CJ Fish (The Album) - Country Joe & The Fish

CJ Fish - Country Joe & The Fish (Vanguard) 1970

The LP was never rated very highly by most reviewers (usually due to inevitable comparisions with the first two albums) but for anyone who has not heard CJ Fish there are than enough cool tracks on it to warrant investigation.

The recent Vanguard Masters CD (issued by Ace) sounds great and just as fresh as the original LP did when originally released in 1970. "No Country Joe collection is complete without it".

The earliest UK issue had an plain white sleeve with C. J. Fish printed in black on the front. This font/style was used again (top left corner) on the sleeve that superseded it....

 

Love it

 

I really like the last two albums more than the first three. I feel the songs are better.

 

Got this on LP. I like it.

 

Mcdonald and Melton were the only original members involved on this but what a terrific LP....my favorite of theirs. No fillers at all, quite surprising for a CJ & Fish album really!

 

Produced by Tom Wilson.

 

CJ and The Fish was a pleasant slightly country rock album with good sonics although I think the previous one Here We Are Again is better and more individual. To me the third album Together was the only real weak album they put out (leaving aside the Reunion album from the late 70s). This album provided a smooth transition to Joe McDonald's solo career.

Part of the problem was the complete replacement of the rhythm section. The new players are very competent but entirely generic musicians here, so the arrangements are rarely exciting. I also suspect the muddy sombre cover illustration didn't help sales.

 

I'm amazed anyone would associate this album with "country rock" music and have an issue with this excellent rhythm section.

The sonics are excellent and the arrangements are spot on. I have no idea what you mean by "arrangements are rarely exciting".

I'm totally baffled how or why anyone would see the cover as a "muddy sombre cover illustration" and also suspect it may have hindered sales.

 

I'm sorry that I intruded on this thread and didn't say only that this is the greatest album ever, which apparently you need to hear. I own this album and listen to it occasionally so I don't dislike it. I can request the Gorts to delete my posts here so you can have a peaceful day.

 

Oh Mr Bass, don't be silly now. I just think it very odd you have this album and thought this album was a form of country rock, found fault with a great rhythm section, the album's excellent arrangements, and eye catching sleeve!

 

Here We Are Again - Country Joe & The Fish (Vanguard Masters) CD



This title is relevant to this thread considering what has been previously posted about it.

I recently picked up the Vanguard Masters CD edition and although it does have it's moments I still think, like I did at the time of the original LP releases, it is the weakest, (and least remarkable) of all the Country Joe & The Fish studio releases.

 

The sound of the horns and strings on Here We Are Again were always a big issue for me but after futher playings of the recent CD purchase I am beginning to accept them more than I did before and that has helped raise my appreciation of this album more than I could have expected.

 

I have this album and LOVE IT!!!!!

And I just got "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH" on cassette (FIRST AMPEX RELEASE - No dolby,etc)


ITS INCREDIBLY INSANE!!!!!!!!! -- i absolutely love it..... I cant stand how good it is!! (It sounds glorious in Mono)

The world was so beautiful and then in the 70s started going downhill fast!!!

 

Together has Susan. CJ Fish The Return of Sweet Lorraine. Both with that exquisite brushed by ends of fingertips golden raindrop guitar sound. The only band that comes close to that guitar sparkle IMHO is Serpent Power on Poet Song LP. There is a wonderful acoustic version of Section 43 called Motif in Black (song's original title) on Live New York 1971. Recommended.

 

Just gave this a spin. I enjoyed it. Not outstanding, but very solid.

 

Both albums pictured above are okay but not great. I'm gonna say about three top-shelf CJ&F songs on each. For the record in my opinion they are: "Here I Go Again," "Donovan's Reef," and "Crystal Blues" for Here We Are Again, and "Hang On," "Hey Bobby," and "Rockin' Round the World" on C.J. Fish.

At least those are the ones I'd put on a Fish comp.

