I HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT! And I have just realised my first cover on Spotify. Let me know what you think! And follow me on Spotify to hear the album as soon as it comes out. open.spotify.com/track/6qfvKbg6ukHJOGykx2MARB?si=8a2fa85792b14d15
“Misguided Angel” off of The Trinity Session is a very good showcase for her voice, also “Blue Moon Revisited” from the same. In fact, “Blue Moon Revisited” showcases just how much sound can be generated when the note you sing is your vocal tract’s natural resonance. It’s amazing.
Ironically Sweet Jane was used in 'Natural Born Killers'. As you mention 'Misguided Angel' is one of her more famous ones (Trinity session - with Natalie Merchant is probably the best). Been to the city of Timmins many times. th-cam.com/video/N3TVgEpMyhI/w-d-xo.html
It is a bit of a surprise that this is the first time I have seen someone do a reaction to the Cowboy Junkies. I saw them back in the 90s on an extremely hot Melbourne day and Margo's voice is one of my favourites that I have seen live. Like Beth said, so much warmth.
Love Cowboy Junkies! The albums "The Trinity Session" and "Caution Horses" are still among my all time favourites even after all these years. A bit of a "shout out" to the "non Timmins" band members, Bass player Alan Anton is a childhood friend of main man Michael Timmins and has been with the band right from the beginnining, always tasteful playing and provides a rock solid foundation for the rest of the band. Jeff Bird on electric Mandolin is fairly low key on this track, but provides some jaw dropping moments both on mandolin and harmonica on other tracks. Jaro Czwewinec on Accordion was only with the band for a couple of the early albums but, IMO, his accordion playing gave the band much of their distinctive sound at the time, there really was no one else around who sounded remotely like them. The truly atmospheric recorded sound on the aforementioned "Trinity Session" made it a popular test record for Hi Fi reviewers back in the day. The track "To Love is to Bury" from this album is one of my favourites from them and well worth a listen "Americana" at it's finest.
Margot Timmins was originally so shy she would not face people when she sang and only agreed to sing on their first album if she could do so without having to look at anyone. The original version of this cover was recorded with one microphone for the entire band. If an instrument gets louder in the mix it's because the player moved closer to the mic. I strongly urge you to listen to the first four albums, even though the first two albums consist almost entirely of covers. "Misguided Angel" is the one of the few originals on those records (and it's great!) but the covers of Blue Moon, State Trooper, Walking After Midnight, So Lonesome I Could Cry are all fantastic. Margot's voice is incredible and the production of the albums is as well. The Trinity Session, where this cover came from, was named after the church the band performed in. This church was in service during the recording so there were parishioners in the church with them while it was recorded.
Oh no no no. You should have listened to the "Studio" Version from the Album Trinity Sessions. was recorded inside Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity on the night of November 27, 1987, with the band circled around a single microphone. It is one of the Greatest Albums ever made. It isn't a collection of songs. It's an experience. A journey from start to finish, with this haunting feel and low key acoustic echo of playing in a big old open space. It's a master piece and every song on that album should only be listened to in its original recording and intent to truly feel the junkies and Margo Timmins angelic voice. Nothing husky about her voice there. Puuuure, warm, haunting. This version is not THE version lou reed said was his favourite.
I was lucky enough to see them in concert twice back in the 90's here in St. Louis, Mo. Amazing show each time. Transcendentally blissful experience is the best way I can think to describe it. If you ever have the chance to see them, I strongly recommend it.
It's a good and interesting cover. There are a ton of versions of Sweet Jane from heavy rock to gentle acoustic but it originally appeared on the Velvet Underground's 4th album Loaded. Lou Reed left the band before the album's completion. He was critical of the album on its release. One reason for this was "Sweet Jane" originally was comprised of 3 sections. A minor melody without lyric introduced the song, the main body of the song with its classic chords and the main and now familiar lyrics , then another melody & lyric to conclude. This final segment with the "heavenly wine and roses" refrain was cut from the album and could potentially have been lost forever, but later on various live recordings from 1969/70 with Lou present were turned into two live albums - 'Max's Kansas City' has the 3 segment version in it's entirety and on 'VU Live 1969' a slowed down version with alternative lyrics and more emphasis on the 3rd segment and its associated lyrics. This is the version covered here. Given that album with all it's crackles and hiss was bought by about only 43 people you have to give them credit for finding it and then doing it justice with some quite velveteen guitar work! Incidentally a 2015 remastered version of Loaded included the segment originally cut, but many would say it may have been better left on the studio floor.
You should listen to some of their tracks for their album "The Caution Horses." "Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning" and "Cause Cheap is How I Feel" are both masterworks. Accordions are actually fairly common in Canadian folk-rock bands.
