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
This performance was one of several shows recorded by the new Commander Cody Band (the second incarnation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen) in August of 1977. Recorded in the New York area for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, this partial set was captured two nights before Cody's returned to New York City, at the Bottom Line. Hence, George Frayne (AKA Commander Cody) seemed more relaxed, even though this short set is far cry from the more complete 60 minute Bottom Line recordings.
Although they had attained a fair amount of success recording on Paramount Records (including a Top 40 hit with a remake of the 1958 rockabilly classic, "Hot Rod Lincoln"), Frayne's big band group, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, had fallen on hard times after switching to a major label, Warner Brothers Records, in 1975. Warner Bros. had no idea how to market the pro-hippie, pot enthusiasts who played a sassy blend of country-swing, old time rock 'n' roll, and classic rockabilly material.
The band eventually splintered in 1976, after recording We've Got a Live One Here during their European tour that year. When he returned to the road, the Commander enlisted a new group to replace the Lost Planet Airmen. Now dubbed the Commander Cody Band, the new lineup featured two key members from the Lost Planet Airmen - bassist Bruce Barlow and pedal steel guitarist Bobby Black.
After recording a few albums on Arista, Cody returned to the Lost Planet Airmen as a name for his back-up band, and released a series of albums on a number of independent labels. He continues to tour and record, but his latest offerings have been mostly live albums, on which he can still easily combine his musical ability and a ferocious sense of humor