Cows were a noise rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota who formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1998. The band’s music mixed punk rock with surreal humour and copious amounts of noise played through distorted amplifiers and trumpet bleats, codifying them as a noise rock band. Throughout their career Cows released nine studio albums, all but one on the Minneapolis-based label Amphetamine Reptile Records. A star in honor of the Cows is on the outside mural of First Avenue.
Cows formed in 1986 with Kevin Rutmanis on bass, Thor Eisentrager on guitar, then front man Norm Rogers on vocals, and on drums Kevin's younger brother Sandris Rutmanis. Norm Rogers left the band in January 1987 to dedicate his time to drumming for the Jayhawks, later returning to play drums for Cows in 1990. Shannon Selberg become Cows’ front man in February 1987, providing both vocal and bugle duties. Sandris left the band in January 1998 and Cows disbanded thereafter.
After disbanding, Shannon Selberg went on to front The Heroine Sheiks.
Links to Peel[]
Peel discovered the group in January 1988 when he played tracks from their debut album, Taint Pluribus Taint Unum. He continued playing their material including a session they recorded for his show in 1990. During that year, Peel mentioned on his 14 May 1990 show that Ian The Tank Engine has three copies of the Cows' Effete And Impudent Snobs album all autographed by the band, which he says he ought to give away in a competition. After 1996, Peel seemed to have lost interest in them and never played any tracks from their 1998 release Sorry In Pig Minor.
Sessions[]
Cows - Peel Session 1990
1. Recorded: 1990-06-03. First Broadcast: 27 June 1990. Repeated: 30 August 1990
- How Dry I Am / Big Mickey / You Are So Beautiful
Other Shows Played[]
- 1988
- 13 January 1988: Koyaanisqatsi (album - Taint Pluribus Taint Unum) Treehouse
- 26 January 1988: The Pictorial (LP - Taint Pluribus Taint Unum) Treehouse
- 02 February 1988: Redhouse (LP - Taint Pluribus Taint Unum) Treehouse
- 1989
- 11 September 1989: I Miss Her Beer (album - Daddy Has A Tail) Amphetamine Reptile
- 13 September 1989: I Miss Her Beer (album - Daddy Has A Tail) Amphetamine Reptile
- 21 September 1989: I Miss Her Beer (LP - Daddy Has A Tail!) Amphetamine Reptile
- 21 September 1989 (Radio Bremen): Sugar (album - Daddy Has A Tail!) Amphetamine Reptile
- 1990
- 14 May 1990: Dirty Leg (album - Effete And Impudent Snobs) Glitterhouse / Amphetamine Reptile (Peel mistakenly calls the track Big Mickey)
- 11 June 1990: Put Me Down (LP - Effete And Impudent Snobs) Amphetamine Reptile
- 1991
- Best Of Peel Vol 26: Slap Back (7 inch) Amphetamine Reptile
- 04 May 1991: Hitting The Wall (album - Peaceticker) Amphetamine Reptile
- 25 May 1991: The Man (album - Peacetika) Amphetamine Reptile
- 1992
- 18 January 1992: Woman Inside (7") Insipid Vinyl
- 30 May 1992 (BFBS): How Dry Am I (v/a mini-album - Amphetamine Reptile • Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit (JP: 'Dance to that, you blighters. The Cows at their most bovine.')
- 05 December 1992: 'Plowed (7")' (Amphetamine Reptile)
- 1993
- 21 August 1993: 'Sugar Torch (Compilation CD-1993 Sampler)' (Amphetamine Reptile)
- 1996
- 22 March 1996: A Oven (LP – Whorn )’ Amphetamine Reptile
- 30 March 1996 (BFBS): 'A Oven (LP-Whorn)' (Amphetamine Reptile)