PATIENCE REWARDED

Review Score: (10/10)
As a non-folkie, what is it that I like so much about Gordon Lightfoot? - the style of doomed romance underpined with obvious masculinity? (seasoned with an occasional dogged moment of hope?), - the wistful appreciation of nature? - or that smooth, pure, and steady voice (a friend describes on first hearing as "so full of sorrow")? Since the switch to CD's from vinyl eleven years ago, I have waited and watched for this personal favourite to be released and I am grateful to those who have finally put this on the shelves. Impossible to be objective, of course, once an album has settled so deeply into your subconscious as Salute has since it's summer release back in 1983. But for me this is an astonishingly under-rated collection from the great Canadian's life of music (witness the disappointing if tantalising inclusion of only three tracks on the Songbook box set, and even then they missed the best!). From the gritted-teeth exuberance of 'Salute' (- a lot more livin' to do indeed, still the case) to an all-time classic lost-love song - 'Tattoo' - what a gem. "You know time doesn't wait for nobody to find what they're after, it just keeps on rolling on down the deep canyons and through the green meadows into the broad ocean"... and still it doesn't wait.

Perhaps the cause of this album's obscurity is the electronic characteristics of the production, the sheen of synthesisers and gliding electric guitar solos weaving all over the place, more of a 'rock-lite' than a folk sound, but never does Lightfoot compromise either his perfectionism or his melody. A no-brainer for Lightfoot fans, and maybe a great place to start if you're coming from rock and thinking of checking out more mellow sounds. The waiting is over! Salute!!

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