Commander Cody (a.k.a. George Frayne) recorded this show while promoting Midnight Man, considered his first solo album. When he returned to the road, the Commander enlisted a new group to replace his previous backing band, the Lost Planet Airmen, who had disbanded in 1976 after recording We’ve Got a Live One Here during their European tour. Now dubbed the Commander Cody Band, the new line-up featured two key members from the Lost…entire summary
Commander Cody - vocals, keyboards
Bruce Barlow - bass
Bobby Black - pedal steel guitar, vocals
Tom Flye - percussion
Cisco G - saxophone
Darius Javahler - guitar
Fred Myer - drums
Nicolette Larson - vocals
Charra Penny - vocals
Commander Cody (a.k.a. George Frayne) recorded this show while promoting Midnight Man, considered his first solo album. When he returned to the road, the Commander enlisted a new group to replace his previous backing band, the Lost Planet Airmen, who had disbanded in 1976 after recording We’ve Got a Live One Here during their European tour. Now dubbed the Commander Cody Band, the new line-up featured two key members from the Lost Planet Airmen, bassist Bruce Barlow and pedal steel guitarist Bobby Black. Having Black on board, in particular, was crucial to capturing the live energy that characterized the Lost Planet Airmen.
While keen to promote the songs from Midnight Man, released on the newly formed Arista Records, Frayne was aware that many fans were there to hear the hits from his past. As a result, many of the classic songs are found in the set - including "Beat Me Daddy, Eight To the Bar," "Rumba Girl,” "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!,” "Down To Seeds and Stems Again” and "Lost In The Ozone,” among others. There is some scratchy background noise from a poor piano connection in the first song "Midnight Man,” but the problem is soon fixed. Special guest vocalist Nicolette Larson (who had scored a big hit of her own with Neil Young’s "Lotta Love”) lends her voice (mostly to the newer material), and she, along with sidekick Chandra Penny, provide a crucial contrastive element to the performance. The show really busts open with lively versions of the band’s 1971 pop hit "Hot Rod Lincoln” (originally recorded in 1961 by rockabilly artist Johnny Bond) and Leiber and Stroller’s "There’s A Riot Goin’ On.”
Commander Cody continues to tour, although he never again captured the popularity he had previously experienced with the original Lost Planet Airmen. Today, he focuses primarily on releasing live albums, and to date has quite a collection under his belt.
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