When I was still in my teens I picked up Gord's Gold, and it was one of those collections every guitar player seemed to have. It didn't matter if rock and roll was your jam, Gord's Gold transcended genres and was a masterclass in what could be done with the guitar and accompanying vocal. For me this was the penultimate Gordon Lightfoot album (to be fair, it was the only Gordon Lightfoot album I had). When you mention his name, it seems like most people are partial to "Sundown" or his magnificent opus "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," but those weren't my favourite songs. I actively disliked "Sundown" as a kid, and to this day I still have a hard time with the song. Which is a shame, as it's a great song. Whereas "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was enthralling the first time I heard it, and just as quickly wore out its welcome, but if it comes on I won't tune it out. Ah, the summary judgment of youth. Intractable opinions forged in emotion and set in stone. Hard to revise, but not impossible.
I honestly never really thought much about Mister Lightfoot outside of that one essential double album. He had a special place in my heart, but I had what I needed. He was a national treasure and all that, but I didn't need more than what I had.
Time would march on, and then on the first of May 2023, at the age of 84, Mister Gordon Lightfoot shed his mortal coil. Now, despite my love of music and the artists whose work has enriched my life, I am not all that emotionally invested. When I heard of his passing I was like, "Dang, that's a shame. He was awesome," and then went back to whatever I was doing. However, I remembered seeing a couple of his albums in the dollar section recently, so I decided I should take a trip and see what kind of condition they were in. Maybe now was the time to make up for lost time. The albums I found were Summer Side of Life and Sit Down Young Stranger. It was the latter I was most interested in, as I recognized a couple of the songs, particularly "If You Could Read My Mind."
The album jacket was in remarkably good shape, but there was no insert. The record itself was in fair condition and nothing looked too bad, so I was hopeful. It wasn't until I started reading up on the release that I realized I had scored an early pressing, as the cover was just the photograph of Gordon Lightfoot with the Reprise logo in the top right corner. Later pressings would have the album title and artist on the front cover, and then it would again be re-titled If You Could Read My Mind to emphasize the album's big hit. This was a pretty cool score.
What was more impressive was sitting and quietly listening to an album that came out over fifty years ago. With the opening song "Minstrel of the Dawn," it immediately felt like an old friend. This was followed by "Me and Bobby McGee," which featured Ry Cooder on slide guitar and felt like it was recorded in the kitchen with a few friends hanging out having a drink or two. The arrangements were intimate and impeccably played. Red Shea's ability to add colour around the chords and melody is astounding. If those early Gordon Lightfoot albums had a secret sauce, it was Red Shea.
The other surprise here was Randy Newman's string arrangements on "Minstrel of the Dawn" and "Approaching Lavender," which helped those songs to pop. Not that the string arrangements on "Poor Little Allison," "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Your Love's Return" by Nick DeCaro were inferior in any way, it's just that when I first heard Randy Newman it wasn't from 12 Songs (an album that came out the same month and year as Sit Down Young Stranger). I thought he was just a novelty singer who caught grief for "Short People." It wasn't until Trouble in Paradise in '83 that I really got into his stuff. From there, albums like Land of Dreams sealed it for me. Only later did albums like Sail Away and 12 Songs make their way into my collection. So it was a wonderful surprise to see Mister Newman intertwined with Gordon Lightfoot.
But back to Sit Down Young Stranger. I've been completely smitten, if I'm being honest. This is the sound I associate with Gordon Lightfoot. There's a timeless quality to the songs, and the intimate arrangements and performances are spellbinding. Truly. I suppose this was folk or country with pop leanings, but it really sort of defies being pigeonholed. This was a really special album and a great find, and one that has stood the test of time.
The occasional click and pop on the vinyl wasn't distracting at all. It actually served to make this feel more like a lost friend.
All this wonderfulness cost me a buck.
Nice.
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