Well... country-ish. :) I have been a huge fan of them for decades, and have seen them play more than once. I think "Mining for Gold" would be a good choice for you too hear her voice on its own.
I normally hate the fact that so many people only know about or associate songs with movies, but in this case I can never help but think about Natural Born Killers, which uses this song to particularly good effect.
Great song & band to hear a reaction to. Despite the name , I wouldn’t give them a country music label. I think their music is solidly in the folk vein .
You probably know, but many others won't but the Trinity sessions isn't a studio album. It was recorded in Toronto's church of the holy trinity on a single microphone. Also yes, that arrangement is miles better.
HOLY CRAP !! the entire album THE TRINITY SESSIONS was recorded inside an old church live and it is one the best ever! can t believe this is getting some well deserved recognition also-a another little known canadian singer known as SHANIA TWAIN also came out of TIMMINS ONTARIO
I've seen Cowboy Junkies twice and they were amazing. The last time I saw them in 2001 was in a venue where I had my arms resting on the stage in front of Margo. I got her playlist at the end of the show and still have it to this day.
The story behind their record "The Trinity Session" is pretty interesting. 😄 I do listen to some of their music, just because it's well produced, good to demo stereo with. 🎶
The Junkies were a fantastic band. Moody and introspective with thought provoking lyrics, they are definitely a "vibe". You should definitely check out "Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning"! It's a beautiful, heartbreaking song!
I remember when I heard their debut album "Trinity sessions" for the first time when it was released - mindblowing! This album recording is much much more quiet and calm.
This is a pretty understated live performance for her. When she wants to she can really blow the roof off the dump, as Letterman used to say. The live performances are much more dynamic than the records.
There are no fancy clothes and no show action or people jostling for action - just very good music! Thats what I like - thanks for sharing and best wishes @all from hamburg (germany)
The Cowboy Junkies are considered folk-rock/alternative country. They would have been quite at home in the mid-sixties with the San Francisco bands as well as the folk-rock/blues bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Blues Project, and Charlie Musselwhite.
The original album version (played live at the Trinity church), the entire Trinity Session album, was their lightning in a bottle. If you want to hear what made the Cowboy Junkies, that's where you'll hear it. I have never heard them sound anything like the way they played on their breakthrough album.
Just had an alert that brought me back to this comment, and after re-reading it, I meant it out of great appreciation for the Cowboy Junkies, and for The Trinity Session album. A friend wanted me to hear this album in the early 1990s. My friends and I grew up listening to classic rock, because 1980s music was such a big change compared to what music was like before. So in the early 90s, when a friend said he wanted me to hear an album called The Trinity Session by a group called the Cowboy Junkies, a 1980s group that I had never heard of, I could not have been in a worse or less receptive frame of mind when I sat down to hear their music for the first time. I was prepared, and expecting, to not like it. The first song I heard was Blue Moon. I had never heard anything quite like it before. It was hypnotizing. A little like Pink Floyd, but slowed down to a crawl, with a female lead vocal. It was one of those rare moments when you connect immediately with a group or artist. I had a similar experience the first time I heard the first side of Van Morrison's album 'Moondance'. Or Joni Mitchell's album 'Blue'. Or the songs 'Comfortably Numb' or 'Wish You Were Here' (Pink Floyd). Next, my friend played their cover of Sweet Jane. I could hardly believe it. Then Misguided Angel. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. 200 More Miles. Mining for Gold. I Don't Get It. To Love is to Bury. It's like a Greatest Hits album, except it all flows together perfectly. The sound is somehow alive on this particular recording (The Trinity Session, 1988), in a way that studio albums are not, but also in a way that most live albums are not. There is a presence to the music that is electric, something about the combination of the venue, the one central microphone, and the recording equipment. It's an amazing album, a moment captured in time. One of my favorites, for around 30 years now 👍🙂
@@henrygordon1 [edit: I just realized that I wrote practically the same reply 9 months ago. I saw your reply in the pop-up notifications, and replied to it there, without seeing or remembering my previous reply. Then I went to the actual youtube page to see that it posted, and saw my earlier post, which is essentially a duplicate of this one, with a few extra details 😂] After re-reading my comment, I didn't mean to suggest they don't have other great albums. Just that "The Trinity Session" (1988) is really special 👍 I remember the first time I heard it. I was in college, and one of my best friends from high school (who then attended the same university) said he just bought a new CD and I had to hear it. I asked what it was, and he said the Cowboy Junkies. I listen to mostly classic rock (most of my high school class rejected the MTV 1980s and stayed with 1960s and 70s music). I had never even heard of the Cowboy Junkies, so I wasn't looking forward to it. I went into that listening experience expecting the worst. The first song he played was "Blue Moon Revisited". I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. I couldn't even describe it. It was like country-folk-acoustic Pink Floyd, with female vocals, played at a speed to hypnotize. It was perfect, I *loved* it 😁 Then he played "Misguided Angel". Again, I thought, you've gotta be kidding me. What is this, and where did it come from? Then he played "Sweet Jane". And I said okay, just play the whole album! What an experience, all those years ago, and I remember it like yesterday. I bought the CD for my collection the next day. Since then I have tracked down the original Japan first issue CD, the 24K gold CD reissue by Classic Records, the Classic Records 180g LP, the original Canadian first issue LP on Latent Records label, and the double LP reissue (2016) from Acoustic Sounds / Analogue Productions. Most of the albums that I have multiple copies of (CD, SACD, LP, first issues, reissues, etc.) are albums like Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Abbey Road, Crosby Stills & Nash (debut album, Deja Vu, 4-Way Street and Daylight Again), most of the Doors albums, various early Bob Dylan, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, Bob Marley, Grateful Dead, Neil Young and The Who. And "The Trinity Session", by the Cowboy Junkies. One of my favorites. Music for the soul 👍😎
I saw them perform this live at Massey Hall several years ago and it was fantastic. Check out A Common Disaster and Late Night Radio. Who the heck called them a country band????
