The Trouble with Normal (album)

The Trouble with Normal is a 1983 studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn. The album contains nine songs (eleven in the 2002 remastered release). It marks a continuing shift from Cockburn's early folk-influenced and "mystic" acoustic works, featuring electric guitar and synthesizers, but the lyrical themes build on earlier albums.

The Trouble with Normal
Studio album by
Bruce Cockburn
Released1983
RecordedSeptember 1982 – January 1983
GenrePop rock
Length42:22
LabelTrue North
ProducerGene Martynec
Bruce Cockburn chronology
Inner City Front
(1981)		 The Trouble with Normal
(1983)		 Stealing Fire
(1984)

True North released a remastered deluxe version on November 19, 2002 which includes two extra tracks recorded during the same sessions.[1][2]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [3]

In a retrospective review, Allmusic critic Brett Hartenbach wrote, "Like his two previous efforts in the '80s, The Trouble With Normal places Bruce Cockburn yet another step further from his days as Canada's resident mystic folky. And while he had touched on similar musical themes on earlier recordings, the eclectic blend of folk, rock, and world music here is much more defined and realized... There is the tendency to get heavy-handed at times, but still, The Trouble With Normal contains some of Cockburn's most beautifully imagistic writing to date and is another strong effort."[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bruce Cockburn.

No.TitleLength
1."The Trouble with Normal"3:35
2."Candy Man's Gone"4:00
3."Hoop Dancer"7:48
4."Waiting for the Moon"4:22
5."Tropic Moon"4:38
6."Going up Against Chaos"5:31
7."Put Our Hearts Together"4:25
8."Civilization and Its Discontents"4:16
9."Planet of the Clowns"3:47
Remastered additional tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Cala Luna" 
11."I Wanna Dance with You" 

Personnel
  • Bruce Cockburn – vocals, guitar, dulcimer
  • Jon Goldsmith – keyboards
  • Hugh Marsh – mandolin, violin
  • Dennis Pendrith – bass, Chapman Stick
  • Bob Disalle – drums
  • Dick Smith – percussion
  • Shaun Jackson – backing vocals
  • Colina Phillips – backing vocals

Production
  • Gene Martynec – producer
  • Gary Gray – engineer
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Vladimir Meller – remastering
  • Sharon Williams – backing vocals
  • George Whiteside – photography
  • Michael Wurstin – art direction

References
  1. "The Trouble With Normal - Deluxe Edition". truenorthrecords.com. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  2. "The Trouble With Normal Albums (1983) and (2002)". coburnproject.net. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  3. Hartenbach, Brett. "The Trouble with Normal > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
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