40th Anniversary Monterey Pop Festival 2CD

[Scott Schrade]

> > 7. Section 43 - Country Joe & the Fish
> 
> I thought it strange, that, out of all the fantastic songs / acts on this
> CD, you'd pick out this one.
> 
> Didn't you mention "Country Joe & the Fish" in your list of "Great American
> Bands" last week?  (Or am I remembering it wrongly?)

I just said they were a group I was currently listening to (a lot).

> Are all their songs instrumental?  

No.

> Nice enough piece of music (in fact, some of the quieter bits are really moving.)  
> Bit like The Doors minus the Morrison.

Yeah, they definitely have a "Doors-y" sound.  Live performances weren't their
strong suit.  I recommend their first two studio albums:  1967's ELECTRIC
MUSIC FOR THE MIND & BODY &, also from 1967, I FEEL LIKE I'M
FIXIN' TO DIE.

> Enlighten me - who are this band, and why do you like them so much?  

They're a band from Berkeley, CA, founded in the mid-60s.  Their "leader,"
Country Joe McDonald, served in The U.S. Navy in the early '60s (primarily
in Japan), was honorably discharged in 1962, & then moved to Berkeley.
And eventually, like a lot of people in Berkeley, he became disillusioned with 
the Vietnam war.

I like them 'cause they're weird, original, often psychedelic, occasionally deadly 
serious, frequently sarcastically funny, gentle, angry, sometimes soft, sometimes 
hard, at times flawed, & at times perfect.    ;-)

They're best known for their Vietnam protest song, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-
To-Die Rag."  And actually, at Woodstock, it was only Country Joe & his
acoustic guitar performing the above-mentioned tune.  Plus about 500,000
people singing along!

Go here for a short synopsis of the band's history:

http://www.well.com/~cjfish/bandbio.htm


- SCHRADE in Akron