The Trinity Sessions were recorded at Trinity Church in Canada. A building of perfect acoustics it was all captured on one Alrec ambisonic condenser mic. I saw them in Raleigh nc in the 90s and she stopped the to let this little granny come up and give her an apple pie that she made for Margo 💖
Interesting side note she definitely isn't that introverted anymore. When I finally got to see them live a few years ago (maybe 4 years ago?) Margo was the only member of the band to sign at the merch table after the show.
Love Lou Reed and love this song. When I first heard this version, I was like....ehhhhh. After listening to it more, it really has grown on me. It's an excellent alternative version.
Cowboy Junkies' song "A Horse in the Country," is a great song off the Black-Eyed man album. Trinity Sessions is a "desert island" record, an absolute masterpiece.
My goodness to have you review a voice I have obsessed over for decades since listening to Trinity Sessions!!!! Just another amazing band that never got the attention they so deserve. Listen to Pale Sun Cresent Moon!
Karen Carpenter similar story. Brother talked her into singing. "And the rest is history" as they say. Sweet Jane is an awesome rendition but Misguided Angel even more amazing
This was a Lou Reed staple both in the later years of the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist. He did so many different versions and speeds, between slow and soulful to fast and rockin'. This version by Cowboy Junkies is also a much different version than their album version. Their album version was much more stripped down and slower. This version leans more towards the Velvet version.
I really like Margo's voice, they have done a number of covers, like "Powder finger", which is a Neil Young song, but also do their own, like "Sun comes up, it's Tuesday afternoon", or Misguided Angel". If you like to check out unique voices give a listen to the voice of Frazey Ford, of The Be Good Tanyas, try "Junkie song".
Thanks for the background on the band. I didn't know they were a bunch of rich kids who got to be artists. Seems to be the way: When people don't have to worry about paying rent and putting food on the table, they tend to choose art as a vocation. We should all be so lucky.
On the "reminds me of Scottland" comment, there's a LOT of Scottish and Celtic culture in Eastern Canada, and the music from that area is heavily influenced by it. Nice choice, by the way. A big Cowboy Junkies fan here. Cheers! A P.S. on my comment above - for your own listening pleasure, try to find a good live performance - or at least the studio recordings - of her singing Niel Young's "Powder Finger" and her own song, "Misguided Angel". Mind-blowing beautiful!
That was a really interesting, kind of psychedelic take on the song. Up until now, I'd only heard the studio version of their cover, which is quite a bit quieter. I also never knew that I needed distorted mandolin in my life until now.
I would recommend checking out the studio version. They recorded the album in an old church completely live. This is a pretty good version but I find it a bit busy. The original had sparser instrumentation which gave it a haunting quality that seems to be lost here. Also, this song is originally by a band called The Velvet Underground.
You mentioned Margo being nervous about singing with the band...another shy vocalist you should listen to is Eva Cassidy. I recommend "People Get Ready" as an Eva Cassidy Tour de force. As a vocal coach, if you've never heard her....on my, what a treat it would be for you. Eva, unfortunately, passed WAY before her time. But we do have the recordings of her that, IMO, cement her legacy as one of the best female vocalists ever.
