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
Released	1983
Recorded	September 1982 – January 1983
Genre	Pop rock
Length	42:22
Label	True North
Producer	Gene 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
Source	Rating
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.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
10.	"Cala Luna"	5:06
11.	"I Wanna Dance with You"	4:35

"Cala Luna" was originally released as a bonus track on the cassette, at the end of side 1, after "Waiting for the Moon".

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