This was one of three shows captured for the King Biscuit Flower Hour on Commander Cody's (whose real name is George Frayne) first "solo" tour. His previous band, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, had been replaced with a back-up group that included two members from that band, and several newcomers, including vocalist Nicolette Larson.
Frayne is in fine form on vocals and keyboards on several classic humor-tinged hits, as well as…entire summary
Commander Cody - vocals, keyboards
Bruce Barlow - bass
Bobby Black - pedal steel guitar, vocals
Tom Flye - percussion
Cisco G - saxophone
Darius Javahler - guitar
Fred Myer - drums
Nicolette Larson - vocals
Charra Penny - vocals
This was one of three shows captured for the King Biscuit Flower Hour on Commander Cody's (whose real name is George Frayne) first "solo" tour. His previous band, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, had been replaced with a back-up group that included two members from that band, and several newcomers, including vocalist Nicolette Larson.
Frayne is in fine form on vocals and keyboards on several classic humor-tinged hits, as well as material from what was his first solo LP on Arista Records. "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," "Stealin' At The Seven Eleven," "Take The Fifth Amendment," "Down To Seeds And Stems Again Blues", "Hot Rod Lincoln," and "Rock That Boogie" are all hits with the audience. He offers a truly fun-filled encore that features his take on the Leiber/Stoller classic "Riot In Cell Block #9" and his own pro-pot anthem "Lost In The Ozone."
Although they had attained a fair amount of success recording on the Paramount Records label (including a top 40 hit with a remake of the 1958 rockabilly classic "Hot Rod Lincoln"), Frayne's big band group, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, had fallen on hard times after switching to a major label, Warner Brothers Records, in 1975. Warner Bros. had no idea how to market the pro-hippie pot enthusiasts who played a sassy blend of country-swing, old time rock 'n' roll, and classic rockabilly material. The band eventually splintered in 1976 after recording We've Got A Live One Here during their European tour of that year.
When he returned to the road, the Commander enlisted a new group to replace the Lost Planet Airmen. Now dubbed the Commander Cody Band, the new lineup featured two key members from the Lost Planet Airmen: bassist Bruce Barlow and pedal steel guitarist Bobby Black.
After recording a few albums on Arista, Cody returned to the Lost Planet Airmen as a name for his back-up band, and released a series of albums on a number of independent labels. He continues to tour and record, but his latest offerings have been mostly live albums, on which he can still easily combine his musical ability and a ferocious sense of humor
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