Came across the Cowboy Junkies through a girlfriend, whose best friend in Melbourne worked in the arts and had put her together a mix ‘tape’ of music - on which was this song!
as a canadian who was 21 when they really hit the scene i take (humorously) exception to categorizing them as a Country band. they were just a damn good band if you liked solid earthy warm vocals. why pigeon hole them
One of my favourite folk rock/Canadiana bands! Grew up through my teenage years in the late 80s/early 90s listening to Cowboy Junkies, Blue Rodeo, and The Tragically Hip; was so spoiled for great music from those bands and many others during that era. And I agree with others that while this particular live version of this song cover is good, I’ll always prefer the studio/Trinity Session versions more.
i bought Trinity Sessions when it came out, and it didn't leave my cassette player for years. This live version is fine, but you really need to listen to the album version. it's perfection. the whole album is incredible.
Hi Beth, nice review! I'd like to siggest you a classic: Elis & Tom, Aguas de Março. There is an amazing live video made during the recording session, Im sure you will like it. Take care.
Consider the original song by the band was released in 1988 and over time and with age not everyones vocals can still cope with the high/low pitches. Loved Margos vocals on the original recording and still watch the video.
Margo has an incredible presence too I have seen them several times over the years and always one of the best shows I have seen. You should try some of their originals Think Common DIstaster is my favorite of their's, Trinity Sessions is a bit older has a mix with some covers that are wonderful. Their cover of Blue Moon gives me the goosies, Thank you for doing this
I rarely, if ever, watch reaction videos but I love this girls take on this song. And when shecsways with the miscible is so genuine. I prefer the studios version to this one though.
![Vocal Coach reacts to The Band - The Weight [Woodstock]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0kHIaIdH1hI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Vocal Coach reacts to The Band - The Weight [Woodstock]](/img/tr.png)
I HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT! And I have just realised my first cover on Spotify. Let me know what you think! And follow me on Spotify to hear the album as soon as it comes out. open.spotify.com/track/6qfvKbg6ukHJOGykx2MARB?si=8a2fa85792b14d15
I have seen the Cowboy Junkies several times in concert and I swear it is like a religious experience. That VOICE! 💟
YES! I saw them about 15 years back, and understood why fan girls scream.
im going to see them twice this summer ,im a big fan its about time they made it to my area of canada again
I concur!!! 🌀
Their Trinity Sessions remain one of my favorite albums. It’s a live recording around a single mic and is simply beautiful.
with a portable DAT recorder
“Misguided Angel” off of The Trinity Session is a very good showcase for her voice, also “Blue Moon Revisited” from the same. In fact, “Blue Moon Revisited” showcases just how much sound can be generated when the note you sing is your vocal tract’s natural resonance. It’s amazing.
Couldn't agree more. What a beautiful song
Misguided Angel breaks my heart every time. Such a beautiful song.
Misguided Angel is one of my favorite songs of theirs.
i've only ever heard the trinity sessions album from them. i wonder if they were inspired by j.j. cale at all?
the laid back sound is similar.
Ironically Sweet Jane was used in 'Natural Born Killers'. As you mention 'Misguided Angel' is one of her more famous ones (Trinity session - with Natalie Merchant is probably the best). Been to the city of Timmins many times. th-cam.com/video/N3TVgEpMyhI/w-d-xo.html
Their cover of "Powder Finger" is unreal. You won't forget it if you listen to it.
Agreed, it truly is fantastic.
One of the best ever renditions of Neil Young song.
The Trinity Session, one of the best albuns ever.
Had to go back and listen to the Studio version. Amazing.
This is the best best song of all time. I love Cowboy Junkies doing it.
They also have a sister Maggie Timmons who was an actress on Ryan's Hope! Talented family!
It is a bit of a surprise that this is the first time I have seen someone do a reaction to the Cowboy Junkies. I saw them back in the 90s on an extremely hot Melbourne day and Margo's voice is one of my favourites that I have seen live. Like Beth said, so much warmth.
Love Cowboy Junkies! The albums "The Trinity Session" and "Caution Horses" are still among my all time favourites even after all these years. A bit of a "shout out" to the "non Timmins" band members, Bass player Alan Anton is a childhood friend of main man Michael Timmins and has been with the band right from the beginnining, always tasteful playing and provides a rock solid foundation for the rest of the band. Jeff Bird on electric Mandolin is fairly low key on this track, but provides some jaw dropping moments both on mandolin and harmonica on other tracks. Jaro Czwewinec on Accordion was only with the band for a couple of the early albums but, IMO, his accordion playing gave the band much of their distinctive sound at the time, there really was no one else around who sounded remotely like them. The truly atmospheric recorded sound on the aforementioned "Trinity Session" made it a popular test record for Hi Fi reviewers back in the day. The track "To Love is to Bury" from this album is one of my favourites from them and well worth a listen "Americana" at it's finest.
I didn't mind this version at all, but the studio version is magical 👍👍
oh fuck is it ever!!!
Absolutely!
No doubt. The studio cut is sublime. Don’t mind this either but … the studio was Trinity and the vibe was perfect.
Agreed - this version is overly-busy in my opinion
Margot Timmins was originally so shy she would not face people when she sang and only agreed to sing on their first album if she could do so without having to look at anyone. The original version of this cover was recorded with one microphone for the entire band. If an instrument gets louder in the mix it's because the player moved closer to the mic.
I strongly urge you to listen to the first four albums, even though the first two albums consist almost entirely of covers. "Misguided Angel" is the one of the few originals on those records (and it's great!) but the covers of Blue Moon, State Trooper, Walking After Midnight, So Lonesome I Could Cry are all fantastic. Margot's voice is incredible and the production of the albums is as well.
The Trinity Session, where this cover came from, was named after the church the band performed in. This church was in service during the recording so there were parishioners in the church with them while it was recorded.
Oh no no no. You should have listened to the "Studio" Version from the Album Trinity Sessions. was recorded inside Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity on the night of November 27, 1987, with the band circled around a single microphone. It is one of the Greatest Albums ever made. It isn't a collection of songs. It's an experience. A journey from start to finish, with this haunting feel and low key acoustic echo of playing in a big old open space. It's a master piece and every song on that album should only be listened to in its original recording and intent to truly feel the junkies and Margo Timmins angelic voice. Nothing husky about her voice there. Puuuure, warm, haunting. This version is not THE version lou reed said was his favourite.
Really, it's a shame she didn't get the studio one.
The Trinity Sessions was recorded in a church and is an amazing and beautiful. As another commenter said Blue Moon Revisited is stunning!
Margo Timmins' voice and singing style is like none others. And Michael Timmins is a genius. Followed them from their first album.
The trinity session recorded in a Toronto Church is a good listen.
Sweet Baby Mine
I was lucky enough to see them in concert twice back in the 90's here in St. Louis, Mo. Amazing show each time. Transcendentally blissful experience is the best way I can think to describe it. If you ever have the chance to see them, I strongly recommend it.
What a nice surprise. I wouldn't have expected see Cowboy Junkies here. Awesome band always with the coolest grooves. Thanks for doing this, Beth.
It's a good and interesting cover. There are a ton of versions of Sweet Jane from heavy rock to gentle acoustic but it originally appeared on the Velvet Underground's 4th album Loaded. Lou Reed left the band before the album's completion. He was critical of the album on its release. One reason for this was "Sweet Jane" originally was comprised of 3 sections. A minor melody without lyric introduced the song, the main body of the song with its classic chords and the main and now familiar lyrics , then another melody & lyric to conclude. This final segment with the "heavenly wine and roses" refrain was cut from the album and could potentially have been lost forever, but later on various live recordings from 1969/70 with Lou present were turned into two live albums - 'Max's Kansas City' has the 3 segment version in it's entirety and on 'VU Live 1969' a slowed down version with alternative lyrics and more emphasis on the 3rd segment and its associated lyrics. This is the version covered here. Given that album with all it's crackles and hiss was bought by about only 43 people you have to give them credit for finding it and then doing it justice with some quite velveteen guitar work! Incidentally a 2015 remastered version of Loaded included the segment originally cut, but many would say it may have been better left on the studio floor.
I listen to a LOT of music! The Cowboy Junkies are my absolute favorite band. Margo's voice is PHENOMENAL! Nothing like the Cowboy Junkies!
The 80s Cowpunk band Lone Justice does a great cover of this. Maria McKee is just plain incredible.
Her version of "I Wish I Was Your Mother" is stellar.
I love their cover of Tom Petty's Way to be Wicked.
Haven't heard/seen them in years. My they still sound incredible.
You should listen to some of their tracks for their album "The Caution Horses." "Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning" and "Cause Cheap is How I Feel" are both masterworks.
Accordions are actually fairly common in Canadian folk-rock bands.
The Caution Horses is a brilliant album.
Always loved this song. It was featured prominently on the soundtrack for the movie Natural Born Killers, one of my favorite movies
Well... country-ish. :) I have been a huge fan of them for decades, and have seen them play more than once. I think "Mining for Gold" would be a good choice for you too hear her voice on its own.
I’d say much more bluesy.
Miles from our home & Common Disaster are my go-to for some chill vibes.
I love how you always give a background! My fellow canadians who i always thought of as folk rock/ country rock.
Please, please, please explore their *EXTENSIVE* catalogue!! I've been a fan for decades and they have NEVER failed to amaze!!
