The Brooklyn Cowboys
Doin’ Time On Planet Earth
Leaps Records 1101
Released 2002
available on Amazon
Shades of the raw country sound that Gram Parsons and the Byrds did so much to popularize these many years ago. This is that same harmonizing sound that Gram and Emmy Lou Harris brought to us all in those crazed days of that lunatic era of confusion. This band is the genuine article and deserves a good hard listen. The song I associate so much with those timeless harmonies, Hearts On Fire, is done with true flair and verve by this group, and what kicked me in the butt was it wasn’t written by Gram or Emmy Lou. It was co-written by Guidera and by Walter Egan, who handles vocals and electric guitar for the Cowboys. He also co-wrote with Gram Parsons, Carolina Calypso. All of this just gives this band a bit more of that legitimacy that helps establish a reputation for originality and not make it just another copy band. The band in varying combinations wrote all the songs on this disc with the exception of Hearts.., which was co-written with GP. It was startling to see a band dressed in the clothes of those days, with a name like the Brooklyn Cowboys. This disc sure fills a void that has long needed filling, and it does it well.
Songs, times, & writers
1 You And I And The July Moon - - 3:07 – Egan
2 Jukebox Girl – 3:00 – Egan
3 Boundless Love – 3:21 – Perry
4 Californ’ – 3;57 – Egan
5 Reachin’ For The Sky – 3:54 – Perry
6 Wishful Drinking – 3:12 – Egan-Kelly
7 Hearts On Fire – 3:24 – Egan-Guidera
8 Carolina Calypso – 3:08 – Gram Parsons-Walter Egan
9 Learn How To Love Me – 3:17 – Perry
10 Exquisite Torture – 4:10 – Perry
11 (I’m A) Burning Bridge – 3:34 – Perry- Egan
12 Headin’ For Home – 3:04 – Egan
13 What The…??!!! – 3:04 – Perry
Musicians
Brooklyn Cowboys
Walter Egan – vocals, electric guitar
Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
Michael “Supe” Granda – bass guitar
Joy Lynn White – acoustic guitar, vocals
Michael Webb – keyboards
Fredrough Perry – drums
guest musicians
Vassar Clements – fiddle
Brian Waldschlager – background vocals, lead on Learn How To Love Me
Redd Volkaert – lead guitar on Jukebox Girl & (I’m A) Burning Bridge