As with anybody who's been around for three decades BC's career has gone through numerous phases. His back catalog shows quite a progression from pastoral folkie to the world travelling renegade (an image he's probably most associated with). Through it all he's been a spiritual humanist, superb song craftsman, and one hell of a guitarist. This is a board where we can discuss his songs and albums.

The two most well known songs, "Wondering Where the Lions Are" and "If I Had a Rocket Launcher", are from two of his best discs (not surprisingly), respectively: Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws and Stealing Fire. Also, not surprisingly, they sound nothing alike. Dragons is jazzy and alternately breezy and complex, free flowing and vaguely spiritual. Fire is hard hitting, rhythmic and direct.

Rounding out the top three thus far, most BC fans would list it as an unqualified #1, is Humans. To say it lies somewhere in between the other two would at once be accurate and inaccurate because it does not suffer in the least for doing so. While it may lack the spaceousness of "Badlands Flashback" (from Dragons) or bile spitting rage of "Rocket Launcher" it more than makes up for it with a solid set of witty, insightful and engaging songs.

I used to have Dancing In the Dragon's Jaw and Stealing Fire and Waiting For a Miracle (a "greatest hits" collection isn't it?) I do plan to get them again. Miracle, as I recall showed the span of Cockburn's work. I really enjoyed it.

I've always thought, based mostly on the lyrics of "Wondering Where the Lions Are", that Bruce was a Christian. Is he? (Not that I'd hold it against him. )

Yeah, he certainly is a Christian. Actually if it's not a defining characteristic, then it's darn close. The last thing he comes across, however, is dogmatic. In fact, he once wrote a song called "Gospel of Bondage" that comes down on evangelists with as much vitriol as anybody else he doesn't like.

Waiting For a Miracle is an interesting collection in that it's remarkably balanced. Almost too balanced, though it works great as a springboard to the earlier stuff. It covers everything up to World of Wonders (mid 80's), one song per album, though 3 were taken from Stealing Fire. That's something like 16 or 17 albums represented. I love it for the title track (previously unreleased) as well as the re-recorded version of "Fascist Architecture".

Miko, I've been meaning to tell you about this. I was in this grocery store a coupla weeks ago. They had music playing over the store's speaker. And what should play but "Wondering Where the Lions Are". I hadn't heard that song in tooo long, so I delayed going to the checkout line so I could hear it again. A real pleasure. Unfortunately whatever idiot in charge of the music played The Backside Boys' "I Want It That way", or whatever the hell the song's called. Ruined the mood for me.

It happens. You count your blessings when you can. At least they weren't playing 100% junk. I remember hearing a "shopping music" version of "Northern Lights", a song from Dragon's Jaws, in a supermarket. At first I thought "oh my God!", but then I decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Actually I wish I could manage the same modicum of affection for the rest of the stuff they played after that. But alas, it's rare.

Yeah. No kidding. I was just shocked that such a relatively obscure song was being played.

Now that I think about it, I think I've got "Lions" on a tape I put together. I have a cassette I made of some of my favorite songs from 1979. It should be on there.