Country Joe & The Fish were obviously a political group. Given that their name was an indirect pun reference to Joseph Stalin and Chairman Mao, they had a radical left-wing political stance that was very much impossible to ignore at the time, particularly with the Vietnam War raging on. Their combination of music and politics was interesting, to say the least. Given the time and era, this wasn’t highly unusual for a group to cover in Rock music in the USA. Often seen as more of the same in comparison to their first album, but inferior as a result, we should take a good listen to this recording and hear what it sounds like and hopefully, it is worth hearing.

The Fish Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag is the main song of the album here and is a direct protest against the Vietnam War. It begins with some chanting that sounds pretty full-on, where the group get a metaphorical crowd to spell out the word F-I-S-H. Nonetheless, this is good. It launches into a weird song that sounds like Country music on LSD. An unusual tune nonetheless musically, it is nicely matched with good anti-Capitalist lyrics. All the same, this does sound really wonderful and lively. Towards the middle is a good solo section and some amusing sounds that sound really quirky. With direct references to Wall St, amongst other right wing agenda on this song, this is good and decent for what it is, an interesting and clever tune to listen to. A musical joy to hear, this ends with fake train honks on a keyboard, followed by the sound of gunfire and screaming aircraft. The song then concludes here.

Who Am I begins with some pleasant singing and acoustic guitar, before launching into a really good tune to experience and to listen to. This quickly launches into a great ballad that is underrated here. A pleasant, listenable and quality tune, Country Joe & The Fish knew how to make great songs for the most part. The singing in particular is really excellent on this song, and the music is really awesome and pleasant. Singing about social issues, Country Joe & The Fish will put a smile on your face with this music. Very beautiful and pretty music to hear, this is a ballad extraordinaire that is a must listen for fans of the 1960s or Hippie music in general. All in all, a really top-notch tune that sounds incredibly soothing. The vocal refrain, in particular, is really cool. A lovely song.

Pat’s Song begins with some mellow and clean guitar parts that sound unusual. Some odd percussion and other instrumentation are thrown into the mix as well. Some soft and reflective singing is present here, and the lyricism is really unique and beautiful simultaneously. Great to hear, this is an extraordinary tune that demands to be listened to. Sure, this is not the greatest Psychedelic album ever, but, still, it works. An organ solo is present here, along with marching drums styled sections and fuzzy guitars. It sounds very much like the 13th Floor Elevators here, notably with the guitar solo, which is shrill but melodic. The solo eventually concludes, leaving some xylophones to play melodies throughout. Soon after in the second half of the song is a tempo change, and this gets quite energetically and gradually faster. It is weird but cool. It stops, then resumes into the Psychedelic Rock tune at hand. This possibly could be done better, but even so, this sounds really decent musically for what it is. A thoroughly good listen, this sounds energetic and interesting. Another organ solo sees this tune out towards the end, and although this doesn’t sound amazing, it is quite good. An interesting tune regardless.

Rock Coast Blues is a bit strange sounding, with more nasty sounding guitars, smooth vocals and good songcraft here. Sadly, the sounds and production on this album aren’t the best. Still, this sounds very good otherwise. The vocals in particular are really fantastic, and the whole tune sounds really quirky and interesting. The song itself is about missing a lady, and the music present is okay, although Psychedelia has been better done elsewhere. Still, this does sound really fine and fantastic for what it is, for the most part. It just sounds very dated. A joyous and interesting listening experience about missing one’s ex-girlfriend, this is okay but not sensational. The sounds on these songs could have been done far better. Regardless, an okay tune but nothing stellar here. It ends with a fade out and some rain and thunder to follow, segueing into the next song.

Magoo begins with some good acoustic guitar and cymbals in the right channel, with some electric guitar and bass playing in the left channel. This quickly launches into a good piece of music that is really interesting. Eventually, singing emerges and this song gets underway. It is very picturesque and image evoking and is a sad lament on love. Regardless, this is an interesting tune, with loads of thunderstorm based sounds, relaxing music and imagery to match. A good musical ballad that is enhanced with a tripped out and Psychedelic approach to the music at hand, this is quite good listening. Explosive sounds and some rather bad melodies are in the second half of this song, and this piece sounds fairly ordinary as a result, borderline awful. It fades out fairly quickly before subtle acoustic guitar work enters the scene. This is a welcome change from the rather ordinary electric guitar jams of before. Towards the end, this enters a quick conclusion with electrified instrumentation. It’s okay, but imperfect.

