I'm definitely with the folks who say the early albums are the best.

Vinyl -for me it has to be Lightfoot!--which I used to think was the very first. Look what's on it--Early Morning Rain, Long River, The Way I Feel, Rich Man's Spiritual, 16 Miles, Ribbon of Darkness, For Lovin' Me, Steel Rail Blues, Pride of Man--every one a classic and all by Lightfoot except the last.

Just wonderful, no soupy strings, lean clean arrangements, good stories, good imagery--mostly just 2 acoustic guitars, with a string bass.

Now, unquestionably I'd say the same about the re-issue as top album--because on CD it also now has Canadian Railroad Trilogy, Softly, and Song for a Winter's Night--appears to be a double album.

Interestingly I've read that Gordon himself now denigrates the vinyl Lightfoot---too country?

Even the CD, of course, is missing some classics--they could have taken some of the other out and put in 10 Degrees and Getting Colder--a true under-rated classic

Now he's traded off his Martin
But his troubles are not over
His feet are almost frozen
And the sun is sinking low
Won't you listen to me, brother
If you ever loved your mother
Please pull off on the shoulder
If you're going Milwaukee way
It's 10 degrees and getting colder
Down by Boulder Dam today

Also Back Here On Earth and Did She Mention My Name?, and Christian Island (in addition to the big pop hits Sundown, Edmund Fitzgerald, If You Could Read My MInd (soupy strings and all). Those I like but could live without if necessary--they come on oldies stations from time to time.

Now it looks like I can cherry-pick (already have the CD)--many of the other songs are among the 260 available (with some repeats) on I-Tunes.