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COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD:
MORE THAN WOODSTOCK---
ABOUT 40 ALBUMS MORE
by Rip Rense
here
Plus!
Sidebar:
Recommended Country Joe Listening: a Rense guide
With Country Joe and the Fish:
Every McDonald song with the group is worthwhile. Period. A few
recommendations:
Electric Music for the Mind and Body, 1967:
https://youtu.be/i9Rcu7ORp7Q?si=cyFx0UCLQdncev_9
Bass Strings, Flying High, Death Sound Blues, Section 43.
Live: Bass Strings, 2004:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnCZs6TI498
“I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die,” 1967:
https://youtu.be/7aPJIpRNTiQ?si=SOA4tS1c5qg6QVaP
Thought Dream, Pat’s Song, Who am I?
Together, 1968:
https://youtu.be/hovr_yFcCVM?si=KkqHkMwo5WFrBgR7
An Untitled Protest, The Harlem Song.
Here We Are Again, 1969:
https://youtu.be/WrRlmeOhV2U?si=P1HqweBXT8hN6BUN
Here I Go Again, For No Reason.
CJ Fish, 1970:
https://youtu.be/5ucoL-z7UPI?si=egtY13AHaZrM0FOm
Mara, Hang On.
Reunion, 1977:
https://youtu.be/biOmcZg9Luw?si=ANivWzdqtE3uYYLh
Come to the Reunion, Time Flies By.
Solo Country Joe Albums:
Thinking of Woody Guthrie (1969, Vanguard 6546)
Charming, with some of Nashville’s best.
https://youtu.be/C6DuC5eC_Sc?si=EAKvLHtOMdcVOcJQ
War War War, the poems of Robert W. Service
(1971, Vanguard 79315)
Compelling and original, powerful denunciation of war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rexTsQ3SPM
Paris Sessions (1973, Vanguard 79328)
With the quasi-all-girl band, witty, touching, and engaging.
https://youtu.be/VjrDVDfNFmw?si=XEZOBZEHgY8rqC5-
related: Paris sessions band in concert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwh_rhw43Sk
Country Joe (1974, Vanguard 79348)
A potent batch of original songs, with guest star musicians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfkLfjlvwyk
Paradise with an Ocean View (1975, Fantasy 9495)
Lavishly produced strong songs, from biting to anthemic.
https://youtu.be/lkwqLm0uPsc?si=cUgEa8BFbgStkQRM
Goodbye Blues (1977, Fantasy 9525)
Produced with a range of musical character, possibly his most compelling
solo album.
https://www.discogs.com/release/2747583-Country-Joe-McDonald-Goodbye-Blues
Leisure Suite (1979, Fantasy 9586)
Rock-inflected, with a biting commentary and epic outer space saga.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/leisure-suite-mw0000851324
On My Own (1981, Rag Baby 1012)
A lovely collection of original songs backed by acoustic guitar only, including a
setting of Ray Bradbury’s poem, “The Halloween Tree,” and Joe playing
trombone on “Slide Trombone Blues.”
https://open.spotify.com/album/7r2d4Nez3i6nExCuNcssBp
In Space
On-line only, a compendium of all his space-themed tunes---good fun, plus
the curiously moving, “Travelling.”
(
https://countryjoe.com/space.htm )
Superstitious Blues (1991, Rag Baby 1028)
Nine songs only, but all pleasing, with powerful moments.
https://youtu.be/hMOb6lh_TpY?si=-Panj_bJpoYWXBFE
www.countryjoe.com (2000, Rag Baby 1032)
An excellent, wide-ranging new batch of works, with acoustic guitar and
blues harp, as Joe hit 56.
https://youtu.be/nu7fpoLVhvU?si=0lPZxeQBSgSEJA6l
Time Flies By (2012, Rag Baby 1041)
Joe revisits many of his favorite songs from his career and reinvents them
in a jug band format.
https://youtu.be/gMZJ8q2SkRE?si=bwQoJIyQvdooyayd
50 (2017 Rag Baby 1042)
A surprisingly substantial collection of new work from 76-year-old McDonald
as he hit fifty years of song; his last album.
https://youtu.be/DAwSWY3_2yQ?si=L6wT4hmEk7ozmXER
SONGS
Wit and Wisdom:
Movieola:
https://youtu.be/OEOwTHyGD3M?si=6BYaFeefeZ7TOGE_
UFO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzvtEtZZ014
Clone Song
https://youtu.be/zZE5Oe9d9hE?si=P2WO8pY6rjb0SjuB
Making Money in Chile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AiWgaTAL0
Living in The Future in a Plastic Dome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ65g331a94
Tricky Dicky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8oNXn2LS4
Holy Roller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOJYOCttSvs
Space Patrol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym3p-OctIzM
It’s Finally Over
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BfHW5eGmL4
live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SldtQaUT6nQ
Who's Gonna Fry Your Eggs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjSl--n2Vnk
Various:
The Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcHT4xEVTWc
Mara
https://youtu.be/-4yzoVuyN18?si=qm9tCwQrDSMX_dVD
Hang On
https://youtu.be/Abb5al9P5Ho?si=HhDpnw2zjvAAl3rc
Save the Whales
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3pg8Espqk4
Breakfast for Two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ne-4lQJ1fk
Blood on the Ice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvHR1IRSJwk
Primitive People
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkg-2B6IvQ8
Doo Wap Oh
(Country Joe with The Persuasions)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqoy-o_rx3Q
La Di Da
(A great, searing put down of trust-fund “limosine liberals,” opening with
“One. . .two. . .hey, fuck YOU!”---not available on-line, from the
out-of-print
Leisure Suite album---available on eBay. "And you're so la-di-da
groovy that you make me sick /with your la-di-da right-on politics. . .")
Wilderness Trail
(The greatest anti-hunting anthem ever written, on the out-of-print “Goodbye
Blues” album.)
https://www.discogs.com/release/2747583-Country-Joe-McDonald-Goodbye-Blues
A Vietnam Veteran Still Alive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOh0SigvwTw
Blues for Michael
(with Jerry Garcia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDlRUojQPiI
Clara Barton
(with Jerry Garcia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wytu0DlsxNc
Lady With the Lamp
(with Jerry Garcia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqllHapkvLo
Katrina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PHQ7EXB1UM
Era of Guns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP7miWIfD0U
Goodbye Blues (with Blair Hardman, in 1964!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O386u4nBFcI
Ballads and Anthems:
Tell Me Where You're Going (written in 1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyGxZe9GeP4
Here I Go Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUqu6x126ic
For No Reason
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV72PJhrC-E
Memories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Of_bEs0P6E
Fantasy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsCOwmmcl0
Dark Clouds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIH9ASSAj88
Travelling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Z_ND18rf4
Tear Down the Walls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T4xPgGWFbI
Time Flies By
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK1A8HqAr6M
Crossroads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMOb6lh_TpY
Live in Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBfUsRk5p68
Round and Round (50)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAwSWY3_2yQ
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Country Joe