Harmony (Gordon Lightfoot album)
Encyclopedia
Harmony is Canadian
singer Gordon Lightfoot
's 20th original album. It made #35 on the Independent albums chart.
(Linus/Warner in Canada and SpinART/Ryko in the U.S.). It was an album that almost never happened. Lightfoot had laid down demo tracks for the record not long before he suffered a near-fatal ruptured artery in September 2002. During his recovery, in whose course he lost enough weight for his appearance to become shockingly gaunt, he directed the recording of backing tracks and was well enough by the time it was released to begin touring again. He says in the liner notes: "In the final analysis, the job was what mattered. It was good being preoccupied in a very constructive way with a project in the works; one which would carry itself forward, right up through the artwork and editorial, until its ultimate completion." The album was generally well-received.
All compositions by Gordon Lightfoot. "Shellfish" and "No Hotel" were recorded live in 2001.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
's 20th original album. It made #35 on the Independent albums chart.
History
Harmony was released in May 2004 by Linus EntertainmentLinus Entertainment
Linus Entertainment is a record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The company was started by Geoff Kulawick, who previously was vice president of A&R at Virgin Records/EMI Music Canada....
(Linus/Warner in Canada and SpinART/Ryko in the U.S.). It was an album that almost never happened. Lightfoot had laid down demo tracks for the record not long before he suffered a near-fatal ruptured artery in September 2002. During his recovery, in whose course he lost enough weight for his appearance to become shockingly gaunt, he directed the recording of backing tracks and was well enough by the time it was released to begin touring again. He says in the liner notes: "In the final analysis, the job was what mattered. It was good being preoccupied in a very constructive way with a project in the works; one which would carry itself forward, right up through the artwork and editorial, until its ultimate completion." The album was generally well-received.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, critic James Christopher Monger praised the album but also wrote "By no means as inspired as the classics Summertime Dream and If You Could Read My Mind, Harmony listens like a good book, and fits snugly into the impressive Lightfoot canon."Track listing
- "Harmony" – 3:11
- "River of Light" – 3:48
- "Flyin' Blind" – 2:49
- "No Mistake About It" – 4:03
- "End of All Time" – 3:41
- "Shellfish" – 3:45
- "No Hotel" – 5:54
- "Inspiration Lady" – 3:08
- "Clouds of Loneliness" – 2:52
- "Couchiching" – 3:20
- "Sometimes I Wish" – 3:37
All compositions by Gordon Lightfoot. "Shellfish" and "No Hotel" were recorded live in 2001.
Credits
- Gordon Lightfoot - Vocals, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, SynthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Terry Clements - Guitar
- Red Shea - Guitar
- Bob Doidge - Classical & Hi-string guitar, CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, Panpipes, BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Clay drumClay drumA clay drum is a variety of percussion instrument found in various parts of the world. It may refer to:-Membranophones:*Goblet drum, from the Middle East*Khol, from India*Kus, from Iran*Madal, from Nepal*Mrdanga, from India... - Mike Heffernan - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Synthesizer - Barry Keane - DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Sean O'Grady - Drums
- Rick Haynes - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Raphael Keelan - Background vocals