I ran into Bill Kirchen at Detroit airport about 5 years ago. He was there with his wife and was playing at his high school reunion the next night. He had his Tele strapped across his shoulder walking through the airport. He was pleasantly surprised when I recognized him and said hello. Nice guy, great player.
Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, MI. My bassists father graduated with Bill. The next evening he performed in Chelsea, MI where I was lucky to see him perform during the town "Sights & Sounds" festival.
These guys picked me up hitching to chelan wa in their motor home. Glad I had my harmonica. Small but fun line in my life story. Those that didn't participate in the 70s missed something magical. It was an amazing time for me.
They were very popular in Austin, Tx. back in the 70"s. Commander Cody, The Riders of the Purple Sage, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Waylon, Willie, Emmylou, and many I can't even remember. Needless to say it was one great big party, I miss the 70"s..
I immediately felt the same way. Sounded like an older cowboy who just took his hat off, hung it up, lit a cigarette, got a drink and is figuring out what to watch on TV while he reflects upon his day.
In 1973 I was 16 years old. Had an old 1966 Ford Econoline van from the local gas company. Painted it before the bondo was dry. Used to fire up a fatty after school on my way to the hot dog shop where I was slinging yappers. Great times.
Yeah - I thought about sending this video to my (20 yr old) Son, then thought " He has no frame of reference for this AT ALL !" Seeds and stems? What'er those ?
I saw these guys Dec 27th 1971 at The Sportatorium in Hollywood Florida, it was an outdoor show, the lineup that day and night was like a who's who of music legends, The Johnny WInter Band with Rick Derringer, The Edgar Winter Group, yes Johnny and Edgar jammed together at the end of Johnny's act, The Allman Brothers, shortly after Duane's passing, Elvin Bishop, The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin, his original band including Jerry Goodman from The Flock on violin, Earth Wind and Fire, Commander Cody of course, and Country Joe and The Fish and a Floirda band called Tin House. There was a party going on back stage because by the time Commander Cody came on, right after Elvin Bishop, they were already pretty drunk. The piono became the table top for their pitchers of Coors, everybody in the band was drinking one. Bill Kirchen was so drunk he stepped on his guitar cable, unplugging it and never even noticed, played almost the whole show with it unplugged. They had a wild time on stage, laughing, cutting jokes and making awesome music despite their stupor. It was a crazy day and night of music, Johnny, Edgar and Rick Derringer were the last ones on stage with Johnny Winter's band called Live And. When Commander Cody came on the sun was just starting to set.
This band was part of the line up at my very first concert at Winterland...The Doors, Cold Blood, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and Captain Beefheart. Strange combo and lots and lots of smoking happening in the aisles. Don't think I'll ever forget it for as long as I live.
I loved how Bill Graham would mix up the concert lineup, where you can have a kickass funk/soul band like Cold Blood and a kickass “country” band like the Commander! Very cool!!!
Buck Owens & Buckaroos, Merle Haggard & Strangers, Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives, Desert Rose Band and a few others might need some attention!
Love this tune. Never ever knew this was captured on video. I used to sing this in a bar...solo . So cool. A few people round out the tune for sure. Thanks !
That brings a tear to my eye. Not just because it's sad, it is indeed, but because I can sing along, though it's been fifty years since I've heard it. Played straight, as it should be, it's a beautiful song.
Bill Kirchen looks so YOUNG in this video. I've been a huge fan of his for decades, and have seen him dozens of times. He is probably one of the most talented--and under-rated--guitarists in the history of rock-and-roll...
The old boogie-woogie! I happened to be around for the 100 Years of Berkeley celebration, they gave a free concert at the campus probably 1976, or so. I think it was Kirchen who introduced the crowd to "..the old, broken down Commander." Then after i dropped out of college the first time, twenty-three or four of us showed up and paid cash to go into the Yuma Civic Center and they played for us like we were at Woodstock. They scraped a down-on-his-luck looking steel-player for the show from some obscure cellar who was fantastic! Great fun.
I've so loved that song since the first time I heard it about a decade after it was recorded by Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen. It worked, I bought the album and later cd. God bless btw: nice video Mr. @ReelinInTheYears66
Such an underrated band. So damn good. As for the haters out there, of modern music. You're listening to the wrong radio station. No shortage of cool Americana music out there today.
