Bruce Cockburn’s self-titled debut recording never been remastered for vinyl before 2020’s 50th Anniversary box set. As soon as those limited-edition copies sold-out, fans began clamouring for this: Cockburn’s debut album. For fans this is the perfect genesis of a globally acclaimed guitarist and songwriter. A blend of youthful enthusiasm and innocence that never quite resurfaced again in his work, especially as he developed his jazz-folk fusion and became known for both immense skill on the guitar and his activism in support of social causes.

Fans know this album as Bruce Cockburn’s happy-go-lucky years, before the weight of his success encouraged him to use his songwriting for a purpose, never again having this much whimsy in the studio. The opening number, “Going to the Country,” evokes the era’s hippie back-to-the-earth movement, and as all good things come back around again, is just as fresh in today’s enviro-movements. His hit song “Musical Friends” remains a fan favorite to this day.