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
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Tour From Hell 1973
Rock - Erschienen bei Aim Records am 01.01.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers
Blues - Erschienen bei Blind Pig Records am 21.04.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in San Fran '71
Rock - Erschienen bei Sundazed Music, Inc. am 18.09.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Worst Case Scenario
Rock - Erschienen bei Aim Records am 01.01.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flying Dreams
Pop - Erschienen bei Legacy Recordings am 13.07.1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Rock (Commander Cody)
Rockabilly - Erschienen bei Blind Pig Records am 15.11.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live at Rockpalast 1980 (Live, Cologne, 1980)
Rock - Erschienen bei M. i. G. - music am 21.04.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rock N' Roll Again
Pop - Erschienen bei Legacy Recordings am 13.07.1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Commander Cody - Live at Gilley's (Live)
Country - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 22.06.2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Truck Stop Rock
Country - Erschienen bei Collecting Records OMP am 01.01.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Rockers Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Vol. 1
Commander Cody, His Lost Planet Airmen
Rock - Erschienen bei Platinum Collection am 12.06.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Rockers Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Vol. 2
Commander Cody, His Lost Planet Airmen
Rock - Erschienen bei Platinum Collection am 12.06.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hot Rod Lincoln (Live)
Country - Erschienen bei Vanilla OMP am 06.03.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lose It Tonight
Rock - Erschienen bei Compose Records am 17.05.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Masters: Let It Rock
Country - Erschienen bei Carinco AG am 04.01.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rock Masters: I Should Have Been Me
Rock - Erschienen bei Carinco AG am 21.12.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
More Live
Country - Erschienen bei Aspirion Records am 06.05.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Let it Rock
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei BlackSheep Music am 19.01.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Juke Box Jury
Rock - Erschienen bei Orange Leisure am 30.01.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live from the Island
Commander Cody, His Modern Day Airmen
Rock - Erschienen bei Woodstock Records am 02.10.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo