Country Joe & the Fish - C/D, S/D

Which I should search myself, since I only heard it on a MOJO comp.

Yeah, they were great. First three albums anyway, I never heard anything after that. I've heard bad things and been scared to tread. But man, in the beginning they were great and especially that first album is an all-time classic of San Franciscan brain-melt. It's too bad people will always remember them for the Woodstock thing. That hokey stuff is non-existant on the first one, and only creeps in a little on the 2nd and 3rd. Plus the freak-out version of "Rock & Soul Music" on Together blows away the little snippet of performance in the film. Barry Melton could cook with the best of those SF dudes, though he certainly lived in a crowded town what with Jorma, Jerry and John C around. Barry's first solo album is just sorta "ok" -- a fun little record with some good playing but not lysergically inflected or anything.

Personally, I'd skip the "3 EPs" thing and just pick up that Berkeley EP's compilation that Big Beat put out. You don't really need the later two Country Joe EPs unless you're a hardcore fan -- they're basically just solo CJ joints. But Berkeley EP's, like "3 EPs", gives you that all-important first blast of CJ&tF, AS WELL AS the first EP's by the mighty Mad River and Frumious Bandersnatch!! How can you lose?? You can't. You also get this EP by this other kinda lame group. Sons of the Underground or something like that? I forget. They were label-mates on Vanguard with CJ & the boys. Vanguard was such a cool little label. People always forget to mention it when they rattle off the names of the great 60s labels. Sam Charters had great taste. Sandy Bull, Buffy Sainte-Marie, CJ&tF, Serpent Power ... even Third Power! and the Frost! ok the Frost kinda sucked but still. That's a pretty hefty roster right there....

Otherwise DUD.

Recent live set by Joe with // Matt Piucci - electric guitar // Derek See - electric guitar // Alec Palao: electric bass // Andrea Hensler - keyboards // Jozef Becker - drums.
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=591321

R.I.P. Country Joe. One of my favorite clips from Monterey Pop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK-URq0h7ek

R.I.P. Country Joe.

Awww I met him once … nice guy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDhLYJMPlYg

And the relevant classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0vkKCadgk

I also met Country Joe at a performance in a small atrium in the University of Maryland student union building, mid-1980s. Played a couple of sets then hung out with the audience for the next hour afterward. RIP.

RIP :(

The song I posted on Facebook is not (I don't think) particularly well known, but it is absolutely my favourite pop song written about another pop star ever, ahead of "Alex Chilton," "Levi Stubbs' Tears," and a few others. The amazing thing is, it's from their second album, Nov. 1967, before both Cheap Thrills and the Monterey film (but after the festival itself). So Janis is known, but not nearly as well as she would be in a year.

"It's not very often that something special happens..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaRppv4fgjo

Yeah, that’s a great song. I can understand how they’re kind of second-tier compared to the Dead or the Airplane, but the first three albums hit a sweet spot for me with their eclectic mix of jugband, country rock, Dylan and psych. The organ and Fish’s lead guitar explorations especially are a perfect 60s time capsule. LSD!!!….

Apparently Joe & Janis dated for a while in the early days, and later on he wrote a nice set of liners for her Farewell Song comp.

https://www.discogs.com/master/72246-Janis-Joplin-Farewell-Song?image=12722755.SW1hZ2U6MzY4NTA4NDQ%3D

(Scrub through for the rest)

Who knew Twiggy had a top 20 hit with a Country Joe song in 1976?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeTvCYX6PDQ

I've seen mention that Electric Music For The Mind and Body was a must listen to lp on the London psychedelic scene in a few places. So I think pretty influential there. Definitely seen it mentioned in Fairport Convention histories, not sure exactly who ascribed to but I'm thinking I've seen Richard Thompson mention it.

They were one of the few acts from his hippy era John Peel used to talk fondly about, he was a big fan of Barry Melton's guitar playing.