The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Now,I know questions like this one are not new.

Also that it's very-very hard to choose just 1 album out of such a great collection of work.

I'm just curious to find out from all of us true fans,if we could actually choose and live with just one Lightfoot album,pretedning that we have no choice of course. ;)

After much deliberation on my part and taking into the fact my favorite songs of all & so forth....without a doubt,I would always have to have "Sundown". Main reasons being these:

1. Sundown is the first GL song I ever heard.

2. There's not one song on the album that I ever skip or like less than others (that not being any reflection on my list of 150 favorites.)

3. Overall,with all due love for SDYS,Shadows and Harmony....it is his difinitive album.

That said,let me know which is the "one" and why. :cool: I'll be reading!

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Hi Borderstone! I agree - "Sundown" was the first album I ever heard and there's not one song on it I don't like: "Christian Island," "Seven Island Suite," "Rainbow Trout," "High and Dry," "The List," not to mention the title song! I also liked "Summertime Dream" (obviously, with the "Fitz" and "Race Among the Ruins"). My other favorites as "Old Dan's Record's" and "Don Quixote." Among the new ones, I love "Painter" - like Gord said at one of the Massey May concerts this year when someone yelled out a request, "Sorry, too muh of a body of work!" - Well, I wouldn't want to call it "too much!" SherylKat

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Let's see.....if someone put a gun to my head and ordered me to pick ONE, AND ONLY ONE Lightfoot album.......I'd probably take "Shadows".

Why ? Because I'd be scared to death, and it's at the front of my LP collection and therefore most readily accessible.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Summer side of life....

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Songbook, Wait! I'll bet that is not allowed.

My first choice for a regular album would be "Don Quixote."

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Agreed. If we are not allowed to pick one of the anthology collections, my favorite studio album is Don Quixote. A wonderful collection of extremely well-crafted songs. Then again, that statement describes his entire catalogue...

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Bo-Stone: I must agree, without hesitation. Sundlwn LP. And while I'm at it, the audiophile Mobile Sound Labs High fidelity 1/2 speed( i think the shop talk goes on it ) version of the album, of course i would insist on an old "Dual" brand high-end direct-drive tangential tone-arm with counter-balance, top-o-the-line dimaond needle stylus -Pickering as I recall - not the cr** v15 cartridge that came with my old other wise incredible Scott stereo system.

Oh - and a 3k-watt Honda generator as back up or source for power , if its the desert island scenario - and two old/new JBL 15" 3-way acoustic suspension speakers, for that "warm bass sound" that suits the album, along with a McIntosh vacuum-tube amp, and a years supply of diet pepsi and power bars.

Really - Sundown - for all the reasons I have heard plus: there are a representative cross-section of nearly his whole spectrum of music styles- or maybe better stated - song types. Think about it a minute - the differences between:
Sundown - and Circle of Steel. - "hard" & "soft" sounds

Watchman -no vibrato and Too Late for Prayin - vibrato

Somewhere USA - not meant imho to be *important*, but fun,
versus Sevel Island Suite - where i believe he is trying to convey something important.

Is There Anyone Home - my favourite "ethereal" mood
song, versus ,say Carefree Highway - not hard to figure
out. And as you said, it is a defining album (I believe you said "definative" for [his career ?]for the period - and imho for Lightfoot - of what he was searching for in his "sound" not fact, just my opinion, based losely on the progression of albums from his last UA album, to Warner first
- Sit Down/IYCRMM album - "sound" progressing, searching.... through the near-perfect DQ i agree, and a personal favourite of mie as well -ODR, to my all-time favourite only have one - Sundown.

My closest 2nd would be DQ or COTS - surprised no one mentioned that - I thin of that as the end of his "Broad-Brimmed" period, last album before significant introduction of new instruments, and very good - Summertime Dream with its epic of course we all know - TWOTEF.

On 2nd thought - if we could have any "release" - I'd reconsider and maybe take GG1 - as it captures his 74-ish Broad-Brim sound, with that added in re-recording to the UA songs, and I'd have CRT, IYCRMM, Beautful, SONGS i COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT. hMMM

is that you final answer - yes - GG1. GG1 it is.

~geo steve

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Actually, "Songbook" hadn't occoured to me! :eek:

Nah,it's cool,if it's Songbook,that's your choice. :cool:

Heck,if it's the hard to find "Yellow Bird" that's how you feel! LOL! :biggrin:

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Hello Everyone.... Tough Question.

