Commander Cody Lost In The Ozone CD

Personnel: Commander Cody (vocals, piano); Bill Kirchen (vocals, guitar, trombone); John Tichy (vocals, guitar); Billy C. Farlow (vocals, harp, harmonica); George Frayne (vocals, keyboards); Lance Dickerson (vocals, drums); Bruce Barlow (vocals); West Virginia Creeper (steel guitar); Andy Stein (violin, fiddle, saxophone).
Audio Mixer: Phil Sawyer.
Recording information: Ann Arbor, MI; Long Branch Saloon, Berkeley, CA; New Monk, Berkeley, CA; Pacific High Recording Studio, San Francisco, CA.
This is the monumental debut by one of insurgent country's pioneer bands. Playing with electric instruments, including the all important steel and fiddle, and a good dose of irreverence allowed the band to adhere to their own agenda. This first release was only a taste of the things to come. A combination of original tunes and some dusty covers, Cody & His Airmen were at the head of a parade that continued on through the '90s. Songs by Billy C. Farlow like "Daddy's Gonna Treat You Right" and the ever-popular "Lost in the Ozone" were instant hits with the country-rock and hippie crowds. But, the rednecks loved them, too, and this was an amazing social phenomenon. Cody, whose real name is George Frayne, partnered with Farlow on a number of songs from this first collection that still pack a wallop. "Wine Do Yer Stuff" and the tearful "Seeds and Stems (Again)" left no doubt where these boys were coming from. A strong honky tonk album that swings, Lost in the Ozone is a viable recording. Cover tunes performed with energy and humor won crowds over everywhere. "Hot Rod Lincoln" is still played on outlaw country radio stations, as is "20 Flight Rock," a boogie number that lets everything hang out. With not a single cut wasted, this is one of the buried gems of modern country music that displays guitarman Bill Kirchen at his wildest and Bruce Barlow, Lance Dickerson, Andy Stein, John Tichy, Bobby Black, West Virginia Creeper, Farlow, and Commander Cody comin' out of the shoot ready to change the world for the better. ~ Jana Pendragon
This was the debut album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. LOST IN THE OZONE was released in 1971, after the band moved to San Francisco from Michigan. The group's mix of Western swing, country, rockabilly, and novelty songs was not typical of the Haight-Ashbury music scene. In retrospect, this album, with its earthy mix of assorted genres culled from the early days of rock & roll, seems to have been ahead of its time. They only other Bay Area band similar to them at the time was the New Riders of the Purple Sage, but that group had more of a country-inflected sound.
On LOST IN THE OZONE, this outfit rollicks in the best possible ways. They sometimes sound like they're on the verge of tipping over ("Wine Do Yer Stuff"), while other times come across as achingly earnest ("Daddy's Gonna Treat You Right"). "Hot Rod Lincoln" became a hit for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and helped put them on the map. This album and its three successors (recorded with the original lineup) are all examples of top-notch American roots music.Rolling Stone (12/9/71, p.58) - "..[this] album's been overdue...hits the nail right on the head..."
Mojo (Publisher) (12/00, p.133) - "...The band kicks solidly on favorites...with fiddle to the fore in the best Willis tradition..."