I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag (Stereo)

Annotation — Pete Seeger Songs

The song "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" (Columbia Records # 4-45257) - a cover of the Country Joe & The Fish track - one of the most well known and key of the Vietnam protest songs. Joe McDonald wrote the song in the summer of 1965 in just 30 minutes, after being discharged from the US navy, and subsequently released it on this EP in October. McDonald performed the song live at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, one of the standout performances of the motion picture Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music. According to McDonald, the Seeger, Columbia only released a few promo copies of this, but it was later pulled:"In 1970, Pete Seeger recorded a version of "Fixin' to Die Rag" for a 45 release. We know that at least a few advance DJ copies were produced, like the one pictured here. But something went wrong. The details are unclear, but Pete did mention once that the distributors refused to handle it"1Sources1countryjoe.com: the "Suppressed" Seeger recording↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

The song "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" (Columbia Records # 4-45257) - a cover of the Country Joe & The Fish track - one of the most well known and key of the Vietnam protest songs. Joe McDonald wrote the song in the summer of 1965 in just 30 minutes, after being discharged from the US navy, and subsequently released it on this EP in October. McDonald performed the song live at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, one of the standout performances of the motion picture Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music. According to McDonald, the Seeger, Columbia only released a few promo copies of this, but it was later pulled:"In 1970, Pete Seeger recorded a version of "Fixin' to Die Rag" for a 45 release. We know that at least a few advance DJ copies were produced, like the one pictured here. But something went wrong. The details are unclear, but Pete did mention once that the distributors refused to handle it"1Sources1A Pete Seeger Discography: Seventy Years of Recordings (David King Dunaway, 2010)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Notes

Columbia 4-45257, 45 RPM, "Not for Resale – Radio Station Copy", issued as a mono/stereo promo pair: white label "Mono Version", side JZSP 154099, and teal label overprinted "Stereo", "Stereo Version", side JZSS 154097. Both labels: "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" (J. McDonald), intro :06, 2:17, publisher Tradition Music Co. (BMI); produced by John Hammond & Mike Kropp. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Iconic American contemporary folk singer, Pete Seeger (born 3 May 1919 in Manhattan, New York, USA, died on 27 January 2014, same location) played a key role in the 1950s contemporary folk revival and the 1960s anti-war and Civil Rights movement. He often wrote political songs, protesting against war, segregation, and calling for environmental protection. His body of songs referencing the Vietnam War is significant in both themes and volume: "The Willing Conscript" on the album Broadside Ballads Volume 2 (1963); "Beans in My Ear", "King Henry", and "The Draft Dodger Rag" on Dangerous Songs!?…

Themes

Anti-War

In collections

Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Pete Seeger Songs