The photo above comes from Paul Metsa‘s Facebook page, where he says, “This photo says it all. This dog, laying next to Gordon Lightfoot’s casket, is named Taurus. He belonged to one of Gordon’s crew members, travelled with the band, and sat right offstage while Gordon performed. He and Gordon forged a deep bond and when he and the crew member showed up to the funeral Taurus sidled up to the coffin and laid down. Gordon loved dogs and obviously they loved him back. So beautiful.”
Link To Album on Apple | Amazon | Spotify | Official Store
The final album from revered Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away on May 1, 2023, at age 84, simply entitled At Royal Albert Hall will be released on July 14th, via Linus Entertainment, the Canadian independent label that released Lightfoot’s last studio album with his band, Harmony, in 2004.
Recorded live in concert in London England at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall on May 24, 2016, the double album set is an unembellished live mix of that night’s performance, without edits, overdubs, remixing, or re-sequencing. It captures every song performed in the order they were played, right down to the encore, by Gordon and his band – Rick Haynes on bass, Barry Keane on drums, Mike Heffernan on keys, and Carter Lancaster on guitar. It features Lightfoot’s best-known hits, and songs never previously appearing on a live album, including “The Watchman’s Gone”, “Sea of Tranquility”, “Now And Then”, “All The Lovely Ladies”, “Drifters”, “Beautiful”, “Did She Mention My Name”, “Sweet Guinevere”, “Never Too Close”, “Don Quixote”, “Minstrel of the Dawn”, “I’d Rather Press On” and “Waiting For You”.
After 50 years of hit making and with international album sales well into the multi-millions, Gordon Lightfoot is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, his songs have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Barbara Streisand, and hundreds of others. His own recordings of “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway”, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “Sundown” are still among the most performed songs on radio in North America.
A lifetime spent performing live with his band, Gordon Lightfoot singled out London’s Royal Albert Hall as one of his favorite venues. In the final weeks prior to his passing on May 1, 2023, Gordon Lightfoot insisted that this live album be released as soon as possible, approving the cover artwork, and making it clear that no changes were to be made to the recording.
Track Listing:
Disc One
The Watchman’s Gone (4:38)
Sea of Tranquility (3:34)
Now and Then (3:22)
All The Lovely Ladies (3:05)
Drifters (3:27)
A Painter Passing Through (4:11)
Christian Island (1:59)
Rainy Day People (2:07)
Shadows (3:15)
Beautiful (3:02)
Carefree Highway (2:22)
Did She Mention My Name (1:37)
Ribbon of Darkness (1:41)
Sundown (3:43)
Disc Two
Sweet Guinevere (2:40)
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (6:50)
Never Too Close (3:04)
Don Quixote (4:15)
Minstrel of the Dawn (2:41)
I’d Rather Press On (3:32)
Let It Ride (4:12)
If You Could Read My Mind(3:59)
Restless (3:50)
Baby Step Back (3:44)
Early Morning Rain (4:11)
Waiting For You (3:33)
