Lay It Down
Encyclopedia
Lay it Down was a studio album
by the Canadian
band Cowboy Junkies
. Released on February 27, 1996, it was the group's first album for Geffen Records
after the end of their contract with RCA Records
.
It was the band's first album that could be described as straight-ahead rock
, rather than country rock
, country
or blues
. It was also their first album consisting entirely of original material, with no covers
. "A Common Disaster" and "Speaking Confidentially" were notable hits for the band on Canadian
radio. Like all their albums after The Trinity Session
, however, it was only a modest success internationally.
The album also includes two versions of the track "Come Calling", which is presented in male
and female
versions representing two sides of a relationship of an elderly couple, dealing with the pain and anguish of Alzheimer's Disease.
The "Angel Mine" music video featuring Janeane Garofalo
, was filmed at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
band Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins , Michael Timmins , Peter Timmins and Alan Anton ....
. Released on February 27, 1996, it was the group's first album for Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
after the end of their contract with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
It was the band's first album that could be described as straight-ahead rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, rather than country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
or blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. It was also their first album consisting entirely of original material, with no covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
. "A Common Disaster" and "Speaking Confidentially" were notable hits for the band on Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
radio. Like all their albums after The Trinity Session
The Trinity Session
The Trinity Session is a 1988 album by Cowboy Junkies, their second album.The music was recorded at Toronto, Ontario's Church of the Holy Trinity on , with the band circled around a single microphone...
, however, it was only a modest success internationally.
The album also includes two versions of the track "Come Calling", which is presented in male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
versions representing two sides of a relationship of an elderly couple, dealing with the pain and anguish of Alzheimer's Disease.
The "Angel Mine" music video featuring Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
, was filmed at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.
Track listing
- All songs by Michael Timmins, except "Musical Key" by Michael Timmins and Margo TimminsMargo TimminsMargo Timmins is the lead vocalist of the Canadian band Cowboy Junkies. She is the sister of Michael Timmins, the band's lead guitarist and Peter Timmins, the band's drummer...
.
- "Something More Besides You" – 4:15
- "A Common Disaster" – 3:21
- "Lay it Down" – 4:22
- "Hold on to Me" – 3:22
- "Come Calling (His Song)" – 3:33
- "Just Want to See" – 4:23
- "Lonely Sinking Feeling" – 4:24
- "Angel Mine" – 3:59
- "Bea's Song (River Song Trilogy, Part II)" – 3:33
- "Musical Key" – 3:55
- "Speaking Confidentially" – 4:27
- "Come Calling (Her Song)" – 5:00
- "Now I Know" – 2:18
Personnel
Cowboy Junkies- Margo TimminsMargo TimminsMargo Timmins is the lead vocalist of the Canadian band Cowboy Junkies. She is the sister of Michael Timmins, the band's lead guitarist and Peter Timmins, the band's drummer...
– lead vocals - Michael Timmins – guitar
- Alan Anton – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Peter Timmins – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....