RELEASE DATE: 1990
REISSUE: 2002
PURCHASE: iTunes | True North
1. Silver Wheels (6:11)
2. World of Wonders (4:37)
3. Rumours of Glory (6:04)
4. See How I Miss You (4:01)
5. After the Rain (3:58)
6. Call It Democracy (3:36)
7. Tibetan Side of Town (7:48)
8. Wondering Where The Lions Are (5:19)
9. Nicaragua (5:04)
10. Broken Wheel (5:01)
11. Stolen Land (3:13)
12. To Raise The Morning Star (7:47)
13. Maybe the Poet (4:18)
Other things can make you swear and curse
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle, don’t grumble — give a whistle
And this’ll help things turn out for the best, and…
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
If life seems jolly rotten, there’s something you’ve forgotten
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you’re feeling in the dumps, don’t be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that’s the thing, and…
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
Life is quite absurd, and death’s the final word
We must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin, give the audience a grin
Enjoy it — it’s your last chance anyhow, so…
Always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Life’s a piece of shit, when you look at it
Life’s a laugh and death’s a joke it’s true
You can see it’s all a show, keep ’em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you, and…
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life…
Cover – Original song from the Monty Python film “Life of Brian”
[10] If I Had A Rocket Launcher (5:29)
Note: The 2002 release from Rounder Records includes the bonus track of “If I Had A Rocket Launcher” as the number 10 track, with all the rest the same.
Bruce Cockburn’s concerts are always a wonder to behold: expansive, entrancing and full of surprises. Live, recorded in August 1989, has all of those qualities in abundance.
Album Info:
Recorded live at Ontario Place, Toronto, August 14th and 15th, 1989
Live recording by: Comfort Sound Mobile, Toronto
Engineered by: John Naslen with Doug McClement
Assistant engineers: Scott Campbell, Jon Erickson
Mixed at: Manta Sound
Engineer: John Naslen
Assistant engineer: Mike Columby
Audiophile assembly: Brad Haehnel
Art Direction: Bart Schoales
Photos: Patrick Harbron
Produced by: Jon Goldsmith for True North Productions
The musicians are:
Bruce Cockburn: electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, bodhran, windchimes and vocals
Fergus Jemison Marsh: Chapman stick, midi stick and background vocals
Michael Sloski: drums, percussion and background vocals
On the road:
Road manager: David Hart
Sound: Bob McLee (band aide services)
Lighting: Steve Hill
Monitors and guitars: Russ Ryan
Monitors: Russ Wilson
Truck: Michael Dufault
Australian sound: John Lacina
Australian Lighting: Phil Spillman
Remaster Info: 2002
Digitally remastered at the E Room in Toronto by engineer Peter Moore, utilizing 24-bit technology.
New liner note essay written by Nicholas Jennings.
Released by Rounder Records, 2002.
19 November 2002 – From Rounder Records: Over 76 minutes of music, including 1 bonus track. Featuring songs dating from 1976’s In the Falling Dark to 1987’s Waiting for a Miracle albums, “Bruce Cockburn’s Live” features a cross-section of the artist’s best material from the era. Originally released in 1989, “Live” features a stunning version of Cockburn’s Top 40 hit “Wondering Where the Lions Are,” along with 14 other versions of Cockburn classics such as “Call It Democracy,” “Rumours of Glory,” and “Silver Wheels,” plus a bonus cut of the rock radio and MTV hit “If I Had a Rocket Launcher.” There’s also a lightness and sense of humor on “Live” that is rarely, if ever, seen in Bruce Cockburn’s studio work – he even closes the set with a version of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. “Live” captures an exceptional performer at the peak of his powers.
