We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago……………….
They weren’t the first to meld straight country with a rock sensibility…the Byrds and Burritos and other were doing it in the late 60’s…but in 1971 we first heard a record from a good-time outfit called Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and their debut LP, “Lost In The Ozone”.
The late “Commander”, who died a couple of weeks ago, was named George Frayne. He was an artist, who actually did a stint as a professor at UW-Oshkosh. But he was also an excellent boogie-woogie piano player who love the old country and western swing songs but wanted to add a little jump to them.
He got together with vocalist and harmonica player Billy Farlow and they found a bunch of like-minded gents and played the clubs extensively, honing their act. The album is all over the board in song choices ranging from the steel guitar drenched country of “Family Bible” (written by Willie Nelson) and “Wine Do Yer Stuff” to a song like “Seeds And Stems Again”, which lyrical topic notwithstanding, could have been done by Ray Price or George Jones.
But they also wanted to rock a little too in songs like “Midnight Shift” and “Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar”.
Covers include the Eddie Cochran rockabilly classic “Twenty Flight Rock” and the Charlie Ryan novelty tune “Hot Rod Lincoln”. I bought that 45 at Bob’s Musical Isle and had never heard the original until this week. Here it is along with Cochran’s tune as well.
It was a thin needle to thread…play country that both hippies and rednecks could embrace. They did it for a bit in the 70’s. Loosey-goosey and fun…enjoy!
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