Top 3 Gord recordings?

[jj]

Perhaps we have too many polls going already and we should rather be discussing the tour relentlessly, however, I thought I'd add one that has a fairly positive tone to it:

What are you're top 3 Gord song recordings, not including any of the following ones which have charted on Billboard:

Anything For Love
Beautiful
Sundown
Carefree Highway
Rainy Day People
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Race Among The Ruins
The Circle Is Small
Daylight Katy
If You Could Read My Mind
Talking In Your Sleep
Summer Side Of Life

[KHester]

Here are three of my favorites

Too Late for Praying -always brings a tear to my eye
I'm Not Supposed to Care - the way relationships should always end
Shadows - How could it not have been a big hit?

Honorable Mention -Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle (I like it better than the FITZ)

And there are plenty of others Etc....
Looking at the Rain
Alberta Bound
Don Quixote
and the list goes on...............

Kevin

[RM]

and the list goes on...............


and on....and on......and on.......

It's Worth Believin'
SFAWN
Seven Island Suite

I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow.

[JohnStinson]

This is always difficult but here goes

From the Lightfoot first album

EARLY MORNING RAIN

From his second album

SONG FOR A WINTERS NIGHT

From Don Quizote

CHRISTIAN ISLAND

..But.. the reason i am a FAN is that there are too many, that are too close ..that are real good.. that i just love.

(..sort of the background reason I might of thought about stinkers.. there are so few ..i thought it would be something to try)

[KHester]

Oh yeah how could I forget ___________________-
and ___________________
and __________

It's impossible...

Kevin

[jj]

(..sort of the background reason I might of thought about stinkers.. there are so few ..i thought it would be something to try)

oh, the stinker polls are wonderful...let's keep them alive

i think of stinker arrangements/productions (for my taste anyhow) more than any true clunker song compositions

it's odd the SFAWN and EMR didn't chart...i guess they weren't released other than by Sarah McLachlan and Peter Paul & Mary, respectively

this is like ordering a 3 course meal (and so true, rm, something different and appetizing could be served up each day)

Ordinary Man
(the title alone has Gord written all over it)

Cabaret
(this tune hums along in my head involuntarily, daily)

You'll Still Be Needing Me
(signature GL, my fave 'release' of his since '82)


On the High Seas would have been on the list as a composition but I'm not a fan of the studio arrangement/recording

maybe if there is some commonality to the member selections, a refining top 12 poll can evolve from this and then ultimately a top 3 list can be arrived at, i somehow doubt it though....thanks for playing, really wonderful pics

[vlmagee]

Canadian Railroad Trilogy (any version)
Sit Down Young Stranger
Don Quixote

[fezo]

Hmmmm...

Val's choices are close to perfect.

I do like Ordinary Man a great deal and several things of SSOL. That album is really curious in that there are a lot of great tunes and a pretty nice arrangement all around but nothing hit. Miguel is fabulous. Go My Way. Redwood Hill....

[RockyF]

My initial thoughts were:

Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Sit Down Young Stranger
Don Quixote

So, not to be repetitive, how about:
Ten Degrees and Getting Colder
Miguel
That Same Old Obsession

Regards,
Rocky Fugate
Flint, Texas

[KHester]

So far I think all the lists have been great...
3 more for me...

Mother of A Miner's Child
That's what you get for Loving Me
Did She Mention My Name

Kevin

[bjm7777]

Okay......this should be easier than the stinkers:

1/ Canadian Railroad Trilogy
2/ Early Morning Rain
3/ If You Could Read My Mind

I know.....I know......

[joveski]

dream street rose

old dan's records

salute

[jj]

3/ If You Could Read My Mind


hey, that one 'charted' and is excluded from the selection list

pick another:)

and Kester, you need to pick just 3 out of the 9 that you have submitted...I realize that most folks here have more than 3 Gord tunes they enjoy, lol

wow, joveski: DSR and Salute?...are you sure you're responding to the right poll? ;)

[RM]

wow, joveski: DSR and Salute?...are you sure you're responding to the right poll?

jj,

Cut him some slack. He'd never admit it, but I think he's still rattled from the earthquake.

