Sit Down Young Stranger

Sit Down Young Stranger
Studio album by Gordon Lightfoot
Released April 1970
Recorded Sunwest Studios in Hollywood, California from September to December 1969
Genre Folk
Length 36:44
Label Reprise
Producer Lenny Waronker, Joseph Wissert
Gordon Lightfoot chronology
Sunday Concert
(1969)		 Sit Down Young Stranger
(1970)		 Summer Side of Life
(1971)

Sit Down Young Stranger is Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot's sixth original album and also his best-selling original album. It was released in 1970 on the Reprise Records Label. The album was renamed If You Could Read My Mind shortly after release due to the song of that title reaching number #5 on the chart. The album itself reached #12 on the pop chart.

Contents

History

Sit Down Young Stranger was Lightfoot's first recording for his new label, Reprise Records. He had left United Artists because he believed they did not promote his albums well enough.

On this album, Lightfoot included more orchestration, which is particularly evident on "If You Could Read My Mind". It was also the first studio album to feature long-time Lightfoot bassist Rick Haynes. The orchestration on "Minstrel of the Dawn" and "Approaching Lavender" was arranged by Randy Newman.

The album contained one of the first recorded version of Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster's "Me and Bobby McGee" which had previously been a country hit for Roger Miller would later become a hit for Janis Joplin.

A small number of vinyl copies contain no title. This is because the cover was originally supposed to be just a picture of Lightfoot but it was then thought that stating the title would increase the album's sales. The untitled copies did have a small sticker on the cellophane. It read "Sit Down Young Stranger."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

In his Allmusic review, critic Jim Newsom praised the album, writing "While future albums would begin to drift away from the folky acoustic timbres of this one, the beauty and simplicity of Sit Down Young Stranger make it a timeless recording."[1]

Track listing

All compositions by Gordon Lightfoot; except where indicated

  1. "Minstrel of the Dawn" – 3:26
  2. "Me and Bobby McGee" – 3:38 (Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster)
  3. "Approaching Lavender" – 2:56
  4. "Saturday Clothes" – 3:20
  5. "Cobwebs & Dust" – 3:20
  6. "Poor Little Allison" – 2:30
  7. "Sit Down Young Stranger" – 3:26
  8. "If You Could Read My Mind" – 3:48
  9. "Baby It's Alright" – 2:58
  10. "Your Love's Return (Song for Stephen Foster)" – 3:55
  11. "The Pony Man" – 3:27

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b Newsom, Jim. "Sit Down Young Stranger > Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1803167. Retrieved November 7, 2011. 

External links

Gordon Lightfoot
Band musicians
  • Rick Haynes
  • Terry Clements
  • Red Shea
  • Pee Wee Charles
  • Barry Keane
  • Mike Heffernan
Albums
Compilations
  • Early Lightfoot (1969)
  • The Best of Gordon Lightfoot (1970)
  • Classic Lightfoot (1971)
  • The Very Best of Gordon Lightfoot (1974)
  • The Very Best of Gordon Lightfoot, Vol. 2 (1975)
  • Gord's Gold (1975)
  • Early Morning Rain (1976)
  • Songbook (1985)
  • Gord's Gold Volume 2 (1988)
  • The Best of Gordon Lightfoot (1989)
  • The Original Lightfoot (1992)
  • The United Artists Collection (1993)
  • Songbook (1999)
  • Complete Greatest Hits (2002)
Singles
  • "(Remember Me) I'm the One" (1962)
  • "It's Too Late, He Wins/Negotiations" (1962)
  • "Adios, Adios" (1962)
  • "Day Before Yesterday" (1963)
  • "I'm Not Sayin'" (1965)
  • "Ribbon of Darkness" (1965)
  • "Spin Spin" (1966)
  • "Go Go Round" (1966)
  • "The Way I Feel" (1967)
  • "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (1967)
  • "Black Day in July" (1968)
  • "Bitter Green" (1968)
  • "Me and Bobby McGee" (1970)
  • "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970)
  • "If I Could" (1971)
  • "Talking in Your Sleep" (1971)
  • "Summer Side of Life" (1971)
  • "Beautiful" (1972)
  • "Alberta Bound" (1972)
  • "You Are What I Am" (1972)
  • "The Same Old Obsession" (1972)
  • "Can't Depend on Love" (1973)
  • "It's Worth Believin'" (1973)
  • "Sundown" (1974)
  • "Carefree Highway" (1974)
  • "Rainy Day People" (1975)
  • "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976)
  • "Race Among the Ruins" (1976)
  • "The Circle Is Small (I Can See It in Your Eyes)" (1977)
  • "Daylight Katy" (1978)
  • "Dreamland" (1978)
  • "Dream Street Rose" (1980)
  • "If You Need Me" (1980)
  • "Baby Step Back" (1981)
  • "Blackberry Wine" (1982)
  • "In My Fashion" (1982)
  • "Salute (A Lot More Livin' to Do)" (1983)
  • "Without You" (1983)
  • "Anything for Love" (1986)
  • "Stay Loose" (1986)
  • "East of Midnight" (1987)
  • "Ecstasy Made Easy" (1987)
  • "I'll Prove My Love" (1993)
  • "Waiting for You" (1993)
  • "A Painter Passing Through" (1998)
  • "Inspiration Lady" (2004)