Live Collection: Cowboy Junkies

Live Collection brings together every live cover we can find from an artist. And we find a lot.

Hailing from the barren Canadian wilderness – make that the suburbs of Toronto – the Cowboy Junkies have come a long way in the 25 years since they formed. Clichéd though it may be, they recorded their first album, 1986’s Whites Off Earth Now!, in an actual garage. The band, consisting of the three Timmins and a friend on bass, have always featured cover tunes as an essential part of their repertoire, from the blues tracks on Whites, to their breakthrough version of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”, to their upcoming collection of Vic Chesnutt covers.

For the latest edition of the Live Collection, we sifted through the Live Music Archive to bring you a set that spans the Junkies’ entire career (right up to a Chesnutt cover from October). Dedicated fans may not gasp at the song selection; the band does not throw in novelty “Like A Virgin” or “Run To The Hills” covers. Instead, they honor more obvious influences such as Townes Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. However, the casual listener who only knows the band through their one platinum album (1988’s The Trinity Session) may not expect the darkness of “State Trooper” or the foreboding of Robert Johnson’s “32-20 Blues”.

So enjoy the following songs, one of our biggest Live Collections to date. Many of these tracks come from excellent soundboard recordings or remarkable audience tapes. That being said, a couple of these are one-off performances taken from audience tapes, so the sound quality may not always be optimal. Each song links to a download, with the full set zipped at the bottom, so listen away! Let us know if we missed anything in the comment.

Live Collection: Cowboy Junkies

32-20 Blues (Robert Johnson cover)*
Brothers Under The Bridge (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Captain Kidd (Traditional cover)*
Carmelita (Fred Eaglesmith cover)*
Crossroads (Robert Johnson cover)
Dead Flowers (The Rolling Stones cover)*
Decoration Day (John Lee Hooker cover)*
Don’t Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young cover)
Dreaming My Dreams of You (Waylon Jennings cover)
Dust My Broom (Robert Johnson cover)
Forgive Me (John Lee Hooker cover)*
Handouts in the Rain (Ritchie Havens cover)
Hard to Explain (Ray Agee cover)
Helpless (Neil Young cover)*
Highway Kind (Townes Van Zandt cover)*
Hot Burrito #1 (Flying Burrito Brothers cover)*
If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Bob Dylan cover)*
I’ll Never Get out of these Blues Alive (John Lee Hooker cover)*
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams cover)*
In My Time of Need (Ryan Adams cover)
Isn’t It a Pity (George Harrison cover)
License to Kill (Bob Dylan cover)
Lost My Driving Wheel (Townes Van Zandt cover)*
Lungs (Townes Van Zandt cover)
Me and the Devil Blues (Robert Johnson cover)*
Moonlight Mile (The Rolling Stones cover)
My Father’s House (Bruce Springsteen cover)
No Expectations (The Rolling Stones cover)
No More (Traditional cover)
One (U2 cover)
Powderfinger (Neil Young cover)*
Rake-Flyin’ Shoes-Marie Medley (Townes Van Zandt covers)
River (Joni Mitchell cover)
State Trooper (Bruce Springsteen cover)*
Sweet Jane (The Velvet Underground cover)*
The Water Is Wide (Traditional cover)
Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Tired Eyes (Neil Young cover)
To Lay Me Down (Jerry Garcia cover)*
To Live Is to Fly (Townes Van Zandt cover)
Two Soldiers (Traditional cover)
Waiting Around to Die (Townes Van Zandt cover)
Walkin’ After Midnight (Patsy Cline cover)*
Wrong Piano (Vic Chesnutt cover)
You’re Missing (Bruce Springsteen cover)

– DOWNLOAD FULL SET –

* denotes soundboard recording

Check out more Cowboy Junkies at their website or MySpace.