COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH / COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD & GROOTNA /PETER KRUG Collectors Items: The First Three EPs (Rag Baby Records – INT 147.404) Germany 1980 LP | vinyl: NM (mint-) | cover: NM (mint-)
Tracks A1, A2, B1, B2 recorded 1965
Tracks A3, A4, A5 recorded 1966
Tracks B3, B4, B5 recorded 1971

A1	Country Joe And The Fish–	I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die (Take 1) Bass – Bill Steel (2) Vocals, Guitar – Barry Melton Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* Vocals, Harp – Mike Beardslee Washboard – Carl Shrager	2:40
A2	Country Joe And The Fish–	Superbird Bass – Bill Steel (2) Vocals, Guitar – Barry Melton Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* Vocals, Harp – Mike Beardslee Washboard – Carl Shrager	3:33
A3	Country Joe And The Fish–	(Thing Called) Love Bass – Bill Steel (2) Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Barry Melton, Joe McDonald* Vocals, Harp – Mike Beardslee Washboard – Carl Shrager Written By – Bruce Barthol, David Cohen, John Francis Gunning	2:33
A4	Country Joe And The Fish–	Bass Strings Bass – Bill Steel (2) Vocals, Guitar – Barry Melton Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* Vocals, Harp – Mike Beardslee Washboard – Carl Shrager	3:57
A5	Country Joe And The Fish–	Section 43 Bass – Bill Steel (2) Vocals, Guitar – Barry Melton Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald* Vocals, Harp – Mike Beardslee Washboard – Carl Shrager	6:43
B1	Peter Krug–	Fire In The City Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Peter Krug (2)	4:43
B2	Peter Krug–	Johnny's Gone To War Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Peter Krug (2)	2:00
B3	Country Joe McDonald & Grootna–	Kiss My Ass Bass – Vic Smith Drums – Greg Dewey Guitar – John Rewind (2) Harp – Nacho Dewey Vocals – Anna Rizzo (2) Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*	3:00
B4	Country Joe McDonald & Grootna–	Tricky Dicky Bass – Vic Smith Drums – Greg Dewey Guitar – John Rewind (2) Harp – Nacho Dewey Vocals – Anna Rizzo (2) Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*	3:54
B5	Country Joe McDonald & Grootna–	Free Some Day Bass – Vic Smith Drums – Greg Dewey Guitar – John Rewind (2) Harp – Nacho Dewey Vocals – Anna Rizzo (2) Vocals, Guitar, Written By – Joe McDonald*	5:2

This collection of songs represents the very first successful
American attempt to use a record as propaganda and promotion.
In 1965, Joe McDonald was to have performed at a demonstration
to protest the draft in Oakland, California; to politicize his
audience, he and his then (and sometimes current) associate
Barry Melton and Ed Denson (Kicking Mule Records) decided to
form a jug band to accompany them at this event. Along the way,
they also decided to make a record to sell at the demonstration.
They asked along some musicians they knew to Chris Strachwitz
(Arhoolie Records) to record two songs for this record;
as he had recording equipment and a way to get the records
pressed. They recorded 2 songs, "Superbird" and "I Feel Like
I'm Fixin' To Die Rag", a young songwriter from the Bay Area,
Peter Krug recorded "Fire In The City" and "Johnny's Gone To
The War" which were added as B-Side.
This record was conceived as a "talking" edition of Joe's
magazine RAG BABY. They called themselves Country Joe And
The Fish, a name which was arrived at as a compromise to
Country Mao and the Fish (as in the Mao saying regarding the
"fish that swims in the sea of the people") since they w