Doin' Time on Planet Earth

Doin' Time on Planet Earth

ASIN: B00002NDAE

Editorial Reviews
The December '99 issue of Country Standard Time
"A gem of a debut which rocks and twangs in equal measure. Californ', one of the best pure country tunes heard in some time. ...would fit well in any country playlist. Hearts on Fire is an achingly beautiful ballad. This album is an enjoyable experience throughout."

Product Description
With the release of "Doin' Time on Planet Earth", The Brooklyn Cowboys complete the circle of Gram Parson's music by releasing the last song written by him, but more on that later. Uniting elements of the best country-rock of the 1960's with today's alt-country and Americana scenes, The Brooklyn Cowboys make music that is both familiar and refreshingly new, having melodic songs with cutting lyrics and a hard rockin' beat. The band is made up of Walter Egan, Buddy Cage, Joy Lynn White, 'Supe' Granda, Michael Webb, Brian Waldschlager, and Fredro (see artist bio for more info). Guest musicians include fiddler Vassar Clements and guitarist Redd Volkaert from Merle Haggard's band. The disc was produced by Al Perkins (Burrito Bros., Manassas, Gram Parsons). As if all that firepower wasn't enough, the disc includes the last song of the patron saint of alt-country, Gram Parsons. It is a co-write between Parsons and Egan dating from the days just before Gram's death called 'Carolina Calypso'. Egan also wrote 'Hearts on Fire', recorded by Parsons with Emmylou Harris on the original "Return of the Grievous Angel", as well as being known for his smash hit 'Magnet and Steel'. The album was recorded in Nashville at the same studio that Roy Orbison used to record at.

ARTIST BIO: The Brooklyn Cowboys were born in 1996 when singer, writer, and guitarist Walter Egan met writer and drummer Fredrough Perry in New York City. Egan, best known for his five solo albums,his mega-smash hit, 'Magnet and Steel',and for writing 'Hearts on Fire', recorded by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, was engaged by Perry to help him record some of his award winning songs. The sessions went so well that they started rehearsing the material for public performance. Pretty soon The Brooklyn Cowboys were making waves on the country-rock circuit throughout the northeast with their newest member, Buddy Cage, legendary pedal steel player from The New Riders of the Purple Sage. The band received a shock in 1997, however, when Egan announced he was moving to Nashville. But these sounds were too strong to be kept down! The Brooklyn Cowboys reformed in Music City with an expanded line-up of allstars. On bass guitar: 'Supe' Granda of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils; on acoustic rhythm guitar and vocals: Joy Lynn White, straight from the top of the Americana charts with her solo cd, "The Lucky Few"; on keyboards: Michael Webb, doing what he's done so well for Stacey Earl, Neil Coty, and anyone else lucky enough to call him on one of the rare nights he's not got a gig (believe me, there aren't many). The Cowboys were joined in the studio by fiddler Vassar Clements, hot picker from Merle Haggard's band, Redd Volkaert, and the stunning young vocalist from the 5 Bucks, Brian Waldschlager. The Brooklyn Cowboys have already started the buzz in Nashville and will be taking their Doin' Time Tour on the road soon. Catch it, or as The Brooklyn Cowboys say,"Fuggedaboudit...y'all.

Doin' Time on Planet Earth

Customer Reviews:

Dope, Raw.......2005-04-28

2 Black 2 Strong were an obscure NYC collective of militant, angry MCs. Their style and subject matter are particularily intersting, as this CD comes from a transition period in hip hop. Hip hop was moving from political, black power oriented lyrics to more street-level gansterism, and this albusm strikes a pleasant balance between the two.
Johnny Mars half-rapped, half-screamed style predates groups like Onyx or MOP, so this albums is also interesting for that reason.
This is a dope CD of street cuts, political awareness and rawness, with "War on Drugs" being my favorite track. Definately a great buy.

Across The 110.......2003-09-13

Harlem's confrontational 2 Black 2 Strong (members Mean Gene, Johnny Marrs, Warchild, C Dogg, and Dark Chocolate) came with the intense backing of MMG. Previous to their 1991 debut Doin' Hard Time On Planet Earth, 2 Black 2 Strong had already fired up a lot of controversy in the same year with their early 1991 EP Burn Baby Burn, This shorter variety spotlights a controversial flag-burning ditty and tipped off the subject matter of the title track. Relativity's tape manufacturer refused to press promotional copies, since "Burn Baby Burn" included the line, "F*ck the red, white and blue."

