The Original CowboyAgainst Me!
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Released: July 7, 2009
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Review by: Bill Jones
It is hard to hate The Original Cowboy, as the core material (demos of what was to become As the Eternal Cowboy) is a great throwback to the rougher-around-the-edges folk-punk days of Against Me! And it does serve as a great reminder of where Against Me! came from, whether fans have fallen in line with or grown tired of the smoother sounds created on New Wave.
But at its core, giving Eternal Cowboy the proverbial spin could almost accomplish the same thing. Original Cowboy’s major success and fault is that it doesn’t differ much from the finished product, but rather offers diehard fans an opportunity to listen to how Eternal Cowboy might have turned out if the band had self-produced the album, rather than sign to Fat and hit the studio for a re-recording.
A majority of the cuts are simply demo versions of those that appeared on the album, with the only major difference being production as far as any casual listener will be concerned. The only notably different song is “Unsubstantiated Rumors,” which has a much more aggressive and dirty punk approach, with a heavier bass line on Original Cowboy. It was cleaned up as more of an acoustic folk-punk tune for the final release. But the rest of the songs feel all too familiar to warrant a second purchase, with one of the eight, “Cavalier Eternal,” being (or at least sounding like) an identical track. And, coincidentally, “Unsubstantiated Rumors” is the free mp3 offered on Fat Wreck’s site.
Still, this reviewer suspects the old-school Against Me! fans who didn’t find these tracks one way or another years ago will enjoy the release, despite its familiarity. There are subtle differences that offer insight into Tom Gabel’s songwriting. Diehards may even enjoy arguing, as Gabel reportedly wondered about re-recording the tracks, whether The Original Cowboy is actually the superior - or at least a comparable - edition. But it is ultimately a moot point, as Eternal Cowboy was the album released back in 2003, and Original Cowboy is now its slightly different counterpart. Its worth is wholly determined by whether the particular listener is a fanatic or casual listener.
*Note: Fat Wreck Chords provided a digital copy of the album for review. The artwork and liner notes were not covered in this review, and whether they have any bearing on the entire package’s worth is unknown.
But at its core, giving Eternal Cowboy the proverbial spin could almost accomplish the same thing. Original Cowboy’s major success and fault is that it doesn’t differ much from the finished product, but rather offers diehard fans an opportunity to listen to how Eternal Cowboy might have turned out if the band had self-produced the album, rather than sign to Fat and hit the studio for a re-recording.
A majority of the cuts are simply demo versions of those that appeared on the album, with the only major difference being production as far as any casual listener will be concerned. The only notably different song is “Unsubstantiated Rumors,” which has a much more aggressive and dirty punk approach, with a heavier bass line on Original Cowboy. It was cleaned up as more of an acoustic folk-punk tune for the final release. But the rest of the songs feel all too familiar to warrant a second purchase, with one of the eight, “Cavalier Eternal,” being (or at least sounding like) an identical track. And, coincidentally, “Unsubstantiated Rumors” is the free mp3 offered on Fat Wreck’s site.
Still, this reviewer suspects the old-school Against Me! fans who didn’t find these tracks one way or another years ago will enjoy the release, despite its familiarity. There are subtle differences that offer insight into Tom Gabel’s songwriting. Diehards may even enjoy arguing, as Gabel reportedly wondered about re-recording the tracks, whether The Original Cowboy is actually the superior - or at least a comparable - edition. But it is ultimately a moot point, as Eternal Cowboy was the album released back in 2003, and Original Cowboy is now its slightly different counterpart. Its worth is wholly determined by whether the particular listener is a fanatic or casual listener.
*Note: Fat Wreck Chords provided a digital copy of the album for review. The artwork and liner notes were not covered in this review, and whether they have any bearing on the entire package’s worth is unknown.
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