The Trinity Session
by Cowboy Junkies

The Trinity Session by Cowboy Junkies
Year: 1988
Release date: 1988-11-15
Overall rank: 1,615th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 217 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1988 (24th)
Award Top albums of of the 1980s (245th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,615th)

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Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
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Cowboy Junkies: Lot Of 4 CDs The Trinity Session, Miles, Horses, Black Eyed
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Cowboy Junkies The Trinity Session Vinyl Record - 1988 RCA 8568-1-R
Condition: Used


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Cowboy Junkies bestography

The Trinity Session is ranked as the best album by Cowboy Junkies.

Cowboy Junkies album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (1,615th)
The Trinity Session
Lower ranked (7,210th) »
The Caution Horses

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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The Trinity Session rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,615th | 1980s rank: 245th | 1988 rank: 24th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 cestuneblagueTop 100 Music Albums of 198842/1003
2026byuzakTop 47 Music Albums of 19883/475
2026 jeremy9Top 78 Music Albums of 198821/784
2026JohnnyoMost listened to artists in November 2020 (To delete)25/34 -
2026 Robert Anton WilsonTop 12 Music Albums of 19885/123
2026LittleM1971Top 86 Music Albums of 198841/863
2026 RepoTop 87 Music Albums of 198872/871
2026Rm12398Top 29 Music Albums of 198815/293
2026HyggevinylTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s57/1009
2026 Norman BatesTop 100 Music Albums of 198879/1001
2026Juneof44Top 50 Music Albums of 198822/503
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 301-40070/100 -
2026 RomanelliTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s58/1009
2026spewventuriTop 91 Music Albums of the 1980s44/9111
2026BurndenAceTop 100 Greatest Music Albums42/10056
2026matterhornriderTop 44 Music Albums of 198810/444
2026daCriticTop 32 Music Albums of 198828/321
2026juanr1096Top 47 Music Albums of 198835/471
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s47/10011
2026 HeliosTop 100 Music Albums of 198887/1001
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 246
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 1,067
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

The Trinity Session collection

The Trinity Session ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 217 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 217 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 !
03/18/2026 18:38 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  12,85870/100
 
100/100
 !
02/28/2026 16:37 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
65/100
 !
02/06/2026 18:57 Dingerbell  Ratings distribution  4,08762/100
 
40/100
 !
01/14/2026 19:17 Jakor  Ratings distribution  5,43470/100
 
75/100
 !
09/15/2025 19:19 AledJames  Ratings distribution  1,59569/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 4% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.3/100, a mean average of 76.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.1.

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The Trinity Session comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 18 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 11/14/2024 20:27 | #306035
Easily the best version of I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. The opening track is just as haunting, gorgeous album overall.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/19/2022 14:35 | #281531
A fine and very deeply cut music performed soulfully,
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/22/2021 17:18 | #274062
Great example of how a single mic can catch magic in the room in a way that polished production often can't.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 07/19/2020 03:39 | #255806 | TOP COMMENT
Arguably the first slowcore album, I love the blend of downcast indie rock and country. I kind of wish this is what all of that sad, classic country stuff sounded like. Everyone here is talking about the cover of "Sweet Jane," which is great but cuts out the best of Reed's cheeky lyrics, and no one is talking about the cover of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" which is very easily better than the original.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 11/27/2019 07:36 | #245219
A toned, inspired and beautiful album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 01/30/2018 04:02 | #206816
Mind blowing when it was released because there just wasn't anything like it out there. No frills, just beautiful vocals backed by an excellent band. Their version of "Sweet Jane" is amazing.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 07/03/2017 09:26 | #193596
Morose, one paced alt country lp with a songstress with definite vocal range issues. A catatonic version of Sweet Jane bought them a considerable audience in North America bit I'm feeling somewhat dissapointed by this one.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (1 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/18/2016 14:45 | #171501 | TOP COMMENT
Recorded with the band circled around a single microphone in Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity, this album's intimacy and immediacy reflects the surroundings in which it was made. The result is a a languid, dreamy, haunting listening experience. The band's sound centers on the custard-smooth voice of Margo Timmins, but there is both great songwriting here and some excellent selections of covers. Their version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" is one of the best interpretations of that song, and Michael Timmins' "Postcard Blues" is one of the album's many highlights.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 07/17/2016 19:22 | #171464 | TOP COMMENT
A hauntingly beautiful album, full of superb intimate tracks, including a lovely take on Lou Reed's, sweet Jane. Good record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 04/15/2016 22:13 | #163883
Damn is this a good solid album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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