I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die
Encyclopedia
I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die is the second album by the influential San Francisco psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish
, released in 1967. The title track remains one of the most popular Vietnam
protest songs from the 1960s and originally appeared in a 1965 7" EP titled Rag Baby: Songs of Opposition. On the album version however, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" appears alongside "The Fish Cheer," which at concerts, became a Country Joe
standard. At Woodstock
, however, Joe had the crowd yell F-U-C-K instead of F-I-S-H. The title song faced a legal challenge from the estate of New Orleans jazz trombone pioneer Edward "Kid" Ory, whose daughter Babette claimed that McDonald appropriated the melody for his song from Ory's classic "Muskrat Ramble," as recorded by Louis Armstrong & his Hot Five in 1926. A 2005 judgment upheld McDonald's copyright on the song, claiming that Ory waited too long to make the claim.
Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe and the Fish was a rock band most widely known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1966 to 1971, and also regarded as a seminal influence to psychedelic rock.-History:...
, released in 1967. The title track remains one of the most popular Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
protest songs from the 1960s and originally appeared in a 1965 7" EP titled Rag Baby: Songs of Opposition. On the album version however, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" appears alongside "The Fish Cheer," which at concerts, became a Country Joe
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...
standard. At Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
, however, Joe had the crowd yell F-U-C-K instead of F-I-S-H. The title song faced a legal challenge from the estate of New Orleans jazz trombone pioneer Edward "Kid" Ory, whose daughter Babette claimed that McDonald appropriated the melody for his song from Ory's classic "Muskrat Ramble," as recorded by Louis Armstrong & his Hot Five in 1926. A 2005 judgment upheld McDonald's copyright on the song, claiming that Ory waited too long to make the claim.
Track listing
- "The "Fish" Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" (McDonald) – 3:44
- "Who Am I" (McDonald) - 4:05
- "Pat's Song" (McDonald) - 5:26
- "Rock Coast Blues" (McDonald) - 3:57
- "Magoo" (McDonald) - 4:44
- "Janis" (McDonald) - 2:36
- "Thought Dream" (McDonald) - 6:39
- "Thursday" (Cohen, Hirsh) - 3:20
- "Eastern Jam" (Bartol, Cohen, Hirsh, Melton) - 4:27
- "Colors For Susan" (McDonald) - 5:58
Musicians
- Country Joe McDonaldCountry Joe McDonaldCountry Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...
: vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bellsBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Barry MeltonBarry MeltonBarry "The Fish" Melton was the co-founder and original lead guitarist of Country Joe and The Fish. Barry appears on all the Country Joe and The Fish recordings and he also wrote some of the songs that the band recorded...
: vocals, guitar - David Cohen: guitar, organ
- Bruce BartholBruce BartholBruce Barthol, , is an American bass player.Born at Alta Bates Hospital, Berkeley, California, he was the original bass player with Country Joe and the Fish through to November 1968...
: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, harmonica - Gary "Chicken" Hirsh: drums