A Frank Discussion about Deployment

Deployment is not for the weak…

Even for the families

A plain and frank discussion

 

So, once again, we see examples of the real heroes in our life. Our first responders… here in the fire ravaged state of California… dealing with the worst fires in the state’s history.

They are not politicians. They are not glory hounds. They are not movie stars. They are not “larger than life” personalities.

They are ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary things in the worst of circumstances. They are called to be examples of the best that we can be. They make the ultimate sacrifice sometimes, but even if they survive to fight another day, the images of heartbreak are seared into their individual and collective memories, and just like those in a military based war, suffer from the return of those memories… memories that will haunt for the rest of their lives.

The trauma of PTSD is well documented among first responders. It is said that you are only “one call away from the end of your career… and you don’t know what that call might come or what it might involve.” It could be simple, or it could be a train wreck. And it might be the call that breaks your will.

But often overlooked in all of this are the families… the ones who stay behind and keep the home fires burning and praying night after night and morning after morning for that phone call or text that says “Good night! I love you!” or “Good morning, honey!” It is only when that message comes that a sigh is released knowing that another night or day has been survived. And then, it is on to the next night or day.

Days that are filled with the mundane… the shopping, the laundry, the household chores now the responsibility of one instead of two, maybe a job of their own to distract from the worry… only to be followed by a night filled with an empty bed, no good night kiss, or a fond embrace. Physical needs as well as emotional needs get put off for another time… a time when, hopefully, that loved one returns and takes their place again at the dinner table, in the passenger seat, on their side of the bed.

There are tales of military families that undergo this separation routinely… tales of success as well as tales of failures. The “Dear John” letters of any conflict meaning that the pain has become too much… the painful crying out for “Momma” from the lips of a dying soldier as he remembers that one love that never ceases. All these are depicted in film and novel and non-fiction. And rightfully so because it is a sad fact of life when it comes to separation.

But how it is different when I hear my wife has gotten the call to deploy on a strike team to a fire ravaged area of California? I could say “No” but how selfish would that be? I know that her skills as a Paramedic are needed in an emergency that rivals any military conflict but this time, it is with an enemy that shows no mercy, no quarter, and no retreat. A natural disaster cares not for politics, color, religion, or economic status. It will burn down, wash away, blow apart a mansion with the same fury as  it does a tar paper shack. And the consequent heartbreak of the inhabitants viewing what is left of a lifetime of work is no different than seeing the bombed-out shells of homes in war zone. It is war but Mother Nature has a way of winning.

What I am trying to say it that it is no different being the spouse/child/loved one of a military person or the spouse/child/loved one of a first responder… the pain of separation is the same. The pain and anguish and worry are the same. The anxious days and nights are the same.

Yet, we seldom hear of support groups for nurses, doctors, firefighters, EMS or for their families. We are left to cope for ourselves. Outside of the immediate home, there is little thought given to “I wonder if she is okay or needs help with the kids?” or “I wonder if I should make a call just to see if I can lighten his load with a friendly voice?” or “Gee, I hope everything is okay over there and they are alright”.

Because quite often, we are thought to be as tough as that loved one who went running into the fire or firefight or the flood zone or the battle zone. And sometimes, we are. We have been steeled by all those solo trips to the store or birthday party or church service. We have gotten used to having no one answer when we call the house by mistake. We have become immune to the long nights and early mornings waiting for those words “Hey honey! How was your night?” letting us know that everything is okay.

But sometimes it is not… not for those left behind. If, God forbid, we get that awful call telling us that the worst has happened, we are not reassured by the fact that they “didn’t suffer” or “their pain is ended” and “they rest easy now”. Because that will never be our fate. And we do think about it… often.

So where am I going with this?

Here.

Pick up the phone. Walk across the street. Get in your car. Go check on those people that you know are in the position of watching… and waiting… and worrying.

It is not easy being the shoulder to cry on… it sucks, quite frankly.

But we are only strong for so long.

And then we need help as well.

Seriously… we need you. Just as you need the one that left us to help you… we need to you to run into our damaged hearts and souls and minds and be a hero. Maybe it will only be for a minute.

But you never know what a difference that minute can make.

You just never know.

 

Remember being a Family?

I remember one of the first times, as a young adult, that I knew I had hurt my parent’s feelings, especially those of my mother.

It was one of those family holidays, specifically, a Christmas night, where the family traditionally had all been together after Christmas dinner dishes were put away and the second round of sandwiches and chips and soft drinks were in the offing… usually around 7 p.m. As a child, the time in between “dinner” and “hey, I think I’m hungry again” was spent playing with toys and trying on the rest of the new clothes that hadn’t been worn to Midnight Mass the evening prior.

That’s how it was as a child. But I was a young adult. And the government had seen fit to allow me to start consuming alcoholic beverages at the age of 18 in 1971. So, instead of staying home, I broke free. I slipped the traces. I shattered the family unit. I chose my friends over my family.

I will never forget the look in my mother’s eyes and the disappointment in her voice when I announced I was “going out with friends”. “But, it’s Christmas night”, she protested. This was to no avail. I was twenty years old and it was time I started my own “traditions”. And so, I went out.

I tell you all this story to illustrate a point being made, here in 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are being “forced” to become family units again. Dinners are being made at home, families are sharing “device time” and the ability to “get away from the Ps (as your parents were known)” as social distancing was called when I grew up, is not nearly as available. Sure, you can get out to the store, or for a walk in the park, or for some camping time in the backyard, but these are all things that you do with “FAMILY”. There is some golf for those who can afford a country club membership, but most public links are closed. Sporting events, large and small, are gone. Concerts… gone. Dining out… gone. A simple trip to the grocery store is now an adventure in not just shopping but also in preparation. You must have a mask and gloves (if you are smart). You can no longer just chat and hug and intermingle with those you see in public places. “Keep you distance” is not something you say to a bad guy any longer. It’s something you think about EVERYONE.

