One walks into Gordon Lightfoot's albums with shaded eyes, waiting to catch him finally running out of the melodies around which he builds his simple, pleasant songs. He's been doing the same wonderful things for so long, with such a large following, that it must seem unnecessary for him to put great effort into his records. Yet his meticulously constructed tunes and arrangements never fail to lift you from the doldrums. At this point, Lightfoot may be more artisan than artist, but like a handmade piece of furniture, his work remains strong and sturdy.

Summertime Dream continues his uncanny ability to furnish his lyrics with melodies and choruses that are both danceable and hummable. He pauses only once per side for gentle "messages." "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a tradition-steeped folk narrative that tells of a freighter sinking in Lake Superior last November, and "Protocol" skillfully lashes at wars and their causes. Songs like these are now more exceptions than the rule for Lightfoot, but that matters little. It's hard to argue and hum at the same time.

- Billy Altman, Rolling Stone, 8/12/76.

Bonus Reviews!

There is a literati in popular music, a group of people with refined musical taste, education, and judgement, and my contention is that Gordon Lightfoot is at the head of it just keeps getting more plausible with every record he makes. Lightfoot imposes increasingly tougher standards upon himself, and his albums consistently add poetry to the mostly commercial form in which he works. In short, he keeps adding songs to that precious five or so per cent of everything new that is worth keeping.

Not the least of its achievements is that it manages -- according to my grasp of the whole of it -- to wish the other person well, to realize how complicated it is for all of us (most of us?) to confer more dignity, wish less guilt, lend a little encouragement. That's extremely hard to without fawning or sounding stuffy; it's much easier to cheer our side than boo theirs. The songs have a variety of interior messages of their own, of course, and so many of them are superb that I hate to single out any. "Never Too Close," though, with its sense of what to remember about a so-called "failed" relationship -- "That is all right/ We meant no one harm" -- and with the nice surprises in the way it is constructed, is hard to beat. Most of the songs talk in common language edited in that expert, subtle way that makes it elegant; the melodies are both simple and fresh, and the instrumentation (no strings this time) is notably free of frills and gewgaws. A man like Lightfoot, and an album like this, can cut through the cynicism we've understandably fortified ourselves with and show us the popular song can actually amount to something.

- Noel Coppage, Stereo Review, 10/76.

Lightfoot remains one of the few able to match words and music with a flair for the kind of material demanded by contemporary AM and FM, while at the same time retaining his strong base in folk. LP here is a series of soft love ballads, tales of missing ships, and melodic songs covering a variety of areas. Acoustic/electric mix on the instrumentals works well on a set that features basically simple yet tasteful backing. Best of all, however, are the songs and singing the songs showing that there are still writers who are more interested in good material than cashing in on immediate commercial trends, the singing as powerful as any other vocalist today. Peaceful slant to most of LP. Best cuts: "Race Among The Ruins," "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald," "I'll Do It Again," "The House You Live In," "Summertime Dream," "Too Many Clues In This Room."

- Billboard, 1976.

Due to Lightfoot's tendency to re-record his hits when preparing compilations (the warning "caveat emptor" applies to the two volumes of Gord's Gold ), this is the only place to find the original version of his number two "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." * * *

- William Ruhlmann, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Summertime Dream has "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and a wide variety of song styles. * * * *

- James Person, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

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