Trinity Revisited: +DVD [CD]

I bought the original Trinity album back in 1988 when it introduced the world to the Cowboy Junkies. And I've never really liked anything else they've done better. Like many I was intrigued by the simplicity of the recording: one microphone, so everything done 'live' with no overdubs or multi-tracking. Play it through a good hi-fi and you could hear the building as well as the music.
I decided to compare old and new back to back.
They've done exactly the same tracks on the new album, and in the same order. If you were hoping for a bonus track or two, you'll be disappointed, but the DVD compensates. More of this later.
So, let's take a track like Postcard Blues, always a favourite on the original. The single microphone magically creates a 'sound hologram' of the Toronto church it's recorded in. Shut your eyes and you can almost see the space, with the band somewhere in the middle of it. This track is spookily minimalist, with a drum tap like footsteps pacing around Margot Timmins' breathy vocals, and a harmonica solo that makes your hair stand on end when it comes in. It's still great.
The new one is completely different. Put it on straight after the original and the space vanishes while the band grows in size to fill it. It's like zooming in to just the band. The footsteps are gone too, as is the harmonica. The new version sounds fairly ordinary in comparison, but you wait for Margot to come in...
And she doesn't, because this is one of the tracks sung by a guest, in this case Vic Chesnutt. Hmm. I guess you either like his trembly old man vocals or you don't. For my money, he hogs far too much of the limelight on this album. He's on at least two other tracks.
Natalie Merchant does a bit better, and I quite like her rather quavery version of To Love Is To Bury. But it's not the Cowboy Junkies' sound. If you think Margot's vocals are an intrinsic part of the CJ sound, you could be frustrated by the guests, although Ryan Adams does a great turn, I must admit. Shame they didn't get just him.
The story is the same throughout the album: the sound is different and the guests intrude somewhat, apart from Ryan. Some may prefer the sound of course - it's certainly sharper and gutsier, a bit louder and rockier too, but is it better?
But, but, but. There's the DVD too, so don't give up hope. The DVD is really good and rescues the package. There's a bunch of stuff about setting up the recording (and you'll notice the 'one microphone' trick has gone out of the window with a vengeance. The Junkies sit around and talk about the good old days, and it's all very much what you'd expect. All twelve songs are on the video too and it looks great, with shafts of light apparently streaming from the stained glass into the dark interior.
As others have mentioned, the packaging for this album is really nice: it's like a little book in a hard cover, with a disc in a pocket at each end and a nice booklet stitched into the middle. If more albums were as neat as this, it would make people think twice about just downloading the music.
So full marks for that, but a mark or two off for the guests and for changing the sound without improving it. Still, if you're a fan, the DVD will make it all worthwhile. If you don't have the original album though, maybe get that instead of this.

The previous reviewer pretty well summed up my ambivalent feelings about this disk. Having seen the band doing the Trinity Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall before hearing this, I was wary of the contributions of the guests to the reworking of the album. It takes prodigious talent to sing with Margo Timmins and both Thea Gilmore (in concert) and Natalie Merchant and Vic Chestnutt (on disk) fail to connect with her inimitable vocals. I just wanted to hear Timmins and everytime one of the guests began a verse or chorus I winced. Blue Moon Revisited and Misguided Angel are such a beautiful showcases for Timmins, but the songs are stopped in their tracks by the guest vocals. Their contributions are so jarring, it's like a needle scratching across vinyl. Only Ryan Adams, much to my surprise, seems to be a sweet counterpart to Timmins at times. Nonetheless, there are far too many vocal contributions from guests on this disk. That said, the band are in beautiful form and a joy to listen to. It was a great idea to revisit The Trinity Sessions, but Timmins should have sung it on her own.

I bought the original Trinity Sessions a couple of years ago, on the recommendation of a friend from Canada, and love it (and know every track intimately). A real 5* album for anyone who likes dreamy, bluesy sort of music. As is Caution Horse. So I was fascinated to see what they did with this remake.

I tried the CD first. A great start, with a very spartan Mining for Gold from Margo Timmins. Misguided Angel is even better, with Natalie Merchant adding a thrilling hard edged counterpoint to Margo. Then there's a real favourite, Blue Moon. Lovely and dreamy but aaargh! Half way through, a weird, half talking, oddly inflected man's voice breaks in and ruins the track. Vic Chesnutt, I later found out. Some people might like his voice/style but I don't at all. I Don't Get It is better - mostly Margo. I'm So Lonesome is a real favourite, but not on this version - ruined by the weird male voice. To Love Is to Bury is gorgeous - Natalie Merchant again, such a distinctive voice. Then a nice surprise with Ryan Adams and a great new version of 200 More Miles. Too good to last - Dreaming My Dreams is another track damaged by Vic C, although he's fine when doing backing vocals for Margo. Working on a Building is fine, Natalie & Margo. Sweet Jane is sensational after the mucking about intro, Margo & Ryan. Postcard Blues is a Vic C write-off but there's a great Margo + Natalie + Ryan ending with Walking After Midnight.

I really enjoyed the DVD, both the performance and the interviews. It also shows what a good musician the 4th guest, Jeff Bird, is.

So if I reckoned 4 tracks were ruined how could I give it 4 stars? Well, I love the DVD, love the Natalie and Ryan contributions and I'm going to fix the CD. I'll rip it to the PC, delete the Lonesome and Postcard tracks then edit Vic C out of Blue Moon and Dreaming. And chop the Sweet Jane intro. Then I'll burn a replacement CD, with just 10 tracks, that I'm sure I'll listen to a lot.