Gordon Lightfoot - your favorite "deep tracks"

I love gordon lightfoot but only have the Rhino greatest hits and the United Artists collection. Was looking for anyone's input on favorite songs from the catalog that are not on these two compilations. Thanks.

 

Isn't that United Artists collection his first four albums? It's not a compilation, as far as I know. Plenty of deep cuts on there (and all awesome!).

 

Christian Island from the Don Quixote album:

 

In my opinion, the UA tracks are his best work.

 

Lazy Mornin' (how I feel right now )

 

Talking In Your Sleep

 

And something a little more recent (though still more than 20 years old)...

 

"Seven Island Suite" from Sundown.

 

I love the opening track from the "Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind" album: "Minstrel of the Dawn". I don´t know whether this qualifies as a deep track, but it was not included on the box set.

 

Wow...so many I could mention. Here are just a few of my favorite "deep tracks"--followed by their respective LP:

Slide On Over/Cold on the Shoulder
Ordinary Man/Don Quixote
A Lesson in Love/East of Midnight
Sometimes I Wish/Harmony
Poor Little Alison/Sit Down Young Stranger (If You Could Read My Mind)
My Pony Won't Go/Old Dan's Records
A Painter Passing Through/album of the same name--one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, musically and lyrically
Broken Dreams/Salute
Miguel/Summer Side of Life
The Watchman's Gone/Sundown
Protocol/Summertime Dream
Only My Love Would Know/Waiting for You
Always on the Bright Side/Songbook
Canary Yellow Canoe/Songbook

 

CHRISTIAN ISLAND (GEORGIAN BAY)
DRIFTERS
Dreamland
HEAVEN DON'T DESERVE ME
I'D RATHER PRESS ON
I'D DO IT AGAIN
IT'S WORTH BELIEVIN'
KNOTTY PINE
LOOKING AT THE RAIN
MORNING GLORY
ONLY LOVE WOULD KNOW
RAINBOW TROUT
SEVEN ISLAND SUITE
SIXTEEN MILES (to Seven Lakes)
SONG FOR A WINTER'S NIGHT
TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP
TOO MUCH TO LOSE
TRIANGLE
WHISPERS OF THE NORTH

 

My favourite Lightfoot album "Summer Side Of Life" is full of deep tracks!

 

The Rhino collection does a good job of packaging his most well-known songs. All of the compilations prior to this one were unsatisfying in one way or another. Since I was raised on a steady diet of Gordon Lightfoot, there were a lot of other tracks I knew just as well. I put this together as a companion to the Rhino CD. The first four songs are from the United Artists era.

Rich Man's Spiritual
Ribbon of Darkness
Steel Rail Blues
The Way I Feel (Electric)
Me And Bobby McGee
Saturday Clothes
Baby It's Alright
Redwood Hill
Talking In Your Sleep
Alberta Bound
You Are What I Am
My Pony Won't Go
Cherokee Bend
Slide On Over
Summertime Dream
Protocol
Too Many Clues In this Room
Hangdog Hotel Room
Songs the Minstrel Sang
Dreamland
Endless Wire
Blackberry Wine
Triangle

 

"Second Cup of Coffee" from Don Quixote

 

"Too Late For Prayin'" - the last song on Sundown

In February 1974 a four year old girl named Heidi Peterson disappeared from her home in Seattle. The city was plastered with "Where's Heidi" signs for months.

When Gordon played at the Seattle Opera House in May he commented on all the signs and dedicated the song to Heidi. I still think about that moment whenever I hear the song.

Heidi's body was found almost a year after her disappearance.

 

"Home From The Forest" from "The Way I Feel" album 1967

 

I chose one cut from each album from 1970 - 2004

Sit Down Young Stranger
Miguel
Ode To Big Blue
That Same Old Obsession
The Watchman's Gone
Now And Then
Spanish Moss
Dreamland
She's Not The Same
Tattoo
A Lesson In Love
I'd Rather Press On
A Painter Passing Through
Shellfish

 

There are dozens. Here's one of them, not yet mentioned -" A Tree To Weak To Stand", from Cold On The Shoulder:

 

Another good one is the title track from Cold On The Shoulder:

 

Protocal and Boathouse.

 

Saturday Clothes is my favorite Lightfoot song. It really captures the feeling of a Saturday afternoon for me.

 

Seven Island Suite from Sundown.

A truly great feel to that song. Simple sound, somewhat complex time signatures, reflective/life change lyrics...great bass line. Just a superb song.

 

Fully agree...it's not even close for me.

Favorite deep cuts?

Song For A Winter's Night -
Steel Rail Blues
Long Thin Dawn
Walls

 

Movin' (from 1967, not '69 as shown on the YT vid)

http://www.lightfoot.ca/movinrvw.htm

 

I agree completely! My favorite of his albums, and while it's strange to think of a title track as a deep cut, this one totally counts. Remarkable to me that the album immediately following his biggest seller yielded such a relatively tepid response. The 4.8 rating at Amazon is right on the mark I think.

My favorite deep track is also on this album, maybe my second favorite of his songs after The Big One. Not just a great song, but a terrific vocal too.