Customer Reviews

Endless Wire

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have always been a fan of Canadian Gordon Lightfoot's music. From the first time I heard Peter, Paul and Mary's wonderful covers of Lightfoot songs like "Early Morning Rain" and "For Loving Me", I knew anyone who could write songs like that was a huge talent. So when I got turned onto his own voice and music I was astonished by just how good he was (and still is). This is a terrific album, one including a number of personal favorites. From the opening number of "Daylight Katy", a pensive number with a interesting backbeat, Gordon reminds of why he is such a perennial favorite. Like most of his releases, each of the included songs is something you smile at as it first comes on because it is a special favorite you always want to hear. From "Endless Wire" itself to "Dreamland", Lightfoot is consistently terrific, and seldom disappoints.

So it is with each of the songs here. My personal favorites are, first, "I Children had Wings", a wonderful albeit somber recollection to any of with children how mightily everyone involved in marital dissolution suffers. The second is "The Circle Is Small", a winsome warning to a lover that he knows about her wandering affections. Lightfoot has always been prolific, and in this sense it is an easy bet to get any of his dozen or so albums produced during the seventies, as they were so consistently terrific that a listener is sure to be pleased what is discovered on the album.

In fact, if one listens to all of the similarly terrific albums Lightfoot put out over a seven or eight-year period one comes up with literally dozens and dozens of wonderful and memorable songs that could fill several double albums. This guy was far more prolific than anyone else producing work in the sixties and seventies. Buy this album, and after listening to it for a week or so you will be back for "Sundown", "Summertime Dream", "Cold On The Shoulder" and "If You Could Read My Mind". They are all great. Enjoy this one of a kind artist and his amazingly consistent flood of terrific and appealing mainstream folk albums.

Through the years, Lightfoot's lyrics are like old friends, and the sincerity of his delivery is even more moving and refreshing at the turn of the century than it was a generation ago. I especially love this album. It contains a mixture of his story songs,("Daylight Katy" and "Sweet Guinevere" are lovely) and the beginnings of his evolution to his more autobiographical, more urgent, more haunting style, ("Songs the Minstrel Sang","Endless Wire"). "If Children had Wings" is probably his most underrated song. It is worth the price of the album to have access to its lyrics. Enjoy! Endlessly

By the time Endless Wire came out in 1978, Canadian folk-pop singer/songwriter/guitarist Gordon Lightfoot had been on a seven-year-roll of exquisite recordings and larger-than-life status in his native land. So he shook things up just a bit, bringing a gentle electric guitar sound to the proceedings and more strings. Not everybody liked it, of course, but I sure did, because his songwriting and arranging skills were still amazingly consistent. So we get Daylight Katy, a wonderful mid-tempo composition, the whistle-along-with-the-guitar-melody of Dreamland and the poignant, wispy If Children Had Wings. Listen to the lyrics on this latter track; they're definitely autobiographical.

Here's an interesting tidbit on the album: in his book Lightfoot: If You Could Read His Mind, author Maynard Collins says of Endless Wire: "the proceedings were stormy and continued what was to become yet another repetitive pattern, that of throwing away expensive tapes and re-recording material until he was totally satisfied." Well, when Lightfoot was finally satisfied, so was I. I'll have Endless Wire in my collection forever.

Gordon Lightfoot is one of the greatest composers of his genre. This album is for anyone who is a fan of his genius. He's changed gears slightly from his prior album, Summertime Dream, but again he's scored a winner. Ballads ala Gordo, play on! My favorite song on this album is, Endless Wire.

Gordon Lightfoot's delivery is always easy to listen to, even on the faster songs. He's warm and comfortable, like a favorite flannel shirt. This album is no exception. While it may lack any songs that I would call masterpieces, most of them are thoroughly enjoyable.

There are three out of ten that I sometimes skip: "Songs the Minstrel Sang" just bores me, because it seems ordinary. It's not beautiful or exciting or inspirational or sad or funny or anything that most of his other songs are. "Sometimes I Don't Mind" is unusual, in that it uses a string section that tries to sound disco without really succeeding. Actually, I wouldn't like it any better if it did succeed. Lightfoot seems to think the title song is one of his best pieces of work, since he recorded it again for his Greatest Hits vol.2, but I disagree. I know it's unique in its varying tempo and alternate major/minor keys, but somehow it just doesn't work for me.

Having said that, I want to emphasize that I really like the rest of the album. My favorites are "Daylight Katy", "Dreamland", and "If Children Had Wings." A memorable radio moment is "The Circle Is Small", which embodies some of Gordon's best background vocals, and that trademark 70's guitar work, so mellow and sweet. Overall, 7 keepers and 3 skippers is pretty good. Besides, most other reviewers seem to disagree with
me about the skippers, so I'd say definitely give this album a listen. All of Lightfoots albums are worth the money, if you ask me.

