RIP Gordon Lightfoot

[M'Wolf]

Thx Mr. D, I
wouldn't have looked them up again, pretty much have them stored in my head'...
Regards peace'out
M'Wolf

 

[twocorgis]

When I was young, "Don Quixote" was one of my favorite albums, and still my favorite release of Gordo's. I used to sing this song to my ex-wife, who is a huge fan, and I'm happy to say that I still love the song.

RIP to a true legend.

 

[Sal]

Totally agree with you Sal, I absolutely love Early Morning Rain, but I also absolutely hate what he did to it in that Gord's Gold remake. The strings & all the other crap - please! His original version on the United Artists album is soooo much better, imho.

Here's a very cool live version from 1969 and BBC Live.

 

[bobouz]

Here's a very cool live version from 1969 and BBC Live.

Yes, very much like the original recorded version! Shea & Haynes were with Gordon for many years, and were present when I saw him live prior to 1974.

 

[Ross]

I was very sorry to hear of his death, although it was not unexpected. About a month ago, he cancelled all his scheduled shows.
Gord was definitely one of my icons, from his first LP release in the 60s. His influence on young folkies, myself included, was huge, and it never waned throughout his career. At my local weekly open stage, there were always a few participants who played Lightfoot songs; year in, year out, the popularity of Gord's material never diminished.

GL played Martin 6s and Gibson 12s. I guess no one ever introduced him to Guilds.

 

[Westerly Wood]

This one, always liked it, so effortless and airy. Just a great song:

 

[Balderdash]

I wanted to post a link to my favorite G.L. song, but then realized that would be impossible - he wrote too many great ones. I'd have trouble paring the list down to a dozen.

RIP, Gordon, and thank you for your music.

Rick, Tom, Westerly,
Agreed. A dozen could qualify as “favorite(s)”.
On board with the hits; Early Morning Rain, Beautiful, Carefree Highway, Canadian Railroad T, Wreck of E F, If You Could Read My Mind.
Some of the gems that you won’t hear on the oldy radio stations, that I still love to play;
Song for a Winters Night
The Pony Man
Steel Rail Blues
Sit Down Young Stranger
Mountains and Marian
Did She Mention My Name
Minstrel of the Dawn
Don Quixote
I had wanted to name only 3. I couldn’t do it…

 

[sailingshoes72]

Tony Rice was a big fan of Gordon Lightfoot's music. He almost always included a GL song on his albums. Eventually, he recorded a whole album of GL's songs... Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot. And now both of them are gone. That's sad. But they sure left us with a lot of great music!

RIP

 

[rmoretti49]

It hurts when someone so central to my experience with guitar passes on. I'll always want to think of him as being out there somewhere, still playing and singing.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Tony Rice was a big fan of Gordon Lightfoot's music. He almost always included a GL song on his albums. Eventually, he recorded a whole album of GL's songs... Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot. And now both of them are gone. That's sad. But they sure left us with a lot of great music!

RIP

Had no idea. Amazing!

 

[twocorgis]

Had no idea. Amazing!

Love both Tony and Gordo, and that was sweet!. I didn't know about that release either, but it's on my phone now.

 

[lungimsam]

Rainy days as a kid in the Baltimore suburbs driving around with Mom on fall/gray days. Rain on the windshield, lookin' at the trees. That haunting voice! It's funny how certain music is remembered in your head to certain days of your life.

 

[richardp69]

Seems like way too many of my song writing/guitar playing heroes are dying thease days. I guess all that means is that I'm getting pretty old. I will miss his material for sure.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee, and I still can't face the day....

 

[Grassdog]

“’Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever" Bob Dylan

 

[DrumBob]

His was a style of music I don't normally listen to, but he was extremely gifted and prolific, and had a great career. "If You Could Read My Mind" is an amazing song.

 

[Brad Little]

Don't think this has been posted already, but nice resource for his songs, and official, too!:
https://lightfoot.ca/lyrics.htm

 

[Westerly Wood]

Might be one of the coolest acoustic songs ever penned. The chorus is just so damn perfect and interesting. This video shows how proficient he was at playing guitar. What a great songwriter! Looks like a Martin D-18. I really dig his lead guitar player, such classic runs in this song. Kind of similar skillset to the dude Croce had...

Here is what's so good about this one song: I can't tell which is better, the music progression or the lyrics. It's like this legendary battle for supremacy and there is no clear winner IMHO. A lot of our fave songs, it's one or the other that will get the nod. The music is more utilitiarian and the lyrics are so awesome, or the music is so killer and the lyrics are mostly filler. But this one, as I listen to it again, the lyrics hit me like a truck, when firstly, I was like, hey, this music progression is top shelf.

 

[HeyMikey]

Might be one of the coolest acoustic songs ever penned. The chorus is just so damn perfect and interesting. This video shows how proficient he was at playing guitar. What a great songwriter! Looks like a Martin D-18. I really dig his lead guitar player, such classic runs in this song. Kind of similar skillset to the dude Croce had...

Here is what's so good about this one song: I can't tell which is better, the music progression or the lyrics. It's like this legendary battle for supremacy and there is no clear winner IMHO. A lot of our fave songs, it's one or the other that will get the nod. The music is more utilitiarian and the lyrics are so awesome, or the music is so killer and the lyrics are mostly filler. But this one, as I listen to it again, the lyrics hit me like a truck, when firstly, I was like, hey, this music progression is top shelf.

I’m with you 100% Woody. Absolutely one of the greatest songs ever penned AND performed. The melody flows seamlessly. The lyrics are emotionally captivating. His voice is rich, yet he sings it with a haunting vibrato that gives it a tenderness and vulnerability. His flawless timing manages the lyrics perfectly. Only one word to describe it… Magical.

 

[Westerly Wood]

On the Johnny Cash show: