Country Joe and the Fish’s Disappointing ‘Reunion’

Because I felt considerable affection for this group’s 1960s work, I cheered the news of its reunion—especially when I heard that the album at hand would feature all the founding members as well as original producer Sam Charters. While songs like the nostalgic “Time Flies By” and the pensive “Thunderbird” live up to expectations, such efforts as the soporific “Dirty Claus Rag” and an inferior remake of “Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine” offer mere glimpses of past glories. The Fish sing, at one point, “What you remember is what you get.” But they later acknowledge that “distance comes between the best of friends.” Stay together, guys, but keep in mind that memories are not enough.