Bill Kirchin and Too Much Fun played at a local dive every week for many years in Northern Virginia. He is one of the best. It never occurred to me that he was young once! Thanks for the post!
I was a Grillbilly too and there almost every Thursday. When I first started seeing him there with Jeff and Dave they didn't even charge a cover. Then came Johnny and Jack and after a while you couldn't hardly get in the place. I miss those days.
@@dennis652 We lived in a very special time and place. DC was and remains a world class music town. Lisner, Warner, Fort Dupont, Blues Alley, Cellar Door, Desperados. What memories. Thanks for posting.
I was thinking about this song just last night. What a pleasure to have grown up in a time when songs had words and they actually described what was going on in life. Real stuff. Can't beat it.
yeah i remember that.. 10 dollar bag of Mexican brown 1/3 seeds and stems 1/3 leaf the rest some compacted dried out buds with small leaves oh yeah a little bit of dirt also ! great song.. great band!!
Andy would join with the Commander to give a comeuppance to a local music critic in Austin that somewhat berated the band musicianship. Cody and Andy came out alone at the Armadillo, dressed in tuxes and tails; Andy played viola, I think, and with Cody on the piano, they proceeded to do Mozart. Very formal and note perfect. And then Cody said, "F**k you xxxxxxx" to the music critic as the audience roared. That's the way it was in the '70s there. The ambiance of the times came through in their music; they became the house band at the 'Dillo for a long time. When there was a headline band, Asleep at the Wheel would open for them, all for a $3 ticket. It was simply great music by both groups that everyone could afford. A professor at UT has all the video and recordings, but there has been a ton of problems with copyrights and releases, so nothing has ever been put out. But it is preserved, all the music and video. I was there the day the Armadillo opened, Aug. 7, 1970, and there the last night...it fed a deep hunger in Austin for music in the 70s.
@@walkshills We saw C. Cody open for Billy Preston around 1973. He had an instrumental ( Space Race )? on the radio. Big hit song. C. Cody was great . I've been a fan since the 1st album. I bought it just because of the cover/ the music was better than the cover art. Win / win.
Boy does this song resonate with me cause I’ve been down to stems and seeds too many times to recall we had an old saying a friend with weed is a friend indeed ! A lifetime ago where did the time go?
Saw CC a couple of times in London in 1973; dragged a friend who didn't like country music along to their show at the Rainbow. 3 hours later he was a country music fan. It was either this or Mama Hated Diesels that was introduced as "the first heartbreak of the night"...
This one sent me time tripping, and planted a smile on my dour face. The lyrics rolled right off my tongue, like it was 1976 at Slippery Rock State College, and I was a lonely teenage bronkin' buck...
I was literally down to seeds and stems the first time I heard this. It came on the radio as I was running my leftovers through the sieve for the fourth or fifth time trying to get a joint to relieve some misery.
From my "Back in the day" - Great music. I have this collection - Commander Cody: Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen / Tales From The Ozone / We've Got Alive One Here, and Live from Deep In The Heart of Texas. I highly recommend them. These are still available.
as a beginner steel player myself, i’m in no place to judge the west virginia creeper in this clip from 1971, but he clearly wasn’t on par with the rest of the band, he was just a guy their age that had a steel guitar and could play it with reasonable competence. the bands classic lineup didn’t come until the next year when steel legend bobby black joined.
I think this is West Virginia Creeper on pedal steel. When Bobby Black came in as their steel guitarist, the band took a major jump in sound, timing and quality. Bobby Black’s contribution was huge.
I was able to watch Bobby Black at a small venue in Hayward, CA, many years ago. During the break between sets, I asked him "Did they ever used to call you "Blue'?". His reply was "Just for that one album!" (I checked later - he was on two of the CC&tLPA albums)
My uncles were in Ann Arbor around this time and somehow the "Ozone" album made its way into our fairly thin collection of contemporary records back in the Seventies and it became one of my go to records for many years and I am lucky that even today I can't shake it from my sonic recollection. In 2001 I think Andy Stein the fidel player was a member of Garrison Keillor's radio band and he got all of the "Lost Plant Airmen" back together for a show at St. Paul's F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater which fell on the night that I was fly to N. Y. C. For my vacation. I couldn't reschedule so I had to miss what my uncle told me was a great show.