Old Dan's Records

It's Worth Believn'
Farewell to Annabel
That Same Old Obsession
Can't Depend on Love
Hi'way Songs

WOW... going over those songs again... They are my all time favorites but I understand your choices also....Don Quixote my second favorite followed by Shadows.... Real Tough question.

Interesting answers everyone.

Wes

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

The one?

It would be "Did She Mention My Name"? A girl I was dating in Santa Ana my sophomore year of college named Jeannie Merrit introduced me to GL with that album. I was mezmerized by the strings on "Does Your Mother Know?" and by Red Shea's guitar on the title track. Add to that the intro to "Mountains and Maryann," and it takes me back to memories of a very nice girl with exceptionally good taste in music.

For turning me into a lifelong GL fan, Jeannie, thank you!

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

wow a tough one and a decision I would hope to never have to make but for the # and widest selection, I'd have to go with Songbook.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Sundown is a great album that I love, and it ranks a very close second, and the album "If You Could Read My Mind" deserves an honorable mention. But I think my fav would would have to be DQ. By the way Sheryl, if I'm not mistaken, "Christian Island" appears on the Don Quixote album, not Sundown. I know that because that tune is a big reason why DQ is my #1.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Oh that's a hard one B. But the winner for me is Don Quixote. Can't live without that one.

Bill :)

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

I agree -- Don Quixote for me.

But also Did She Mention My Name

Gord's Gold would be cheating!

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

I have to agree with several of you and pick "Sundown." It just has great song after great song (not that most of Gord's albums don't). "The Watchman's Gone" being one of my absolute favorites.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Bill: geodeticman's eyes narrow, lookin' downwind and narowin', he squints in the late afternoon sunshine, spits a chaw of 'baccy off near the hitchin' post, and says to Bill:"You callin' me a cheater with Gord's GoldI, Pilgrim?"geodeticman loosens his six-shooter holster loop, and taps leather, in no particular hurry...."I done said....at.. I mean uhm.. Sundown...is my hands-on favourite....but if'n I COULD take any release, I would take GGI....a knowin' it was not really an album....so you rekin ya wanna ...take that back.... Bill....? women and children are being scurried off ofthe street while geodeticman, otherwise known round these here parts as geo steve.....starts thinking he sounds foolish, and is going off thread... er.. uhm OK then as I said first... the one ALBUM. I would particularly think reperesent his many-hued variety of songs, styles, and that gol-dern rootin-tootin broad-brimmed period..... Sudown!The crowd sighs with relief, sensing the regular geodeticman they know starting to blabberty as normal, and realize he was just funnin'em.

Yup, Bill, you are right, I recognized a release per se, was not the call, just wishfull thinking, Sundown, with DQ, COTS, or ODR mt equal and closest 2nds. lol

~geo steve

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Imagine Sundown as a double album with these selections :) :

Christian Island
Cabaret
Nous Vivons Ensemble
Cotton Jenny
Saturday Clothes
It's Worth Believin'
Your Love's Return
Ten Degrees & Getting Colder
Can't Depend On Love
Borderstone ;)

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

DQ is a good one, also Endless Wire and Summertime Dream.

I really can't decide, but IMHO any album of Gord's beats any album by anyone else! :biggrin:

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

I could not be without Harmony. This CD is a testament that GL's songwriting ability has not diminished.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

"Shadows" is my personal favorite. I'd pick that one if I had to choose.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

East Of Midnight (don't see how I survived without it) and Waiting For You.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Sundown. I love the song and I love the album. The song was what made me a fan of Gord's music when I was a mere child of 10. The CD was the first thing I ever had the man autograph as an adult. I love all the songs on this album, and if I could only listen to those 10 songs for the rest of my life, I would be happy. In fact, I think I'll put it in right now and have a listen.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

I probably don't know enough to make a decision, but I used to really like that harmony cd. I bought 3 and gave away 2 so far. I thought he was on this wonderful spiritual journey... Now, I don't feel like playing it anymore and life on earth is back to normal.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Isn't this question like trying to choose a favorite finger???
I know I have grown to love all of his albums, seriously. My favorite still has to be "Salute". It's the first one I ever had him sign the first time I met him in 1999.
The song "Tatoo" is one of my all-time favorites.

Re: The "one" Gordon Lightfoot album you could never do without!
 

Hi Kelly,
I just read your post this morning and thought it very interesting that you would mention Tattoo. Never in my life had I felt so strongly about getting a tattoo until last night. I don't know why, but I suddenly was feeling a tattoo on my chest of a dove with it's wings outstretched flying right at you.
(Probably won't get the tattoo, no one would see it anyway except maybe a mammography technician.)