting material for this comp. I'd give this collection 3,5* for the songs, but 2* for the packaging. It should suffice for the very casual fan who only knows 3 or 4 of his songs, which they'd probably find here. I was one myself, but I'm now tempted to dig deeper.
***** for The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
**** for I'm Not Sayin', The Way I Feel, Black Day In July, Bitter Green, If You Could Read My Mind, Talking In Your Sleep, Sundown , Rainy Day People
*** for (Remember Me) I'm The One, Go Go Round,Summer Side Of Life, Beautiful, Carefree Highway, Race Among The Ruins, The Circle Is Small, Daylight Katy
No comments:
Post a Comment