Country Joe and The Fish - Section 43

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blestemp
June 15, 2008

About The Band: The group's name is derived from leftist politics; "Country Joe" was a popular name for Joseph Stalin in the 1940s, while "the fish" refers to Mao Tse Dung's statement that the true revolutionary must "swim among the people as a fish." The group began with the nucleus of "Country Joe" McDonald (lead vocals) and Barry "The Fish" Melton (lead guitar), recording and performing for the "Teach-In" protests against the Vietnam War in 1965. Co-founders McDonald and Melton added musicians as needed over the life of the band. By 1967, the group included Gary "Chicken" Hirsh (drums) (born in 1940, in Chicago, Illinois); David Cohen (keyboards) (born 8 April 1942, in Brooklyn, New York) and Bruce Barthol (bass) (born 11 November 1947 in Berkeley, California). The 1967 lineup lasted only two years, and by the 1969 music festival Woodstock, the lineup included Greg 'Duke' Dewey (drums), Mark Kapner (keyboards) and Doug Metzler (bass).

The band came to perform an early example of psychedelic music. The LP "Electric Music for the Mind and Body" was very influential on early FM Radio in 1967. Long sets of psychedelic tunes like "Section 43", "Bass Strings", "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", "Janis" (for and about Janis Joplin) and "Grace" (for singer Grace Slick) (all released on Vanguard Records) were often played back to back on KSAN and KMPX in San Francisco and progressive rock stations around the country. Their first album charted at #39 on September 23, 1967, their 2nd album at #67 on February 3, 1968, and their third at #23 on August 31, 1968. Country Joe and The Fish were regulars at Fillmore West and East and Chet Helms' Avalon Ballroom. They were billed with such groups as Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Led Zeppelin, and Iron Butterfly. They played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. In 1971 the band appeared in a Western film starring Don Johnson as an outlaw gang called the Crackers. The film, entitled Zachariah, was written by the Firesign Theatre and was billed as "The First Electric Western". They also appeared in the George Lucas film More American Graffiti and in the 1971 Roger Corman film Gas-s-s-s.

Electric Music For The Mind And Body, Country Joe and The Fish's debut album, was one of the first psychedelic albums to come out of San Francisco in 1967. Many timed their acid trips to peak during Country Joe and The Fish performances at The Avalon or The Fillmore, where they were frequent performers.

Tracks from the LP, especially "Section 43", "Grace", and "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" were played on progressive FM rock stations like KSAN and KMPX in San Francisco, often back-to-back. A famous version of the song "Love" was performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival

Lyrics: Instrumental Track

Category: Music

Tags:

Leftist Politics Country Joe The Fish Summer Of Love Organ Electric McDonald Bary Melton LSD Marijuana Woodstock

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bwanna23 (1 day ago) Show Hide

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i still haven't gotton out of my car.

JRG1120 (4 days ago) Show Hide

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I was driving home frome work one Friday Night and there this college radio show call Stone Hinge that come on Friday's fro 8pm to midnight on WREK in Atlanta. A Georgia Tech station. They played this song and I turned it up and didn't get out my car till it finished

iunnodiapeys (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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wow, you are so lucky!!!

ashetonpop (1 month ago) Show Hide

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Indeed, I´d like to have witnessed that time - but then I would be 40 years older, erm, I prefer to be 43 ... sorry. But it was a great time, I´m sure!

Blake1234Lacour (1 month ago) Show Hide

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this makes me want to smoke all of the weed in the fuckin world

Homerjay66666 (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Give us all the time in the world, and I will join you.

Haha, this sounds great on shrooms... Duh!

woodylennon (1 month ago)

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KeithHarbaugh (1 month ago) Show Hide

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floyd is simply its own un-recreated genre alltogether. But ya ya ya this track is sick.

cruzman3608 (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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woodylennon

Wrong you are. Much to learn you have..

woodylennon (1 week ago)

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Country Joe and The Fish - Section 43

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