But is all this bad?

I was giving that some thought yesterday as I read a complaint that “I can’t go to the hair salon. Sign the petition to allow salon workers to go back to work!” (Before you start jumping on me, my thoughts are not just about women getting their hair or nails done… it is about all the other things we no longer have time to do ourselves but depend on others to do for us. It also has a lot to do with our vanity.)

We have become so very dependent on others doing what we used to do ourselves.

I remember my sisters learning to put on nail polish… and not on their toes unless it was done at a slumber party. Massages and facials were something only the rich in a big city could afford. A “spa day” was unheard of when I was growing up. The only thing my mom ever did to her hair or my sisters was getting it trimmed. Any “hair do” was something done for a special occasion such as a dance or a big social event such as being a flower girl or a bridesmaid. It wasn’t routine.

And it wasn’t limited to just the girls. Men took pride in mowing their lawns and if anyone got “hired” to do it, it was usually the son in the family who got a little extra “allowance” for doing that new chore. We didn’t have “landscaping”. My dad trimmed the trees, and we kids raked the leaves. We irrigated the lawn as opposed to turning on the sprinkler system. We opened the windows in not just the car but the house for “air conditioning” (my mom, in the summer, would open all the windows at night, cool off the house, then close the windows and blinds or drapes the next morning to keep in all that cool air. There was a swamp cooler to move the air around but that was it! And that was only in the family and living rooms.) A car with air conditioning was something, once again, only accessible to those with more “disposable income”. I don’t know how many times my forearms were burned as my parents flicked cigarette ashes out their front window of the car, only to have it land on the exposed flesh of the child fortunate enough to have an open window seat in the back!

We didn’t dine out. We didn’t do take out. We didn’t order in and have Grub Hub or whatever deliver restaurant food.  Going out to dinner was something you did maybe once a month, and it was special. Dining was at a table at a certain hour with everyone present. The TV was two rooms away and God forbid, if the phone rang during mealtime. Whomever was on the other end of the conversation had better be having a life-threatening emergency otherwise, you were about to get an earful.

We ate what was served. If we didn’t like it, well… you know. You got twice as much if you said so! And sometimes the alternative of going to bed hungry just wasn’t too appealing. I ate a lot of things I didn’t like (liver and onions being one) but it was on the table.

What I am getting at with this trip down memory lane is that because of the COVID-19 crisis, we are being forced back into habits that have been long forgotten.

WE HAVE TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER!

Granted there are a lot more distractions with electronic devices, but look at some of the suggestions being made for activities in the “Alone Together” times… read a book, watch a family movie, do a jigsaw puzzle, play a family game.

Sound familiar? It does to me! These were all things we (collectively) used to do. Before all this technology demanded all our time, (I thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier) we used to do things as a family unit. We bonded. We played outside in the backyard. Our “play dates” were with our siblings. A simple cardboard box could make for hours of amusement, because we depended on our imaginations and not a “tablet” to think for us. There was more to do in our backyard than you could ever discover!

Maybe this COVID thing isn’t so bad. Then again, maybe it is. We will see in the future when we get the statistics for this year. Will there be more divorces and domestic violence because we are forced to get to know each other again? Will there be more babies? Will social distancing weed out all the things that we have made “necessary” in our lives but that really are not that important. Will we find our “roots” again as family units or has the nucleus of the “atomic family” been split apart permanently? Are we so disconnected from the simple life that we can no longer function without the technology available today?

Let me know how your doing as you and your family are forced to get to know each other again. And let me know how your mom feels now that you can no longer “go out with friends”. This may be a sociologist’s dream or nightmare in years to come.

It could go either way.

Upon further review… 9/26/19 The Director’s Cut

The opinions expressed below are strictly my own and come from the viewpoint of a 50-year amateur political cat who has never missed a vote and cares deeply about his country. I am an open minded conservative liberal or liberal conservative. I own guns. I favor unions. And I am deeply committed to human rights.

If you have a problem with any of this, then just scroll on by.

I have NOT turned on the TV since this morning when I watched about 90 minutes of DNI Director Joseph McGuire and his testimony before the House Intelligence Committee and the subsequent questioning by come committee members. The observations are strictly my own.

The hearing opened with the Chairman stating very clearly the issues at hand which were two-fold; 1) A President who swore to uphold the laws and 2) a President who swore to protect and defend the Constitution. It was the opinion of Chairperson Schiff that that President, in his “strongarm tactics” with the President of the Ukraine, had broken the law and then failed to uphold the security of our nation and its Constitution. I am not agreeing or disagreeing.

The Ranking Member, Devin Nunes, seemed more interesting of finding out who is leaking the President’s privileged conversations with three different heads of state (the President of Mexico, the Australian prime minister and now the President of Ukraine) than addressing the President’s tactics and use of US foreign policy and aid as tools to “influence” the actions of a foreign power and to bring “dirt” on potential political rivals.

Then the Director had his opening statement. And from here, you get my opinion.

The Director acknowledged receiving the IG (Inspector General) report and the complaint. And as the Director explained, by the same statute that says all and any whistle blower complaint must be forwarded to the Congress within seven (7) days, a definition of the terms used by the IG as “credible” and “urgent” was necessary to understand his actions. The Whistleblower Protection Act says that for an action to defined as “urgent”, it must meet three criteria: 1) It has to involve an intelligence operation; 2) that operation has to be shown at risk because of the actions of the persons involved; and 3) that person must be inside the intelligence community. The Director explained that since the President is “outside” the intelligence community, the Whistleblower complaint might not fall into the “protected” and “urgent” category. And if it is outside that definition, the Director further to find out if the conversation described in the complaint was “privileged” as defined by “executive privilege”. The Director further explained that all members of the Executive Branch are bound by executive privilege rules until they are released from them and (emphasis added) THAT INCLUDES ANY AND ALL CONVERSATIONS HE HAD WITH THE PRESIDENT REGARDLESS OF SUBJECT.

