Hi Cowpokes,
I was swamped with homework when GC announced their break-up, but the semester is over, and now I'd like to contribute my own belated two-cents-worth:
*** What I always loved about Galactic Cowboys ***
I never really liked metal. Metal, I thought, was for guys. Guys who liked to pose and strut around on stage as the "demon male" overdosed on testosterone - boozin', brawlin', womanizin' bad guys who, in between their macho theatrics, would grind out a few songs with the same "I'm gonna beat the snot out of you" attitude. The songs sounded alike: brain-numbing "jack-hammer with bass." The lead "singer" didn't need to sing, (the tunes consisted of one note) just snarl, bark and howl with enough volume. The lyrics - if you could catch them in between the snarling, barking, etc. - went like this: "Everything in the universe SUCKS!!" It was music that appealed to a narrow market. It was the best they could do. But what I always loved about Galactic Cowboys was that one night at the Chicago Metro they changed my mind about metal... because they didn't fit the simplistic pattern. All the visceral energy of metal was there, of course - plus more. Galactic Cowboys always had more. Their lead singer could really sing - ballads and rockers. In fact everybody could sing - all these gorgeous, lush harmonies. The songs had great melodies, great guitar work. The lyrics were intelligent and relevant. I was sold on them after the first chorus of "Sea of Tranquility." And hooray - they didn't do the "bad boy" macho schtick - except to lampoon it in the "Evil Twin" video. (My favorite GC video.) Which is another thing I loved. They didn't take themselves so seriously that they couldn't include some humor in their songs. Their music didn't fit inside the boundaries of one particular music genre, and so it wasn't easy to describe. (Didn't you always enjoy reading reviewers attempts to describe it?) I always liked "the thinking person's metal." Credit for that one goes to Liz, I think. Galactic Cowboys wasn't narrow-market music. They did better than that - something their labels could have and should have capitalized on. Ah well. I'm grateful for all they gave.
Heartfelt thanks,
Ellen