Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Cafe Society
1

My parents had, while I was growing up, an extensive LP collection, that they sold most of in the late 80s when they got a CD player. Some percentage of the records were replaced with CDs, but not all of them. Every so often I dig through the CD collection and pull out something I haven’t listened to yet (though I definitely feel that a lot of opportunity was lost by the fact that I was only 8 when we got rid of the records).
Over Thanksgiving while I was visiting my dad, I ripped a few CDs of his, including the greatest hits of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Wow!

Unbeknownst to me, this is the group that gave us the song “Hot Rod Lincoln.” But aside from that mildly entertaining tune, this group has some balls! I guess I’d describe them as, erm, roadhouse country honky-tonk blusey swing . . . or something. :slight_smile: It’s fun, raw, and unashamed.

Someone tell me more about this genre! I want to hear more bands like them. I think they remind me a tiny bit of Little Feet as well (from what little I know of them).

2

I have no justification for this, but for some reason whenever they come up I also think of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. I have no idea why, so please don’t put suggest therapy. :slight_smile:
Have you ever been to Pandora.com? If you have, you know why I’d recommend it, if not, boy are you in for a treat. Go there, put in CC, and go from there.

3

All I have to add is that one of my professors at RPI was a member of this band.

Sometimes we’d spend class talking about his band and him showing some old pictures of them performing.

4

I saw Commander Cody back in the 70’s & liked them a lot. However, I mainly remember the opening band: Asleep At The Wheel. It was the Wheel’s first visit to Texas & they were amazed that plenty of people here knew about Western Swing. And still made a living playing it. They moved to Austin shortly thereafter.

Don’t know what “genre” the Airmen represent. Little Feat was more musically excellent–one of my all-time favorite bands–but their lyrics did have a bit of that spirit. The Beat Farmers come to mind–but I doubt they’ve recovered from the death of Country Dick Montana.

A version of the band is still touring. (Their site may damage your retinas.) Considering their style of music, they might still be worth seeing.

Hmmm… is there a genre called Kickass Bar Band?

5

CCahLPA certainly popularized the song 35 years ago. A version of the song is from at least 1950. And long after we’re gone, I trust that everybody will still be doin’ it.

6

I would suggest The New Riders of the Purple Sage. Albums to check out are their first one “N.R.P.S”, “The Adventures of Panama Red” and “Home, Home on the Road”. The last is a live album and has the best cover of “Dead Flowers” ever. NRPS was sort of an auxillary band of The Grateful Dead way back when. Jerry Garcia played on some of their albums.

Hippie-fusion-country-rock 70s style. You aren’t really rockin’ without a pedal steel guitar.

7

Definitely mainstream classic country, with a lot of Western swing and trucking songs in there, too. “Mama Hated Diesels” is one of the saddest ballads ever - and it has a role in my life.

Get yourself the “We’ve Got a Live One Here” album for one helluva lot of fun. The added lyrics in the extended “Hot Rod Lincoln” are great, and their “Don’t Let Go” has far more balls than Chuck Jackson’s.

8

This is creepy.

I was Googling “Lost Planet” the other day, trying to find references to the old astronomical theory of how the asteroid belt was formed, & these guys, that I never heard of before turned up.

And now, I hear of them again.

9

Bill Kirchen has been touring on his own for a while now, and has a number of CD’s out. Great telecaster player, and he does a long jam on “Hot Rod Lincoln” that is not to be missed!