Search - Bruce Cockburn :: Trouble With Normal

Great reissue, with one reservation

Tim Weber | Iowa | 03/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 2002 reissue mirrors the other Bruce Cockburn remasters by Rounder: excellent and improved sound, nice notes, cool bonus tracks. The extra cuts, the neat instrumental "Cala Luna" and the fine "I Wanna Dance With You" would have fit pretty well on the original release; it's a puzzle why these tracks never were issued before. So Rounder gives us extra stuff, but makes the bizarre decision not to include both versions of the lead track, "The Trouble With Normal." Fans should note that the version heard on this remaster, though similar, is NOT the version presented on the original Gold Castle CD. For the record, the Rounder take is more interesting, probably less slick; but frankly, I like the other, more polished and propulsive track better. It's a matter of taste. But the confounding mystery is why Rounder didn't decide to include both versions! It gives us extra tracks, but completely omits the version of the title cut that most Americans know. The rest of the music is quite nice, of course, featuring interesting musical ideas and possibly Cockburn's top-to-bottom best set of lyrics. The album has aged very well, though I must say I always thought the running order was badly flawed. Too many similarly paced tracks in the last half. Still, a great reissue even though they forced me to keep my old copy so I'll still have the other version of "The Trouble With Normal.""