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Gordon Lightfoot - Cold on the Shoulder Audio CD

A fair review of the Gordon Lightfoot "Cold on the Shoulder" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Gordon Lightfoot reviews here, or go back to the Gordon Lightfoot tabs.

Gordon Lightfoot Band: Gordon Lightfoot
Title: Cold on the Shoulder
Rating:
Release Date: 1994-06-28
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Bend in the Water 2: Rainy Day People 3: Cold on the Shoulder 4: Soul Is the Rock 5: Bells of the Evening 6: Rainbow Trout 7: Tree Too Weak to Stand 8: All the Lovely Ladies 9: Fine as Fine Can Be 10: Cherokee Bend 11: Now and Then 12: Slide on Over

gord's great!
He has such great ability to capture moments in time with suttlty and brilliance. Gordon Lightfoot's "cold on the shoulder" is a masterpiece of lyrical verse. This cd features his signature sound-lush melodies with strings orchestrated with guitar and precussion. His song writing is pure. His singing is direct. . and he doesnt seem stale or old here. Great songs from a great talent!!.


Cold on the Shoulder
A must CD for all those "Rainy Day People". Gordon Lightfoot could melt butter with his voice.


Not So Rainy A Day For Gordon
' Not his best album/CD but enough to keep the Lightfoot fans still wanting more. In '75 Gordon Lightfoot released his eleventh album, 'Cold On The Shoulder', a -12 track- collection containing such memorable songs as; 'Rainy Day People', 'All The Lovely Ladies' and 'Cherokee Bend.


Mediocre At Best
I have been a Gordon Lightfoot aficionado for nearly 37 years and during that time I have heard most of what he has done, but I never stumbled across Cold On the Shoulder when digging through the bins at favorite record stores. Somehow I missed this one when it was issued and maybe there is a reason I did. Oh, I'd heard Rainy Day People, but it never occurred to me to seek out the album it must have come from.
Recently, I looked at the listings here on amazon to see if there was anything new from Lightfoot I'd been missing. That's when I discovered Cold On the Shoulder and a couple of other albums I'd missed. So after perusing the reviews, I ordered a couple of them.
Well, to each his own, but with all the great albums Gordon Lightfoot has made, I don't see how anyone could consider Cold On the Shoulder to be one of his finest. Its not a bad album and certainly not his worst album, but it comes no where near the lyrical genius of such masterpieces as Don Quixote, Summertime Dream, Summer Side of Life, or even his earliest work! I do think it is better than some of Lightfoot's glaringly commercial work, but beyond that Cold On the Shoulder is mediocre at best.
On this CD as on most Lightfoot CDs, the vocals and musicianship are flawless. What detracts for the most part are the lyrics and even the melodies. They just are not up to his usual standards. Even the liner notes are flimsy and substandard.
Still, there is something to like here even for the most discriminating fan. I like Rainy Day People, the title cut, All the Lovely Ladies, and the trademark story song that redeems the album, Cherokee Bend.
Cold On the Shoulder will appeal most to Lightfoot completeists and to his staunchest fans. If you are new to the music of Gordon Lightfoot I would recommend that you start with one of the albums I mentioned earlier in the review in place of this. That way, you'll know in advance the greatness he is capable of.


Challenging--but well worth the effort
The same musicians appear: Lightfoot on rhythm 12 and 6 string guitars (as well as a bit of piano); Red Shea and Terry Clements on lead guitars; John Stockfish and Rick Haynes sharing the bass duties; and Jim Gordon on drums. When you first glance at the credits of Cold on the Shoulder, it would be easy to think Gordon Lightfoot decided to simply repeat the formula of his previous album Sundown (which was a sizeable commercial success). Lenny Waronker, once again, is the producer. The only change of any significance is the addition of Pee Wee Charles on pedal steel guitar, who would remain with the regular touring band through the mid 1980s.

But Cold on the Shoulder is no mere rehash of Sundown. Whereas Sundown's overall motif was restlessness and movement, Cold on the Shoulder is a much more introspective album. The underlying motif of Cold on the Shoulder is essentially "on the outside looking in"--even the cover reflects that concept.

That isn't to say it's a depressing album--it opens and closes with two very fun, upbeat songs ("Bend in the Water," and "Slide on Over"). However, there is a certain amount of sadness, of melancholy which touches many of the songs here--perhaps this is why Lightfoot has been quoted as saying the album is "a little uptight. "

There are some beautiful songs to be found here: "Rainy Day People," "As Fine as Fine Can Be," and the underrated "A Tree Too Weak to Stand," as well as one of his best "story-songs" ("Cherokee Bend"). For anyone who has ever experienced those first pangs of disquiet in a relationship, you'll rarely hear those feelings expressed any better as they are in "Now and Then. " The album also includes what is arguably the very best of what I call the "observational" songs--"All the Lovely Ladies. "

The album is beautifully produced, and the musicianship--as ever--is top notch. This may not be the most accessible of Lightfoot albums: it's definitely not the one to put on if you're in a down mood. That being said, Cold on the Shoulder nevertheless deserves your attention. It is the work of an astonishingly gifted writer, a mature, world-wise artist, who has chosen life--with all of its inherent ups, downs, triumphs, tragedies, laughter, sadness--as his canvas on which to paint. Cold on the Shoulder is one of Lightfoot's overlooked gems.


You can see a complete list of all Gordon Lightfoot discography, or go back to the Gordon Lightfoot tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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