[jj]

So, not to be repetitive...

oh, dont' worry about that, Rocky...that's what I'm hoping for, some commonality to member preferences and perhaps a Top 3 list of non-radio tunes

CRT is a beaut, can't really determine if it's truly fallen from my fave list or just over saturated my brain throughout the decades...of late, i saturate my brain with the more obscure tunes...there's no right answers...just taking a fresh pulse

[joveski]

if we're talking production and sound, then i'm not rattled :)

DSR has a warm sound that combines his earlier sound and a step forward

ODR, well its the drone on gord's guitar, terry's fills and the drums that do it.. plus the catchy melody

[jj]

jj,

Cut him some slack. He'd never admit it, but I think he's still rattled from the earthquake.

...or the prior disaster totally fried a few brain cells:)

ok, i've let out the slack...but i'm still mailing a few Qtips

actually, rm, you said it best...what possible words could ever sway a solid Gord fan from their fave or least fave song list selections

not a lot of selection overlap going on here...interesting

[jj]

if we're talking production and sound

yes, for sure...recordings...i hear ya...i will have to go listen to Salute, it's been a long while...i love the entire ODR album recording

[teherie]

Only three huh?

#1 Shadows (Magical Lyrics)
#2 Minstrel of the Dawn (The essence of finger picking)
#3 All the Lovely Ladies/Hiway Songs (Sorry, I couldn't cut it only to 3)

[joveski]

if we're talking production and sound, then i'm not rattled :)

DSR has a warm sound that combines his earlier sound and a step forward

ODR, well its the drone on gord's guitar, terry's fills and the drums that do it.. plus the catchy melody

[bjm7777]

[QUOTE=jj;149423]hey, that one 'charted' and is excluded from the selection list

pick another:)

Well, I THOUGHT it would be easier.......I will replace "If You Could Read My Mind" with the compelling "River of Light". I shoulda read the rules...

[charlene]

I can't pick JUST 3 !!! It is NOT possible...

[hkusam]

Top three? so much more difficult than bottom three!
here we go:

East of Midnight....for its mysteriousness

Sit Down Young Stranger...for its lyrics

Race Among the Ruins...for it's tempo and message

this could all change tomorrow (or in the next fifteen minutes)

[KHester]

Hi... it's KHester again..


I already added a handful and when I see the other lists its...
right.... thats a good one too..
I agree with Charlene and MistyMoppens...
it's kind of like the old Lay's potato chip comercial..
except instead of I bet you can't eat just one
it's I bet you can't name just three...

Kevin
(I've already gone over my limit (3x3 +1)
Hope I don't have to pay a big fine


Wait a minute it's as Fine as Fine can Be
Sorry If I get carried away Now and Then

[Nightingale]

Three, eh??? Okay, as long as you understand that I have severe anxiety at the thought of only three top favorites :)

1. "Approaching Lavender" The lyrics intrigue me and I love the guitar in this very much. This song could easily be replaced with "If I Could" for the exact same reasons.

2. "All The Lovely Ladies" I think that song is so deeply spiritual. It is very much a prayer with an open invitation offered up to us all.

3. "Tattoo" I have never heard lyrics that express the desire for lasting love in a such a symbolic and touching way before. The yearning in this song haunts me.

[Nightingale]

That was really, really difficult! I have to leave this thread before I change them all...lol. :)

[formerlylavender]

1. SFAWN
2. Ordinary Man
3. Now and Then

[jj]

Tied for third place:
"Always On The Bright Side"

:)

i love pretty much everyone's choices...miguel, go my way, worth believing, etc....last time there was a poll like this i believe 7IS took it (no argument from me)....SFAWN is looking pretty good...i'll summarize at weekend's end

i cant find my Salute recording...it's the one Gord air guitared on Thicke show, right?

[vlmagee]

It wasn't difficult for me. I have 4 favorite songs and they don't change, and the order doesn't change either. Since one of them, my #2 favorite (Wreck) was a hit, which we couldn't use here, I just gave you the other three (for those of you who don't want to scroll back, my choices were CRT, SDYS and DQ). So, for me it was easy. Those 4 songs tower above the rest for me.

The 5th position, however, has had any number of songs in it over the years. Right now, it's the non-Lightfoot written song, Me & Bobby McGee. Other songs that have held that position are SFAWN and WFY (!). That last one was a big favorite of mine when my son, Doug (now 24) was in 6th grade. I put the CD in the car CD player and put that song on infinite repeat. I'm thinking now that that might not be the best way to make your kids Lightfoot fans! (Although Doug has actually tried playing IYCRMM using the tab Cathy wrote).

