Poco

Funny how this band was supposed to be the next big supergroup and redefine the country rock that the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers did on their albums (Sweetheart Of The Rodeo and Glided Palace Of Sin) but I could never get into their Picking Up The Pieces album at all although it still sits on my shelf gathering dust.

But over their history and with Rusty Young being the foundation that other vocalists and players came through  Poco's albums have been spotty and scattered all over the place.  It may have been a downer to know that The Eagles became the country rock darlings, after Poco begin their career that radio continues to play The Eagles all the time, whereas Poco is hardly heard of, unless it's Crazy Love or Heart Of The Night from Legend.

For my money The Very Best Of Poco (the original 2 record set) just about captured it all, the great, the good and the bland but I never forgave Sony Music for omitting Railroad Days off the CD when I had to go find it on the bland From The Inside album.  It's also interesting to know that their best album was the live Deliverin' with A Man Like Me and the record actually does a good job capturing Poco on a great night too.  Ditto that for the Epic contractual Poco Live as well, although later Sony Music took the best of moments for their Setlist Series.  The Epic years I think the S/T album probably was their best studio album, From The Inside their biggest disappointment and Cantamos their most underrated.  Losing Jim Messina may have hurt them but in the long run (to quote The Eagles) Paul Cotton was a valuable member who added a bit more rocking country to the spark that sometimes bogged  Richie Furay down at times although Crazy Eyes may have been the best album featuring Furay before he moved on to the illfated Sother/Hillman/Furay band. (Falling In Love would have sounded pretty good on a Poco album too)

Most of the Poco stuff with Furay remains in print but once he left, the major labels either shuffled the other albums on various labels (One Way, Wounded Bird) or just deleted them altogether.  Seven lacks direction after Furay left but Cantomos was much better, their most underrated album I think. After Cantamos, Poco moved over to ABC for Head Over Heels or Cantamos part 2 but with an eye for the radio with the hit single Keep On Tryin' one of most beautiful songs they ever came up with.  The record sold better than the previous, but nevertheless could be found in cutout bins in the 70s.  The CD is a little bit harder to find but worth it if you come across it.  Tim Schmit left for the Eagles (who replaced Randy Meisner who was part of the original Poco lineup) and for the rest of the ABC/MCA years the songwriting would be between Paul Cotton and Rusty Young.  At times they would get some FM cuts that get played (Rose Of Cimarron-why wasn't this a bigger hit?) but then they made their biggest selling album to date with Legend, which was more MOR rock than what Poco was better known for and scored a number 2 hit with Crazy Love and another top ten with Cotton's Heart Of The Night.

The MCA era again had some singles worth noting (Under The Gun)  but most of the albums that I heard were kinda boring, Blue & Gray a concept album that is many a fans favorite if they heard it.  Cowboys & Englishmen was a strange covers album but that didn't sell  and Poco went to Atlantic for two albums, Ghost Town which I thought was their best since Head Over Heals and Inamorata a album to which Richard Landis can be blamed for imploding the band since he didn't like the rhythm section very much and the album was clash of styles although some of the original members did help out on backing vocals to make it their most Eagles sounding album but it didn't sell despite a radio ready single that could have done wonders had their label promoted it better (This Old Flame).  And then it was over.

For what's it worth Legacy doesn't try to recapture the early years when the guys who made Pickin Up The Pieces came back to this reunion album but it is a good contemporary album of the times which gave them a top 30 song with Call It Love and to a lesser extent Nothin' To Hide.  Paul Cotton would return later on for the more Nashville sounding Running Horse.

With all the choices out there for the Ultimate Collection or Best ofs, The Ultimate Collection (Hip O) tries to do its best to give the best overview but it only gives four props to the Epic years but does add some Atlantic and RCA sides. The Essential Poco pretty much deals with the Epic/RCA era with only Crazy Love and Heart Of The Night  from ABC/MCA.  Before I could find Head Over Heels, I ended up getting the 20th Century Masters version since that album had most of the ABC/MCA stuff I listened to.  I don't think they ever topped The Very Best Of Poco when it came out as a 2 record set but since they never did correct it the right way, the reader is on his own when it comes to deciding what to get for the Sony Years Poco.

I don't believe Poco was a minor league band, they had great songs and good albums but they always seem to have a label indifference  and the only time it ever worked for them was Legend when Crazy Love made it up the charts. Bad luck or bad timing or bad producers, Poco has continued to stand with the best of what The Eagles or any other harmony driven country rock band could do.  The Sony Music albums with Richie Furay remain out there to be heard, the rest you can keep an open eye out for the Atlantic/Rhino or One Way/Wounded Bird reissues that didn't stay in print very long.  Or the get the vinyl.

The best overview:
Ultimate Collection (Hip-O)
The Very Best Of Poco (Epic vinyl)
20th Century Masters (MCA)

Studio albums of note:
Poco (Epic 1970)
Crazy Eyes (Epic 1974)
Cantamos (Epic 1974)
Head Over Heels (ABC 1975)
Ghost Town (Atlantic 1982)

Live albums:
Deliverin' (Epic 1971)
Poco Live (Epic 1976)