Cowboy Junkies formed in Toronto, but on the band’s second album The Trinity Session, they adopted the sound of the American South, blending folk, country, and blues with the garage rock of The Velvet Underground. The band was formed by three siblings: singer Margo, guitarist Michael, and drummer Peter Timmins. They were joined by bassist Alan Anton and debuted in 1986 with Whites Off Earth Now!!, an album of mostly covers.
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Though cover songs came to define the group, the reworked classics often gave new life to the originals. They quietly made gorgeous records, ignoring the popular music trends happening around them. Here’s a reminder if you’ve forgotten about Cowboy Junkies.
“Sweet Jane”
Cowboy Junkies “Sweet Jane” cover is based on a slower version from The Velvet Underground’s live recording in 1969. This haunting take on Lou Reed’s classic was recorded at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto and appears on The Trinity Session (1988). Reed said the cover was “the best and most authentic version I have ever heard.” It also appears on Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers soundtrack, and Margo Timmins’s despairing vocal reveals the pain caused by ignoring Reed’s opening lyric: “Anyone who’s ever had a heart / Wouldn’t turn around and break it.”
“A Common Disaster”
On Lay It Down, the Cowboy Junkies traded their familiar alt-folk for straightforward rock and roll. The narrator in “A Common Disaster” aims for a partner in crime who isn’t concerned about marriage vows or anything traditional. She arrived at this point after burning the candle at both ends while also enjoying the warmth of its glow. Then she moves on to revenge before finding a partner who’ll keep her occupied, cure the boredom, and share a life of calamity. Margo makes chaos sound so easy and inviting. As the band surges in volume behind her, you imagine the storm these characters are whipping up as they hit the road.
“Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)”
Elvis Presley’s cover of “Blue Moon” introduced the 1934 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart standard to early rock and roll audiences. Sam Phillips produced the galloping ballad, which features Presley’s falsetto croon and appeared on his self-titled 1956 debut album. Presley beseeches the blue moon for someone to care for. But the prayer in Cowboy Junkies song begs for the return of a deceased lover. The lingering melancholy slowly burns in an ode to Presley with updated lyrics and a darker story.
“Misguided Angel”
Margo and Michael Timmins co-wrote “Misguided Angel”, which sounds as timeless as the classic covers on The Trinity Session. The recording makes use of the church’s natural reverb, and the instruments blend into a haze behind Margo’s voice. It also foreshadows the ghostly textures on Bob Dylan’s masterpiece Time Out Of Mind. On that record, Dylan grapples with mortality as Daniel Lanois runs Dylan’s large band through layers of vintage echo units. The man Margo seeks in “A Common Disaster” might just be the lover in “Misguided Angel” with a “soul like a Lucifer.” The final line, “Love you till I’m dead,” doesn’t quite ring the same as “Till death do us part.” Margo sings about her lover, knowing well and good, this likely won’t end well.
Photo by Heather Pollock
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