All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Gordon Lightfoot (vocals, acoustic guitar); Charlie McCoy (guitar, harmonica, celesta, bells); Laurice Milton Shea, David Rae, Hugh McCracken, Red Shea, Bruce Langhorne (guitar); Herb Lovelle (drums); Kenneth A. Buttrey (percussion).

Audio Remixers: Elliot Mazer; Gordon Lightfoot.

Liner Note Author: Colin Escott.

Photographers: Michael Ochs; Charles Steiner; Barry Feinstein; Jim Marshall .

THE UNITED ARTISTS COLLECTION, which includes every original track from Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot's first four albums, will prove illuminating to those who only know Lightfoot from his biggest hits, most of which came a bit later. The Canuck troubadour's folk roots are more obvious on his early recordings; that's not to say that there's anything traditionally folkie here by any means, since the material resembles a more pop-minded version of fellow Canadians Ian & Sylvia. It becomes quickly apparent that Lightfoot was a gifted writer straight out of the gate; the ironic diffidence of "For Lovin' Me" and the mixture of classic and modern imagery on the heartrending signature song "Early Mornin' Rain" are just the tip of the iceberg in this respect. The working-class rabble-rouser "Boss Man" and the socially conscious "Black Day in July" stand to prove that Lightfoot was always about more than just love songs. While this is not a comprehensive collection (you'll have to look elsewhere for "Sundown," "If You Could Read My Mind," etc.), you couldn't ask for a better document of Lightfoot's formative period.