It was on this basis (awaiting the executive privilege decision which would then make the complaint valid if it was waived) that he did not forward to the complaint within the required seven (7) days as required by the Whistleblower laws.

I can understand that logic. And to whom was the Director to approach but the White House Counsel’s Office to see if they were going to exert executive privilege and the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel to see if the Whistleblower Statute applied.

Now here’s the rub… everyone is focused on the phone conversation. And as soon as the phone transcript was made available, it was no longer protected by “executive privilege” and now fell within the Whistleblower Statute. According to the Director, as soon as that happened, he sent the complaint to Congress as required by law.

BUT FOLKS, IT ISN’T THE PHONE CONVERSATION THAT IS THE PROBLEM. THE WHOLE PHONE KERFUFFLE IS JUST A SMOKE SCREEN. IT GETS WORSE!

The crux of the whistleblower’s complaint is this… THE PRESIDENT’S CONVERSATIONS WERE LISTENED TO BY 12 OR SO PEOPLE. And those people were so concerned about the tenor of the conversation, that the White House ATTEMPTED TO BURY THE TRANSCRIPT as “code word classified” so no one would find the smoking gun. And the whistleblower said, “that’s not right… and not only that, this is not the first time the White House has buried transcripts”. And that is the basis of the complaint.

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PHONE CALL!!!!!!!

IT’S ABOUT THE ATTEMPT TO HIDE THE TRANSCRIPT OF THAT PHONE CALL THAT SEEMED TO IMPLY “WELL, UKRAINE, WE HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO YOU AND THERE HAS BEEN NO RECIPROCITY… SO I’M GOING TO ASK YOU A FAVOR. I’M GOING TO HAVE YOU TALK TO RUDY (YOU’LL LIKE HIM) AND TO MY ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR ABOUT THIS JOE BIDEN BUSINESS.” In other words, it would be a shame if something happened to your country…” This is asking a foreign government to become involved in trying to influence the outcome of a US election.

As I said above, it’s not about the phone call. It’s about trying to hide that phone call and its contents that should concern every levelheaded person in the US.

Thank God for whistleblowers. And thank God, that Director McGuire considered all the options, so it didn’t turn into a runaway freight.

So, here is my thought. Impeachment should proceed. The President should be impeached and forced to answer for these actions. And when the Senate votes, the GOP Senators will have to do one of two things: 1) own up to massive destruction that Trump has done to their party and convict him and take back control of his party OR 2) vote not to convict and destroy what’s left of the old GOP. Either way, every Senator will have to go on the record as standing with a criminal who has no interest in anything but his own ego and legacy regardless of the law or stand up to that same criminal and say “enough is enough. WE will not tolerate this destruction of our Constitution!”

Simple as that… the GOP Senators will be forced to stop waffling on the edges of supporting Trump or opposing Trump. AS we have seen for the past 2 ½ years, no one will stand up to the bullying because they fear for their elected offices.

That time is past. Time to man up and either save the Constitution or be directly complicit in its destruction.

Which will it be?

Chapter 14- Under the Gun Musically and at MCA

Released- July 1980

Label- MCA

Genre- Country Rock

Length- 38:31

Personnel-
Paul Cotton- Guitar, vocals
Rusty Young- Steel guitar, guitar, vocals
Charlie Harrison- Bass, vocals
Steve Chapman- Drums
Kim Bullard- Keyboards, vocals
Steve Forman- Percussion
Phil Kenzie- Saxophone

Producer- Mike Flicker

Recording Engineer- Joe Chiccarelli

Legend had been a hit album with two hit singles. Poco had finally arrived. It only took 11 studio albums, numerous personnel changes, too many labels, and 10 years but they finally had something to show for all the work since the beginning. Unfortunately, so much water had passed under the bridge that many who had contributed to the band were long forgotten.

ABC Records was the label of note for Legend but a month later, ABC was sold to recording industry monolith MCA. In an interview with SoundPress.net Radio in 2013, Paul Cotton related how MCA required Poco audition for MCA executives before being “allowed to record for MCA” despite their contract with ABC. The band performed the song “Under the Gun” which was a direct reference to the pressure of auditioning for MCA (according to Cotton who penned the composition). The song was impressive, and MCA allowed the band to record the album.

The single “Under the Gun” was released at the same time as the album but it failed to crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 48. “Midnight Rain” (still performed occasionally) which was also written by Paul Cotton and it reached a miserable No. 74 at its highest. With no hit single, the album Under the Gun failed to match Legend and reached only No. 46 on the album charts.

REVIEWER’S NOTE: It has taken me some time to complete this review for one big, huge reason… the title track.
There is nothing wrong with it. Nothing whatsoever… except that it is the lead off song on the all acoustic POCO album Bareback at Big Sky. And that happens to be my favorite POCO live album. “Under the Gun” is my wife’s ringtone, it is one of my favorite Poco tracks and it is hard to unhear. The acoustic versions of all that recording colors my opinion of every other song that appears on Bareback.
That said, I will try to put aside my bias toward acoustic versions and mush onward… thank you for listening!
Track Listing
1) Under the Gun (Paul Cotton) (3:11)- This song was released as a single at the same time of the same titled album as mentioned above. An electric foot stomper, it is a perfect lead off for this album and the “new sound” of Poco. Paul takes off with a bit of fuzz tone that adds a perfect under current to the tune. Kim Bullard’s keyboards add another element to the depth of this rocker. Very listenable and very hummable… I like it.]

