Cowboy Junkies Studio: Selected Studio Recordings 1986-1995 CD

One of the finest groups generally lumped into the "adult alternative" category, the Cowboy Junkies are well represented on this 14-track collection, which spans the Canadian ensemble's 1986-95 output. Although the compilation shares many tracks with 2001's BEST OF THE COWBOY JUNKIES, its reach extends slightly further, most notably by including the slinky, ominous mid-'90s hit "A Common Disaster," which showcases Margo Timmins's beautifully breathy voice and her brother Michael's resonant guitar lines. Other highlights of the anthology include spare, acoustic renditions of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" and Neil Young's "Powderfinger," and the previously unreleased "Lost My Driving Wheel," a tune that exemplifies the group's charmingly minimalist, low-key aesthetic.

Full title - Studio - Selected Studio Recordings 1986-1995. 1996 release is a thoughtfully compiled retrospective of their best album tracks including, 'Sweet Jane' & 'Misguided Angel', plus the previously unreleased 'Lost My Driving Wheel'. 14 tracks. BMG.

Additional personnel includes: Kim Deschamps (pedal steel guitar, dobro, lap steel); John Timmins (background vocals).

Producers include: Peter Moore, Michael Timmins, John Keane.

Personnel: Margo Timmins (vocals); Michael Timmins (guitar); Ken Myhr (electric guitar); Kim Deschamps (lap steel guitar, dobro); Jeff Bird (mandolin, harmonica, percussion); Dave Allen (fiddle); Jaro Czerwinec (accordion); Spencer Evans, Richard Bell (piano, organ); Peter Timmins (drums); Dave Houghton (percussion); John Timmins (background vocals).

Recording information: 06/28/1986-06/??/1995.

Photographers: Chris Buck; Darren Smith ; Dave Houghton; Margo Timmins.

Cowboy Junkies: Margo Timmins (vocals); Michael Timmins (guitar); Alan Anton (bass); Peter Timmins (drums).

Q (2/97, p.103) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...STUDIO carefully describes the foursome's maturation from lo-fi self-satisfiers to multi-track, multi-player coffee tablists and...back again. Inevitably, progress robs them of a measure of innocent beauty, but the rock covers--`Sweet Jane,' `Powderfinger'--are still mindblowing."