No. 80, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Lost in the Ozone

On this week’s episode, we take a two-steppin’ deep dive into the debut LP of a true original, 1971’s Lost in the Ozone by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. The band members came from varied musical backgrounds and interests, but they brought a love of  pre-1970s American music to the table, to including boogie-woogie blues, honky tonkin’ shuffle tunes, 1940’s jumpin’ jive, 1950’s rock n’ roll, and western swing. And it is all performed so expertly and effortlessly on this LP. What made the band stand out was not only the unbelievable musicianship (by all accounts they were a live band that had to be seen to be believed), but a tongue in cheek sense of humor, coupled with a reverence for the music and, above all, a feeling that these guys truly loved doing what they were doing and having the time of their life doing it.  And it shows. This album is "fun" with a capital “F"!” 

Lost in the Ozone  is also a bit of snapshot in time of that peculiar era where rednecks and hippies could find a common ground in music.  Its a collection of  both covers played with earnest emotion, and genre defying originals that on the surface appear to be about the typical country music tropes that lead to tears in your beers, until you realize they are dotted with counter culture references (See “Seeds and Stems” for a perfect example). 

While Lost in the Ozone does contain the top 10 cover of “Hot Rod Lincoln,” the LP is little known today.  “Cosmic American Music” is what Gram Parsons called the odd blend rock and roll attitude and country music heart found on this album, and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen may very well be THE epitome of that concept.  As such Lost in the Ozone is an album worthy of your attention and deserved of repeated listens.  Trust us, you will not regret it.