Description
The Trouble with Normal is the twelfth studio album by the Canadian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bruce Cockburn, released on True North Records in 1983, manufactured and distributed by CBS Records Canada Ltd. The album was recorded between September 1982 and January 1983 by Gary Gray at Manta Sound in Toronto, Canada; with Gene Martynec producing for True North Productions. All songs written by Bruce Cockburn.
Featuring Bruce Cockburn on guitar and vocals backed by a session band consisting of Jon Goldsmith on keyboards, Hugh Marsh on violin and mandolin, Dennis Pendrith on bass and Chapman Stick, Bob Disalle on drums, and Dick Smith on percussion. Track B3 features backing vocals by Colina Phillips, Sharon Lee Williams, and Shawne Jackson.
The Trouble With Normal was included among the Best Albums of 1983 by CCM Magazine, voted number ten (tied with DeGarmo & Key Band’s Mission of Mercy) on a list featuring eleven albums released from the last quarter of 1982 through the last quarter of 1983. – In a yet-to-be-published review, Smith-Newcomb says of ‘The Trouble with Normal’: “Bruce Cockburn has produced more albums over the years than I have fingers, and together they present rich poetry, moving music, and a hint of his sacred journey. Following and elaborating on the directions of his more recent efforts, this great Canadian artist exceeds all expectations with ‘The Trouble with Normal’.”
Remastered CD, True North 2002
Whether you’re a purveyor of catchy ditties aimed specifically at Top 20 sensibilities or a serious artist with a whole heap to say (like our man here), a most precious of commodities is the “hook”, a musical phrase or couplet which instantly leaps out and registers with a casual listener after only one hearing. Such a precious hook is demonstrated on the title track here. Bruce sings, “…the trouble with normal is,” then instantly a chorus of voices shouts back, “it always gets worse!” If this gem sounded dead cool in 1983 (though it’s synth pop production sound has subsequently dated rather badly) purchasers who were drawn to the album on the strength of that catchy hook would have been slightly bemused by «Hoop Dancer», which with its free form poetry and extended solos is about as avant garde as the Canadian songsmith gets. The album is full of songs bristling with righteous anger as the artist witheringly critiques America’s imperialist interventions of the era. Cockburn had been given a book of poetry written by Sandinesta priest Ernesto Cardenal and read it while on holiday in the Canary Islands. These revolutionary poems inspired the songwriter to pen «Tropic Moon», a brooding piece which takes an unflinching look at the US-financed war on Nicaragua, while the Spanish-tinged «Waiting For The Moon» shares a similar tension about the uncertainty of a possible invasion. While politics dominate ‘The Trouble With Normal’ there’s also Bruce (using one of his beloved reggae rhythms) on «Going Up Against Chaos», a tale of lovers caught in the harsh realities of the city. Over Hugh Marsh’s searing violin and Jon Goldsmith’s purposely discordant piano, it hardly makes for easy listening but is profoundly powerful nonetheless. «Candy Man’s Gone» is about having faith in the wrong dreams and «Put Our Hearts Together» – another cut with a neo-reggae groove – Ku Klux Klan’s Grand Dragon and the Rev Ian Paisley get a bit of a lyrical pasting. The remastered version of the album contains two bonus tracks, one of which is «Wanna Dance With You», which originally got left on the shelf with the songwriter eventually recycling some of the lyrics in his songs «Lovers In A Dangerous Time» and «When You Give It Away». Just as interesting is the bonus «Cala Luna», a moody instrumental. The sleeve says ‘The Trouble With Normal’ is a “rich testament to Bruce Cockburn’s increasingly sophisticated sound – and world view.” I wouldn’t argue. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, January 2003]
Bruce Cockburn’s political activism is immediately apparent on The Trouble with Normal, an album bristling with anger and outrage. Perhaps the heaviest song on the album is the title track. Citing labour strikes, tenant struggles and Third World subjugation, Cockburn laments “the grinding devolution of the democratic dream.” Essentially, it’s a rejection of the status quo and a call to action. “The trouble with normal,” warns the chorus, “is it always gets worse.” When Cockburn performed the song in the summer of 2002, he introduced it this way: “This is an old song that seemed timely when I wrote it and unfortunately it still does.” Like Inner City Front and its predecessor, Humans, The Trouble with Normal is a rich testament to Bruce Cockburn’s increasingly sophisticated sound – and worldview. [Adapted from Nicholas Jenning’s liner note, 2002]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-trouble-with-normal-deluxe-edition/303505805)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “The Trouble With Normal” – 3:35
A2. “Candy Man’s Gone” – 4:00
A3. “Hoop Dancer” – 7:48
A4. “Waiting For The Moon” – 4:22
Side Two
B1. “Tropic Moon” – 4:38
B2. “Going Up Against Chaos” – 5:31
B3. “Put Our Hearts Together” – 4:25
B4. “Civilization And Its Discontents” – 4:16
B5. “Planet Of The Clowns” – 3:47
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by True North Records. (Released with an insert featuring lyrics in both English and French.) Later re-issued on CD. Digitally remastered (24bit/96khz) at the E Room in Toronto by engineer Peter Moore in 2002 and re-issued by True North including previously unreleased material; “Cala Luna” (5:06) and “I Wanna Dance With You” (4:35). Available at Bandcamp: https://brucecockburn.bandcamp.com/album/the-trouble-with-normal-deluxe-edition
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.