Pale Sun, Crescent Moon

Pale Sun, Crescent Moon is the fifth studio album by Cowboy Junkies, released in 1993. It was the band's last album of new material for RCA Records, although a live album and a greatest hits compilation were subsequently released on the label. Canadian guitarist Ken Myhr appears on every track on this album.

Pale Sun, Crescent Moon
Studio album by
Cowboy Junkies
ReleasedNovember 23, 1993[1]
RecordedApril 1993
GenreCountry rock, blues rock
Length45:00[1]
LabelRCA, BMG
ProducerMichael Timmins
Cowboy Junkies chronology
Black Eyed Man
(1992)		 Pale Sun, Crescent Moon
(1993)		 200 More Miles: Live Performances 1985–1994
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]

Album development

The Cowboy Junkies created the album within months of getting off the road from the Black Eyed Man tour. While touring, Michael Timmins started work on several new songs, and after getting home he cleaned up and finished up the tracks. Ken Myhr, who had been on the last tour with the band, was invited to join the band in working out arrangements for the songs. In April over the Easter weekend the four band members and Ken went to Studio 306 in Toronto, operated by Bob Cobban, to record the basic tracks in three very long sessions. The band had worked with Cobban at Studio 306 before when recording "Lost My Driving Wheel".[3] After the initial sessions, the band started work on the overdub sessions, which were spread out over the next few weeks. In this cycle, Michael Timmins and Myhr added more guitar, Margo added some harmonies, Jeff Bird added embellishments, and Richard Bell added keyboard. Richard Bell had been in the industry for a while, working with The Band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and can be heard on Janis Joplin's album Pearl, and he added a classic style of rock with his piano and organ work during the recording sessions.[4] The album from conception to final mixing is the one of the quickest the band created.[5] One goal with the album was just to raise the volume a bit from the Junkies earlier albums. With every album, they try to add a different element, and for this album, they opened the album with a power chord.[6]

Pale Sun, Crescent Moon is about male-female relationships. The track show different faces of relationships, showcasing mystical with "Crescent Moon", reality with "First Recollection" and "Ring on the Sill", romantic with "Anniversary Song" and "White Sail", investigates dark corners with "Seven Years", "Pale Sun", and "The Post", moves on to metaphysical with "Cold Tea Blues", delves into the unexplainable with "Hard to Explain" and "Hunted", and finally ends with a song showcasing the distrust between one man and one woman in "Floorboard Blues".[5] Margo Timmins describes the theme of the album as " "is that there is love and there is all that conspires to steal love away."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Timmins except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crescent Moon" 5:02
2."First Recollection" 4:16
3."Ring on the Sill" 4:22
4."Anniversary Song" 3:11
5."White Sail" 3:45
6."Seven Years" 4:54
7."Pale Sun" 3:39
8."The Post"J Mascis4:40
9."Cold Tea Blues" 2:47
10."Hard to Explain"Ray Agee4:37
11."Hunted" 4:03
12."Floorboard Blues" 2:04
Total length:45:00

Personnel

Cowboy Junkies

  • Margo Timmins – vocals
  • Michael Timmins – guitar
  • Alan Anton – bass
  • Peter Timmins – drums

Additional Musicians[8][9]

  • Jeff Bird – harmonica, mandolin, 8-string bass, percussion
  • Ken Myhr – lead guitar
  • Richard Bell – piano, organ

Production[10]

  • Michael Timmins - producer
  • Bob Ludwig - mastered
  • Robert Cobban - engineer, mixed by
  • Colin Caddies - assistant engineer
  • Open Circle Design - design
  • David Houghton - Art Direction
  • Juan Sánchez Cotán - Cover illustration
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References
  1. Parisien, Roch. "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon - Cowboy Junkies". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 368. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. Timmins, Michael. "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon | Page 2". Latent Recordings. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  4. Timmins, Michael. "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon | Page 3". Latent Recordings. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  5. Timmins, Michael. "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon | Page 4". Latent Recordings. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  6. Boehm, Mike (April 7, 1994). "A New Song and Dance for the Cowboy Junkies : Music: The group's 'Pale Sun, Crescent Moon' takes a more aggressive approach than the albums that gave the band its signature hushed sound". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  7. "Cowboy Junkies - Pale Sun, Crescent Moon promotional letter | RCA Records Label". Junkiesfan.com. October 1993. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  8. "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon - Cowboy Junkies | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  9. Timmins, Michael. "Pale Sun, Crescent Moon | Page 5". Latent Recordings. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  10. "Cowboy Junkies – Pale Sun, Crescent Moon | RCA release". Discogs. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
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