Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Air Men were an American country rock group that played a variety of styles including country, rock and roll, western swing and ancient anthems. In addition to this varied music, they were mainly known for their happy, humorous music.
Musician
- Bill Kirchen (born June 29, 1948 Bridgeport / Connecticut ) (g, voc)
- Bruce Barlow (born December 3, 1948 Oxnard / California ) (bg, voc)
- Commander Cody George Frayne IV (born July 19, 1944 Boise / Idaho ) (p, voc)
- Lance Dickerson (born October 15, 1948 Detroit / Michigan ) (dr, voc)
- Billy C. Farlow (harm, harp, voc)
- Andy Stein (born August 31, 1948 New York City ) (fiddle, vi, sax)
- John Tichy (g, voc)
- "West Virginia Creeper" Steve Davis (steel-g) [until 1972]
- Bobby Black (steel-g, voc) [since 1972]
history
The group Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen in Ann Arbor / Michigan emerged from several previous bands . The art student George Frayne IV gathered musicians with whom he could make music according to his ideas as a boogie pianist. The goal was to play country- influenced music in different styles: western swing , rockabilly , Tex-Mex , gospel and also sentimental ballads. At the same time, as hippies, they wanted to play country music and thus break out of the common role model of clean, conservative country artists. Her seemingly carefree texts contained barely disguised allusions to drug use. In this respect, the group addressed various target groups and delighted the audience with their concerts.
This concert atmosphere can also be felt on the group's live albums, while the studio recordings usually seem a bit sterile. At a concert series at the World Armadillo Headquarters in Austin / Texas, a record was recorded that can probably be considered the best work of the group: Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas . 15 years later, the record company pushed further recordings of this concert series on the album Sleazy Roadside Stories .
Most of the time the group played foreign compositions, of which the song Hot Rod Lincoln even made it into the top ten of the charts; only the song Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues gained importance in the repertoire.
As time went on, it became increasingly difficult to hold such a large group together. The sound also wore off, and the hippie era drew to a close by the mid-1970s. The double album We've Got a Live One Here was recorded on a tour through Great Britain , on which the group already seems relatively exhausted. It broke up two years later.
Commander Cody performed with bands in changing line-ups and continued to release albums. Up to the present day he has appeared repeatedly at concerts and festivals, especially in the United States. After the year 2000, the group appeared again in almost the original line-up, most recently in 2009.
Discography
Albums
- Lost in the Ozone (1971)
- Hot Licks, Cold Steel and Trucker's Favorites (1972)
- Country Casanova (1973)
- Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas (recorded live in 1973, released in 1974)
- Sleazy Roadside Stories (recorded live in 1973, released in 1988)
- Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (1975)
- Lost in Space (1975)
- Tales from the Ozone (1975)
- We've Got a Live One Here (recorded live in 1976)
- King Biscuit Flower Hour - Greatest Hits Live! (Recorded live March 14, 1976, released in 2003)
- Rock 'n Roll Again (1977)
- Flying Dreams (1978)
- Dopers, Drunks And Everyday Losers (2009)
Compilations
- 3 Original Warner Albums (2016)