I saw them at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. They were very easy going and between a few numbers would come off the stage and visit with the audience. Nice guys.
Thank you for posting this version of a classic. One of my favorite perty bands of all time. A proper balance of "alone again on a Saturday night" with the cynnical humor with which to survive that Saturday night.
I recall watching these guys at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. That was when it was all about music and good vibes! It launched the likes of Jerry Jeff, Willie and Waylon and all the boys and girls who made music for all the right reasons!
Early 1970s, sophomore year of college - every Friday at the end of the school day my 8-track of this album was put on full blast in the dorm and well, let's just say the evening always started off right when Commander Cody was playing.
I just got this album (Ozone) on cassette recently at an estate sale. I was there mostly to dig the crates of records, but grabbed this one too in the pile. Great choice. the live material is great too. thanks for posting.
The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 in Saratoga Springs, New York).
@@Free1108 lol jolly good. So funny as I’ve dug Bill Kirtchen ever since I found out he had played with Nick Lowe but he looks straight as owt nowadays 😂
Back in 75/76 we brought the Commander aka George to our college to give a lecture on creativity. It was quite the farse. Afterwards he came to our apartment and partied on til about 3am. Worth every dollar of the college's money it took to have that night. RIP George, RIP.
Got to see these guys so many times in ann arbor and Ferndale. Got a picture with the good comander after a show at the magic bag. We used to hitchhike to ann arbor when we were in 9th grade to sneak into shows. Ah the good old days!
Austin in the 70's was an amazing time and place to be. Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen were a sweet part of it for sure. Seeing them at the 'dillo and having someone next to you handing you a joint and you passed it down to the next person.
I was friends with Chris Fran, George's brother (Commander Cody), when he was living under the Blind Pig Cafe. Chris did art for George's albums and he did the logo for the Pig. I used to help him run the silk screen for Blind Pig T-shirts. Chris was a great guy. Chris died too young.
I had gone to Oakland Ca. with two friends to be an extra in a Robert Redford movie shoot,The Candidate, at the Paramount theater. One friend is the cousin of Lost Planet Airman bassist, Buffalo Bruce Barlow. When we finished our gig we doubled back to a house in the Oakland hills where some of the guys in the Commander Cody band were living, spent the afternoon with them smoking hashish, playing music and Old Maid cards. Later Bruce became Bassist for the Hoyt Axton Band. I seen Bruce with Hoyt at Atoka Oklahoma and a couple years later at the Catalyst Santa Cruz Ca. Atoka was a Country music festval with an unbelievable lineup. Look it up, it was a historic event.
Nothing like hearing a good band that you know it don't even matter if the piano is in tune because you know how good they are and they are really doing it purpose so you can get it in tune in your head, excellence personified.
Oh wow. Just ran into this. This great band played at UC Santa Cruz in a dining hall in 1972 a couple of times. We looked just like they did and it was great, great fun. Then saw them in update NY about 4 years later and they were just f'in great. They had added Bobby Black on pedal steel and Andy Stein had really come into his own. Billy C. Farlow was of course great and the Commander -- well he was the Commander. Long live CC&HLPA!
I ran into Bill Kirchen at Detroit airport about 5 years ago. He was there with his wife and was playing at his high school reunion the next night. He had his Tele strapped across his shoulder walking through the airport. He was pleasantly surprised when I recognized him and said hello. Nice guy, great player.
Were you wearin' his brand new shoes?
Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, MI. My bassists father graduated with Bill. The next evening he performed in Chelsea, MI where I was lucky to see him perform during the town "Sights & Sounds" festival.
I always turn the control plate around on every tele I get because of Bill.
We played a show with Bill about 15 years ago. super nice guy. He even let me play that ol tele!
These guys picked me up hitching to chelan wa in their motor home. Glad I had my harmonica. Small but fun line in my life story. Those that didn't participate in the 70s missed something magical. It was an amazing time for me.
Apple Blossom Festival!!! Those were the days!!!!
You’ve gotta be shittin’ me. I grew up in Ephrata. Legendary story if true.
They were very popular in Austin, Tx. back in the 70"s.
