Search - Commander Cody :: Lost in Space

Superb Live Radio Broadcast

Ralph Quirino | Keswick, Ontario Canada | 01/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You can always count on the Commander and his boys to serve up genuine roots music steeped in honest-to-goodness soul. Relix's 1993 release of this legendary 1975 radio broadcast (on WNEW-FM, New York) is top notch fun (especially for fans). The recording is quite pure and almost spotless while the band itself was in superb form. Yes, it's a mixture of hippie, country, folk, western swing and rock. Yes, it's very much like other bands of the day, most notably Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks and Asleep At The Wheel. And, like those two acts, it's pure and unrestricted music-making at its finest. Especially winning is the band's remake of "House Of Blue Lights". It stays true to the many different re-interpretations while recasting it in Cody's own special light. The Commander's witty between-song banter is always good for a smile or two and the whole she-bang drips with enthusiasm and energy. Fans should waste no time in getting this set while those who've never heard of him shouldn't be put off by the "live" nature of this recording. That said, this upstanding release doesn't include "Hot Rod Lincoln" (as was intimated in other reviews)."