The “Golden Hits Of The 70s”
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COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN
“HOT ROD LINCOLN”
(CHARLIE RYAN, W. S. Stevenson)
Paramount 0146
No. 9 June 3, 1972
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Piano-plunking Commander Cody–George Frayne IV (b. July 19, 1944, Boise, ID)–was raised in Brooklyn
and on Long Island. His interests were serious indeed; art, painting, and sculpture. At the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, George sidelined in such bands as the Amblers, Lorenzo Lightfoot, and the
Fantastic Surfing Beavers. But it was while seeking out some Strohs at an Ann Arbor bar that Frayne
conceived what would become the Lost Planet Airmen’s trademark sound.
“This was 1966,” the Commander told Sound Trax writer Martin Porter, “and they had this stack of BUCK
OWENS records on sale. I had never heard anything by him … I picked up one of the records, the one
with ‘Act Naturally’ and also this number ‘Tiger by the Tail.’ And I got turned on by that … [here was]
stuff that nobody had ever heard before. And it even had a ‘yahoo!’ in there somewhere. That’s what
northern hippies always like about country music–that ‘yahoo!,’ that knee slappin’.”
The first version of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen was formed in 1966. (The Commander’s
name is of dual origin: “Commando Cody, Skymarshall of the Universe” a ’40s radio serial; later adapted
for the silver screen and a line in Coleridge’s “The Ancient Mariner.”) Ultimately, a regrouped and
seemingly ever-changing organization fronted by Frayne and lead guitarist/vocalist Bill Kirchen (b. Jan.
29, 1948, Ann Arbor, MI) was firmly planted in San Francisco. Their best-known line-up was of this
period, and included “Buffalo” Bruce Barlow (b. Dec. 3, 1948, Oxnard, CA) on bass, Steve “The West
Virginia Creeper” Davis on pedal steel, Lance Dickerson (b. Oct. 15, 1948, Livonia, MI) on drums, Billy C.
Farlow (b. Decatur, AL) on harmonica and vocals, Andy Stein (b. Aug. 31, 1948, New York City) on fiddle
and sax, and John Tichy (b. St. Louis) on guitar and vocals.
The band quickly developed a substantial reputation among partyin’ people of all persuasions, playing a
hodgepodge of Texas swing, boogie-woogie, and rockabilly. They became known as the first hippie country
band–genuine synthesizers of flagrant flower-power and country-roots music. They would sing everything
from truck-driver tunes and corny country ballads played tongue-in-cheek to jump numbers from the ’40s.
“When it hit, we weren’t ready for it,” the Commander recalled. “We were on the road at the time and they
called us and said that they thought ‘Hot Rod Lincoln’ [a remake of a 1960 novelty hit for country man
JOHNNY BOND and pre-rockabilly CHARLIE RYAN] was gonna be a hit. I said, ‘What?’ And, you know,
what you gotta do next is come up with something of equal quality right away. We went right back into
the studio and redid [the Andrew Sister’s 1941 hit] ‘Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar’ [#81, 1972] to follow it
up. It should have been a good follow-up, but for some reason it wasn’t.”
While only making marginal inroads with two further 45s–a remake of Tex Williams’s 1947 C & W chart-
topper “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” (#94, 1973) and a take on Roy Hamilton’s shouter “Don’t
Let Go” (#56, 1975)–Cody and his Airmen did sell plenty of LPs: Lost in the Ozone (1971), Hot Licks, Cold
Steel and Trucker’s Favorites (1972), Country Casanova (1973). All was to end, however, when the band
broke up in 1976.
The Commander had a few solo efforts issued in the late ’70s by Arista (Rock ‘n’ Roll Again and Flying
Dreams)–both featuring the vocal assistance of Nicolette Larson–a 1980 LP for Line/Peter Pan (Lose It
Tonight),and has since continued with a spin-off band, the Moonlighters, (which also included Barlow and
Kirchen). Venting his serious side, Commander has gained acclaim as a painter, exhibiting in galleries
worldwide. A book of his paintings, StarArt was published in 1979.
Buffalo Bruce had a pair of LPs issued in the ’70s (Lovin‘ in the Valley of the Moon and Desert Horizon)
and has done session work for Bette Midler, Steve Miller, and DAVID SOUL. For a while, both Barlow
and Dickerson were members of Roger McGuinn’s post-Byrd group, Thunderbyrd. Dickerson has played
with Hoyt Axton, David Bromberg, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Link Wray, and Mitch Woods and
His Rocket 88s. Kirchen has appeared on NICK LOWE’s The Impossible Bird and toured in the mid-’90s
with the ex-Rockpile man. Andy Stein was involved in the National Lampoon films and had a jazzy LP
(Gold Places ) issued in 1987 on the Stomp Off label. Farlow has had some obscure solo singles issued.