2) While We’re Still Young (Rusty Young) (3:52)- Almost seamless to the title track, this track switches vocalists to Rusty but has much of the same “hard” edge with lots of electric guitar and lots of drums and bass that push the song along at a nice tempo.

3) The Everlasting Kind (Rusty Young) (4:22)- Paul takes the edge off for this tune, and finger picks the intro. However, the song seems overproduced to me. The bass kick overpowers the rest of the song. The song reverts to familiar harmonies that were lacking on the first two tracks… that famous three/four-part harmonies. Paul demonstrates some excellent guitar playing in the lead break. Not the strongest lyrics but the song is not boring… Rusty vocals are strong, and the song works, most of the time.

4) Down to the Wire (Paul Cotton) (2:55) Continuing the “harder” edge sound of this Poco album, Paul weighs in again with an all-electric rocker. Sounding very much like an early version of something you might hear later in the decade from a band such as Lover Boy or Huey Lewis & the News, the band uses all the tools… keyboards, Rusty’s electrified pedal steel and lots of bass… I mean lots of earth rumbling bass.

5) Footsteps of a Fool (Shaky Ground) (Rusty Young)- 3:57 The song opens with a nice little bass riff and Rusty’s vocals over the bass line gives a nice counterpoint. I’m not sure if that is Paul or Rusty on guitar in the opening verse, but it is nicely understated. The bass line is very rhythmic and helps carry the tune into the chorus which once again features the excellent harmony singing. We get a nice lead solo which soon becomes a duet ala Walsh/Felder. Add in the saxophone and the tune really takes off… right into the fade out. I hate fade outs… they seem so unfinished.

6) Reputation (Rusty Young) (4:51)- Drums lead off this song and lead into more electric guitar which seems to pervade this song and album. Bullard is given a bit more of the focus with his keyboards. A solid work but nothing earth shattering… to my ears, it is a little heavy on fuzz tone.

7) Midnight Rain (Paul Cotton) (4:25)- Once again, my opinion is colored by the acoustic version of the song on “BABS”, but time, I really can’t decide which is better. Rusty uses his pedal steel on this track to perfectly accent Paul’s lead line. In fact, it reminds me alot of the depth that was added to “Kind Woman” with the pedal steel. This is probably my favorite track from this album. I am quite confused as to why the song didn’t track better with the public. MCA? Poor management? Compared to the other hits of 1980, this one should have been right there… pity it wasn’t. As good as anything from “Damn the Torpedoes” or “The Long Run”.

8) A Fool’s Paradise (Rusty Young) (3:18)- Seems as if being a “Fool” is Rusty’s theme on this album. Is this a message to MCA? Here’s a piece of one lyric; “I don’t care what the man is saying, He don’t know what it’s all about… he says one thing when you’re looking and another when you turn around. Don’t get caught up in emotions, remembering how it used to be. Remember there’s a reason. That’s the way it must be… Don’t you believe him or take his advice. Don’t look for rainbows in a fool’s paradise… ““Sits up on a mountain, looking down on you and me… it’s his way or forget it…” Gee, I don’t know… what do you think?

9) Friends in the Distance (Paul Cotton) (3:40)- After the somewhat “caustic” previous tune, Paul turns to a love theme. Another opportunity for Paul to show his guitar skills, the song moves along at a nice pace in the verses and kicks it up a notch during the chorus of the song.

10) Made of Stone (Rusty Young) (4:00)- Sounding very much like the opening of the classic Peter Green Fleetwood Mac track “Oh Well”, this one leads off with Rusty playing dobro and singing lead vocals. The blend of old-style dobro and 80s synth sounds may put some listeners off, but it works well. It is old Poco and new Poco… blended.

This album marks the second studio album with Harrison on bass guitar and Chapman on drums. Kim Bullard was a keyboardist who became friends with Stephen Stills, toured with CSN&Y and then came over to Poco where he remained for five years. Bullard went on to play keyboards for several artist most notably Yes, Cheap Trick, Heart, Cher, and Kenny Loggins. Bullard was asked to replace Guy Babylon in Elton John’s band when Babylon passed away. His first gig with Sir Elton John was in October of 2009 in Moscow, Russia.

The record has a much harder edge than previous albums from Poco. Use of fuzz tone and lots of percussion are prevalent. Poco was out to prove to new bosses at MCA that they could compete with the “hair band” movement of the early 80s. This was a “new” Poco trying to fit in…

Let me frank with you (I should say “let me be Patrick with you” but that makes no sense). If you are looking for old Poco of “Crazy Love” and “In the Heart of the Night” and Pickin’ Up the Pieces and A Good Feelin’ to Know, you aren’t going to find it on this album. The closest any track comes to any of that is “Midnight Rain”. And even that has a different sound except for the pedal steel.

But hold on a minute. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water just yet… this is a new Poco trying to impress a new label with a new sound for a new decade. There is a new hard edge to the laid-back sounds of Poco. The competition in 1980 for album sales ran from Billy Joel’s best selling Glass Houses to the Xanadu Soundtrack to Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits. Much harder edged than ever, but still having to compete with The Wall and Damn the Torpedoes, Poco foundered… again. They were saddled with yet another record label unwilling to support them. It seemed that the only thing to do was to keep playing and adapting to the times.

As I stated earlier, two tracks from this album surface later and both sound just as good if not better. And they were the two tracks that should have been hits… had MCA not been run by idiots. But, oh well… to quote a line from earlier “It happens all the time”. Poco had a good record but no one noticed.

 

Chapter 13- Legend… and it’s a hit!

Legend

The Poco album that wasn’t really Poco… or was it?

