Country Joe McDonald Goodbye Blues (Vinyl, Fantasy Records, 1977) ***
Genre: Folk rock
Places I remember: RCA Music club; Real Groovy Records
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Kiss My Ass (Incredible! Live!)
Gear costume: Walk In Santiago
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Kiss My Ass (Incredible! Live!)
Gear costume: Walk In Santiago
They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5
Active compensatory factors: Country Joe and Arlo Guthrie are kindred spirits.
They are both loveable rogues who play lovely guitar (Walk In Santiago), are rebels with a cause, happy to play the jester/fool role, poke fun at politicians (Tricky Dicky), play endearing folk rock ditties about war (Kiss My Ass), and are funny as all get out. The sixties were perfect for them.
They also operate well live with a small audience so they can spark off people, tell their shaggy dog stories (Country Joe's one is You Know What I Mean- a meeting between himself and the police) and have a good time.
Incredible! Live! Country Joe! is recorded live (der) at The Bitter End in New York City and succeeds for the most part. Of course, the political stuff does date the proceedings somewhat. Still and all, he is an excellent entertainer!
Goodbye Blues subs out the political material and subs in the activist material. So - worthy topics like slaughtering seals for fur, killing whales, and destroying the wildness get an airing. He is effective, too, in creating catchy tunes to house these topical protests.
Interestingly, this album isn't on Spotify (although Incredible! Live! is) and none of the songs on it make his compilation on Spotify. I do have two CD compilations - Classics does have a couple - Blood On The Ice, and Copiapo.
Where do they all belong? A seminal figure in folk rock. Don't forget him!
Where do they all belong? A seminal figure in folk rock. Don't forget him!
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