COWBOY JUNKIES - Whites Off Earth Now!!

LP Latent Records 1986
CD reissue RCA/BMG 1990



"Although it didn't originally have anything to do with their sound, the Cowboy Junkies' name wound up seeming pretty accurate: their music was grounded in traditional country, blues, and folk, yet drifted along in a sleepy, narcotic haze that clearly bore the stamp of the Velvet Underground. The vast majority of their songs were spare and quiet, taken at lethargic tempos and filled with languid guitars and detached, ethereal vocals courtesy of Margo Timmins. Over the late '80s and '90s, the group recorded a succession of critically acclaimed albums that found favor in the alternative rock community".
(Steve Huey, All-Music Guide)

"Featuring only one original song, the Cowboy Junkies' debut, Whites Off Earth Now!!, captures the band forming their own sound through covers, including songs by Robert Johnson and Bruce Springsteen. It's not as captivating as their later releases, but it's fascinating to hear their signature country-on-valium sound develop. Margo Timmins sings beautifully".
(Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide)

"The Junkies' shimmering 1986 debut immediately catches your attention simply because of the unique concept: a lethargic, languid, country-tinged band interpreting an emotionally intense art form - the blues - with utter detachment. Seven of the nine cuts are blues covers (including three from John Lee Hooker and two from Robert Johnson), with one original and one stark Springsteen cover tossed in for good measure. The formula succeeds magically, thanks to Margo Timmins's drowsy, pristine vocals, Michael Timmins's gently snapping guitar, Alan Anton's quietly rumbling bass, and Peter Timmins's soft percussion palette. Whites not only serves as a perfect introduction to the doleful Junkie aesthetic, it somehow makes apathy sound compelling".
(Marc Greilsamer)

ENJOY


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