Commander Cody, The Riders of the Purple Sage, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Waylon, Willie, Emmylou, and many I can't even remember. Needless to say it was one great big party, I miss the 70"s..
WHAT !!!!! 😮
@@markz5505 They were all popular in the SF Bay Area we spent many a weekend in Palo Alto at the Circle in the Round
I feel very fortunate to have grown up in that era, late 60's thru the 70's , best of times!
Unless you were Vietnamese?
Amen, brother....
Bill Kirchen had the voice and vocal delivery of a seasoned 60 year old at the ripe old age of 23
He's still doing it. Dieselbilly rockin'
facts.
Just saw him play tonight. Still amazing
I saw him in Kilbarchan Scotland last year, seeing him again soon in coatbridge scotland, he still sure gets around
@@jazepaw
I immediately felt the same way. Sounded like an older cowboy who just took his hat off, hung it up, lit a cigarette, got a drink and is figuring out what to watch on TV while he reflects upon his day.
I listened to this song on 8-track tape in my van while I was in high school. Can't remember much, but I must have had a great time.
I only had a 4 track! Till they came out with the 8.
Riding high in the Super Van!
lol
If you remember it - you weren't there! ROFLMAO
In 1973 I was 16 years old. Had an old 1966 Ford Econoline van from the local gas company. Painted it before the bondo was dry. Used to fire up a fatty after school on my way to the hot dog shop where I was slinging yappers. Great times.
This went right into my set list back in the day, been playing it ever since! Such a good tune. People love it still!
11/2024: WoW. Excellent. Been a long time. Thank You
Saw these guys in Boston in the fall of ‘72. They opened for Hot Tuna. One of the best shows I ever attended
That's a great show. What venue did you see it at?
@@Baci302 it was a long time ago but I think it was the old Boston Music Hall on Tremont St
@@Baci302 I saw Jeff Beck, Santana and Mahavishnu at different times, in the same place, back in the 70’s. All GREAT performances!
Saw them open for Billy Preston. 1973 Kinetic Playground / Chicago. Billy had " Outta Space and Space Race" on the charts. Twas a dark + foggy night.
Man, I bet it was!!
A classic phrase kids today will never understand.
Yeah - I thought about sending this video to my (20 yr old) Son, then thought " He has no frame of reference for this AT ALL !" Seeds and stems? What'er those ?
Yeah seen them days, like the old saying, pot with no money is better then having money but no pot
That’s a bit of a stretch. We still get seeds and stems in our baggies sometimes, believe it or not.
@@BlackStarWarrior96 They're making a big comeback. Seriously.
@@BlackStarWarrior96 not from pot stores
I saw these guys Dec 27th 1971 at The Sportatorium in Hollywood Florida, it was an outdoor show, the lineup that day and night was like a who's who of music legends, The Johnny WInter Band with Rick Derringer, The Edgar Winter Group, yes Johnny and Edgar jammed together at the end of Johnny's act, The Allman Brothers, shortly after Duane's passing, Elvin Bishop, The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin, his original band including Jerry Goodman from The Flock on violin, Earth Wind and Fire, Commander Cody of course, and Country Joe and The Fish and a Floirda band called Tin House.
There was a party going on back stage because by the time Commander Cody came on, right after Elvin Bishop, they were already pretty drunk. The piono became the table top for their pitchers of Coors, everybody in the band was drinking one. Bill Kirchen was so drunk he stepped on his guitar cable, unplugging it and never even noticed, played almost the whole show with it unplugged. They had a wild time on stage, laughing, cutting jokes and making awesome music despite their stupor.
It was a crazy day and night of music, Johnny, Edgar and Rick Derringer were the last ones on stage with Johnny Winter's band called Live And. When Commander Cody came on the sun was just starting to set.
That's crazy. Your kinda like a hero or something because you've seen em and all that.
I bet it was wild.
The Snortatorium
I was at that concert also. I told Bill Kirchen about it when he was in Troy, NY a couple years ago, but he said he didn’t remember the concert.
If you have a detailed memory of it you wasn’t thair
This band was part of the line up at my very first concert at Winterland...The Doors, Cold Blood, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and Captain Beefheart. Strange combo and lots and lots of smoking happening in the aisles. Don't think I'll ever forget it for as long as I live.
