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When I heard the Galactic Cowboys were hanging it up, I was greatly saddened. I have grown to love this band and they will go down as one of my favorites of all time. With their last album "Let it Go" they really go out in style. This band has always been known for its weird sense of humor and it shows forth here in great fashion. The front cover shows a little boy wearing goggles and a big frown and holding some ballons. The back shows the boy screaming with glee and wagging his tongue as he releases the ballons. The CD itself has a big picture of a bowl of corn, and the inside band photos show Monty Colvin as an old shoe, Ben Huggins as a hammer, and Wally Farkas as a smiley face with a taco. If that's not enough, the band starts off the album with a hip-hop style intro. However, song #2, "T.I.M." breaks the silliness as the boys rip into the first seriousness of the album. The song talks of many TV talk shows and the problems that people on them have, but point out that what they really need is a "Total Inside Makeover". The next song "A Different Way" is a classic Galactic Cowboy's song. Great music, great harmony vocals, and great lyrics. "Life and Times" comes up next and slows things down quite a bit. In fact, Wally Farkas wrote the lyrics, played all the instruments except the cellos, and sang all the vocals except the harmonies. I think he did a terrific job with this song and it is one of my favorites on the album. One thing about this album is different from past GC albums. On past albums, the songs sounded like the GC's and only the GC's. On this album the GC's sound like the GC's, but you can also hear influences from other bands as well. "Life and Times" (to me) sounds like a mixture of PFR, King's X, and Guns & Roses. While "Flag" shows hints of Mad at the World in the chorus. Speaking of drumming, the drums on this record were handled by Jerry Gaskill of King's X, since Alan Doss had recently left the band. Hence, the King's X influence on many of the songs. No complaints here though, cause I love King's X and Jerry's excellent drumming. "Disney's Spinnin'" is a good song that see the GC's speaking out against things like Marilyn Manson, drugs, kids w/guns, and abortion. "Hey Mr." is another favorite of mine with lyrics that sound very sarcastic and sound like they are pointed directly at President Clinton without ever mentioning his name. It even ends with a kids choir. "Ordinary" is an all acoustic song that has great lyrics and is very well done. The next song after "Ordinary" is "Internalize", and it is probably one of the heaviest songs on the album. Talk about keeping you on your toes. "Swimming in December", which clocks in at over 10 minutes, starts and ends with some cool ambient music that sounds very calming. The song itself is kind've a heavy ballad that for some reason reminds me of something Atomic Opera would do (maybe it's just because AO had a song called "December"). "The Record Ends" is the last song on the album and appropriately so. The song itself is only a little over 3 minutes, but the ending of feedback, screaming, wild drumming, and weird sounds, lasts over 9 minutes. I was cracking up the first time I heard it. Kinda an appropriate way for the GC's to bow out. Overall, not their best record, and not their heaviest, but solid. With all the switching back and forth between heavy and slower songs, you'd think that it would be hard to listen to, but it grows on you and is a suprisingly consistent listen. The silliness inbetween a lot of songs might annoy some listeners, but diehard GC fans will probably not care. As far as cowboys go, I hate the Dallas Cowboys (go Skins), I hate the Oklahoma State Cowboys (go Sooners), and I hate country music, but the Galactic Cowboys will go down as one of my favorite bands ever. I've thouroughly enjoyed the ride and I'll go back many more times for trips down memory lane. (Review by Matt)
***My picks for best 3 GC albums - 1.) Space in Your Face, 2.) s/t, 3.) At the End of the Day. My picks for best GC songs (no particular order) - "Speak to Me", "Someone for Everyone", "I Do What I Do", "If I Were a Killer", "Mona Lisa", "Machine Fish Suite", "A Different Way", "Life and Times", "I Can't Wait", and "Young Man's Dream".
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