Good Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Sessions"?


I just listened to a new CJ Trin Sessions (RCA 8568-1-R). What a HUGE dissappointment compared to the Gold CD. I could tell this thing sucked from the first 5 seconds where I could barely hear the the ventilaton system running in the background in the church.

Is there an LP pressing of this album worth getting, i.e. better than the CD?
metaphysics
Metaphysics: My CD copy is labeled 8568-2-R (maybe a second run) and sounds as good as any of my other CJ's CD's with the exception of a 4 track live demo that sounds better than the rest of them to me (cruder but better).
Mine is also 8568-2-R. The first song has a very noticeable background noise because of the solo vocal, but I still enjoy it . The rest of the CD is also not of the absolute highest quality, but it certainly has satisfied my new-found taste for the CJs. I am listening to this 1988 recording for the music, and I like it very much. BUT: I do understand your point Metaphysics.
I have never cared much for this recording, so my original issue LP has only been played a few times. If you are interested in buying it, I'll sell it for $15 plus shipping.
There is an LP pressing on the Simply Vinyl catalog. I've not heard it, but is ispressed on 180 gram vinyl. The best pressing is of course Classic Records' long out of print re-issue. I MAY have a "line" on a sealed copy, which I will put up for sale on Audiogon if/when it arrives (I have a pefect copy of it, so don't another one). Whatch the auctions!
I have the trinity session on both vinyl and the RCA cd. The vinyl version is much better. I always thought the rca cd was a great recording, but the vinyl trounces it. I hope it comes out on SACD. It actually is a direct to digital recording.
get in touch with SdCampbell.
imo, the original Lp pressing is the one to have.

Best,
Ken
Hi Metaphysics; My CD is also 8568-2-R. The first track on "The Trinity Session" ie, this CD, is recorded complete with recording noise and is difficult to listen to, but the rest of it is quite good-- must be something wrong with your copy or that batch??? BTW, where did you find this CD recording in gold? Craig.
The noise on the first song just sounds like a wide angle mike to me, which should be prevailent on any copy unless it has been filtered out of the mix. I am not familiar with any Gold CD's are we talking MFSL?
The Gold disk was from Classic Records. It is no longer avalible so that's to bad. I had this disk, it was stolen along with my portable cd player from my sons car. What was he doing with my gold Cowboy Junkies you ask? Good question, but not the right one to ask after 20 plus disks and a stereo are stolen and the car completely trashed.
***I learned this from experience***
DO NOT LOOK ON EBAY UNTILL I SAY YOU CAN. I MISSED THE LAST COPY UP ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
To be clear, I have no complaints with the sound (or "noise")of the Classic Gold CD. I just found the standard issue RCA LP (VINYL) to not even be close in sound quality. SDCampbell and John_I, on what label are your LPs?

AlexC, now you're talkin'. I didn't know Classic put out an LP of this recording. That's what I want!

I think that it is all in the mixing and that Classic did it right on the Gold CD that I have and it would probably sound even better on the Classic LP. I think my disappointment with the LP (and others on the Aluminum CD) stems from the RCA mix/pressing.

Please give me a heads up if you put a classic CJ-TS up for auction.
Dear Metaphysics,

I'll give you $30. for your Classic Gold CD of Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity Session"-- and pay shipping!

Love, Craig
Whoa, Craig, I hardly know ya. I know we A-philes are a tight group, but LOVE??? Between this and the "How much does your system cost?" thread my wife would leave me if she ever signed on here.

I'm going to keep my Classic Gold CD unless someone wants to trade a MINT Classic LP.
i have 5 different versions of the trinity sessions that i can lay my hands on, 3 on vinyl and 2 on redbook cd. (i just got my cd's organized a couple of weeks ago; need to get more shelving for the couple of thousand lp's in various boxes scattered around my sound/video/home office space-yikes!) IMO, the best of the lot is the classic gold cd, closely followed by the original canadian pressing lp, then the classic reissue lp. can't remember where i got the canadian version but vaguely recall it was in england (does this make sense to any of the more knowledgable collectors out there?) anyway, it's definitely worth seeking out the classic gold cd. i got mine at ces a couple of years ago for $10.00. and, no, none of my versions is for sale. -kelly
gemm.com lists over 50 copies of Trinity Sessions in various forms, various releases. Might have what you are lookin for.
I'm tempted by the Simply Vinyl release, but Acoustic Sounds gave them a less than glowing endorsement. Basically, they say; We carry Simply Vinyl because its the only place we can get these recordings and our customers want them.
meta-man: i've bought a handful of simply vinyl releases and have been disappointed with each and every one. just be patient and go only for the proven best. who knows, once i sort thru my lp's, i might find yet another hidden treasure among trinity session versions. i could swear i got a japanese pressing at some point, tho can't find it now.- kelly
Kelly, I have a great idea. I'll come over and help you search your archives. Oh and if you want to go out, no problem, I'll watch the place. Yea. and meta and craig can help me, I'm sure we would have fun.
The Simply Vinyl LP might not be too bad. The main beef with SVLP is that they dont necessarily (if ever) use first generation analog masters for the re-issues that were recorded that way. Given that TS was direct to digital, it MAY be OK. Some SVLP's are pretty good (Dire Straits, for example).Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has it and the Classic reissue or an original pressing.
I have the original LP of this, plus the RCA BMG of "the Caution Horses," and a promo copy of "Misguided Angel." This last LP is only five cuts, containing the live recording at Church of Holy Trinity in Toronto (1987) and Misguided Angel live version from the Roxy in Hollywood.

