Commander Cody
George Frayne IV and his band, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, were equally adept at stripped-down basic rock & roll, R&B, and gritty country-rock. The band's country-rock rocked harder than the Eagles or Poco -- essentially, the group was a bar band. Much like English pub rock bands like Brinsley Schwarz and Ducks Deluxe, Commander Cody resisted the overblown and bombastic trends of early-'70s rock, preferring a basic no-frills approach. Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen never had the impact of the British pub rockers, yet their straightforward energy gave their records a distinguishing drive; they could play country, Western swing, rockabilly, and R&B, and it all sounded convincing.
The group originally formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The original lineup included Commander Cody himself (born George Frayne IV; piano), John Tichy (lead guitar), Steve Schwartz (guitar), Steve "The West Virginia Creeper" Davis (bass), and Ralph Mallory (drums). When the group relocated to San Francisco the following year, only Frayne, Bolton, and Tichy made the move; the group's membership had been bolstered to include Billy C. Farlow (vocals, harp), Andy Stein (fiddle, saxophone), guitarist Billy Kirchen, bassist "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow, and drummer Lance Dickerson for their 1971 debut album, Lost in the Ozone.
The following year the group scored a fluke Top Ten hit with "Hot Rod Lincoln," taken from their first album, Lost in the Ozone. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were never able to capitalize on the single's success, partially because their albums never completely captured their live energy. They continued to release albums until Tichy left the band in 1976. Commander Cody released his first solo album, Midnight Man, in 1977, then he re-formed the group as the Commander Cody Band. They recorded three albums between 1977 and 1980. In 2009, after a 23-year hiatus, Commander Cody returned to the studio for Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers, a collection of new songs and classics from the Cody catalog. George Frayne IV died on September 26, 2021 of cancer at the age of 77.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
Discografia
16 álbum(ns) • Ordenado por Mais vendidos
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Tour From Hell 1973
Rock - Lançado por Aim Records em 1 de jan. de 1996
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in San Fran '71
Rock - Lançado por Sundazed Music, Inc. em 18 de set. de 2015
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Worst Case Scenario
Rock - Lançado por Aim Records em 1 de jan. de 1994
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flying Dreams
Pop - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 13 de jul. de 1978
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live at Rockpalast 1980 (Live, Cologne, 1980)
Rock - Lançado por M. i. G. - music em 21 de abr. de 2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rock N' Roll Again
Pop - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 13 de jul. de 1977
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Commander Cody - Live at Gilley's (Live)
Country - Lançado por Music Manager em 22 de jun. de 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hot Rod Lincoln (Live)
Country - Lançado por Vanilla OMP em 6 de mar. de 2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lose It Tonight
Rock - Lançado por Compose Records em 17 de mai. de 2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
More Live
Country - Lançado por Aspirion Records em 6 de mai. de 2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let it Rock
Alternative & Indie - Lançado por BlackSheep Music em 19 de jan. de 2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Truck Stop Rock
Country - Lançado por Collecting Records OMP em 1 de jan. de 2007
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Juke Box Jury
Rock - Lançado por Orange Leisure em 30 de jan. de 2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live from the Island
Commander Cody, His Modern Day Airmen
Rock - Lançado por Woodstock Records em 2 de out. de 2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live!
Folk - Lançado por Aspirion Records em 8 de out. de 2007
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Claiming New Territories (Live)
Blues - Lançado por M. i. G. - music em 22 de abr. de 2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo