Cowboy Junkies

"Trinity Sessions" put them on the map and is a classic audiophile favorite but I like "Lay It Down" the best. Also, "Caution Horses" has a few good songs--"Cheap Is How I Feel" is one of my favorite CJ songs of all time. I saw them at a bar in New Haven (Trogs or Frogs or something like that) many years ago. One of the best live shows I've seen. A really small room with a bar and great sound. The CJ had the audience absolutely spellbound throughout the show. Saw Ricki Lee Jones at the same place a few years later and she had to chastise the audience for talking throughout the night.

The vinyl version of Black-Eyed Man is one of my top reference albums - dead quiet, stunning realism (Margo is perched on my lap throughout), the mixing and recording quality is absolutely top-notch.

Thanks for all the advice. I do like the musical style of "Open". I also think its a very well recorded album. The sustain of the cymbals is quite something.

I'll do some exploring with the information.

I forgot about Whites Off Earth Now which is very good as well with nice guitar

They are all great. Open is my least favorite probably. If you want to hear some of their live shows, check archive.org - the live music archive has many well-recorded live shows of their's, at CD-level quality (uncompressed). There's some shows in there that equal any of their commerical albums. Free to download too of course. The CJs rock, and are great in concert - very fan-friendly.

-Ed

I love both Trinity's, Revisited has a more modern sound, imho. The White's Off Earth now SACD has a riviting sound, esp on Crossroads and Please Don't Go. Very dark, brooding. Margo is a beauty and sings like an angel.

Hi.

Note that the "space-rocker" Open is quite different from the much folkier albums that made CJ famous: Trinity, Caution Horses, and Black Eyed Man. The earlier ones are my faves, but if you're keen on Open, try some of the middle to recent catalog, like Lay It Down, Pale Moon, and One Soul Now. Miles from Our Home immediately preceded Open; it's trending in that direction, but I like it much better -- a fine record.

CJ has a good website, and sell direct for good prices, depending on exchange rate. A nice recording is the limited release Acoustic Junk, which may turn up on their website. (I think their recordings tend to be better than average for pop/rock.)

And go see them, if you haven't. They're on the road a lot. Sleepy shows, but warm and friendly.

:)

John

Trinity Sessions is the only recording of theirs that is a must own IMO, the recording and atmosphere is dripping in ambience, really special...

my favorite is "Lay it Down". The ones already mentioned are great (Trinity Sessions is probably a must have), and pretty much everything they have released is excellent - definitely worth having. Frankly, "Open" is one of their weaker albums IMO, but it's still great.

the trinity sessions

a classic must own piece of music for me.

These are my favorites:

The Trinity Sessions

The Trinity Sessions Revisited

The Caution Horses