Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws

Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn. The album has eight songs written around the acoustic guitar and "particularly showcased Cockburn's sparkling guitar work".[1] Up to that time Cockburn's records had been influenced by his Christianity; Third Way magazine wrote in 1987 that "in 1979 the simple Christian faith [Cockburn] had been celebrating was transformed with the release of his most popular ever album Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws, where, with the help of Charles Williams, his pre-Christian mysticism resurfaced after the baptism of faith as mature Christian mysticism. The poetry was astonishing, like no Christian musician had then, or would since, come even close to."[2]

Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws
Studio album by Bruce Cockburn
Released	1979
Recorded	May–June 1979
Genre	Folk rock
Length	36:37
Label	True North
Producer	Gene Martynec
Bruce Cockburn chronology
Further Adventures Of (1978) Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws (1979) Humans (1980)

The single "Wondering Where the Lions Are" reached No. 21 in the United States, and spent 17 weeks on the Billboard chart.[3] It was important in bringing Cockburn attention outside Canada, and would be his highest-charting single in the U.S.

The album cover is a painting by Canadian aboriginal artist Norval Morrisseau (1932–2007).[4] In 1992 a remastered edition was released by Rounder Records with two extra tracks, "Dawn Music" and "Bye Bye Idi".[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]

Music critic Brett Hartenbach, writing retrospectively for Allmusic, wrote "The album continues the jazz-inflected folk he had been pursuing on his past several releases, but with a heavier emphasis on the worldbeat rhythms that would play a larger part in his music in the years to come... though it can't match the sheer power of his next few releases, [it] may be his most beautiful record, as well as an excellent culmination of his '70s work."[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Creation Dream"	Cockburn	4:00
2.	"Hills of Morning"	Cockburn	4:25
3.	"Badlands Flashback"	Cockburn	6:12
4.	"Northern Lights"	Cockburn	4:06
5.	"After the Rain"	Cockburn	3:59
6.	"Wondering Where the Lions Are"	Cockburn	3:42
7.	"Incandescent Blue"	Cockburn	4:35
8.	"No Footprints"	Cockburn	5:38

Remastered additional tracks

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Dawn Music"
10.	"Bye Bye Idi"

Personnel

• Bruce Cockburn – guitar, chimes, synthesizer, dulcimer, vocals
• Pat Godfrey – piano, marimba, background vocal on "Wondering Where the Lions Are"
• Robert Boucher – bass
• Bob Di Salle – drums, congas

except on "Wondering Where the Lions Are"

• Larry "Sticky Fingers" Silvera – bass, background vocal
• Ben Bow – drums, güiro, background vocal

References

1. J.B. and Paoletta, Michael (ed). "Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws (Music release)." Billboard, December 12, 2002. Vol. 114, Issue 51.
2. Wrote, Martin. "Bruce Cockburn". Third Way, August 1987, vol. 10, no. 8, pp. 18–20.
3. Billboard magazine.
4. Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws Album cover by Norval Morrisseau
5. Hartenbach, Brett. "Wondering Where the Lions Are > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 15, 2011.