Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (album)

Last updated
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen coverart.jpg
Studio album by
Released1975
RecordedSeptember–October 1974; by Paul Grupp at Record Plant, Sausalito, California, computer mixed at Record Plant, Los Angeles
Label Warner Bros. 1975
Wounded Bird 2003
Producer John Boylan
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen chronology
Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas
(1974)
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
(1975)
Tales from the Ozone
(1976)

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is the fifth album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Released in 1975, it was their first album for Warner Bros. Records.

Contents

The album was the subject of the 1977 book Star-Making Machinery by Geoffrey Stokes, which chronicled its recording, production and marketing as an example of the behind-the-scenes operation of the U.S. music industry in the 1970s. [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [3]

On AllMusic, Jana Pendragon wrote, "... this is another good outing for the wild boys.... One more time, this band holds all the aces and plays every hand with a poker face that just won't quit. Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen knew exactly what they were doing." [2]

Star-Making Machinery

The AllMusic reviewer, however, did not view the album in the context of the times, and was unaware of the struggles and conflicts that plagued the actual recording of the album. This was Cody's first album for Warner Bros. Records after leaving Paramount Records. Warners believed their twang-laden style, rooted in rockabilly, honky-tonk, vintage rhythm & blues and western swing was limiting their appeal. The label decided to move the group in a mellow, California country-rock style more akin to Poco, The Eagles and other bands rooted in folk and bluegrass.

The book Star-Making Machinery: The Odyssey of an Album by Geoffrey Stokes chronicled the actual recording sessions. Stokes embedded himself with the band and witnessed the conflicts that took place between the musicians and producer. Members of the Airman were conflicted. They preferred their original style, but were anxious for greater commercial success after years of struggle. Their producer, John Boylan, a veteran deeply rooted in West Coast country-rock, was attempting to guide them toward the softer sound, which resulted in conflicts during the recording process. Other critics who reviewed the album at the time were far less enthused about it, as was the band itself.

Track listing

Side A
  1. "Southbound" (Hoyt Axton, Mark Dawson) – 2:20
  2. "Don't Let Go" (Jesse Stone) – 2:40
  3. "California Okie" (Kevin "Blackie" Farrell) – 2:48
  4. "Willin'" (Lowell George) – 3:38
  5. "The Boogie Man Boogie" (Michael J. Richards, Billy C. Farlow, George Frayne, John Tichy) – 3:35
Side B
  1. "Hawaii Blues" (Richards, Farlow, Ernie Hagar, Andy Stein) – 3:05
  2. "House of Blue Lights" (Don Raye, Freddie Slack) – 2:41
  3. "Keep On Lovin' Her" (Farlow, Tichy) – 3:13
  4. "Devil and Me" (Frayne, Tichy) – 3:11
  5. "Four or Five Times" (Marco H. Hellman, Byron Gay) – 2:30
  6. "That's What I Like About the South" (Phil Harris) – 2:35

Personnel

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Additional musicians

Production

Related Research Articles

<i>5150</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Van Halen

5150 is the seventh studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released on March 24, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records and was the first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar, who replaced David Lee Roth. The album was named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, in turn named after a California law enforcement term for a mentally disturbed person. The album hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, surpassing the band's previous album, 1984, which had peaked at number 2 behind Michael Jackson's Thriller album, on which Eddie made a guest appearance.

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is a country rock band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cry Baby Cry</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"Cry Baby Cry" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The coda of the song is a short segment referred to as "Can You Take Me Back", written by Paul McCartney, which was actually an outtake from the "I Will" session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen</span> American country rock band

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American country rock band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody.