Recording Date- 1978

Release Date- November 1978

Label- ABC

Length- 37:54

Personnel-

Paul Cotton- Guitar, vocals

Rusty Young- Steel guitar, guitar, vocals

Charlie Harrison- Bass, vocals

Steve Chapman- Drums

Michael Boddicker- Synthesizer

Steve Forman- Percussion

Tom Stephenson- Keyboards

Jai Windig- Keyboards

Phil Kenzie- Saxophone

David Campbell- String arrangements

Producer- Richard Sanford Orshoff

Recording Engineer- Joe Chiccarelli, David Henson assisted by Jom Hill

Album Graphic designer- Phil Hartman

Manager- John Hartmann

 

The band had been touring in 1977 in support of the Indian Summer album and the appearance at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was recorded as the planned 13^th Poco album entitled The Last Roundup. However, ABC Records caught wind of the fact that Schmit was leaving to join Eagles as a replacement (once again) for Randy Meisner on bass and vocals. ABC cancelled the record.

The whole purpose of recording The Last Roundup was to counteract the damage done by Epic Records with their release of Live (the Horse’s Ass album) on top of the release of Rose of Cimarron. But ABC wanted to punish Eagles and Schmit by holding back the more recent touring material. Richie Furay had made a guest appearance on the recording in an effort to boost its appeal. But ABC didn’t see fit support their own artists and screwed themselves in the process. More about The Last Roundup when it finally shows up in the Poco catalogue in 2004, some 27 years later.

Discouraged, the three remaining members (Grantham, Cotton, and Young) agreed to take a break and figure out their next move. Young and Cotton formed a new group, appropriately named the Cotton-Young Band (not to be confused with the Stills-Young Band) and recorded this album. ABC, by rights of contract, acquired the album and decided to continue the use of the Poco. The album scored well with the hits, “Crazy Love” and “Heart of the Night” and Poco had their largest commercial success to date. There was just one big glitch in the personnel department. George Grantham had agreed to a break but he didn’t agree to quit. Grantham found himself on the outside looking in having been replaced by Steve Chapman without ever having quit the band.

ABC was sold to MCA Records and many feel that ABC used Legend as a way to prove their worth to MCA. The album had a more “commercial” sound and had suddenly become marketable in the “soft rock and pop” category.

Legend also marked the disappearance of the old Poco “horseshoe logo” that hadn’t been seen on several recent Poco album covers. The new graphic, contributed by Phil Hartmann (who also designed the “horseshoe”) featured a line drawing of a “running horse”. This became the new logo for the band and remains to this day (2018) as the overriding image when marketing the name of the band.

 

Just nine tracks long, Legend is all Paul Cotton and Rusty Young.

Track Listing

1. “Boomerang” – (Paul Cotton) (3:48) Coming out of the gate with the same kind of “Joe Walsh groove” that appears on “Life in the Fast Lane”, ”Boomerang” sound like nothing you have heard from Poco in any recording. There are lots of guitar effects and the same kind of blistering lead licks that many songs of 1978 featured. Paul and Rusty fall into rhythm with newcomers Stephen and Charlie and give Poco a harder rock edge than we ever thought this “country rock” band could produce.
2. “Spellbound” – (Rusty Young) (5:13) How intimidating must it have been for Charlie Harrison to step into a position previously held by the like of Randy Meisner, Jim Messina, and Timothy B. Schmit? Each of them brought a distinctive sound to Poco as bass guitarist. Charlie shows on this number that he can bring the same kind of innovation and unique qualities to this ballad. Suitable for stargazing with your beau, “Spellbound” floats along gently and takes the listener downstream and out into the night complete with crickets, lush sounds, and moodiness. Once again, this song fits right into the mood of the late 1970’s with a “softer” touch. Poco explores new ground with this ballad. And Rusty comes up with a new niche for himself.
3. “Barbados” – (Paul Cotton) (3:31) I have to make a confession here… I wasn’t familiar with any version of “Barbados” other than what appears on Bareback at Big Sky. I guess I missed the original on this recording. It has often been written that Cotton’s song provided the inspiration for the Beach Boys hit “Kokomo”. I’m not sure how that occurred. There is nothing here that is as much “pop/kitsch” as the Beach Boys. Driven by Harrison’s bass line, the song has a great hook. The song is so far past anything the Beach Boys wrote in the entire 1970s. Paul gets into an entirely different groove… and pulls it off beautifully.
4. “Little Darlin’ “ – (Rusty Young) (3:47) Hearkening back to those earlier albums where percussion played a large part of the “Poco sound”, Rusty taps into that vein again. Steve Forman had appeared on Head Over Heels and Indian Summer and was a long time percussionist for REO Speedwagon. Forman can be heard on literally dozens of albums and brings his distinctive talents back for a reprise on this youthful Young ditty. There are plenty of critics who say that “Little Darlin’ “ lacks the depth of previous Poco offerings but I find it bright and a little bit romantic. Who wouldn’t want to be “the sun, the moon, and the stars shining”? There’s nothing wrong with feeling good about your sweetheart!
5. “Love Comes Love Goes” – (Rusty Young) (3:55) A lot of criticism directed at this entire recording says “Poco sounds too slick, too produced… they sold out!” I disagree and I offer this song as proof. Rusty’s lead vocals almost reach Furay like intensity. He is saying nothing different than Paul Cotton expressed in “Bad Weather”. And there is another entirely new element introduced musically for Poco. How many other Poco tunes have a saxophone part? The band is trying to branch out and I think it succeeds nicely.
6. “Heart of the Night” – (Paul Cotton) (4:49) Wow… wow… wow. Paul hits the perfect notes with this composition. I had read that Poco gave up Rusty and the pedal steel on this record. What a mistaken impression! Rusty’s pedal is the perfect counterpoint to Paul’s lead guitar. And Charlie and Stephen provide a driving rhythm section. Stephen’s use of the floor tom drum to sound like a tympani on the course puts a great exclamation point. And once again, the use of the saxophone, along with strings arranged by David Campbell, fill out this tune with a lush, layered sound not heard from Poco in a long time.
7. “Crazy Love” – (Rusty Young) (2:55) One guitar, three voices… that’s all it takes. After all these years of being the best steel/pedal guitar player who happened to sing and play dobro, mandolin, banjo, Rusty found it. That song that we all wished we could write. The perfect anthem from a broken heart… “Count the stars in a summer sky that fall without a sound, and then pretend that you can’t hear these teardrops coming down.” Just once… just once I’d like to write something so simple, so poetic, and so touching… just once.
8. “The Last Goodbye” – (Rusty Young) (5:40) I’m not sure about this tune from Rusty. There is an allegory here that I just can’t seem to get a handle on… usually the lyrics give me a clue. But “The Last Goodbye” doesn’t reveal who exactly is singing… the guy or the woman who is saying goodbye. The song is pretty but I don’t understand it. Can anyone help me?Well, let’s try this… when you can’t figure out what a song means, let’s just talk music… the opening of “The Last Goodbye” sounds so much like the other offerings of the late 1970s. You can hear the intro with piano repeated by the likes of Air Supply, Journey, Hall and Oates, and so on and so on. I think this is where the critics get the sense that Poco were stepping away from their country roots and going for a softer “pop rock” sound. The track is very heavy on drums and vocals. The layering of vocals on the end of the tune and the run out of the song echo the music scene of the day. And I am not saying that like it is a bad thing. Poco was trying to play the game and ten studio albums into their run, why not? And it worked. This was the first time the larger listening audience heard a band with a 10 year history!
9.  
10. “Legend” ­– (Rusty Young) (4:16) Is the name of the new “running horse” logo character Thunder Road? What is the legend in “Legend”? Once again, I am confused by the lyrics. But the tune seems to mirror the opening track “Boomerang” for a driving beat and a sharper edge to the Poco sound. The beat sounds like the gallop of a “running horse” and the tune finishes out an album of “new” Poco sounds. Heavy on rock guitar licks, Paul, Rusty, Charlie, and Stephen bring a whole new dimension to the genre “country rock”.