[Tim]

Allowed only 3? Darn, that's tough. I guess it would be:

1. Your Love's Return

2. Restless

3. Tie between: Canadian Railroad Trilogy (GG version)

and

Song for a Winter's Night (The Way I Feel version)

(reporting a tie for 3rd place allowed me to sneak a 4th one in there)

[jj]

i dont think anyone could dispute those 3 are solid picks (although DQ is a bit uppity for my depressing tastebuds)

WFY, interesting...that leads to a whole other spin off poll, val...what tunes have member's kids/neices/nephews/grandchildren taken to over the years?

i have several sombre tempo GL comp CDs that were used as lullaby/sleeptime therapy in very early years...right now, i am getting driven nuts by junior's contant requests to repeatedly hear Flying Blind (he must love that chicken shake percussion)...what really drives me nuts is that I dont have any solid answers to his questions about where jessie jo is going and why he can't see and all that sort of thing

oddly enough he has never been a fan of ponyman or uncletoad

[jj]

Allowed only 3? Darn, that's tough. I guess it would be:

1. Your Love's Return

Song for a Winter's Night (The Way I Feel version)


tim, thanks for specify versions...i too love TWIF version

not sure what version of CRT i could decide on - GG, interesting

YLR teetered on my top 3 list...i really dig that composition but not big on the fluttering string arrangement found in the only recording i know of...would love to hear a raw Gord version

[vlmagee]

i dont think anyone could dispute those 3 are solid picks (although DQ is a bit uppity for my depressing tastebuds)

DQ is a downer, in fact. It just has an "up" sound. Very interesting, don't you think?

WFY, interesting...that leads to a whole other spin off poll, val...what tunes have member's kids/neices/nephews/grandchildren taken to over the years?



Here, I confused you because when I typed the post, I left out an important word, not (since corrected). My son is not a Lightfoot fan, and I think that playing WFY a few thousand times probably wasn't the smart thing to do!

[jj]

DQ is a downer, in fact. It just has an "up" sound. Very interesting, don't you think

interesting, or maybe inappropriate, lol

i think May I lyrics would have gone better with the DQ tempo;)

i also jumped to conclusion that Doug was the one asking for repeat playing of WFY...now i get it...in my case, it's the opposite as i want to move forward on the Harmony CD towards Shellfish and he keeps asking for repeats of track 3...i'm wondering if he will demand repeat playing (aka, canadian water torture) of Couchiching, if we should ever make it there

[jj]

Hi... it's KHester again..

(I've already gone over my limit (3x3 +1)
Hope I don't have to pay a big fine


Wait a minute it's as Fine as Fine can Be


you're fine is, i am taking the first 3 you selected ;)

ps) you should be joining in rm's homonym/pun game

[charlene]

i dont think anyone could dispute those 3 are solid picks (although DQ is a bit uppity for my depressing tastebuds)

WFY, interesting...that leads to a whole other spin off poll, val...what tunes have member's kids/neices/nephews/grandchildren taken to over the years?

i have several sombre tempo GL comp CDs that were used as lullaby/sleeptime therapy in very early years...right now, i am getting driven nuts by junior's contant requests to repeatedly hear Flying Blind (he must love that chicken shake percussion)...what really drives me nuts is that I dont have any solid answers to his questions about where jessie jo is going and why he can't see and all that sort of thing

oddly enough he has never been a fan of ponyman or uncletoad

Turn it around James and ask Harrison what HE thinks might be the answers...a little critical thinking and being the smart kid that he is you'll be surprised what a little guy like him will come up with..

[fezo]

I like that the which version of CRT has snuck in here with minimal comment....

For me the version on GG that he still does doesn't work nearly as well for me as the one on Sunday Concert (favorite) or TWIF (close runner up).

Seeing Gord in the very late days of Red Shea still touring really cemented his amazing picking in that song in my head. Or cemented my head as some would argue.

BTW, in that show he did Kristofferson's Loving Her Was Easier. What a shame that's not recorded somewhere.