Janis is, of course, a reference to Janis Joplin. It begins with harpsichord, acoustic guitar and launches into a gorgeous ballad devoted to the lady. Nonetheless, this is a short and really sweet listening experience that is unusual and excellent. Janis Joplin was a Hippie icon soon afterwards, and it seems that this song is fairly prophetic about her musical presence. A great song with some sweet chanting throughout, the music present is ridiculously good. A really great tune, and a nice love song devoted to Janis Joplin herself, who was being dated by one of the group members at the time. Excellent. It ends with some good bass guitar plucking and a harpsichord finale.

Thought Dream begins with a piercing organ and sounds very, very weird. It has some unusual singing and vocal commentary that is highly political. With begging not to have an H Bomb dropped onto oneself, this tune eventually begins, then fades out just as quickly. The organ then returns, and this song begins to get going. It is a picturesque tune that sounds really interesting, melodic and beautiful here, with our main man Country Joe McDonald singing very well indeed. It’s a shame that this music isn’t as good as it could be, as the singing is really fantastic. Still, a good effort is done here, and the music and tune is mellow, mystical and pleasant to hear. In the middle, the piercing organ resumes and the song moves along nicely. A great tune, this is music for those of you who love Psychedelic drugs and/or just plain weird music. The lyrics are fantastic, and although this isn’t as good as the works of The Beatles or Pink Floyd at this time, it is a real joy to hear. Surreal, well played and quite different to listen to, Country Joe & The Fish do make one enter the world of LSD and music with a sense of history here. A very cool listen, this is the sort of music that one could smoke weed to. Excellent, it has a quirky ending with another section rising up to conclude this tune. Nice.

Thursday begins with some whispering and launches into a pro-LSD statement that is very much a Country based parody. It humorously stops soon enough and launches into a completely different song that is actually not a joke. This song section is ridiculously good with acoustic guitars, bass guitar plucking and calm, clear vocals. It does sound very pure and lovely. An organ fade in then occurs, and the song continues with the organ soloing here. An excellent listening experience, one can appreciate the Psychedelic artistry in this music. A clear and clean guitar solo then occurs, which sounds really great. This is really gorgeous and lovely to hear, and it shows that Country Joe & The Fish were better when they stripped down their sound. It segues right into the next track.

Eastern Jam begins with some nice hi-hat playing, drum rolls and enters into a bass guitar led groove. This is an excellent instrumental from the start, using some great guitar sounds and melodies throughout. This sounds quite interesting, even for something that is merely a guitar band jam. Very good to listen to. The guitar sound on this song, and indeed the album, is quite awful, however. The playing is not, though. A pretty sounding guitar jam regardless, there is some nice legato style playing present in this jam. All the same, this is a wonderful and joyful listen. Surely those who love LSD use will dig this. Some awful guitar sounds in the second half are present here, and some really rather awful guitar soloing then emerges. Which isn’t necessary. In any case, this tune isn’t essential Country Joe & The Fish, so you can skip this if you wish. Could be bettered, though. It fades out after four and a half minutes in length.

Colors For Susan begins with some multitracked guitars, mainly acoustic guitar and has some cymbal hits. Again, this is an instrumental and is one of the more lengthy songs from this album. It does sound very mellow here, except for the percussion hits. This tune gradually builds up in volume and intensity, sounding really quite cool. It reaches an unusual climatic point and incorporates some chords in the guitar work that are very strange sounding. This is a slowish tune, but not exactly boring here. Towards the middle, it gets very suspenseful and a single note part is interchanged with the main melodies. If anything, this is music designed to be tripping on LSD to. In the second half is some xylophone and more acoustic guitar playing which is excellent. Weird, but wonderful. A repeated acoustic melody here is quite nice before the song re-enters its acoustic strumming section. A genuinely great and pleasant listening experience, this sounds quite neat. An enjoyable tune, although this is very slow moving and probably could have had some time cut off it. It gradually ends with a rather noisy climax and fades out. Pretty weird, but this was 1967, after all.

This is not an overly great album but is merely just a good one. Some of the music here, particularly the first track, is interesting and decent. However, there seems to be a lack of quality control in Country Joe & The Fish’s music by this point, and it can be clearly heard. It is a good Psychedelic album to hear, however. The music is variable enough to be considered good, but it lacks consistency. Should you listen to this album? Only if you have heard The Beatles and Pink Floyd first, along with Country Joe & The Fish’s previous album, and you want to hear more Hippie music. Otherwise, probably not worth your time.

Interesting but lacks focus.

7/10