“Legend” was the band’s first “hit” album. Carried by the strength of “Heart of the Night” and “Crazy Love” (which charted at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent seven weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts. The song was also name the #1 Adult Contemporary Hit of 1979).
“Heart of the Night” peaked at #20 on the Hot 100 and was featured as a live performance by the band for the “No Nukes: The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future” in September of 1979.

So there it was… the “new” Poco with Grantham unceremoniously dropped from the band. Grantham recovered nicely becoming the drummer for Ricky Skaggs. A “new” Poco that had two hits on the singles charts and eventually “Legend” was certified as “gold, which gave it the distinction of the first Poco album to be sell enough copies to gain the designation. Just as “Legend” was being released, Kim Bullard joined the band on keyboards. Bullard was a well-known studio musician having worked with Janis Ian and many others. Eventually, Bullard became a significant member of the band that provided backing for Elton John. Bullard played keyboards for Crosby, Stills, & Nash and Art Garfunkel.

The newly refreshed Poco was signed by ABC but they were in the process of being sold to MCA Records and used the strength of the two Poco hits and the gold album “Legend” to help prove their worth to MCA. The album was reissued on the MCA label. In an interview with urockradio.net, for their series “Original 70s Soundtrack”, Young stated (about “Crazy Love”) “for the first big hit- the only really huge hit Poco’s had- [to be] a song that I wrote and sang is pretty ironic. When the band started… I didn’t sing and I didn’t write. I had great teachers… Richie, Neil, Stephen… Jimmy [Messina] taught me a lot… I just had these great teachers that I was around.”

Poco was reborn… again. And this time, they not only survived but flourished. Too bad it was after Jimmy, Richie, Randy, Tim, and George. But that is the way the record spins. Poco had finally achieved a modicum of success with their 11 studio and 2 live albums. Finally.

 

Chapter 12- Too Good and Too Short! LIVE! by Poco

Label- Epic

Recorded- November 1974

Release Date- April 3, 1976

Length- 38:21

Genre- Country rock

Personnel-

Paul Cotton- guitar, vocals

Rusty Young- steel guitar, banjo, guitar, vocals

Timothy B. Schmit- bass guitar, guitar, vocals

George Grantham- drums, vocals

Mark Henry Harman- keyboards

Producer- Poco, Mark Henry Harman

Recording Engineer- Mark Henry Harman

Live! by Poco (sometimes referred to as the “the horse’s ass album” because of the placement of the Poco logo) is a seven track album culled from tour recordings made for Epic Records shortly after Cantamos was recorded.

The band had suddenly lost Richie Furay. The other members had to make up for that loss and they did so by Timothy taking over the vocals done by Furay and Rusty took a much more involved part as a guitar player bring out his Gretsch Country Gentleman and standing up from the steel guitar stool.

Epic Records was still stinging from the loss of Poco on their label after the success of Head Over Heels. Poco had departed Epic after not getting what they felt was “proper support” for their recordings. By now, Eagles, over on Asylum Records, a subsidiary of Geffen, had snared Glyn Johns as their producer. Johns had already achieved success as the producer of Abbey Road and was guiding the Eagles into the pop stratosphere, mining the veins of country rock that Poco had first found and laid claim to, but were unable to exploit thanks to Epic’s halfhearted attempts at marketing.

Epic released Live at the same time as ABC Records released Rose of Cimarron.  This sowed confusion among fringe Poco fans as to which was the newest album, thus helping sales of Live (released April, 1976) and hurting sales of Rose of Cimarron (released May, 1976).

