Gordon Lightfoot (Official Thread)

[Magic]

Gordon Lightfoot Website
Gordon Lightfoot Fan Website

Gordon Lightfoot began his singing and songwriting career back in 1962. He became known for the songs "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", and "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in the 1970's.

Gordon is internationally known for his acoustic folk-pop music. He has overcome huge obstacles and has still managed to remain successful. Gordon has Bell's Palsy, which is an illness that affects the muscles of his face leaving them partially paralyzed, but you would never know this plagued him in the song "Sundown".

In his 40+ year career he has recorded numerous albums, and is still an active musician.

Discography:

Lightfoot! (1966)
The Way I Feel (1967)
Did She Mention My Name (1968)
Back Here on Earth (1968)
Sunday Concert (1969)
Sit Down Young Stranger (1970)
Summer Side of Life (1971)
Don Quixote (1972)
Old Dan's Records (1972)
Sundown (1974)
Cold on the Shoulder (1975)
Summertime Dream (1976)
Endless Wire (1978)
Dream Street Rose (1980)
Shadows (1982)
Salute (1983)
East of Midnight (1986)
Waiting for You (1993)
A Painter Passing Through (1998)
Harmony (2004)

 

[Zombeels]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

I have about 5 cds Of Gordon Lightfoot. Great stuff. Edmund Fitzgerald, Cotton Jenny and Don Quixote are my favourite songs.

 

[Craig in Indy]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

His long love affair with the bottle didn't help his health any, either. He also spent a few weeks in a coma in, I think, 2002, from some sort of abdominal hemorrhage that just about killed him.

Still, I gotta say I love the guy and his music, at least up to the mid-'70s. Endless Wire was, I think, the last album I bought. I don't remember for sure, because it's no longer in my collection. I think the latest one I still have is Summertime Dream. After that his songs just didn't resonate as much with me. I always liked his more purely "folk" songs than the material he started putting out at that point. Even so, there's more than enough material to fill a couple of CDs of my own "best of" tracks.

I was always kind of proud that I had a copy of Sit Down Young Stranger on LP before it was renamed If You Could Read My Mind.

 

[LG]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

Summertime Dream is my favorite, I have a compilation and Sundown. I think Summertime Dream is the last Great album he released.

He performed in Edmonton last year, and although he looks gaunt and his voice is not what it was, he is still beloved up here.

 

[Craig in Indy]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

My single favorite album of his is probably Don Quixote. Lots of great songs on it. Also Summer Side of Life, though it has a distinctly country flavor to it.

Did you ever hear that little audio clip that someone linked on the old forum, where Burton Cummings did an impersonation of Lightfoot singing "Maggie May?" That was a stitch. Even though I have the highest regard for Lightfoot, it was funny.

 

[LG]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

Yeah I remember that one too,,,it was funny and meant in good fun.

As for Hep's song, they never played that one in the States at all from what I understand, seeing it contained "Questionable Subject Matter"...but I have heard it many times when I was younger on our FM stations.(Black Day in July is the song)

 

[Craig in Indy]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

Yes, I only know it from hearing it on his early albums. In fact, I don't remember hearing anything of his on the radio down here until "If You Could Read My Mind," which I heard him describe once as a "happy accident." Apparently it was never intended to be released as a single.

I'd say he's incredibly lucky it was.

 

[Craig in Indy]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

If I get a chance tonight, I'll post my own list of what I think are his very best songs.

 

[Groovy Man]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

One of my favorite Gordon Lightfoot songs is Early Morning Rain, a folk music classic, that's been covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Marty Robbins, Judy Collins, Ian & Sylvia, The Clancy Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Peter, Paul & Mary and many many others

 

[Dave78]

Re: Gordon Lightfoot

No video clips available on YooToob, but "Carefree Highway" and "Beautiful" were two more great songs of his.