Gordon Lightfoot
Old Dan's Records

THE REVIEW

"Old Dan's Records", uhm... it's not easy to talk about this record; it's easy to draw hasty and erroneous conclusions. It needs to be listened to once, twice, a hundred times before understanding its true dimension; initially, I labeled it as a shadowy area amidst a triumph of sparkling lights; it is indeed an album of lower quality compared to its predecessors and successors, but it is not the weak link in the chain, simply a respectable transition album, far from being devoid of value; it requires commitment and patience and is therefore not recommended for hurried and distracted listeners.

The biggest flaw of this album is undoubtedly the personality, the charisma: the comparison with the eclectic and multifaceted "Summer Side Of Life" is ruthless, "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Don Quixote" overshadow it in freshness and inspiration; "Old Dan's Records" has a dull, almost dusty and subdued sound, and at first listen, only two songs manage to strike the listener: the usual and always fun unpretentious country/folk up-tempo "You Are What I Am" and the very elegant orchestral piano-ballad "That Same Old Obsession," which vaguely recalls the style of the previous album "Don Quixote," undoubtedly the best song of the bunch.

For the rest, "Old Dan's Records" offers a mostly acoustic, fairly straightforward folk, with no surprises and not excelling in creativity, although admirable and well-played: after a few listens, one can fully appreciate the cheerful "It's Worth Believing" and the tender and delicate ballad "Mother Of A Miner's Child"; apart from these songs, there remains a handful of decent minor episodes; the lively title track is listenable but decidedly feels already heard and unoriginal, as does "Hi'way Songs," which could easily be an outtake from "The Way I Feel" or "Back Here On Earth," the remaining "Farewell To Annabel," "Can't Depend On Love," "Lazy Mornin" and "My Pony Won't Go" develop a blurred, bluesy sound that will be focused more inspiringly and convincingly in the subsequent album "Sundown."

Among the seven wonders of Gordon Lightfoot from 1970-1976, "Old Dan's Records," the fourth album that stands exactly halfway through the cycle, is certainly the least successful: it's a kind of embryonic "Sundown," after three works of the caliber of "If You Could Read My Mind," "Summer Side Of Life," and "Don Quixote," after all, a drop in inspiration is more than legitimate, and in any case, this is far from a bad album: if listened to without haste and once in a while, it is overall pleasant and balanced. A full pass, with an honorable mention for "That Same Old Obsession" and "Mother Of A Miner's Child".