I normally hate the fact that so many people only know about or associate songs with movies, but in this case I can never help but think about Natural Born Killers, which uses this song to particularly good effect.
That was my first exposure to the song.
Great song & band to hear a reaction to. Despite the name , I wouldn’t give them a country music label. I think their music is solidly in the folk vein .
So awesome you are doing this...I adore this cover...its just perfect.
Studio version is much more moving, haunting and memorable. Peace/JT
Yeah. Don’t like this version at all. Studio better. Glad someone else agrees.
You probably know, but many others won't but the Trinity sessions isn't a studio album. It was recorded in Toronto's church of the holy trinity on a single microphone. Also yes, that arrangement is miles better.
HOLY CRAP !! the entire album THE TRINITY SESSIONS was recorded inside an old church live and it is one the best ever! can t believe this is getting some well deserved recognition
also-a another little known canadian singer known as SHANIA TWAIN also came out of TIMMINS ONTARIO
I've seen Cowboy Junkies twice and they were amazing. The last time I saw them in 2001 was in a venue where I had my arms resting on the stage in front of Margo. I got her playlist at the end of the show and still have it to this day.
Love them. It was between them and Pat Metheny when I was chilling out back in the day
Because cheap is how I feel, will break your heart. Stunning performance.
The story behind their record "The Trinity Session" is pretty interesting. 😄
I do listen to some of their music, just because it's well produced, good to demo stereo with. 🎶
The Junkies were a fantastic band. Moody and introspective with thought provoking lyrics, they are definitely a "vibe". You should definitely check out "Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning"! It's a beautiful, heartbreaking song!
Were? They still are.
I remember when I heard their debut album "Trinity sessions" for the first time when it was released - mindblowing! This album recording is much much more quiet and calm.
This is a pretty understated live performance for her. When she wants to she can really blow the roof off the dump, as Letterman used to say. The live performances are much more dynamic than the records.
There are no fancy clothes and no show action or people jostling for action - just very good music! Thats what I like - thanks for sharing and best wishes @all from hamburg (germany)
The Cowboy Junkies are considered folk-rock/alternative country. They would have been quite at home in the mid-sixties with the San Francisco bands as well as the folk-rock/blues bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Blues Project, and Charlie Musselwhite.
The original album version (played live at the Trinity church), the entire Trinity Session album, was their lightning in a bottle. If you want to hear what made the Cowboy Junkies, that's where you'll hear it. I have never heard them sound anything like the way they played on their breakthrough album.
Just had an alert that brought me back to this comment, and after re-reading it, I meant it out of great appreciation for the Cowboy Junkies, and for The Trinity Session album.
A friend wanted me to hear this album in the early 1990s. My friends and I grew up listening to classic rock, because 1980s music was such a big change compared to what music was like before.
So in the early 90s, when a friend said he wanted me to hear an album called The Trinity Session by a group called the Cowboy Junkies, a 1980s group that I had never heard of, I could not have been in a worse or less receptive frame of mind when I sat down to hear their music for the first time.
I was prepared, and expecting, to not like it.
The first song I heard was Blue Moon. I had never heard anything quite like it before. It was hypnotizing. A little like Pink Floyd, but slowed down to a crawl, with a female lead vocal. It was one of those rare moments when you connect immediately with a group or artist. I had a similar experience the first time I heard the first side of Van Morrison's album 'Moondance'. Or Joni Mitchell's album 'Blue'. Or the songs 'Comfortably Numb' or 'Wish You Were Here' (Pink Floyd).
Next, my friend played their cover of Sweet Jane. I could hardly believe it. Then Misguided Angel. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. 200 More Miles. Mining for Gold. I Don't Get It. To Love is to Bury. It's like a Greatest Hits album, except it all flows together perfectly.
The sound is somehow alive on this particular recording (The Trinity Session, 1988), in a way that studio albums are not, but also in a way that most live albums are not. There is a presence to the music that is electric, something about the combination of the venue, the one central microphone, and the recording equipment.
It's an amazing album, a moment captured in time. One of my favorites, for around 30 years now 👍🙂
@@scott3744glad to have read this 9 months later. So nice to hear a fellow traveler with similar stories to my own. Thanks man
@@henrygordon1 [edit: I just realized that I wrote practically the same reply 9 months ago. I saw your reply in the pop-up notifications, and replied to it there, without seeing or remembering my previous reply. Then I went to the actual youtube page to see that it posted, and saw my earlier post, which is essentially a duplicate of this one, with a few extra details 😂]
After re-reading my comment, I didn't mean to suggest they don't have other great albums. Just that "The Trinity Session" (1988) is really special 👍
I remember the first time I heard it. I was in college, and one of my best friends from high school (who then attended the same university) said he just bought a new CD and I had to hear it.
I asked what it was, and he said the Cowboy Junkies. I listen to mostly classic rock (most of my high school class rejected the MTV 1980s and stayed with 1960s and 70s music).
I had never even heard of the Cowboy Junkies, so I wasn't looking forward to it. I went into that listening experience expecting the worst.
The first song he played was "Blue Moon Revisited". I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. I couldn't even describe it. It was like country-folk-acoustic Pink Floyd, with female vocals, played at a speed to hypnotize. It was perfect, I *loved* it 😁
Then he played "Misguided Angel". Again, I thought, you've gotta be kidding me. What is this, and where did it come from?
Then he played "Sweet Jane". And I said okay, just play the whole album!
What an experience, all those years ago, and I remember it like yesterday. I bought the CD for my collection the next day.
Since then I have tracked down the original Japan first issue CD, the 24K gold CD reissue by Classic Records, the Classic Records 180g LP, the original Canadian first issue LP on Latent Records label, and the double LP reissue (2016) from Acoustic Sounds / Analogue Productions.
Most of the albums that I have multiple copies of (CD, SACD, LP, first issues, reissues, etc.) are albums like Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Abbey Road, Crosby Stills & Nash (debut album, Deja Vu, 4-Way Street and Daylight Again), most of the Doors albums, various early Bob Dylan, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, Bob Marley, Grateful Dead, Neil Young and The Who.
And "The Trinity Session", by the Cowboy Junkies. One of my favorites.
Music for the soul 👍😎
Great Canadian band from out west!! ❤️🙏🇨🇦.. I heard they recorded in an old church cuz of the acoustics. Her voice is haunting!
Toronto is East.
Lou Reed wrote such beautiful music.
I love your reaction videos. You share your great joy and knowledge of music 🎶❤
I saw them perform this live at Massey Hall several years ago and it was fantastic. Check out A Common Disaster and Late Night Radio. Who the heck called them a country band????
The Trinity Sessions were recorded at Trinity Church in Canada. A building of perfect acoustics it was all captured on one Alrec ambisonic condenser mic. I saw them in Raleigh nc in the 90s and she stopped the to let this little granny come up and give her an apple pie that she made for Margo 💖
The first time she performed in Ottawa, she was so shy that she sang with her back to the audience.
Interesting side note she definitely isn't that introverted anymore. When I finally got to see them live a few years ago (maybe 4 years ago?) Margo was the only member of the band to sign at the merch table after the show.
Great, Great Video! Love The Cowboy Junkies! So different. Lonely Sinking Feeling is my favorite!
Margo is simply beautiful in every way.
So cool! i was just walking by the church where they recorded their breakout album. The Trinity Sessions in Toronto. Thanks Beth.
Love Lou Reed and love this song. When I first heard this version, I was like....ehhhhh. After listening to it more, it really has grown on me. It's an excellent alternative version.
Cowboy Junkies' song "A Horse in the Country," is a great song off the Black-Eyed man album. Trinity Sessions is a "desert island" record, an absolute masterpiece.
Her register is lower now in this than originally.
My goodness to have you review a voice I have obsessed over for decades since listening to Trinity Sessions!!!! Just another amazing band that never got the attention they so deserve. Listen to Pale Sun Cresent Moon!
Great reaction again ... its always fun listening to you analyze the vocals. One of my favorites from the Cowboy Junkies is "The Wedding Song"
That is anything but country Beth. Blue Guitar is just quite awesome.
For another product of the Canadian bar scene, see the amazing guitarist Jeff Healey's "See The Light" on the American TV show Night Music in 1988.
Karen Carpenter similar story. Brother talked her into singing. "And the rest is history" as they say. Sweet Jane is an awesome rendition but Misguided Angel even more amazing
This was a Lou Reed staple both in the later years of the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist. He did so many different versions and speeds, between slow and soulful to fast and rockin'. This version by Cowboy Junkies is also a much different version than their album version. Their album version was much more stripped down and slower. This version leans more towards the Velvet version.
I really like Margo's voice, they have done a number of covers, like "Powder finger", which is a Neil Young song, but also do their own, like "Sun comes up, it's Tuesday afternoon", or Misguided Angel". If you like to check out unique voices give a listen to the voice of Frazey Ford, of The Be Good Tanyas, try "Junkie song".
Margo's voice can be summed up in one word-----Sultry .
Saw them in concert,,,,,,what a crush I had on her
Thanks for the background on the band. I didn't know they were a bunch of rich kids who got to be artists. Seems to be the way: When people don't have to worry about paying rent and putting food on the table, they tend to choose art as a vocation. We should all be so lucky.
On the "reminds me of Scottland" comment, there's a LOT of Scottish and Celtic culture in Eastern Canada, and the music from that area is heavily influenced by it.
Nice choice, by the way. A big Cowboy Junkies fan here.
Cheers!
A P.S. on my comment above - for your own listening pleasure, try to find a good live performance - or at least the studio recordings - of her singing Niel Young's "Powder Finger" and her own song, "Misguided Angel". Mind-blowing beautiful!
My go-to band in the 90s. Saw/heard them perform several times.
Thick, rich, sweet, and creamy like fine Canadian maple syrup.
That was a really interesting, kind of psychedelic take on the song. Up until now, I'd only heard the studio version of their cover, which is quite a bit quieter. I also never knew that I needed distorted mandolin in my life until now.
If you like distorted mandolin (and violin), check out another Canadian legend, one man band Nash the Slash.
@@SPAMDAGGER22 Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check him out :)
I would recommend checking out the studio version. They recorded the album in an old church completely live. This is a pretty good version but I find it a bit busy. The original had sparser instrumentation which gave it a haunting quality that seems to be lost here. Also, this song is originally by a band called The Velvet Underground.
This version of this song reminds me of the day my Son was born and the first time I held him.
Saw them completely by chance back in the mid 90s after another gig was cancelled in Pgh and they were amazing especially Margo
Nice review, great band. Only Margo, Michael (Guitar) and Peter Timmons (drums) are siblings
Love cowboy junkies, good choice.
Their new album is actually pretty amazing 🤩
Great cover by a great band! You should definitely check out their cover of Neil Young's Powderfinger absolutely great.
Their covers of helpless and don't let it bring you down are killer as well.
Also Thunder Road is fantastic!
You mentioned Margo being nervous about singing with the band...another shy vocalist you should listen to is Eva Cassidy. I recommend "People Get Ready" as an Eva Cassidy Tour de force. As a vocal coach, if you've never heard her....on my, what a treat it would be for you. Eva, unfortunately, passed WAY before her time. But we do have the recordings of her that, IMO, cement her legacy as one of the best female vocalists ever.
Came across the Cowboy Junkies through a girlfriend, whose best friend in Melbourne worked in the arts and had put her together a mix ‘tape’ of music - on which was this song!
I first heard this on the movie "Natural Born Killers". It was perfect for the scene.
Love this reaction so educational. I just love them
I love their version of this song. Another song that gets me is "Misguided Angel."
so is a KD LANG reaction coming up soon?
Everytime I caught the video for Sweet Jane on Much I had to stop and watch it. Still love the Cowboy Junkies version, not sure I've heard any other.
The more you listen to this version the more you hear.
The Trinity sessions was everyone's sound track for most of a year. The record version was a lot more acoustic and vocal forward.
Perfection.
All the best with the album Beth❤🍻👍🏴☠️🍻👍
as a canadian who was 21 when they really hit the scene i take (humorously) exception to categorizing them as a Country band. they were just a damn good band if you liked solid earthy warm vocals. why pigeon hole them
Lou Reed was the man! Legendary!
One of my favourite folk rock/Canadiana bands! Grew up through my teenage years in the late 80s/early 90s listening to Cowboy Junkies, Blue Rodeo, and The Tragically Hip; was so spoiled for great music from those bands and many others during that era. And I agree with others that while this particular live version of this song cover is good, I’ll always prefer the studio/Trinity Session versions more.
i bought Trinity Sessions when it came out, and it didn't leave my cassette player for years. This live version is fine, but you really need to listen to the album version. it's perfection. the whole album is incredible.
Beth be grooving, dancing in her chair and putting on the stank face!
Hi Beth, nice review! I'd like to siggest you a classic: Elis & Tom, Aguas de Março. There is an amazing live video made during the recording session, Im sure you will like it. Take care.
Consider the original song by the band was released in 1988 and over time and with age not everyones vocals can still cope with the high/low pitches. Loved Margos vocals on the original recording and still watch the video.
Great wee band❤👍🍻🏴☠️
At the ten minute mark, when you were speaking to her understated style which left her so much room to go further, I thought of Sade.
Thank you for this.
Margo has an incredible presence too I have seen them several times over the years and always one of the best shows I have seen. You should try some of their originals Think Common DIstaster is my favorite of their's, Trinity Sessions is a bit older has a mix with some covers that are wonderful. Their cover of Blue Moon gives me the goosies, Thank you for doing this
I rarely, if ever, watch reaction videos but I love this girls take on this song. And when shecsways with the miscible is so genuine. I prefer the studios version to this one though.
Love you accent Beth. I know what you saw next will be is you don’t have an accent but I do 😮