<i>Fleetwood Mac in Chicago</i> 1969 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Blues Jam in Chicago is a studio recording by the British rock band Fleetwood Mac, originally released in two single-LP volumes by Blue Horizon in December 1969. It was the result of a recording session in early 1969 at Chess Records in Chicago with Fleetwood Mac, then a young British blues band, and a number of famous Chicago blues artists from whom they drew inspiration. The album has also been released, with slightly different track listings, under the titles Blues Jam at Chess Volumes One and Two and Fleetwood Mac in Chicago, the latter by Sire Records in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Kirchen</span> American musician (born 1948)

William Knight Kirchen is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid-1970s and later worked with Nick Lowe. Guitar Player magazine described Kirchen as "Titan of The Telecaster" for his prowess on the guitar.

John Patrick Boylan is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, music publisher and A&R executive.

<i>Country Casanova</i> 1973 studio album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Country Casanova is the third album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. It was released in 1973 on Paramount Records.

<i>Lost in the Ozone</i> 1971 studio album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Lost in the Ozone is an album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Their first album, it was released in 1971. it contains their hit cover version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" as well as the band's live staples "Lost in the Ozone" and "Seeds and Stems (Again)".

<i>Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers Favorites</i> 1972 studio album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers' Favorites is the second album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. The album is an ode to truckers and songs about trucking, mixing classics of the genre like "Truck Drivin' Man" and "Looking at the World Through a Windshield" with the band's originals. It was released in 1972.

<i>Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas</i> 1974 live album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas is an album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. It was recorded live at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas in November 1973, and released in 1974. Unlike many live albums, it contains mostly new material and features only two previously released songs. It reached #105 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Stein</span> American saxophone and violin player

Andy Stein is an American saxophone and violin player. He is a member of The Guys All-Star Shoe Band on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion and the movie. He was a founding member of the country rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Stein attended the University of Michigan as a contemporary of George Frayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar</span> 1940 single by Will Bradley and His Orchestra featuring Ray McKinley

"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is a song written in 1940 by Don Raye, Hughie Prince, and Ray McKinley. It follows the American boogie-woogie tradition of syncopated piano music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Malachowski</span> American guitarist (1955–2022)

David Frank Malachowski was an American guitarist, producer, composer, singer, musical director and journalist who resided in Manhattan, New York. He had been a member of Reckless (1978–1981), The Greg Austin Band (1985–1988), Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (1996–1999), Savoy Brown (2000–2005), Mechanical Bull (2007–2009), and sideman for Janie Fricke (1988), Shania Twain (1995–2007), Garth Hudson (2003), Phoebe Legere (2006), Genya Ravan (2012), Anthony Rapp (2010) and Daphne Rubin-Vega (2014–2022) as well as being involved in musical theatre, writing for newspapers and magazines, producing and writing songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin de Lone</span> Musical artist

Austin de Lone is an American keyboardist who records and tours with his own bands as well as with other artists, such as Bill Kirchen, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Boz Scaggs, Nick Lowe, Commander Cody, and Loudon Wainwright.

Geoffrey Stokes was an American journalist and author.

<i>Tales from the Ozone</i> 1975 studio album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Tales from the Ozone is an album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Their sixth album, it was produced by the musician Hoyt Axton, and recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California. The last studio album to feature most of the band's original lineup, it was released in 1975. It reached #168 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Weve Got a Live One Here!</i> 1976 live album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

We've Got a Live One Here! is an album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Recorded live in England in January and February 1976, it was released later that year as a two-disc LP. The group's second live album, and seventh album overall, it reached #170 on the Billboard 200 sales chart.

<i>Bears Sonic Journals: Found in the Ozone</i> 2020 live album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Bear's Sonic Journals: Found in the Ozone is a two-CD live album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. It was recorded in February and March 1970 – more than 1+12 years before their first album was released in November 1971 – by audio engineer and LSD chemist Owsley "Bear" Stanley. It was released by the Owsley Stanley Foundation on July 24, 2020.

<i>Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers</i> 2009 studio album by Commander Cody

Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers is an album by Commander Cody. It was released in 2009.

References

  1. "Star-Making Machinery". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen at AllMusic
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 23, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.