[danie1@everestkc.net]

Impossible, but no one seems to remember Sea of Tranquility, an all time fav, for me at least. Never released on CD, but I just copied it off my "Not for Sale" promo vinyl copy. No scratches.

[Jim Nasium]

I'll Tag Along: Saturday Clothes: All The Lovely ladies: Ghosts Of Cape Horn:
Someone To Believe In: You Are What I am.

[vlmagee]

Impossible, but no one seems to remember Sea of Tranquility, an all time fav, for me at least. Never released on CD ...

Wrong (happily). All of Gord's official recordings have been released on CD, with the exception of the GG verison of Affair on 8th Avenue. What fans on the internet called "The Final Four" (last four to be released on CD: Old Dan's Records, Dream Street Rose (with Sea of Tranquility), Shadows and Salute) were released by Rhino in 2002! You can read about it at my web site here:
gordonlightfoot.com/FinalFour.shtml (http://gordonlightfoot.com/FinalFour.shtml).

[geodeticman.5]

Mine are partly offbeat songs, with no thought given to everyone's response to my choices, but based on what I keep repeating over and over:

In no order:

1.Is There Anyone Home (In That House Made of Stone)
2. Beautiful - was Merry and my song as a couple
3. Too Late for Prayin'

Cheating:
2.9 That Same Old Obsession
2.91 Your love's Return

alternates - if the others get a flat or something

1a Now and Then
1b All The Lovely Ladies (as fezo says) In Their Refineries Tonight lol

[BILLW]

jj,

1. Second Cup Of Coffee
2. On Susan's Floor
3. Don Quixote

Bill :)

[jj]

1.Is There Anyone Home (In That House Made of Stone)
2. Beautiful - was Merry and my song as a couple
3. Too Late for Prayin'

2.9 That Same Old Obsession
2.91 Your love's Return

1a Now and Then
1b All The Lovely Ladies

steveo, the top 3 survey closed (as advertised) this past Sunday night - if you had got your entries in then TLFP, TSOO, YLR and NAT would have made the final poll

...as it stands, All the Lovely Ladies is still in the running and you labeled it as 1b so i figured it's still in your top 3 and no need to boycott, lol

btw, Beautiful was a Billboard charter so not elgible as per originally stated jj guidelines

BillW...I really wanted to choose 2nd Cup of Coffee as it's right up there with my 'standard' faves Ordinary Man and It's Worth Believing...I also love the On Susan's Floor track

I wasn't clear but when I said Gord song recording, I kinda figured this implied that folks were to choose Gord only songs, oh well:) ...I should have known that corfidians are always looking for loopholes...and BillW is no exception, lol

note: you still have time to choose DQ in the final poll, Bill

[BILLW]

Sorry jj, I guess I wasn't paying attention, LOL. Loopholes are a beautiful thing indeed !

Bill :)

[fezo]

2nd Cup of Coffee would be a great choice as well. DQ is such a good album. Makes picking favorites harder.

[brink-]

Song for a Winter's Night
Watchman's Gone
CRT

[Dave, Melbourne,Australia]

1st: "Shadows"
2nd: "A Lesson in Love"
3rd: "Restless"
Found it hard to leave out "Much to My Surprise" and "End of All Time".
And, as others have said, the list could change tomorrow.

[Borderstone]

Going back to my top 150 list for "my top 3" here. ;)

Mine are :

3. Seven Island Suite from the Sundown LP.

2. My Love For You (From "Harry Tracy")

and #1 still is, "End Of All Time" from "Harmony".

[danie1@everestkc.net]

I knew they released Shadows & Salute, but hadn't seen the other two. After 35 years of Gord records, tapes, & cd's, some of which I bought two copies of (& never took the wrapper off one copy), I still don't have everything. I copied "Affair on 8th Ave." from vinyl, but it did have scratches. Tried copying the tape version this morning, which is a little better. I never emailed a recording before, but if that works I'll send it. I do remember having a s**t fit when I saw they left that off the CD. Ended up yesterday making "one" Gord favorites CD. I wound up putting 20 songs on it before I ran out of room.

[Off Yonge Street]

At the moment, my favourite Lightfoot recordings, not including the ones that charted on Billboard, are: The Pony Man (Gord's Gold II version), Alberta Bound (Gord's Gold II version), and Too Much To Lose.