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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Country Joe McDonald - Hold On It's Coming (1971 us, fascinating folk psych blues rock with Peter Green, Spencer Davis and Danny Thompson, Akarma limited edition)



In the Summer of 1970 Joe toured England and Scandinavia playing at the Bath and Bickershaw Festivals. Both were huge successes and we decided to stay in London and record some of the new songs that Joe had been writing. We booked De Lane Lea studio for a couple of weeks and started trying to find people we knew to play on the record. 

Eventually we wound up with among others Peter Green and Danny Thompson and two songs Spencer Davis. Unfortunately we had a lot of problems once we got the tapes back to California. We had to go back into the studio and add some new drums-Chicken Hirsh from the Fish; and on "Hold On It's Coming II"; Greg Dewey and Ed Bogas on violin. 

This album features a different style of songwriting than the 5 Country Joe and The Fish albums—it's more political—more to the point6 ("Mr. Big Pig" more topical)—("Air Algiers"). Joe spent some time in the South of France, and went to Algiers to see if he could find Eldrige Cleaver an important member of the Black Panther Party who had fled the USA to avoid being arrested. —He didn't run into him. The title song "Hold On it's Coming " was subject to much controversy in the press. 

Many critics thought the hitchhiker was a reference to Christ—Joe won't say; and many different allusions about the song and it's meaning (if any) showed up in the press from time to time. The album itself got great radio play, but was confiusing to stores and buyers because of the cover. Many thought it was the soundtrack to a movie—since there was no movie, the records wasn't adequately stocked. Goes to show what art can sometimes do to an album release.
by Bill Belmont, Berkeley, June 2001


Tracks
1. Hold on It's Coming No. 1 - 3:52
2. Air Algiers - 2:31
3. Only Love Is Worth the Pain - 3:55
4. Playing With Fire - 3:20
5. Travelling - 4:27
6. Joe's Blues - 4:14
7. Mr. Big Pig - 3:31
8. Balancing on the Edge of Time - 3:11
9. Jamila - 3:26
10.Hold on It's Coming No. 2 - 3:52
Words and Music by Country Joe McDonald

Musicians
*Country Joe McDonald - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar
*Spencer Davis - Back-Up Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
*Rockhead - Electric Guitar
*Richard Sussman - Piano
*Nick Buck - Electric Piano
*Alex Dmochowski - Bass
*Eric Weissberg - Bass
*Vic Smith - Bass, Electric Guitar, Back-Up Vocal
*Gary "Chicken" Hirsh - Drums
*Greg Dewey - Drums
*Mark Sidi Siddy - Talking Drum (Track 9)
*Ed Bogas - Fiddle (Track 10)
*Peter Green - Guitar (Tracks 2, 3)
*Danny Thompson - Bass

Country Joe discography
1965-71  The First Three E.P's
1967  Electric Music For The Mind And Body
1967  I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die
1968  Together
1969  Live! Fillmore West
1969  Here We Are Again
1970  CJ Fish
1970  Tonight I'm Singing Just For You

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12 comments:

  1. And I thought that I have all his music!!!
    Thx for this one.

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  2. Αυτον τον δισκο του Country Joe McDonald δεν τον εχω ξανακουσει,που τα βρισκεις καλε μου ανθρωπε.Σε ευχαριστω παρα,παρα πολυ

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  3. Thank you for this.

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  4. Great! I was looking for this album since I heard a live version of Air Algiers many, many years ago. Thanks!

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  5. Links are dead I'm afraid. Any chance of a re-up? Would be much appreciated.

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  6. That's very kind, thank you.

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  7. The reup is very much appreciated. This is one I've never heard. My personal favorite is "Thinking Of Woody Guthrie", an absolute masterpiece. Many thanks.

    -Brian

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  8. Didn't realise that 3 (wonderful) English musicians contributed. Thank you. Interesting. Inspiring music. Good aspirant/hopeful days 66-72; vivid memories. Forwards, into the 2020s.
    Jack.

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  9. Thank you, I had the pleasure of sitting across country Joe and acoustic gig he was playing at the freight and and in Berkeley, and I asked him if he could play this and he did. One of the high points of my life

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