I think I was there too...very likely.
What a strange assortment of acts/
I loved how Bill Graham would mix up the concert lineup, where you can have a kickass funk/soul band like Cold Blood and a kickass “country” band like the Commander!
Very cool!!!
Damn I’m jealous my first was B.B. KING and Country Joe and the Fish in Lewiston/Auburn Maine in about 1972❤
Jealous mate. Helluva lineup
There is no question in my mind , for me , this IS the GREATEST country band EVER !!!!!
truck stop Rock 😎
Criminally underrated. My dad had their first album on vinyl and I used to beg him to play Lost In the Ozone. That was my anthem as a child
@@joeblondiemanco8918downing wine and gin musta been a fun way to grow up
Buck Owens & Buckaroos, Merle Haggard & Strangers, Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives, Desert Rose Band and a few others might need some attention!
Love this tune. Never ever knew this was captured on video. I used to sing this in a bar...solo . So cool. A few people round out the tune for sure. Thanks !
That brings a tear to my eye.
Not just because it's sad, it is
indeed, but because I can sing along,
though it's been fifty years since I've heard it.
Played straight, as it should be, it's a
beautiful song.
I like to put it on for today's youngsters to hear when the mood strikes me. Lol.
Bill Kirchen looks so YOUNG in this video. I've been a huge fan of his for decades, and have seen him dozens of times. He is probably one of the most talented--and under-rated--guitarists in the history of rock-and-roll...
Read some comments and you will find "under-rated " is the most overused phrase on youtube. STOP!
@@cravinbob ok..as great as Bill is....ask 1,000 people on the street,who he is..How many will know?.Sounds like underrated to me!
@@Formula-602 - ask a thousand good guitar players, plenty will know.
Maybe we can agree on under-recognized, but not under-rated by those who know of his work? Glad you're enthusiastically promoting him. I'll join you!
Don't forget Andy stien
Saw these guys mid seventies,what a band.No gimmicks just genuine feel and talent
The old boogie-woogie! I happened to be around for the 100 Years of Berkeley celebration, they gave a free concert at the campus probably 1976, or so. I think it was Kirchen who introduced the crowd to "..the old, broken down Commander." Then after i dropped out of college the first time, twenty-three or four of us showed up and paid cash to go into the Yuma Civic Center and they played for us like we were at Woodstock. They scraped a down-on-his-luck looking steel-player for the show from some obscure cellar who was fantastic! Great fun.
Ditto to that Davey
Haven’t heard that song in almost 50 years. Forgot how cool it was! 😎thanks for posting
Yup, been as long time...
Smoke a joint to celebrate
@Bru Rred You missed out on Freedom.
If we keep fighting maybe we can get it back, I hope.....
@@Fuzzbucket3358" .. everybody tells me there's other ways to get high..." 👁️💓🎵💕🍄🍬❄️🌎❄️😂✌️🍷
One of my all-time favorite bands
I've been to about 400 concerts. The best was seeing Bill kirchen at a church coffee house in Baltimore . Thankyou Bill!
Played guitar on a 2007 gig in Rochester NY with Commander Cody (aka George Frayne). This tune was in the setlist.
i think it was on the set list from inception!
Dr. Hook and the medicine show. Is another American classic
I've so loved that song since the first time I heard it about a decade after it was recorded by Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen. It worked, I bought the album and later cd.
God bless
btw: nice video Mr. @ReelinInTheYears66
Such an underrated band. So damn good. As for the haters out there, of modern music. You're listening to the wrong radio station. No shortage of cool Americana music out there today.
Thanks for saying that
Bill Kirchin and Too Much Fun played at a local dive every week for many years in Northern Virginia. He is one of the best. It never occurred to me that he was young once! Thanks for the post!
Was at the Sunset Grille every Thursday for years and many of the Sunday shows before they stopped...
@@paragongzzz Cool, I was sitting next to you on more than one occasion. Great memories.
I was a Grillbilly too and there almost every Thursday. When I first started seeing him there with Jeff and Dave they didn't even charge a cover. Then came Johnny and Jack and after a while you couldn't hardly get in the place. I miss those days.
