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Bruce Cockburn

Foust is SO authentic

02:28 / 07.03.03

I'm wondering how many 'lithers have heard of him. He's a rather obscure Canadian folk rocker who dabbles in jazz, occasionally influenced by various world genres. He's not a sonic genius, but his lyrics are always among my favourites.

The best way to sample him is to pick up Waiting For A Miracle, a double-disk set covering almost 20 years worth of singles. There's also Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, a one-disk collection of singles, mostly newer stuff.

As for individual songs, try:

Last Night Of The World - folk rock
Listen For the Laugh - jazzy
Wondering Where The Lions Are - mildly reggae-ish
Rumours of Glory
Dialogue With The Devil

Baz Auckland

02:50 / 07.03.03

Afraid I've only ever heard the Barenaked Ladies do 'Lovers in a dangerous time'. And it's the only song of theirs that doesn't leave me wanting them dead, so it says something for Cockburn.

To me he's one of those Canadian icons like Gordon Lightfoot, where I've never gotten around to hearing them, but I'm sure they're good. I'll have to download some now.

Saint Keggers

02:57 / 07.03.03

Might I suggest the classic If I Had A Rocket Launcher. One of his finest.

moriarty

04:55 / 07.03.03

Lovers in a Dangerous Time and Last Night of the World are my two favourites. They go great together. I could never get behind If I had a Rocket Launcher.

I took my ex to a big benefit show at the Air Canada centre because she wanted to see Barenakedladies, Alanis Morisette, The Tragically Hip and others. I went to see Cockburn.

He put on the only acoustic part of the evening, and the audience was getting restless without their dose of stadium rock. At the end of the night, every band came on stage and played Keep On Rockin' in the Free World. Cockburn played the guitar solos. He destroyed everyone else on the stage with the mighty force of rock.

He should team up with David Suzuki.

Jack Fear

12:59 / 07.03.03

Bruce is great. Very smart man, really right-on, generally years ahead of his time politically: that every anti-globalization protest does not include a rousing chorus of "Call It Democracy" seems to me fundamentally wrong. A killer ear for melody and can play like a motherfucker.

I wrote an article about him, concentrating mostly on his most explicitly political albums (Stealing Fire, World of Wonders and Big Circumstance) for the Barbelith zine; this was about a year ago, but the article has not yet run, and at this rate looks unlikely to...

Although this would be a good time for it, given that someone else has raised the subject... don't ya think? Guys?

Foust is SO authentic

15:57 / 07.03.03

I'd love to see that article, Jack. There seems to be a terrible lack of information and dicussion about this guy on the internet.

He actually had a hand in shaping my political views. Songs like Call It Democracy and The Trouble With Normal helped me look past my middle class existence and made the rest of the world seem much more real.

Jack Fear

16:02 / 07.03.03

It's very much a beginner's guide: A Child's Introduction to Bruce Cockburn, as it were.

Maybe I'll put it up on my blog this weekend... I'll link here, if I do.

Jack Fear

17:28 / 09.03.03

Article here. A little over a thousand words.

Pirate Ven Will Teach You To Lambada (The Forbidden Dance)

18:10 / 09.03.03

I second "...Rocket Launcer".
I honestly can't even remember how any of the other stuff on the album that was off goes.
I don't even remember the title anymore. Been way too long.
Now I'll have to dig it out though, refresh the memories and all that.

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