Give an artist a break, and let them break away from the routine once in a while, if that were the case. The cover photo was a give-away of what was to come.
I would almost venture that a 21-year old record executive "wonder-kind" thought that this "old" man should be put in a white suit, become adult comtemporay, have a diffent band and sound, forget about his roots, and then be shuffled off to Vegas and points beyond. Throw out the scarfs, play this "hip" music, and you can stay a star.
Nonetheless, whether this was a record label attempt to pressure a performer to produce more units, or not, there were a number of songs that only Lightfoot could have pulled off, despite the record company's misguided intentions and complete change of musical direction. All my himself, he fooled them, or made them look like fools.
A Lesson in Love, Anything for Love, A Passing Ship, I'll Tag Along, and East of Midnight, they are good stuff, and yet, they add another dimension to the performer.
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restless shadows
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