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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Country Joe And The Fish - Electric Music For The Mind And Body (1967 us, classic debut album, psychedelic folk rock)



Their full-length debut is their most joyous and cohesive statement and one of the most important and enduring documents of the psychedelic era, the band's swirl of distorted guitar and organ at its most inventive. In contrast to Jefferson Airplane, who were at their best working within conventional song structures, and the Grateful Dead, who hadn't quite yet figured out how to transpose their music to the recording studio, Country Joe & the Fish delivered a fully formed, uncompromising, and yet utterly accessible -- in fact, often delightfully witty -- body of psychedelic music the first time out.

Ranging in mood from good-timey to downright apocalyptic, it embraced all of the facets of the band's music, which were startling in their diversity- soaring guitar and keyboard excursions (Flying High, Section 43, Bass Strings, The Masked Marauder), the group's folk roots (Sad and Lonely Times), McDonald's personal ode to Grace Slick (Grace), and their in-your-face politics (Superbird).

Hardly any band since the Beatles had ever come up with such a perfect and perfectly bold introduction to who and what they were, and the results -- given the prodigious talents and wide-ranging orientation of this group -- might've scared off most major record labels. Additionally, this is one of the best-performed records of its period, most of it so bracing and exciting that one gets some of the intensity of a live performance.

The CD reissue also has the virtue of being one of the best analog-to-digital transfers ever issued on one of Vanguard Records' classic albums, with startlingly vivid stereo separation and a close, intimate sound.
by Richie Unterberger & Bruce Eder


Tracks
1. Flying High (Joe McDonald) - 2:38
2. Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine (McDonald) - 4:21
3. Death Sound Blues (McDonald) - 4:23
4. Happiness Is a Porpoise Mouth (McDonald) - 2:48
5. Section 43 (McDonald) - 7:23
6. Superbird (McDonald) - 2:04
7. Sad and Lonely Times (McDonald) - 2:23
8. Love (McDonald, Melton, Cohen, Barthol, Gunning, Hirsh) - 2:19
9. Bass Strings (McDonald) - 4:58
10. The Masked Marauder (McDonald) - 3:10
11. Grace (McDonald) - 7:03

Country Joe And The Fish
*Country Joe McDonald - Vocals, Guitar, Bells, Tambourine
*Barry Melton - Vocals, Guitar
*David Cohen - Guitar, Organ
*Bruce Barthol - Bass, Harmonica
*Gary Chicken Hirsh - Drums

Free Text
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16 comments:

  1. space88July 28, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    Fine Stuff!Many Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RayGJuly 28, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    A great classic. I love this album.

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  3. El GuajoloteJuly 28, 2011 at 5:25 PM

    Thank you very much, marios

    ReplyDelete
  4. RemyJuly 28, 2011 at 7:11 PM

    Thanks Marios! I've always loved the Country Joe And The Fish segment of the Monterey Pop documentary.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ThesistahJuly 29, 2011 at 12:13 AM

    Love Country Joe & the Fish,one of those bands that are part of our soundtrack...amazing songs in a Must Album!!! Thanks!!

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  6. paparimskiiJuly 29, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    Hi Marios! Thanks for post this great album!
    Maybe you have in FLAC other 2 compilations of Country Joe & The Fish: 1. Acid Sounds (Bootlegs, 1967-1968) and 2.The Life & Times of Country Joe & The Fish (1971)
    Make post,please,if you got them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. HotroderJuly 30, 2011 at 12:08 AM

    Love this album Marios,although some of the tracks are better on the first E.P's,it's a must.
    Strangely I don't have this in flac,so thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ARGSAugust 5, 2011 at 11:50 AM

    Thanks for this great album Marios!

    ReplyDelete
  9. johnAugust 9, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    I remember when this was first released It seemed like music from another world. I loved it then and I love it now. Thanks for the quality music.

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  10. BilekSeptember 29, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    Apparently I forgot to thanks for this great album. Great job, much appreciated. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  11. daniloNovember 9, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    Thanks great record,great band.

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  12. AnonymousOctober 13, 2012 at 2:51 PM


    This is a great posting Marios

    Thank you very much

    All the best, Albert

    ReplyDelete
  13. jpApril 28, 2020 at 5:41 AM

    hi Marios, the 'Free Text' link is broken. (gives account suspended). Any chance of a 're-upload' of this? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  14. jpApril 28, 2020 at 6:19 AM

    hi Marios, the 'Free Text' link (on the 'Electric Music' blog page) is broken. (gives account suspended). Any chance of a 're-upload' of this? Thanks.
    (repost/edit of this comment, but with an active 'jp' id)

    ReplyDelete
  15. KSHE Klassics DudeApril 10, 2022 at 4:30 PM

    Hi Marios! Can you please re-up to TB? Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  16. KSHE Klassics DudeApril 10, 2022 at 4:41 PM

    Sorry Marios. Nevermind since I found the newer version already posted.

    ReplyDelete