Big Circumstance is the sixteenth full-length album by Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn. The album was released in 1989 by True North Records. Rounder Records issued a remastered CD of the album in 2005 with a new acoustic version of "If a Tree Falls" as a bonus track.

Big Circumstance
Studio album by
Released1989
Recorded1988
GenreFolk, pop rock
Length61:03
LabelTrue North
ProducerJon Goldsmith
Bruce Cockburn chronology
World of Wonders
(1986)
Big Circumstance
(1989)
Nothing but a Burning Light
(1991)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]

In his retrospective review for Allmusic, critic Rob Caldwell wrote the album "was a move away from the somewhat dated, overblown sound of his previous World of Wonders, toward a leaner, more guitar-dominated sound... he takes pains to differentiate himself from right-wing Christianity and express his different view of the faith."[1]

Track listing

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All songs written by Bruce Cockburn.

  1. "If a Tree Falls" – 5:43
  2. "Shipwrecked at the Stable Door" – 3:38
  3. "Gospel of Bondage" – 5:45
  4. "Don't Feel Your Touch" – 4:49
  5. "Tibetan Side of Town" – 6:59
  6. "Understanding Nothing" – 4:26
  7. "Where the Death Squad Lives" – 4:28
  8. "Radium Rain" – 9:22
  9. "Pangs of Love" – 5:18
  10. "The Gift" – 6:04
  11. "Anything Can Happen" – 4:31

The 2005 reissue also contains an acoustic version of If A Tree Falls.

Personnel

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  • Bruce Cockburn – composer, vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Fergus Jamison Marsh – bass, Chapman Stick
  • Hugh Marsh – violin
  • Jon Goldsmith – keyboards, autoharp
  • Michael Sloski – drums, percussion
  • Myron Schultz – clarinet
  • Judy Cade – background vocals
  • Mary Margaret O'Hara – background vocals
  • Mose Scarlett – background vocals

Production

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  • Jon Goldsmith – producer
  • George Whiteside – photography
  • Bart Schoales – art direction

References

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  1. ^ a b Caldwell, Rob. "Bruce Cockburn - Big Circumstance Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
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