Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A High Water Mark Remastered Brilliantly, December 3, 2002
Make no mistake about it, if you were to own only one Bruce Cockburn CD in your life, it ought to be this one. The sophistication of the guitar work, the tunes themselves, the French and English lyrics presented Bruce on the cusp of a lot of transitions, and while he may have been dancing in the dragon's jaws, he also produced the most compellngly engaged music spiritually of his career. This is the moment of his big bang, and what a moment of creation it was, and still is. The extra track adds to the ambience of the disc, but, frankly, it could have been left off anyway. The original sequence of songs is so strong, that any appendage is no more than that. The remastering is brilliant. It was a brilliant sounding album when it first came out and when it first made the transition to CD. It just keeps getting better. By all means, purchase this disc. I've worn out 4 vinyl versions and 2 other cds, so I can tell you you will return to this often throughout your life.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still powerful after all these years, December 11, 2003
This remains Cockburn's greatest work - standing as a stunning collection of songs, but also as a great sequential album. It contains the typical socio-political commentary found in his other recordings, but also has more than the usual melodic strains to sing along to, and the guitar playing is fantastic. The two extra tracks on this issue are instrumental, and reflect the era of the album well - it's easy to see why Cockburn was voted one of the world's best singer/songwriters so many times over. If you're starting out with Cockburn, get this first, then follow it up with 'Stealing Fire' (similar era, but much more grittily orchestrated), then 'Humans' (some great poetry on this), then perhaps 'Nothing But A Burning Light' (beautiful songs and a more accepting, positive outlook than some of his earlier works). It's a pity he has been described as Canada's best-kept secret - this double-edged term serves to keep him out of the mainstream, where his messages are most keenly needed.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best from a Canadian Master, May 31, 2003
Bruce Cockburn has an amazing catalog of songs and albums, but I think without any doubt, most fans would call "Dancing in the Dragon's Jaw" his best work. Although he came close on "Stealing Fire" and some others, this remains the guage by which all others must be judged. The acoustic guitar work is stunning and the poetry of the lyrics outshines the vast majority of songwriters of this or any era.
This recording appeared in the same time frame as Ry Cooder's "Bop til You Drop" , and in many ways I equate these two musicians as Canadian-American counterparts. Each is able to reach the essence of their country's roots as well as exploring the musical styles of various world cultures.
Unless you have lost your soul, you will find something to love about this music.
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~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
by Bruce Cockburn 