@@dennis652 We lived in a very special time and place. DC was and remains a world class music town. Lisner, Warner, Fort Dupont, Blues Alley, Cellar Door, Desperados. What memories. Thanks for posting.
Steven... Don't forget the Bayou...
I was thinking about this song just last night. What a pleasure to have grown up in a time when songs had words and they actually described what was going on in life. Real stuff. Can't beat it.
Amazing footage! I love this song.
one of my all time faves from the old days Commander Cody..thanks...
Bill Kirchen and the rest of these guys are rock gods. I treasure "Live at the Armadillo World Headquarters" (1974). Beyond excellent.
I was there.
I was a big fan at AWH. Saw the gods of music of the 70s. And brother ray from ASATW. A sleep at the wheel.
yeah i remember that.. 10 dollar bag of Mexican brown 1/3 seeds and stems 1/3 leaf the rest some compacted dried out buds with small leaves oh yeah a little bit of dirt also ! great song.. great band!!
Don't forget the rats and lizards.
@@drewamasterpiece5268 We called it Mexican Mud.
Ah, yes. Those we're the days...
@@ricktudor402 We called it Mexican Ditchweed
Saddest song ever written!
Seen these guys in Guerneville California at one of the Thursday night summer shows at the town square by the bridge
The sax/ violin player, Andy Stein, was in the movie " PRARIE HOME COMPANION". He was in the real house band. Great player !
Andy would join with the Commander to give a comeuppance to a local music critic in Austin that somewhat berated the band musicianship. Cody and Andy came out alone at the Armadillo, dressed in tuxes and tails; Andy played viola, I think, and with Cody on the piano, they proceeded to do Mozart. Very formal and note perfect. And then Cody said, "F**k you xxxxxxx" to the music critic as the audience roared. That's the way it was in the '70s there.
The ambiance of the times came through in their music; they became the house band at the 'Dillo for a long time. When there was a headline band, Asleep at the Wheel would open for them, all for a $3 ticket. It was simply great music by both groups that everyone could afford.
A professor at UT has all the video and recordings, but there has been a ton of problems with copyrights and releases, so nothing has ever been put out. But it is preserved, all the music and video. I was there the day the Armadillo opened, Aug. 7, 1970, and there the last night...it fed a deep hunger in Austin for music in the 70s.
That is: 'was not a headline band'...
@@walkshills We saw C. Cody open for Billy Preston around 1973. He had an instrumental ( Space Race )? on the radio. Big hit song. C. Cody was great . I've been a fan since the 1st album. I bought it just because of the cover/ the music was better than the cover art. Win / win.
Yeah, I met Bill Kirchen in a little bar in Portland ME about 20 years ago -- what a cool man! His take on Hot Rod Lincoln is legendary!
Boy does this song resonate with me cause I’ve been down to stems and seeds too many times to recall we had an old saying a friend with weed is a friend indeed ! A lifetime ago where did the time go?
This song got me thru rough times and still does
I have the album. Had it a long time. They had a sad song titled Mama Hated Diesels among others/
I remember that one for sure
How about "Looking at a World thru a windshield?"
@@topixfromthetropix1674 Oh Yeah!
Saw CC a couple of times in London in 1973; dragged a friend who didn't like country music along to their show at the Rainbow.
3 hours later he was a country music fan.
It was either this or Mama Hated Diesels that was introduced as "the first heartbreak of the night"...
@@derykbarker9634 - George advertises him music as "feel good music."
This one sent me time tripping, and planted a smile on my dour face. The lyrics rolled right off my tongue, like it was 1976 at Slippery Rock State College, and I was a lonely teenage bronkin' buck...
Superlative name, man!
Greetings from a Western Pennsylvanian who attended Edinboro State College at that time!✌🏼
I was literally down to seeds and stems the first time I heard this. It came on the radio as I was running my leftovers through the sieve for the fourth or fifth time trying to get a joint to relieve some misery.
I was in Ann Arbor in the early 70's when CC and the LPA were around a lot. Still my favorite band.
Great "last song of the night as we close the bar" tune.
And it pairs nicely with "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"...
And..Coming down again......by The Stones......
From my "Back in the day" - Great music. I have this collection - Commander Cody: Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen / Tales From The Ozone / We've Got Alive One Here, and Live from Deep In The Heart of Texas. I highly recommend them. These are still available.
