gordon lightfood if you could read mymind

This album fits in very well with the acoustic-based music being made at the turn of the '70s. In addition, there are subtle string arrangements by Randy Newman on two tracks, Nick DeCaro on three.

This trio is expanded on several cuts with Warner/Reprise labelmates Ry Cooder on bottleneck guitar and mandolin, John Sebastian on autoharp, harmonica, and electric guitar, and Van Dyke Parks on harmonium. Lightfoot is accompanied here by his regular band of the time, Red Shea on guitar and Rick Haynes on bass. The entire album is rich in the simple beauty of its folky melodies and personal lyrics. 'If You Could Read My Mind' was not the first track released as a single from this album Lightfoot's recording of Kris Kristofferson's soon-to-be-classic 'Me and Bobby McGee,' the only non-original in this collection, preceded it but barely dented the charts. Its appeal crossed genres and age groups, and its simplicity and acoustic arrangement fit in nicely with the burgeoning singer/songwriter scene then storming the airwaves and record stores.

It seemed as though 'If You Could Read My Mind' was everywhere in the early months of 1971. The single peaked at number five, while the album reached number 12. Originally released as Sit Down Young Stranger in the summer of 1970, this album was reissued under this name a few months later, as the song 'If You Could Read My Mind' began its climb up the pop chart.

Gordon lightfood if you could read mymind