•
Rating:
"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".
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Old Dan's Records (03:05)
Get out old Dan's records
Get out old Dan's records
We will dance the whole night long
It's fun to play the old time songs
If old Dan could see us now
I know he'd be so proud
Bring out old Dan's records
Bring out old Dan's records
I remember my Aunt Bea
She'd dance with Dan till two or three
If old Dan could see he now
I know he'd shout out loud
Dig out old Dan's records
Bring out old Dan's records
We're all here, we've all got dates
We'll dance all night to the seventy-eights
If old Dan could see us now
I know he'd be so proud
If old Dan were with us still
I know he'd come around
Get out old Dan's records
Dig out old Dan's records
Back to nineteen thirty-five
The foxtrot, jitterbug 'n jive
If old Dan could see us now
I know he'd be so proud
Get out old Dan's records
Bring out old Dan's records
High above the fireplace
There's a smile on old Dan's face
If old Dan could see us now
I know he'd be so proud
If old Dan were with us still
I know he'd come around
08 It's Worth Believin' (03:24)
There's a warm wind tonight
And the moon turns the tide
When the stars take their ride
She'll be leavin'
Where she goes, I don't know
She won't tell me what it is
That makes her act like this
But I've got a funny feelin' that it's me
It's worth believin'
Should I ask
Do you like to go walking on the shore
And listen to the sea
Or could it be someone kind
Could it be that I'm the fool
There's somethin' wrong with you
And I've got a funny feelin' that it's me
It's worth believin'
There's a breeze from the shore
And the waves overlap
When I've called in the cat
She'll go walkin'
And she cries to herself
In the night when I'm asleep
She lies awake and weeps
Could it be someone new
Some old who has returned
Or is it just a game
But I've got a funny feelin' that it's me
It's worth believin'
There's a warm wind tonight
And the moon turns the tide
When the stars take their ride
She'll be leavin'
Where she goes, I don't know
She won't tell me what it is
That makes her act like this
But I've got a funny feelin' that it's me
It's worth believin'
Loading comments slowly