Their understated stage presence belies the genius of each artist in this band.
as a beginner steel player myself, i’m in no place to judge the west virginia creeper in this clip from 1971, but he clearly wasn’t on par with the rest of the band, he was just a guy their age that had a steel guitar and could play it with reasonable competence. the bands classic lineup didn’t come until the next year when steel legend bobby black joined.
Brings back great memories at U of M and seeing them in the bars around Ann Arbor.
Lucky ❤
I think this is West Virginia Creeper on pedal steel. When Bobby Black came in as their steel guitarist, the band took a major jump in sound, timing and quality. Bobby Black’s contribution was huge.
Bobby Blue Be Bad
Well, he was still dragging the bar up and down the neck, and that's okay.
@@scrunchymacscruff1244 LOL Yeah I noticed that.
I was able to watch Bobby Black at a small venue in Hayward, CA, many years ago. During the break between sets, I asked him "Did they ever used to call you "Blue'?". His reply was "Just for that one album!"
(I checked later - he was on two of the CC&tLPA albums)
Loved Billy's melancholic take on this early recording
One of my favorite bands during my class of '72 high school daze.
Awesome! I first heard this song in the mid 70's while in college in the south. It was very popular in school.
50 years ago, can't be right. But it is sadly!
Where did it go so fast?
My uncles were in Ann Arbor around this time and somehow the "Ozone" album made its way into our fairly thin collection of contemporary records back in the Seventies and it became one of my go to records for many years and I am lucky that even today I can't shake it from my sonic recollection.
In 2001 I think Andy Stein the fidel player was a member of Garrison Keillor's radio band and he got all of the "Lost Plant Airmen" back together for a show at St. Paul's F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater which fell on the night that I was fly to N. Y. C. For my vacation. I couldn't reschedule so I had to miss what my uncle told me was a great show.
Wondered if it was Andy on the fiddle. Had no idea he was part of this band, back when I was listening faithfully to PHC
Always loved the deadpan delivery of the lyrics : one of my altime favorite
I saw them at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. They were very easy going and between a few numbers would come off the stage and visit with the audience. Nice guys.
Ah, the Avalon..
Thank you for posting this version of a classic. One of my favorite perty bands of all time. A proper balance of "alone again on a Saturday night" with the cynnical humor with which to survive that Saturday night.
A great seminal band from the greatest decade of music too! I dealt with my own issue of "seeds and stems" back then too.
I recall watching these guys at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. That was when it was all about music and good vibes! It launched the likes of Jerry Jeff, Willie and Waylon and all the boys and girls who made music for all the right reasons!
Early 1970s, sophomore year of college - every Friday at the end of the school day my 8-track of this album was put on full blast in the dorm and well, let's just say the evening always started off right when Commander Cody was playing.
Plenty of weed, eh?
I just thought of this song so I searched it . AWESOME ! Brings back memories.
I just got this album (Ozone) on cassette recently at an estate sale. I was there mostly to dig the crates of records, but grabbed this one too in the pile. Great choice. the live material is great too. thanks for posting.
What a treat , I've been interested in Cody ,and Capt. Beef heart.
Together...that would have been amazing!
The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 in Saratoga Springs, New York).
Yes, the Commander. Saw George Frayne (Commander) in Jim Thorpe, Pa. several times. He enjoyed his juice. RIP, Commander !!
I first heard this on WBCN 104.5 FM Boston Stereo Rock (America's first stereo FM rock station) when it came out in 1971.
They were a great band.
Great song. Thanks.
Brings back memories of cruising in my 68 Chevelle Malibu 396.
Heard this on Spotify. What a GREAT song!!
Lol Bill Kirtchen looking like he’s had more than just the seeds n stems here.
Lol, that’s good!…and I believe you’re right! My “lol” was literal, I really did Laugh Out Loud!! 🤣
@@Free1108 lol jolly good. So funny as I’ve dug Bill Kirtchen ever since I found out he had played with Nick Lowe but he looks straight as owt nowadays 😂
Ludes?
Back in 75/76 we brought the Commander aka George to our college to give a lecture on creativity. It was quite the farse. Afterwards he came to our apartment and partied on til about 3am. Worth every dollar of the college's money it took to have that night. RIP George, RIP.
