''Electric Music for the Mind and Body'' is Country Joe and the Fish's debut album. Released in May 1967 on the Vanguard label, it was one of the first psychedelic albums to come out of San Francisco. Tracks from the LP, especially "Section 43", "Grace", and "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" were played on progressive FM rock stations like KSAN and KMPX in San Francisco, often back-to-back. A version of the song "Love" was performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. "Grace" is a tribute to

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

's lead singer, Grace Slick.

Recording

The album was recorded during the first week of February 1967 at Sierra Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, California, by Robert DeSousa, with production by

Samuel Charters Samuel Barclay Charters IV (August 1, 1929 – March 18, 2015) was an American music historian, writer, record producer, musician, and poet. He was a widely published author on the subjects of blues and jazz. He also wrote fiction. Overview Cha ...

. It was released on May 11, 1967, on the Vanguard label. Due to deterioration of the original master tapes, the album was remixed in 1982 and this remix was used for the original CD release in 1990. In 2013 a new two-disc deluxe version appeared which included both the original mono and stereo mixes. It is the first time producer Sam Charters’ original stereo mixdown has been issued on compact disc. The liner notes to the 2013 version state that an outtake from the sessions, "Thought Dream", was later included on the band's follow-up, '' I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die''.

Reception

Bruce Eder in a retrospective review for AllMusic felt that the album is "one of the most important and enduring documents of the psychedelic era". The album was included in Robert Dimery's

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

.^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. .

Track listing

All songs by

Country Joe McDonald Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald (born January 1, 1942) is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.Richard Brenneman"Country Joe McDonald Revives Anti-War Anthem", ''Berkeley ...

, except where noted # "Flying High" – 2:38 # "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" – 4:21 # "Death Sound Blues" – 4:23 - Labeled as "Death Sound" on the mono version of the album # "Happiness Is a Porpoise Mouth" – 2:48 - Labeled as "Porpoise Mouth" on the mono version of the album # "Section 43" – 7:23 # "Superbird" – 2:04 # "Sad and Lonely Times" – 2:23 # "Love" (Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, David Cohen, Bruce Barthol, John Francis Gunning, Gary Hirsh) – 2:19 # "Bass Strings" – 4:58 # "The Masked Marauder" – 3:10 # "Grace" – 7:03

Personnel

;Country Joe and the Fish *

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(tracks 1-4, 6, 9-11),

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

(tracks 2, 4, 7-9), tambourine (track 3), lead guitar (track 5),

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

(track 5), backing vocals (track 7), bells (track 11) * Barry Melton - lead guitar (tracks 1-5, 8-11),

(track 6),

(tracks 7, 8),

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(track 7) * David Cohen -

(track 1),

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(tracks 2, 4, 5, 8-10), lead guitar (tracks 3, 6, 7, 11) *

Bruce Barthol Bruce Barthol (November 11, 1947 – February 20, 2023) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Born at Alta Bates Hospital, Berkeley, California, he was the original bass player for the psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish, ...

(all tracks except track 7),

(tracks 7, 10) *

Gary "Chicken" Hirsh Gary "Chicken" Hirsh (March 9, 1940 – August 17, 2021) was an American drummer, best known for his work with the rock group Country Joe and the Fish. Hirsh was born in Chicago, Illinois. In December 1966, he replaced John Francis Gunning, but l ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

; background noise (track 11) ;Technical *

Jules Halfant Jules Halfant (June 23, 1909 in New York City, New York – May 5, 2001 in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey) was an American painter and printmaker.''The Art of Jules Halfant. 60 Years of American Art", by Deborah Matlack, Art Museum of Los Gatos, ...

- sleeve design

References

External links

''Electric Music for the Mind and Body''
( Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed) {{DEFAULTSORT:Electric Music For The Mind And Body 1967 debut albums Vanguard Records albums Country Joe and the Fish albums Albums produced by Samuel Charters Acid rock albums