The promo copy is the best recording of the bunch, maybe if only because it (as other promo's) is very early in the pressing run. The original Trin Sessions is wonderful, but since I have none of this on CD, I can only testify that the LP is worth searching out. I hope if a superior version is found, that the data will be posted here. I always buy at least two copies of everything I treasure.

Today I took my fifteen year old son to buy CD's, and he went to the section with Roger Waters. Seems he had listened to "Amused to Death" more closely than I thought. I have the LP he was influenced by, and a new sealed copy. Some of this material, just like Cowboy Junkies, seems to span all age groups and time. It is nice to see music as the topic of obsession.
albert: as always, you've seen the forest, while the rest of us have been lookin' at the trees. how right you are about the centrality of music to all our lives and, more importantly, the way that interest is seen and appreciated by our kids. my sons are adults, aged 31 and 28. my older son and i attend many concerts together, as we did when jerry was still alive and we were, with his brother, all deadheads, many chronological years apart. in the past year or so, we've enjoyed many of my heros in live performances, now heros to a second generation: csn&y, dylan (for whom my 31 year old was named), bruce, pink floyd (sans roger), paul simon, elton john, billy joel, neil & crazy horse, bonnie raitt, bobby wier (ratdog), phil lesh (and friends), john prine and more. i am so very proud that our children are superbly educated, formally and informally. i'm prouder still that both our offspring have, like their dad, found music to be a central part of their lives. may it continue through the next generation, and the next. -kelly
Kelly, this music definitely spans the generations, I'm the same age as your older son! No wonder your audio advice seems so fatherly;-) I guess I'll keep my classic CD for now. Let me know if you find another hidden gem that sounds better. Do you find a huge difference between the Gold CD and the RCA LP? I just want to make sure my turntable isn't the problem.
meta: fatherly, eh? well, i'll take that as a compliment. to be honest, i've not played the original (american) rca/bmg lp for some time. i'm in the midst of an analogue frontend revamping, so most of my lp listening over the past few months has been done at my good friend/audio dealer's sound room. as might be suspected, he has some really great equipment to play with. i frequently use my classic cd and lp as test software. the last time we played the lp, it was on a basis debut v vacuum with a graham 2.2/koetsu onyx signature played thru a boulder 2010 pre into a pair of bridged accuphase a 50v's driving avalon eidolon's. believe me, this rig makes for great sounds, as it did for trinity sessions. to my ears, at least, the gold cd sounded slightly better played on an accuphase 100/101 combo run direct into the same amps already noted. my guess is that once i get my own analogue setup going again (which will pretty much replicate the one i described) i'll learn again to love that source and probably prefer the lp to the cd. i'm gonna keep searchin' for that japanese pressing i vaguely recall; if i find it, i'll post my mini-comparison review. -kelly
ADDENDUM: to be complete, i should have added that the system i described in my friend's sound room used tara the zero and the one for cabling and ic's, respectively. -kelly
My 'Trinity Session' LP is a BMG/RCA. I got it for $4 thirty minutes after buying my first record player (a rega 25). It had just hit the 'new today' bin. A great shopping moment to remember....
I greatly prefer it to the standard 'rca' CD I have. Cleaning it with a record cleaning machine then putting Last Preservative on it made a big difference in sound quality. Seems like her voice was more delicate and airier back then.
By the way, my LP's numbers are: 7863-58568-1, 8568-1-R (same as metaphysics).
Get the original vinyl pressing on the small Canadian label - Latent. It sounds fantastic.
With all the interest in the Junkies, one might wonder if it might make sense to re-record the Trinity Sessions CD in a new DSD SACD format like Mark Levinson is doing at Red Rose Music in NYC. I believe just about everyone who owns a CD player that can play the SACD format would probably buy one. Just a thought...
The Cowboy Junkies have a website, www.cowboyjunkies.com.
You can order any of their stuff from there. Have you
heard the double-live cd "200 More Miles"? Awesome!!!
Great suggestion ..... because the "gold" audiophile version falls slightly beyong my range (approx. Euro 250 !! - if you get him)..... although it's tempting to experiance the sound !
Somehow this thread was revived - I spent a LOT of time looking for a good vinyl copy - many vinyl issues don't have Blue Moon on it, which I love. I found the Classic reissue on ebay, and am awaiting it. This is my new high in vinyl cost, at $50.