One of my Fav bands. Never saw this version. Thanks. What a bunch of nerds. Awesome band
I just found this!! My mom had this record when I was just a kid.. I'm 51 and just rediscovered this and so excited!!
This is great! Thanks. It put a smile on my face.🙂
I'd never heard that song before. Really good stuff!
First time to my ears.
This is true to many ears I believe x
Got to see these guys so many times in ann arbor and Ferndale. Got a picture with the good comander after a show at the magic bag. We used to hitchhike to ann arbor when we were in 9th grade to sneak into shows. Ah the good old days!
Hot Licks , Cold Steel and Truckers Favorites. Always loved these guys music.
Literally one of the saddest songs ever written
Any stoner will understand 😅😭
Get your hankies at ready
Always liked these guys
Great band.❤We would go see the Ol Commander whenever we could in the 70's
Looks around for my bong!
Saw these guys 2 or 6 times in small clubs > 200. They put on the best shows.
I did sound for them at a small gig in Napa California. They were really fun and nice gentlemen. 👍
This is wonderful. Thank you!
Austin in the 70's was an amazing time and place to be. Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen were a sweet part of it for sure. Seeing them at the 'dillo and having someone next to you handing you a joint and you passed it down to the next person.
I was friends with Chris Fran, George's brother (Commander Cody), when he was living under the Blind Pig Cafe. Chris did art for George's albums and he did the logo for the Pig. I used to help him run the silk screen for Blind Pig T-shirts. Chris was a great guy. Chris died too young.
Now I'm crying in my take out food 😭.
Man there's alot of memories in a tune like this.
Very nice! Thanks for posting it.
I hope someone does make a Commander Cody documentary!
saw these guys several times. fun band
Awesome song - today’s pampered youth never had to walk through the snow to get to school or deal with seeds and stems
Good old daze
WTF dude you are wasted and make no sense
@@walkertongdee dont bogart dude
Aye we smoked some shit through an empty can
😂🚬
I was expecting someone older signing this song, I`ve never seen them in concert or live before. Great song!!
It’s a REALLY OLD clip
I had gone to Oakland Ca. with two friends to be an extra in a Robert Redford movie shoot,The Candidate, at the Paramount theater. One friend is the cousin of Lost Planet Airman bassist, Buffalo Bruce Barlow. When we finished our gig we doubled back to a house in the Oakland hills where some of the guys in the Commander Cody band were living, spent the afternoon with them smoking hashish, playing music and Old Maid cards. Later Bruce became Bassist for the Hoyt Axton Band. I seen Bruce with Hoyt at Atoka Oklahoma and a couple years later at the Catalyst Santa Cruz Ca. Atoka was a Country music festval with an unbelievable lineup. Look it up, it was a historic event.
Nothing like hearing a good band that you know it don't even matter if the piano is in tune because you know how good they are and they are really doing it purpose so you can get it in tune in your head, excellence personified.
Saw Bill Kirchen last night. Still the saddest song after all this time….’my dog died, again’ 😂
These guys are awesome. Loved them from '74 onward. Marketers didn't have a clue how to deal with them. Thank you youtube that they may live on.
Lost in he Ozone again.
Thanks for the memories man.
Thanks! Classic stuff!! Good dope!!! Great band!!!!
Great clip!! Cool to see them so early in the process!!
Thank you Reelin’
Ya Dah BestAH!!🤘🏼🎧💓
Damn, I remember being totally in love with this band back in 1970. Thanks.
Oh wow. Just ran into this. This great band played at UC Santa Cruz in a dining hall in 1972 a couple of times. We looked just like they did and it was great, great fun. Then saw them in update NY about 4 years later and they were just f'in great. They had added Bobby Black on pedal steel and Andy Stein had really come into his own. Billy C. Farlow was of course great and the Commander -- well he was the Commander. Long live CC&HLPA!
Saddest country song of all time
"Mama Hated Diesels" is another bonafide tear jerker by CC&HLPAM
Even in the early 80 s me and my friends as Surfers in Australia played these guys all the time. All time band
Real music real muso’s
Nice listening to music as recorded and not edited by computers
It seems like only yesterday . . .