I first heard him in the late-70s.

Appreciation? Matters of taste. And I say this as a gringo whose ancestry is about half Canuck. The baritone vocal is a little too rich for me, the lyrics just relentlessly meaningful, the presentation just a little too sincere. I can't take even one side of an album. Like trying to eat a piece of Death by Chocolate Cake topped with Triple Fudge Buttercream Icing and stuffed with Neutron Star Density Chocolate Pudding. By the 3rd bite I'm feeling kinda full.

His stripped down songs are best for my taste. Like Barrett's Privateers. And, all of the above said, and just to contradict myself, Northwest Passage is One of The Great, Big Songs I'll ever hear. Like reading a novel.

My 2 cents.