Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna - Collectors Items: The First Three EPs
| Genre: | Rock, Folk, World, & Country |
| Singer: | Country Joe And The Fish |
| Title: | Collectors Items: The First Three EPs |
| Short-info: | Label:
Rag Baby Records – RAG 1008
Type: Vinyl, LP, Compilation Country: UK Date of released: 1980 Category: Rock, Folk, World, & Country Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock |
| MP3 album size .rar: | 1411 mb |
| APE album size .rar: | 1583 mb |
| Digital formats: | MP3 FLAC VQF ADX TTA VQF VOC RA ASF |
- 1411 downloads at 53 mb/s
RAR archive MP3 format
- 1583 downloads at 43 mb/s
RAR archive FLAC format
Tracklist Hide Credits
| A1 | –Country Joe And The Fish | I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die (Take 1)Bass – Bill Steel Vocals, Guitar – Barry MeltonVocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*Vocals, Harp – Mike BeardsleeWashboard – Carl Shrager |
2:40 |
| A2 | –Country Joe And The Fish | SuperbirdBass – Bill Steel Vocals, Guitar – Barry MeltonVocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*Vocals, Harp – Mike BeardsleeWashboard – Carl Shrager |
3:33 |
| A3 | –Country Joe And The Fish | (Thing Called) LoveBass – Bill Steel Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Barry Melton, Joe McDonald*Vocals, Harp – Mike BeardsleeWashboard – Carl ShragerWritten By – Bruce Barthol, David Cohen, John Francis Gunning |
2:33 |
| A4 | –Country Joe And The Fish | Bass StringsBass – Bill Steel Vocals, Guitar – Barry MeltonVocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*Vocals, Harp – Mike BeardsleeWashboard – Carl Shrager |
3:57 |
| A5 | –Country Joe And The Fish | Section 43Bass – Bill Steel Vocals, Guitar – Barry MeltonVocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*Vocals, Harp – Mike BeardsleeWashboard – Carl Shrager |
6:43 |
| B1 | –Peter Krug | Fire In The CityVocals, Guitar, Written By – Peter Krug |
4:43 |
| B2 | –Peter Krug | Johnny's Gone To WarVocals, Guitar, Written By – Peter Krug |
2:00 |
| B3 | –Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Kiss My AssBass – Vic SmithDrums – Greg DeweyGuitar – John Rewind Harp – Nacho DeweyVocals – Anna Rizzo Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* |
3:00 |
| B4 | –Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Tricky DickyBass – Vic SmithDrums – Greg DeweyGuitar – John Rewind Harp – Nacho DeweyVocals – Anna Rizzo Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* |
3:54 |
| B5 | –Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Free Some DayBass – Vic SmithDrums – Greg DeweyGuitar – John Rewind Harp – Nacho DeweyVocals – Anna Rizzo Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* |
5:29 |
Credits
- Liner Notes – Bill Belmont
- Photography By [Cover] – Phil Bray
- Remastered By [1/4" 2 Track Master Tape] – David Turner
- Sleeve – WA Richard Müller*
Notes
This collection of songs represents the very first successfulAmerican attempt to use a record as propaganda and promotion.
In 1965, Joe McDonald was to have performed at a demonstration
to protest the draft in Oakland, California; to politicize his
audience, he and his then (and sometimes current) associate
Barry Melton and Ed Denson (Kicking Mule Records) decided to
form a jug band to accompany them at this event. Along the way,
they also decided to make a record to sell at the demonstration.
They asked along some musicians they knew to Chris Strachwitz
(Arhoolie Records) to record two songs for this record;
as he had recording equipment and a way to get the records
pressed. They recorded 2 songs, "Superbird" and "I Feel Like
I'm Fixin' To Die Rag", a young songwriter from the Bay Area,
Peter Krug recorded "Fire In The City" and "Johnny's Gone To
The War" which were added as B-Side.
This record was conceived as a "talking" edition of Joe's
magazine RAG BABY. They called themselves Country Joe And
The Fish, a name which was arrived at as a compromise to
Country Mao and the Fish (as in the Mao saying regarding the
"fish that swims in the sea of the people") since they were in
effect conceived as an agit-prop group. This "record" and the
appearance in Oakland led to requests for them to appear as a
band and their emphasis slowly shifted from an acoustic jug
band to an electric "rock" band playing a brand of what later
came to be called "psychedelic music".
To promote themselves as an "electric band" and may be make
some money, they again formulated and recorded another EP.
This was recorded at Sierra Sound Studios in Berkeley, California
and formally established the existence of the RAG BABY Label.
This EP numbered 1002 with its distinctive cover (by Berkeley
artist Tom Weller) became one of the most identifiable of the
many locally produced items from the San Francisco Bay Area in
the late 1960's. It was released in June of 1966, sold for $1.00.
It certainly achieved notoriety as a collector's item, for it established
the band in New York long before they ever appeared
there and was available in record and "head shops" as far away as
London. It contained three songs: "Section 43", "Thing Called
Love" and "Bass Strings".
In 1971, Country Joe again decided to mix commerce with politics
and EP's. Then working with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland
in a political musical revue they did shows for GI's to draw
attention to the war in Vietnam. This FTA (Free The Army) Show
was presented at "alternative" coffee houses (with names such
as "Oleo Strut") that became centers for anti-war activism.
One of these in Mountain Home, Idaho was burned to the ground
after their appearance there. Joe made another record that
would contain material relevant to this period and songs that he
performed in the show. The third EP (RAG 1003) contains "Tricky
Dicky", "Free Some Day" and "Kiss My Ass". They were recorded
at Jack Leahy's Funky Features Recording Studio in San Francisco.
The record was to have sold for $1.50 to raise money for the
show and the VVAW (Vietnam Veterans Against The War), but
some were burned, some were lost in transit and others just
disappeared. It was probably more political in tone than the first
one as it went directly to the point; it received considerable
airplay, however, on what were then known as "progressive"
FM radio stations. - Bill Belmont, August 1980 San Francisco.
Sleeve Design: WA Richard Müller
Cover Photo/Concept: Phil Bray
LP Remastered by David Turner
(p) 1980 Rag Baby Records
Tracks A1, A2, B1, B2 recorded 1965
Tracks A3, A4, A5 recorded 1966
Tracks B3, B4, B5 recorded 1971
Other versions
| Category | Artist | Title (Format) | Label | Category | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INT 147.404, (Rag 1008SP) | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna - Collectors Items: The First Three EPs (LP, Comp) | Rag Baby Records, Rag Baby Records | INT 147.404, (Rag 1008SP) | Germany | 1980 |
| OW 30990 | Country Joe And The Fish | Collectors Items: The First Three Ep's (CD, Comp, Rei) | One Way Records , Rag Baby Records | OW 30990 | US | 1994 |
| 6.26049, LRPL 5378 | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna - Collectors Items: The First Three EPs (LP, Comp, RE) | Line Records, Line Records | 6.26049, LRPL 5378 | Germany | Unknown |
| NEX CD 228 | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna - Collectors Items: The First Three EPs (CD, Comp) | Sequel Records | NEX CD 228 | UK | 1992 |
| AK 2019/3 | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna | Country Joe And The Fish / Peter Krug / Country Joe McDonald & Grootna - The Rag Baby EPs (3x7", Comp + Box) | Akarma | AK 2019/3 | Italy | 2001 |