1991's Doin' Hard Time On Planet Earth was one of the strongest, foremost, and rejected rap releases in the early 90s. Although at times the Harlem MC can be excessively discordant and overly explosive, and rebellious, he's also (at times) got a meaningful thrust about him in a very incitive way when addressing social and political issues (gutsy). The track "Skulls" decries the crack epidemic with frightening accuracy, while "War on Drugs" asserts that the civil-rights violations occurring in response to the plague are as bad as the plague itself. "Iceman Cometh" tends to unfairly generalize about law enforcement, although its point about excessive force is well taken. As the early 90s went by 2 Black 2 Strong unfortunatley vanished from the political rap scene and remain undeservedly obscure.

Doin' Time on Planet Earth
Average customer rating:

For the Completist Egan Fan Only

Real Nice!

Nothing New Here

Doing time on Planet Earth

Great Stuff!

Doin' Time on Planet Earth
The Brooklyn Cowboys
Manufacturer: Leap Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dodging Bullets

ASIN: B00002NDAE
Release Date: 1999-07-01

Tracks:

You and I and the July Moon
Jukebox Girl
Boundless Love
Californ'
Reachin' for the Sky
Wishful Drinking
Hearts on Fire
Carolina Calypso
Learn How to Love Me
Exquisite Torture
(I'm a) Burnin' Bridge
Headin' for Home
What the...??!!!

Album Description

With the release of "Doin' Time on Planet Earth", The Brooklyn Cowboys complete the circle of Gram Parson's music by releasing the last song written by him, but more on that later. Uniting elements of the best country-rock of the 1960's with today's alt-country and Americana scenes, The Brooklyn Cowboys make music that is both familiar and refreshingly new, having melodic songs with cutting lyrics and a hard rockin' beat. The band is made up of Walter Egan, Buddy Cage, Joy Lynn White, 'Supe' Granda, Michael Webb, Brian Waldschlager, and Fredro (see artist bio for more info). Guest musicians include fiddler Vassar Clements and guitarist Redd Volkaert from Merle Haggard's band. The disc was produced by Al Perkins (Burrito Bros., Manassas, Gram Parsons). As if all that firepower wasn't enough, the disc includes the last song of the patron saint of alt-country, Gram Parsons. It is a co-write between Parsons and Egan dating from the days just before Gram's death called 'Carolina Calypso'. Egan also wrote 'Hearts on Fire', recorded by Parsons with Emmylou Harris on the original "Return of the Grievous Angel", as well as being known for his smash hit 'Magnet and Steel'. The album was recorded in Nashville at the same studio that Roy Orbison used to record at.

Customer Reviews:

For the Completist Egan Fan Only.......2003-09-25

I hate to say it, but I was very disappointed with this and the other two releases from The Brooklyn Cowboys. I am a huge fan of Walter Egan's solo projects and of his work in his surf band The Malibooz. In my opinion, his 1999 solo album "Walternative," with its eclectic mix of musical styles, is nothing short of a masterpiece. But this album just lacks any appeal for me. Song titles like "Wishful Drinking" lead me to believe that this album had potential, but the instrumentation is less than inspiring and the vocals also leave something to be desired.
If, like me, you are interested in this album because of a love for the music of Walter Egan, you might want to think twice. My advice for the Egan fan: buy this one only if you are a completist.

Real Nice!.......2000-12-29

Well played throughout! Egan's vocals are strong, and Cage's pedal steel is a joy to listen to... as always! Great vocal blends and good lyrics. Hope this band will make a tour of the West Coast. Definitely worth checking out.

Nothing New Here.......2000-09-27

This band does nothing that hasn't been done before, and better, by many other bands. I was disappointed and would not recommend this CD to my friends. Maybe this is what passes for "country" music in Brooklyn but here in Texas it's just noise.

Doing time on Planet Earth.......2000-08-10

I listened to samples of release, and as a big fan of The New Riders of The Purple Sage. I had to give it a five. Gram Parsons would be proud. His music and his promotion of his style definitely paved the way for the Cosmic America Music. Glad to hear that Buddy Cage is Picking for an Excellent Band! Could you fill me in on their Touring schedule for this year? Thank you!

Great Stuff!.......1999-12-15

I have just picked this album up and I must say that this is truly a winner! If you are a Walter Egan fan or a Rock n Roll fan in general, this CD will not dissappoint!

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