Bruce Cockburn has been performing for more than 30 years, and depending on how you count, he released his 27th studio album in summer 2003 . Yet in many ways he remains an underground figure, especially to a younger generation so frequently deluged with popular music. So with such a sweeping breadth of work, where does one go about discovering this musician? Well, at least closer to the beginning.
“Humans” was originally released in 1980. Cockburn had already released many albums by this time, and many of the 10 songs on the recording were written in the wake of a separation with his wife. In a 1981 interview with the now-defunct High Fidelity Magazine, Cockburn said: “A lot of the songs on “Humans” came out of my
realization that I needed other people.”
Lyrically, themes like these don’t really lose any poignancy over time. An immediate example of this is “What About the Bond,” the album’s fifth track, in which Cockburn proclaims, “It’s all too easy / To let go of hope / To think there’s nothing worth saving / And let it all go up in smoke.” This is a timeless idea, really. Cynicism is both an excuse and escape when it comes to confronting the surmounting problems of this planet. It’s the easy way out, and Cockburn captures this perfectly.
Another track, “Guerrilla Betrayed,” recalls the futility of violent protest against already unjust actions. The idea here is that violence can only beget more violence and propagate a cycle of death. He repeats this sequence of lines throughout the tune: “We thought we could change something / We helped them win / We changed the slogans / We get hunted again / When you’re the fighter / You’re the politician’s tool / When you’re the fighter / You’re everybody’s fool.”
The diversity of the musical styles also helps the age of the album. While the sound production has a cultural footprint of the 1980s, the remaster surely helps bring out all the instruments, and other than this, “Humans” is simply a rollicking reggae, rock, folk album. Cockburn’s studio musicians keep this from becoming a straightforward studio record; especially notable is Hugh Marsh’s tasteful violin playing.
A remaster of the album was made available last November and includes a live version of “Grim Travellers.” Whatever version of the album you manage to track down, it’s a good start.
Bruce Cockburn comes to the WOW Hall on Feb. 24. Tickets are $31.50 in advance and $34 at the door.