Track Listing

• Medley: Blue Water/Fool’s Gold/Rocky Mountain Breakdown (Paul Cotton, Rusty Young) 6:36 The album kicks off with another medley of classic Poco featuring Rusty on pedal steel. The “Blue Water” portion holds up well when compared to the studio work three years previous on the album Crazy Eyes (Epic,1973).  “Fool’s Gold” also gives Rusty a chance to alternate between pedal and banjo. The transition to “Rocky Mountain Breakdown” is smooth as well. Considering how jarring some medley’s can be (see previous reviews of Deliverin’), this is a good segue. Only problem for me is that RMB seems to slow down about halfway through and loses a little energy. I cannot tell you if this was truly the set opener, but it is a great album opener.

• Bad Weather (Paul Cotton) 3:50 Paul wrote this song sometime before joining Poco. It appeared on the first album with Paul, in the Poco catalogue (From the Inside, Epic, 1971). It rapidly became a crowd favorite when played live. The ballad gives the band an opportunity to prove that studio tricks are not used when recording Poco. The harmonies are genuine and Rusty can play live as well as he plays with multiple takes. Paul’s lead vocal is sweet and honest.

• Ride the Country (Paul Cotton) 7:41 Picked off the A Good Feelin’ to Know (Epic, 1972), once again Paul gets to show off his guitar licks and his vocals. Starting with a slow, cantering beat, it picks up with the instrumental and by the songs end, it is kicking it… kind of like a running horse wanting to be freed from the reins and allowed to just run.

• Angel (Paul Cotton) 5:14 From the album, Seven (Epic, 1974),  “Angel” is the third Paul Cotton composition in a row in this set. I was not a big fan of this tune on the studio recording and it really doesn’t reach out and grab me as I think a live recording should. Most concerts strive to keep the audience on its feet and rocking, but I wouldn’t be standing for this one, if I were in attendance. Maybe that was intentional, but personally, I go to concerts with a band like Poco to get amped up. Following “Ride the Country” on the recording with this choice just isn’t conducive to anything but sleep. As I stated before, I don’t know what the setlist was for the actual concerts, but I would have questioned my bandmates if this indeed was the performance order. Need to spur this old horse back into at least a trot from this snoozy performance…

• High and Dry (Rusty Young) 4:35 Rusty Young comes to the front with this choice from Cantamos (Epic, 1974). Cantamos was the follow-up to Seven and one of the few years that Poco released two albums in the calendar year. “High and Dry” holds up well as a live performance. Dual vocals in the verse and the whole band kicking in on the chorus as well as the instrumental work must have been a real workout on stage. One more example of how Poco provided audiences with concert performances of studio material that was pleasing and enjoyable.
• Restrain (Timothy B. Schmit) 5:13 The only Timothy B. Schmit composition in this live compilation is a track originally released on A Good Feeling to Know (Epic, 1972). Once again, to this listener, the choice was not the strongest for an album that already has two “slow movers”. Granted, Epic made the choices without input from the members of the band themselves. Producer credits go to Poco and Mark Henry Harman, which is rather misleading. It seemed that Epic was trying to showcase a live version of the double album The Very Best of Poco (this album has a sequined shirt version of the horseshoe logo and was culled from the Epic recordings.) As the only Schmit contribution, it is not the strongest choice. “Here We Go Again” is a much better showcase of Schmit’s writing but we don’t know if it was a part of the setlist during the tour. One just never knows…
• A Good Feelin’ to Know (Richie Furay) 5:12 A rollicking finish to this short album of live recordings has Timothy picking up the Furay vocal and Paul playing the guitar parts as Richie was not a part of the band by the time of this tour. The song does not suffer and truly shows the band as capable of continuing as a four piece.

 

I use several different methods to listen to the Poco recordings as I am writing these reviews. This time, I went back to the source material on the original studio recordings to make a comparison to the live versions. To me, the true test of a good band is how they can reproduce their studio work onstage and does it sound as good? Sometimes, it works and sometimes it doesn’t. In fact, the band Steely Dan refused to tour as they knew they could never duplicate the studio recordings on stage. It wasn’t until the 21^stcentury they decided it was okay to not sound as good as they did in the studio. The Beatles moved into the studio exclusively after 1966 as they knew the work they were doing on Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band could never be replicated on stage.

That doesn’t seem to be the case here. Live! by Poco is a great album. If there is any single criticism, it doesn’t lie with the band or the performances. It has to do with the choice of material culled by Epic and the track listing. If indeed, there were full recordings of full shows, it would be very interesting to hear all the songs that weren’t included. I wonder if the full concert recordings still exist on master tapes at Epic Records or wherever the Epic archives are held.

I’d like to hear them. Wouldn’t you?

 

 

 

Chapter 11- Indian Summer

Label- ABC

Recorded- 1977 (non-specific dates) at Burbank Studios

Released- May 1, 1977

Length- 37:17

Personnel-

Paul Cotton- lead vocals, lead guitar, acoustic and electric guitars backing vocals

Timothy B. Schmit- Bass guitar, lead and backing vocals

George Grantham-Drums, backing vocals, jawbone, shakers

Rusty Young- Steel guitar, sitar, lead vocals, Leslie and wah-wah steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, slide guitar

Additional personnel-

Steve Forman- Percussion, “creatures”, tambourine, congas, surdo

Donald Fagen- Arp Odyssey, Arp string ensemble

Mark Henry Herman- Piano, electric piano, celesta

Sid Sharp- Concert Master

Jimmy Haskell- String and horn arrangements

(One source, allmusic.com, lists Richie Furay as contributing on guitar and vocals.)

