One might be skeptical about a batch of Gordon Lightfoot demos that date back to the early 2000's that have laid dormant. Even with his status as one of our pillars of songwriting, by that time it had been a couple of decades since he'd written a classic, and given his dearth of releases since, this had the whiff of finding something, anything new to issue. Plus these are unadorned, just him and his guitar, with no original intention to put them out.
A quick first listen did little to change that opinion. The songs slid by casually, with familiar Lightfoot chord patterns and melodies, his voice in pretty good shape (much better than after his serious illnesses), but without anything grabbing your attention. But that is not the way to approach demos, and not the way to think about later-life Lightfoot. And it would only take one more listen to get into the spirit of this set, and realize the power in the songs.
This isn't a Nebraska-type demo set. Springsteen was performing when he did those, adding darkness and mystery to his characters (and some effects and overdubs too). Lightfoot's demos are one pass at the song, and these are lyrics of emotion, personal thoughts, reminiscences, him still figuring it all out at 60-plus. He wasn't writing about shipwrecks or trains or pussywillows, nothing stirring our national pride. These are questions, mirrors on the soul, and an invitation to read his mind.
These aren't confessional, or at least not obviously so. Often it's unclear what he's trying to say, but that is nothing new with Lightfoot. It's not a lack of ability of course; he's holding some clarity back, avoiding the precise language that will give away the most personal details. But we know how he feels: "The road I chose was not all it should be/But sometimes it was oh so sweet." And from "Return Into Dust," he tells us "They said, 'seek and ye shall find.' All I ever found was this trouble in my mind."
There are newer recordings on the set, obvious from the vocal differences, but not marred, just more fragile. There's no reduction in the quality of the writing, although they are a bit more carefree, a better time in life one could suppose. "Easy Flo" is certainly one of them, a love song, a contented Lightfoot. That's a rarity though; his restlessness rears up even in his golden years. In "Just A Little Bit," where he bemoans the safe path: "Do you ever get tired of the old routine/Do y'ever get tired of the old blue jeans, just a little bit."
Lightfoot has written off writing any more, saying it's too time-consuming, and he'd rather keep doing shows and spending time with his family. Maybe this set will lead to more closet-cleaning, and perhaps a reevaluation of some of the later albums in his career. Since for many of us life is less hectic right now, it's a perfect time to listen closely, especially to the masters.
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