Record basics

Album name: Gord’s Gold
Artist name: Gordon Lightfoot
Year: 1975
Number of discs: two
Label: Reprise Records
Collection: Selman
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Scratched into side one of LP: 2RS 2237-31958-3 X
- Scratched into side two of LP: 2RS 2237-31959-B
- Scratched into side three of LP: 2RS 2237-31960-2 X
- Scratched into side four of LP: 2RS 2237-31961-B
Buy it on Amazon: $25.00

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never listened to this Gordon Lightfoot compilation before, but it will be the fourth of his records that I review. The previous three were:

Back Here On Earth (1968): 3/5
Classic Lightfoot: The Best of Lightfoot / Volume 2 (1975): 2/5
Summertime Dream (1976): 2/5

What I expected

Soft rock, folk rock, country.

What it was actually like

This compilation was far too long, but some of it was actually good, especially the parts that had more of a country sound. For example, I liked I’m Not Sayin’/Ribbon of Darkness, For Lovin’ Me/Did She Mention My Name and Bitter Green better than most.

I also enjoyed Sundown, a country song with an electric guitar solo that was pretty good, and Steel Rail Blues, a folk style country song that was the record’s most Dylanesque, particularly its Dylan-style “hee ee hee” laugh.

Old Dan’s Records was an ok country song with banjo that I liked, but its bad drumming ruined it. Summer Side of Life also made good use of banjo.

The record’s best song was Cotton Jenny, an up tempo country rock track that had almost an R&B quality to it, with solid harmonica.

Song for a Winter’s Night used jingle bells and sounded like a folk Xmas carol.

Affair on 8th Avenue was quite a boring folk song; Beautiful was probably the most boring on the record; Softly, as could be surmised from its name, was soporific.

If You Could Read My Mind was probably the worst song on the record because of its orchestral violin-dominated backing sound.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Gord’s Gold by Gordon Lightfoot (Vinyl record album review)