 

I have to say I really like "CJ Fish" as an entirety, although I disagree with your choice of the best songs on the album. I find "Rockin' Round The World" one of the most boring songs the Fish ever did, really nothing to it except totally plebian blues. "The Love Machine" is also terrible, for the same reasons, totally boring to me. You also missed a bunch of the really excellent songs on the album. Among the best in my opinion, and basically in order of the album are: "Sing Sing Sing" (absolutely joyous, unbeatable happiness), "She's A bird" (great floating psych), "The Baby Song" (yes, I know that a lot of people are not going to like this song, but it is totally unique in terms of subject matter and also a very emotional experience, especially if you have ever had a child), "Silver and Gold" (nice heavy psych feel), "Return of Sweet Lorraine" (cool psych, sort of reminiscent of "Bass Strings"). Songs that are not total knockouts, but still have some merit are: "Mara" (pretty decent, not the best on the album), "Hang On" (decent, not world shattering), "Hey Bobby" (upbeat, nice description of a happy event), "Hand of Man" (straightforward song that is enjoyable but not particularly challenging).

 

A question: several people on this thread are saying they have the "Vanguard Masters" CD versions of the albums. On CD I only have the way old original US CD issue of "CJ Fish" (and don't really remember what I have for "Here We Go Again"). Are these "Vanguard Masters" versions better sounding than the US versions? Or are they pretty much the same? Years ago I purchased a "Vanguard Masters" version of the Frost Album "Through the Eye of the Needle" and found that it sounded pretty much identical to the original US CD version. Anybody ever compare the various versions of these Country Joe and Fish albums? Thanks.

 

You just pretty much named the entire album as being excellent or with some merit.

 

Imo, the CJ Fish album is their best album.

 

The Fish were always my favorite radical politically far left charged band of Hippies & Joe solo remains a constant as well...

I keep NM originals & WLP of all Fish & Joe records on my shelf continually since the 1960s, CJ Fish was a fine record indeed...

Some of my preferences

1.Obviously the Rag Baby EP that contained the definitive versions of Bass Strings / Section #43

2&3 CJF debut & sophomore records...both records are essential to any comprehensive psychedelic or rock collection

3.Here We Are Again...another fine record

4.CJ Fish...the last gasp of a albeit new Fish journey

5.Life & Times of CJF from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock (1971)...a wonderful 2 record set overview of CJF

6.Country Joe & Fish and Friends / Fillmore West - 1969...the 38+ min Donovans Reef is worth the price of admission alone


Essential Country Joe solo...

1.Thinking of Woody Guthrie (1969)...Joe's tribute to the great Woody Guthrie

2.War War War (1971)...taking the poems of WW1 veteran Robert Service & putting them to music Joe crafted a magnificent anti-war documentary & with The March Of The Dead he also created the most harrowing song about the horrors of war ever recorded...

Black Sabbath & other bands of that ilk were viewed as heavy but this song would blow all their heads off

3.Into The Fray (1981)...a live 2 record set recorded in France where Joe could let his communist anti-American govt freak flag fly high & safely...

Contains acoustic & West Coast psychedelia remakes of old classics

4.Superstition Blues (1991)...Acoustic blues with Jerry Garcia as guest.Nuff said.

5."50" (2016)...a tribute to Joe's 50 years in music, jazz & psychedelia make for a late period masterpiece

6.The Electric Wave Of Sound (2017)...simply the best box set about the Hippie movement during the late 60s & early 70s...

Contains both stereo & mono pressings of CJF debut & sophomore records complete with enough ephemera to remind us of a long stroll back in time to the Haight...

Also includes the DVD "How We Stopped The War"

7..Country Joe & Band / Turned Up & Turned On (2005-DVD)...everybody from the original lineup excluding guitarist Barry Melton showed up for this up close & personal set...

Not as in your face as the 60s & 70s but a good listening experience just the same

 

Yup. I think that the first two Country Joe and the Fish albums are much better than CJ Fish, and as I pointed out, on CJ Fish there are a couple of terrible songs and some just OK songs, but overall it's a pretty strong album as a whole. I think if this album was the only album this band had ever made and they had not made the first two stellar albums or ever become famous, it probably would have circulated in collectors' circles as a well-respected melodic psych album that most psych collectors would have felt was pretty darn worthwhile.

 

Which are the terrible songs?

 

The Vangaurd masters are better than the original cds but are mastered bright...

Although the deluxe 2 CD sets are good if you don't have original record pressings or the Electric Wave Of Sound 4LP box set & of note the original cd of EMFTMAB was remixed & the Vangaurd is original mono & stereo mixes

 

I was referring to "Rockin' Round the World" and "The Love Machine". OK, so they're not the worst songs ever, but they are so simplistic in both musical approach and rudimentary lyrics that to me they hold very little interest.