COUNTRY JOE & THE FISH – TOGETHER LP – EXC+ UK 1968

Country Joe & The Fish – Together
(Vanguard Records  1968   SVRL19006)
Matrix No’s: 1Y1/2Y1 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
– some slight wear along opening edge

Vinyl in Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl which do give some light pops/clicks but sound quality is excellent overall – light click on the end section of Evil & again for Re:Agents)

Country Joe and the Fish was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 1965. The band was among the influential groups in the San Francisco music scene during the mid- to late 1960s. Much of the band’s music was written by founding members Country Joe McDonald and Barry “The Fish” Melton, with lyrics pointedly addressing issues of importance to the counterculture, such as anti-war protests, free love, and recreational drug use. Through a combination of psychedelia and electronic music, the band’s sound was marked by innovative guitar melodies and distorted organ-driven instrumentals which were significant to the development of acid rock.

The band self-produced two EPs that drew attention on the underground circuit before signing to Vanguard Records in 1966. Their debut album, Electric Music for the Mind and Body, followed in 1967. It contained their only nationally charting single, “Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine”, and their most experimental arrangements. Their second album, I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die, was released in late 1967; its title track, with its dark humor and satire, became their signature tune and is among the era’s most recognizable protest songs. Further success followed, including McDonald’s appearance at Woodstock, but the group’s lineup underwent changes until its disbandment in 1970. Members of the band continue in the music industry as solo recording artists and sporadically reconvene.

Together is the third album by the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish, released in 1968. Country Joe McDonald had briefly left the band prior to the recording sessions. All of the band members contributed to the songwriting. Together is the most commercially successful album from the band.

Track listing

1. “Rock and Soul Music” (McDonald, Melton, Cohen, Barthol, Hirsh) – 6:51
2. “Susan” (Hirsh) – 3:28
3. “Mojo Navigator” (Denson, Melton, McDonald) – 2:23
4. “Bright Suburban Mr. & Mrs. Clean Machine” (Hirsh, Melton) – 2:19
5. “Good Guys/Bad Guys Cheer / The Streets of Your Town” (Melton) – 3:43
6. “The Fish Moan” – 0:27
7. “The Harlem Song” (McDonald) – 4:19
8. “Waltzing in the Moonlight” (Hirsh, Melton) – 2:13
9. “Away Bounce My Bubbles” (Hirsh) – 2:25
10. “Cetacean” (Barthol) – 3:38
11. “An Untitled Protest” (McDonald) – 2:45

Personnel

Country Joe and the Fish

• Country Joe McDonald – lead vocals (tracks 1, 7-11), rap (track 7), acoustic 12-string guitar (track 7), electric 12-string guitar (tracks 9, 10), noises (track 10)
• Barry Melton – lead guitar (tracks 1, 5, 10), lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7), rhythm guitar (tracks 2, 3, 8), acoustic guitar (track 4), noises (track 10)
• David Cohen – organ (tracks 1-5, 9, 10), rhythm guitar (track 1), lead guitar (tracks 2, 3, 7, 8), piano (track 4), backing vocals (track 4), spoken word (track 7), bells (track 9), harpsichord (track 10), noises (track 10)
• Bruce Barthol – bass (tracks 1-3, 5, 7-10), backing vocals (tracks 4, 7), acoustic guitar (track 10), organ(track 11), noises (track 10)
• Gary “Chicken” Hirsh – drums (tracks 1-3, 5, 8, 10), lead vocals (tracks 2, 9, 10), backing vocals (tracks 4, 7), percussion (track 4), bells (track 5), sand blocks (track 7), harmony vocals (track 8), castanets (track 8), noises (track 10), music box (track 10)

Additional personnel

• Robin McDonald – finger cymbals (track 11)