Country Joe and the Fish
| Country Joe and the Fish | |
|---|---|
 Country Joe and the Fish 1967 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Psychedelic rock , folk rock |
| founding | 1965 |
| resolution | 1970 |
| Website | well.com/~cjfish - countryjoe.com |
| Founding members | |
| Country Joe McDonald | |
| Barry "Fish" Melton | |
| David Bennett Cohen | |
| Bruce Barthol | |
| Gary "Chicken" Hirsh | |
| Woodstock cast | |
| Country Joe McDonald | |
| Barry "Fish" Melton | |
| Mark Kapner | |
| Doug Metzner | |
| Greg Dewey | |
Country Joe and the Fish was an American psychedelic and folk rock band , best known for their protest music against the Vietnam War .
Band history
The Californian band was formed in 1965 in Berkeley by country Joe McDonald , called Country Joe , and by Barry Melton , called the guitarist The Fish .
Her debut album Electric Music for the Mind and Body in 1967 made it into the American Top 40 and was played by many radio stations in the United States. Even today it is one of the pioneers of psychedelic rock . David Cohen's electronic organ and electric guitars are very characteristic of the album.
The second album I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die also followed in 1967 . In addition to the I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag , introduced by Fish Cheer , the album also contains more ballad-like pieces with acoustic guitar.
After these two albums in quick succession, several others followed, but the climax was already there. Now the band toured the United States, including in 1967 at the Monterey Pop Festival . She was a regular artist at Fillmore West and East , and she played with bands like Jefferson Airplane , Grateful Dead , Quicksilver Messenger Service , Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly .
The band's best-known appearance was at the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969. The band had their greatest commercial success with the anti-war song I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag from their second album. And the Fuck Cheer as an introduction became a legend: “Gimme an F, gimme a U, gimme a C, gimme a K, what's that spell: Fuck!” (Give me an “F”, give me a “U”, give me a "C", give me a "K", what does that add up to: "Fuck"!)
After McDonald left the band during the production of Together because, according to his own statements, he had all the work stuck to him, he returned soon after with some line-up changes within the band.
Country Joe and the Fish broke up in June 1970.
In 1971 the surrealist western film Zachariah came out. The whole band played the rock band gangster gang The Crackers , who performed We're the Crackers in a saloon .
In 1977 the album Reunion was recorded with the original group line-up from 1967. Each band member brought at least one composition to the album. The old song Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine received a refreshed version from McDonald.
In 2004 there was another revival for a tour, in which Barry Melton did not participate.
In 2005, the American feature film Berkeley , which was set in Berkeley in the 68s, featured 10 Country Joe and the Fish tracks from the era.
occupation
Lineup 1967/1968 for the first three albums: Country Joe McDonald (vocals / guitar), Barry "Fish" Melton (vocals / guitar), David Bennett Cohen (organ / guitar), Bruce Barthol (bass), Gary "Chicken" Hirsh (Drums)
This line-up came together again in 1977 for the album "Reunion", and the reunion in 2004 took place with this line-up, but without Barry Melton .
At the Woodstock Festival and for the film Zachariah (June 1969 to June 1970) McDonald and Melton were accompanied by Mark Kapner (organ), Doug Metzner (bass) and Greg Dewey (drums)
In between, Peter Albin played on bass and David Getz on drums, both from Janis Joplin's Big Brother And The Holding Company .
Before the first two LPs, two self-produced EPs were released in October 1965 and June 1966 . The 1965 line-up when Country Joe and the Fish was formed: Country Joe McDonald (vocals and guitar), Barry Melton (vocals and guitar), Bob Steele (bass) Richard Saunders (wash tub bass), Carl Shrager (washboard). From December 1965 to January 1967 Paul Armstrong (bass) and John Francis Gunning played in the rhythm section.
Discography
- 1967 - Electric Music for the Mind and Body (Vanguard)
- 1967 - I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die (Vanguard)
- 1968 - Together (Vanguard)
- 1969 - Here We Are Again (Vanguard)
- 1970 - CJ Fish (Vanguard)
- 1977 - Reunion (Fantasy)
- 1980 - Collector's Items: The First 3 EPs (Rag Baby Records)
- 1996 - Live! Fillmore West 1969 (Vanguard)
Sampler
- 1969 - Greatest Hits
- 1971 - The Life and Times of Country Joe and the Fish
- 1988 - Collected Country Joe and the Fish
Other albums
- 1971 - Zachariah (film soundtrack) (ABC)
Web links
- Official website of the band accessed September 18, 2012
- Country Joe website accessed September 18, 2012
- Bruce Eder: Country Joe & the Fish. Allmusic; Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- The Fish website accessed on September 18, 2012
- Interview on the 2004 tour accessed on September 18, 2012
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zachariah in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ Jim's Reviews Film Review: Zachariah . jclarkmedia.com; Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ↑ Berkeley in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ Fandango . fandango.com; Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ↑ Peter Frame, detailed account of the line-up of Country Joe and the Fish . well.com/~cjfish; Retrieved September 18, 2012.
