POLL: Best overall segment from BBC Live '71

[jj]

Hey, how do I delete this? Just remembered you can only have 10 choices using the poll feature...accidentally hit enter

.oh well, go ahead and choose (I meant it to be a single response but since the poll feature fizzled, you can choose up to 5 max but please rank them) away anyhow and giving brief reasons would be interesting


Summer Side of Life
Saturday Clothes
For Loving Me/Did She Mention
Affair On Eighth Avenue
If You Could Read My Mind
Steel Rail Blues
Your Love's Return
Ten Degrees And Getting Colder
Early Morning Rain
Farewell To Nova Scotia
Miguel
Me And Bobby McGee
Nous Vivons Ensemble
Minstrel Of The Dawn
Talking In Your Sleep
Canadian Railroad Trilogy

[RM]

Originally Posted by jj

Hard choice!

Indeed.....but I'll go with Me And Bobby Magee simply for the quirky reason that he pronounced Salinas correctly, unlike the version on the SDYS album.

[Auburn Annie]

Affair On Eighth Avenue - in gorgeous voice for this
Farewell To Nova Scotia - best version I've heard, lots of energy
Miguel - always loved the guitar work on this
Me And Bobby McGee - actually prefer it to Kris' version (sorry, Char)
Nous Vivons Ensemble - so seldom heard

Heck, it's ALL primo Lightfoot

[niffer]

Okay, here goes:

For Lovin' Me - I know Gord has called it "cringe-worthy," but the guitar work is so beautiful and his voice is so effortlessly gorgeous that I still love to hear it.

If You Could Read My Mind/Minstrel of the Dawn - Two of my absolute favorites that he always knocks out of the park.

Farewell Nova Scotia - Because I had never heard this one before.

Miguel - I love the song, and I loved him talking about "The Highwayman."

Nous Vivons Ensemble - I didn't know that he speaks no French at all. From what I remember from high school, his pronunciation was actually pretty good.

I realize that by putting two songs together I snuck an extra one in, and I hope that no one will hold that against me.

[charlene]

I can't pick! Each time I view it I love each one more. That's when I can get passed his lips..lol
I'd think he could speak a bit of French-perhaps not a lot of sentences but would have some memory (as I do) of some words/verbs but not enough to actually converse fluently with anyone from France or Quebec.. The Parisian translation could be different than the Quebecoise version...I love that song and his French is quite good.
Then he does another Canadian/regional song - Farewell...taht's a trerrific song and he does a splendid job..considering that down east they'd have some major fiddling going on...
And as I've said before - I have never found "For Lovin' Me" to be anything but a guy telling the truth...and now you can decide what you want do do about it.. he's boastful in it claiming he'll have a thousand 'fore I'm through' but truthful., so be warned..lol
The vocals are as effortless as the guitar playing...it's all glorious!

[Unsettled 1]

Farewell Nova Scotia, because I too have never heard it. Also loved Miguel and 10 Degrees, but it's all perfection.

[Dave, Melbourne,Australia]

My favourite segments are:
Your Love's Return (Never took much notice of this excellent song and now I can't find my CD of IYCRMM!)
Summer Side Of Life (better than the original and Gord's strumming is mesmerising)
Steel Rail Blues (amazing control in those vocal gymnastics)
Talking In Your Sleep (Great to see a live version, including the soft chant)
Affair On Eighth Avenue (Still can't believe it was the song dropped from "Gord's Gold" for the CD version)
Highlights overall include Red's lightning fretwork, Gord's vocals at their peak and the band's ability to equal and exceed studio originals of a couple of albums I had underappreciated.

[Rob1956]

It's been said here before, but it'd be great if we could get the '72 Made In Chicago on YouTube also. In that performance he threw in some songs from DQ and ODR. I think he concluded with Patroit's Dream.

[Lisa J]

Originally Posted by charlene

I can't pick! Each time I view it I love each one more. That's when I can get passed his lips..lol...

it's all glorious!

Haha! I am having the exact same problem! Man, those lips. Are we the only two who can't take our eyes off them?

I agree, the whole thing is glorious.

As for my rankings...

Farewell to Nova Scotia... This is a beautiful song, sung by a beautiful man with a beautiful voice. nuff said

Miguel...always a favorite of mine

Talking in your sleep...sad song that I have always loved.

Saturday clothes... i listen to that one all the time so it was wonderful to see it live.

Me and Bobby Mcgee.... because his voice sounds great, but also because of his amused smile part way through.

[jj]

interesting responses, much appreciate thus far

i posted the poll after pondering my reply in the main BBC thread:

"we do get one small victory when they show Red's work (without being blocked by Gord's hands or guitar neck) for 20 glorious seconds during For Lovin' Me

if I were to play one clip for a newbie, I would play the For Lovin' Me/Did She Mention My Name one...the trio are top form and the producer is on his game"

i didn't word the poll question so well but by "overall segment" i meant the song choice and the vocal and musical audio but since those two criteria are A1 throughout, it's the choice of optimal video coverage that I've been grading

there is so much intensity lost in those selected long shots and i feel nothing competes with FLM... it's smokin... i think your FLM comment is bang on, char

ok, i am working on selections 2-5....

[formerlylavender]

1. 10 Degrees and Getting Colder - one of my favs-first time hearing it live...loved it!
2. Talking in Your Sleep-another favorite, loved it live, reminds me of my brother
3. Your Love's Return -SO poetic and beautiful - especially live
4. SSOL-love the song, interesting to hear it without the background singing
5. Affair on 8th Avenue-a great one to just close your eyes and get lost in

Great thread idea, jj!

[charlene]

I've been replaying "Your Love's Return", "Talking in Your Sleep" and "10 Degrees and Getting Colder" today..
marvelous!

[Hangdog]

From my perspective of one who tries in vain to sing these beautiful songs, is to pick the song that cannot be reproduced or is the most difficult to reproduce. And the top song for me is Eighth Avenue. Everyone of the tunes here are over the top for me. There is no best. They are all perfect. But 8th Avenue is just somewhere out there in a land that no one can go there except Gord. The song is so solitary..just a voice..and a story.. unforgetable.

Its just too much fantastic Gord in that tune. Great lyrics and Great voice. Thats it. Impossible for any performer to match it.

[redhead]

And the top song for me is Eighth Avenue. Everyone of the tunes here are over the top for me. There is no best. They are all perfect. But 8th Avenue is just somewhere out there in a land that no one can go there except Gord. The song is so solitary..just a voice..and a story.. unforgetable.

Ditto.

So intimate, like I was right there, watching it all unfold.

[2silent2breal]

I reserve the right to change my answers after the next time I watch/listen.Looking at the setlist in advance, some of these are probably not the ones I would have expected:


1. Saturday Clothes-Always liked the song but not one I've had high on my playlist over th years. The guitar work by Red Shea here was exquisite. I am listening to this over and over.
2. Steel Rail Blues-Gord looked like he was having so much fun singing this and though the instrumentation is a little more subdued on this one, Rick Hayne's bass is amazing.
3. Summer Side-I loved the variations and additions in the lyrics. Gord's guitar and vocals were riveting. I know he said in the liner notes for Songbook that this song doesn't work well technically on stage, but I loved it.
4. Early Morning Rain-Red's guitar really set the mood for this song. I can almost feel the rain dripping off my back as the planes roar overhead.
5. Talking in Your Sleep. The instrumentation was able to stand out on this much more than the studio version.


-Mark