Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas

 (21 customer reviews)

Commander Cody And The Lost Planet Airmen were a well known progresive art-rock ensemble notable for their brilliant usage of synthesizers and theremins on such masterpieces as Shostakovich's Concerto in B-flat minor. Ha! Just seein' if you were paying attention. Although, now that I think of it, fiddle player Andy Stein could play any kind of music you put in front of him. The Commander and company were merely the toughest, funniest, countrybilly rockingest band in the Bay Area in the early seventies. No other local country rock group would dare get on the stage after them (with the possible exception of Asleep At The Wheel who wisely kept things on the country side of the equation). Everybody else packed up their dobros and headed for the purple sage from whence they came. Anyway the Commander was best heard live and this is their best live album ergo it is their best album period. Nutty originals go hand in hand with inspired covers in this timeless concert in front of rabid Texas...Read more

Think of this album as an acid test of your stereo. Wick that sucker up to just below the distortion level, find the sweet spot and hog it, and get ready to readjust your definition of "Country Rock"! After I heard it the first time and rallyed enough to drive, I headed straight for the music store and bought 3 copies. I still have have the first one I opened, and the other two got stolen, hopefully by good friends. At that time, I had a stereo that loafed along at 300 watts per channel, and all you had to do was close your eyes, and you were THERE!! The recording is excellent, and along with "Waiting For Columbus" from Little Feat is my test record for any new addition to my system. The musicanship is absolutely first class, and it comes through with plenty of punch. Did you hear the three part whistle harmony in "Sunset on the Sage"? Do you know how hard that is to do live? Can you resist the urge to Two Step when you hear "Oh, Momma Momma"...Read more

Following a third album that didn't shine as inventively as their first two, the Airmen returned with an absolutely brilliant document of all that their music meant. Recorded live at Austin, Texas' "World Armadillo Headquarters," the Airmen sound like the Buckaroos in their prime: relaxed, confident, and deadly across a wide variety of inter-related musical genres. They even cover Owens' "Crying Time," much to the crowd's delight.The band swings effortlessly from the opening fiddle-driven instrumental into a rousing take of Elvis' "Good Rockin' Tonight." They cruise along with Johnny Horton's trucker themed "I'm Coming Home" only to plow headlong into the misery of the band's signature "Seeds and Stems (Again)." They harmonize with equal beauty for the cowboy tune, "Sunset on the Sage," and the doo-wop "Git It."The Commander gets his boogie-woogie slot on the band-penned "Oh Momma," and his...Read more