Normally I don't dwell on what others say in these reviews. I focus on the music itself. In this case though, I have to make an exception. The negative reviews on this stun me. The basic conclusion I draw is that those who don't like this album just want their favorite artist to churn out the same album over and over again. Deviate just a bit, and the knives come out. From reading some of these reviews you'd think Gord went heavy metal or Las Vegas on us. Instead a couple of songs feature very tasteful electric guitar and, in other cases, some gorgeous strings. For those contemplating buying this record, I would just say listen to each sample; you'll quickly see how powerful a piece of work this is. The classic Lightfoot sound is well represented here in majestic pieces such as Dreamland, Sometimes I Don't Mind, Sweet Guinevere, If Children Had Wings, and If There's a Reason. Daylight Katy is one of the most memorably melodic tunes GL has ever written (and he's written dozens). Hangdog Hotel Room puts a smile on my face every time I hear it. Despite what one person has said here, the re-write of The Circle is Small is a tour de force -- preserves what was great about the original and adds some musical depth. Songs the Minstrel Sang is a sprightly romp that conjures up Gordon's great tune, Don Quixote. I am in awe of the talents of Gordon Lightfoot. Every album has so much to offer. This is absolutely on par with his very best. Give it a try.

Quite an enjoyable CD, especially fine rendering of an earlier Lightfoot tune "The Circle is Small" ...it gives me chills every time I hear it. "Daylight Katy, and another favorite "Endless Wire" are here also. Worth having.

This album is often criticized by fans who wished for a continuation of the hits contained on earlier records. I always thought that this album included some of Lightfoot's best, and most interesting, songs. I like to play Lightfoot's music on the guitar and a lot of these songs, particularly the title tune and "Daylight Katy", are just fun to play. The album also included one of Lightfoot's best compositions, "If Children Had Wings". Sure, "Songs The Minstrel Sang" is a dud. But it is really the only one. Not his best, but far from his worst, and well worth picking up.

Gordon Lightfoot released a string of superb albums from 1970-6, beginning with If You Could Read My Mind through Summertime Dream. This album, the followup to Summertime Dream, unfortunately, snaps this string of great releases. From this point onward, future album releases would vary in consistency (and would also be less frequent). On Endless Wire, the songs--while most are pleasant enough--lack a certain drive, and the same can be said for the vocals. The songs themselves tend to get overwhelmed by the arrangements: the strings are well to the fore, as is electric piano. Occasionally, the songs manage to rise above this: the title track is a good example, as is "If There's A Reason" (which is basically the same musical structure as Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home," with a bridge added), and "Dreamland." However, one of his most moving compositions, "If Children Had Wings," gets buried under strings, electric piano and pedal steel guitar, and another nice song, the cleverly-written "Daylight Katy", is likewise overwhelmed by the arrangement, coupled with a less-than-spirited sounding vocal.

The musicianship itself is up to the usual high standard: Lightfoot on 6-string and 12-string guitars, Rick Haynes sharing bass duties with Tom Szczesniak, Terry Clements on lead guitar, Pee Charles on pedal steel, and Barry Keane on drums and percussion. Doug Riley provides the keyboards and string arrangements, and Jack Zaza--who did the beautiful recorder work on "Circle of Steel" from the Sundown album--appears on woodwinds and other instruments.

One of the best attributes of the previous album, Summertime Dream, was that it was beautifully under-produced, allowing the songs to shine. On Endless Wire, the songs--which, taken as a whole, are not up to the standard of those on Summertime Dream anyway--often get lost in overproduction.

Endless Wire is not necessarily a bad album--it's pleasant enough--but there are many better Gordon Lightfoot albums out there.

As with all authors or music writers, when they produce a book or an album it is THEIR story or THEIR song, it is what they offer the world at that place and that time. It just amazes me as to how many people read the book or listen to a particular song and outright reject it. To me it would be like someone giving you a gift and you take one look at it and give it back. Wow.....that takes guts. What would your mother say?
If you dont like the cd, dont buy it, pass it up. But dont ruin the experience for other people. Endless Wire is a good cd, bottom line. It is a gift the Gordon spent a lot of time on and I for one will enjoy it today and for a long time to come. I have listened to Gordon through good times and bad, his songs always gave me something to think about. I am so glad that momma taught me to think for myself and not to follow the crowd, those with a sheep mentality wont ever hear this cd so it wont matter, so for all you sheep keep being led by others but if you are a free thinker then listen to this album with an open heart and mind and enjoy it for what it is.