Bruce Cockburn ~ you can have only seven albums...which would you pick?

I need to start my Cockburn cd collection...tell me which ones you couldn't live without!

 

1. In the Falling Dark
2. Humans
3. Stealing Fire
4. Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws
5. The Trouble With Normal
6. Inner City Front
7. Circles In The Stream

Seven ain't enough though. Charity of Night and Night Vision are other good ones.

 

I don't know about 7 but Speechless (The Instrumental Bruce Cockburn) is a wonderful late night listen.

 

In no real order:

Stealing Fire (1984)
Humans (1980)
Dancing In The Dragons Jaws (1979)
World of Wonders (1986)
In The Falling Dark (1976)
Sunwheel Dance (1972)
Waiting For A Miracle (1987) - A compilation and the Canadian 2LP version

 

I figured it wouldn't be with a discography like his, but I was trying to see if fans could nail down their absolute must-haves. Ten would be fine too.

 

75-85...that’s close to seven. I’ve got all those!

 

I recently borrowed that big box set of Bruce's from the local library and I was never a huge fan of the man, to be honest, as I have only been exposed to a few of the bigger hits here in America, but this guy was/is very, very good. Of all the tracks that got to me off that box set, the following was the one that truly made me sit up and really listen, as it is just beautiful ...



The live DVD from that big box is priceless and serious needs a stand alone release, in my opinion!

 

Humans
Circles In The Stream
Inner City Front
The Trouble With Normal
The Charity of Night
World Of Wonders
Stealing Fire

 

For me his classic period was 1972 - 1982 with maybe only one or two very good albums since. So I'd go with:
Sunwheel Dance
High Winds, White Sky
Further Adventures of
Dancing in The Dragons Jaws
Joy Will Find a Way
In The Falling Dark
Mummy Dust
Nothing But a Burning Light

"Bubbling Under":
Humans
The Trouble With Normal
Dart To The Hart
Circles in The Stream
Speechless

 

Thanks for the thread. I can't list 5 - I probably have not heard 5!. I have liked what I have heard so will probably follow and let it guide an expansion of my Cockburn catalogue which started with Big Circumstance and (then) Stealing Fire.

 

"Stealing Fire" is one of my all-time favorites. He is rediculously underrated.

 

Night Vision (my favourite Bruce Cockburn album)
Waiting For A Miracle (compilation)
Nothing But A Burning Light
Speechless (Instrumental compilation)
In the Falling Dark
High Winds, White Sky
Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws

 

Start with the amazing Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws.

 

Having said his classic period for me ends around 1982, if I had to make a compilation of his very best songs IMHO from 1983 - 2018 I'd pick the following songs (pretty much every instrumental is worth having):
The Trouble With Normal
Waiting For The Moon
Tropic Moon
Candy Man's Gone
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
If I Had a Rocket Launcher
Peggy's Kitchen Wall
People See Through You
Call it Democracy
See How I Miss You
Stolen Land
Waiting For a Miracle
If a Tree Falls
Shipwrecked at The Stable Door
Don't Feel Your Touch
A Dream Like Mine
Great Big Love
Somebody Touched Me
Child of The Wind
Listen For The Laugh
All The Ways I Want You
Scanning These Crowds
Train in The Rain
Pacing The Cage
The Whole Night Sky
Open
Celestial Horses
You've Never Seen Everything
Mystery
Driving Away
The States I'm in

 

mind boggling !

 

I love acoustic guitar, so I need all the albums from 1971-1979. Stealing Fire is the only 80s album I need. After that I need B.C. Live, Dart To The Heart, Charity Of Night, and Breakfast in New Orleans...

I never understood all of the praise for Humans. I like only half the album. The others songs sound weak, imo. All the live albums are great.

 

Should have made this a poll, but I think this is accurate....


Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws (7)

In the Falling Dark (6)
Stealing Fire (6)

Humans (5)
Circles In The Stream (5)

The Trouble With Normal (4)

High Winds, White Sky (3)
Sunwheel Dance (3)
Inner City Front (3)
Further Adventures of (3)
Joy Will Find a Way (3)
Night Vision (3)

Nothing But a Burning Light (2)
World Of Wonders (2)
Waiting For A Miracle (compilation) (2)
Speechless (2)
The Charity of Night (2)
Dart to the Heart (2)
Breakfast in New Orleans (2)

Mummy Dust (compilation) (1)

No votes:
S/T
Salt, Sun and Time
Big Circumstance
You've Never Seen Everything
Life Short Call Now
Small Source of Comfort
Bone on Bone

 

You can't go wrong with Cockburn really, but my absolute favorite is Breakfast in New Orleans !

 

Isn't it funny as I rate that album as the worst thing he's ever recorded (and worst album cover art and album title too) though his latest album comes very close to being unlistenable as well IMHO. I think his best days are long behind him sadly (song wise.. he'll always have great instrumentals).

 

World of Wonders
Christmas
Big Circumstance
Night Vision
Nothing But a Burning Light
Live
Stealing Fire

 

Well I only have 8 Bruce albums in total so I'll pick as favorites:

1. Dancing In The Dragon's Jaw
2. Nothing But A Burning Light
3. Speechless
4. Stealing Fire

I saw Bruce only once in my life in Denver at The Rainbow Room (I think that was the name) and for whatever reason I cannot remember a lick of the show. Maybe the Dylan/Tom Petty concert at Redrock the next night overwhelmed my memory (July 86)

 

Charity Of Night (in my top ten of all music released in the 1990s)
Stealing Fire
Dancing In The Dragon's Jaws
Live
In The Falling Dark
The Trouble With Normal
Humans

 

not a one, get them all...if you can. some are quite difficult to find.

 

Dancing In The Dragon's Jaws
Humans
Stealing Fire
Circles In The Stream
In The Falling Dark
Inner City Front
You've Never Seen Everything

 

Speechless
Dancing
Night Vision
High Winds
Furthur Adeventures
Circles in the Stream
Inner City Front