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commander cody
“These are the most extensive files there are of our music from this time. There are titles here never heard before [on a release] and seldom played. It is historically important. Spirited.” – Commander Cody

“These are the most extensive files there are of our music from this time. There are titles here never heard before [on a release] and seldom played. It is historically important. Spirited.” - Commander Cody

The Owsley Stanley Foundation’s fifth release of Bear’s Sonic Journals finds lost treasures in the ozone with the launch of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen!

"Sociologically, you know, this all represents a big switch in the whole rock 'n' roll trip" - Jerry Garcia

Celebrating 50 years of New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Owsley Stanley Foundation’s fourth release takes you back in time to the early days when this band was just getting started.

“A legend recording a legend” – T. Michael Coleman, Bass

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is pleased to present an audiophile release of incendiary performances by the incomparable Doc and Merle Watson, from Bear’s Sonic Journals -Owsley’s storied trove of live concert recordings.

It’s not just the energy of youth that shakes me when I listen to these tracks — it’s the musical dialogue that Jack and I shared in these amazing moments. -Jorma Kaukonen

The Owsley Stanley Foundation presents its third chapter: Bear’s Sonic Journals: Before We Were Them, Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady, Veterans Memorial Building, June 28, 1969, available now on CD. This live concert recording features recently discovered and previously unreleased music from Jefferson Airplane’s fabled guitar and bass players before they became known as Hot Tuna.

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Owlsey Stanley Foundation Presents Bear’s Sonic Journals:

Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen

Found in the Ozone

Live at the Family Dog on March 28, 1970

“”It’s Saturday Night…Goddamnit.” — Billy C. Farlow

A truck drivin’, foot stompin’, hot rod racing romp through this iconic band’s earliest sets!

Rare, early live recordings of
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen,
captured by the Grateful Dead’s legendary soundman
Owsley “Bear” Stanley, including songs never-before officially released.

  • A 2 CD set featuring a complete show (March 28, 1970) at the Family Dog, plus bonus tracks from 5 other nights at the Family Dog (February 27-March 29)
  • Exquisite sound quality
  • With more than 40 tracks, each CD is more than 75 minutes, and spans a variety of musical styles, including country western, rock’n’roll, blues, rockabilly, zydeco, and more
  • The most extensive collection of Commander Cody’s work from this time period, featuring rare and seldom played songs
  • 20-page booklet featuring original cover art by Chris Shaw and original, unpublished artwork by Commander Cody himself
  • 11 rare, unpublished contemporaneous photos
  • Liner notes by former Grateful Dead archivist Nicholas G. Meriwether
  • The band consists of Commander Cody (piano, vocals), Billy C. Farlow (vocals, harmonica), Bill Kirchen (guitar, vocals), Andy Stein (fiddle), Steve Davis, aka “The West Virginia Creeper” (pedal steel guitar), Paul “Buffalo” Bruce Barlow (bass), and Lance Dickerson (drums).
  • Recorded live at the soundboard by the legendary Grateful Dead soundman, Owsley Stanley, a/k/a Bear, who is known for the purity of his “Sonic Journals” recordings
  • These tapes were transferred with and restored to the most exacting audiophile standards, utilizing state-of-the-art Plangent Processes techniques to remove any subtle timing distortions created by the recording and playback devices.
  • Mastering done by Jeffrey Norman (Mockingbird Mastering), a long-time collaborator with the Grateful Dead and Owsley Stanley.
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Sonic Journals From Six Separate Concerts
Shared on Two Jam-Packed CDs
Also Available Are High-Resolution Digital Downloads Of All Six Complete Concerts
– And a Poster!

Disc 1: March 28, 1970

Recorded Live at the Family Dog at the Great Highway
San Francisco, California

1. Cajun Fiddle
2. Good Rockin’ Tonight
3. Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
4. My Girl Josephine
5. What’s the Matter Now?
6. Bon Ton Roulet
7. Matchbox
8. Long Black Limousine
9. Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line
10. Truck Drivin’ Man
11. Back to Tennessee
12. Sleepwalk
13. Midnight Shift
14. Blue Suede Shoes
15. Lost in the Ozone

Bonus Tracks: March 29, 1970

16. Sugar Bee
17. Mama Tried
18. Boppin’ the Blues
19. Hot Rod Lincoln
20. Riot in Cell Block #9
21. Rip It Up

Disc 2: Bonus Tracks
February 27 – March 27, 1970

February 27, 1970

1. Lawdy Miss Clawdy
2. I’m as Free as the Breeze
3. (I’m Gonna) Burn That Woman
4. I’m a Long Gone Daddy
5. Big River
6. I’m Feeling Bad
7. Stranded in the Jungle

February 28, 1970

8. Baby Let’s Play House
9. Looking at the World Through a Windshield

March 1, 1970

10. I’m Coming Home
11. Hello Trouble
12. Wine Do Yer Stuff
13. I Can
14. Long Distance Call
15. Dark Eyes
16. I Ain’t Got Nothing But Time
17. Shout Bamalama

March 27, 1970

18. Flip, Flop, and Fly
19. Seeds & Stems (Again)
20. I Took Three Bennies (And My Semi-Truck Won’t Start)

Save The Music

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Donation Total: $20

commander cody

The "Save The Music!" campaign seeks to raise money to enable the digitization, preservation, and release of Bear's Sonic Journals, a trove of over a thousand live concert recordings from the heart of the psychedelic era. Donations are much appreciated, and are in fact essential to our ability to preserve and release future recordings!

You can donate via our secure form, or send checks made out to the Owsley Stanley Foundation to: Owsley Stanley Foundation PO Box 625 Occidental, Ca 95465. We were officially granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the IRS in December 2012. All donations to the Owsley Stanley Foundation are fully tax deductible.

Project Sponsorship:
For a donation of $500 or more, you can sponsor the production of a release of Bear's Sonic Journals, we usually have about 10 projects or so in the works, and your contribution goes toward the mastering of the music, original cover art, liner notes and related research, booklet design, and manufacturing costs. You will receive a liner notes credit in the OSF release of the project you sponsored.

Contact

Reach out if you have questions, or to see how you can support the Owsley Stanley Foundation.

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