Producer- Poco, Mark Henry Harman

(A re-release of the album in 2012 from England has a long version of Indian Summer which stretches the album to 41:08.)

Indian Summer, written and released in 1977, was the 5^th album featuring the Cotton/Young/Schmit/Grantham line-up. Despite the solid musical work and the fine “wordsmithing” on the previous four albums, beginning with Seven and most recently, Rose of Cimarron, the band just wasn’t moving the needle much on the charts. Still plagued by a lack of solid identity, Poco albums were being placed in the various categories of rock, folk, country rock, world music and country. Besteveralbums.com placed Indian Summer as the 11^th “Best ever” album by Poco. The single Indian Summer peaked at #50 on the Billboard charts on September 17, 1977, making it the 6^th highest single by Poco, tied with Shoot for the Moon and Keep on Tryin’ at the 50^th spot.

The album starts with the title track Indian Summer and ends with a 10 minute long suite of songs entitled The Dance.

 

Track Listing-

Indian Summer (Paul Cotton) (4:40) From the introductory lick, you know something special is “on its way”. The whole song is embodied in the line “cool at night and hot all day”. The song is melodic blend of guitars that are hot and vocals that are cool and very signatory of Poco. Paul’s lead-in, using the tremolo bar and his finger picking, brings us to Timothy’s bass line carrying the rhythm and pace. Rusty is in the background providing just the right highlight of pedal steel that doesn’t overwhelm the melody. Just listen to the little glissade at 1:25 and you can hear how an instrument (and musician) can lead a band without being the leader. I do have one little problem though with the lyrics. I am just not sure how “motorcycle and tons of RPM” fits into the song. But the lead break after that line makes you immediately forget the corniness of the line. Solid backing vocals and excellent playing make this lead off tune very enjoyable. In addition, I really like that the song has a definitive ending that echoes the beginning. It doesn’t just “fade out” as in so many songs. The last ringing chord hangs in your ears and leaves a pleasant after ring like the taste of a fine wine lingering on the palate. Good stuff!

                Twenty Years (Paul Cotton) (3:42) This time, it is George giving us the lead in and taking the band into a semi-autobiographical storyland. I am not sure if Paul was writing about himself or that he sensed the impending changes about to come in the world of Poco. Sometimes, it’s best to not try to read too much into lyrics. What I really like about this song is that Rusty and Paul are both playing lead guitar and the resulting “duel” is just plain good listening. Rusty is beginning to show that he can handle lead guitar licks as well as play the mandolin, dobro, and banjo. This growth will be very important to Poco’s future.

                Me and You (Timothy B. Schmit) (2:44) Once again, the lyrics of this song, while directed at a woman, could be about the impending departure of Schmit. The lines seem to indicate some sort of rift in a relationship and since his marriage to Noreen was solid at this time, it seems that there is a message in there for someone that Timothy loves and respects and wants to keep “as friends”. As far as the music, Schmit once again stretches his talents in writing simply yet the vocal quality that he possesses overshadows the music. The band sounds better than ever backing his tenor voice. George kicks it off, in comes Paul and then Rusty’s steel and the backing is the perfect counterpoint. And at 1:00 into the song comes the three part backing vocals… gentle and soothing. I really have grown to like this song. It is an anthem to someone. The object of Timothy’s lyrics really don’t matter.

                Downfall (Rusty Young) (4:33) Ever listen carefully to Paperback Writer or Hey Bulldog by the Beatles and realize that George never lets go of the rhythm line? Well, Paul does the same thing on Downfall. He never loses that lead line once and plays it perfectly through the whole tune except when called upon to hit the chords that open the song. Piano and congas contribute to the counterpoint for Paul’s solo. This song begs to be heard on good headphones or ear buds so you can really appreciate George’s drum fills and the number of instruments that appear in the last 30 seconds of this tune; piano, pedal steel, congas, vocals, layered guitar riffs. I can’t quite put my finger of what genre this song might fall into… I know it’s good and it’s fun. Maybe this is where the “world music” label for Poco was generated? I don’t know but I like it!

                Win or Lose (Paul Cotton) (4:40) There are three guitar tracks on this tune, center leads off and joined by the left and right shortly thereafter. I am not sure if Paul played all three tracks but listening on headphones reveals that not a single lick is lost during this 4 minute plus cut. Timothy’s bass lines are so fluid and provide such a counterpoint in the chorus that you don’t know which to listen to… the four part harmony or his playing. Once again, Poco refuses to slide into some pigeon hole and be categorized as “rock” or “country”. I am not sure what or how to label this song. I do know one thing. It’s solid… maybe two things… it’s good as well.

                Living in the Band (Paul Cotton) (3:14) Dipping once again into the “biographical” realm, Cotton recounts the beginning of the band… well, of some band. Not many groups will tell you their story until well after that story has ended, unless you are Poco. They have recounted their history in this songs and “When It All Began”. And Paul turns that history of a “country/rock” band into a solid rocker.

                Stay (Night Until Noon) (Noreen Schmit/Timothy B. Schmit) (3:22) Timothy’s wife, Noreen, had contributed to the Poco catalogue previously and makes a reappearance here. I wish we could know if she wrote all or just part of the lyrics. My favorite part of this song is also the reappearance of Rusty on the banjo. It is almost buried in the right side of the stereo mix but it’s there and it a great part of the whole texture of the song. There are hints of the pedal steel as well. But the banjo is a great add to this recording.

                Find Out in Time (Timothy B. Schmit/Robbin Thompson) (3:54) Not many Poco tunes use the harmonica at all but leading in with it and then circling all the way back around to the harmonica and banjo at the end is brilliant. It is as if Timothy had sat down with Jimmy Messina at the same time Messina was writing “Carefree Country Day”. Also, combined with the previous track that puts the two lovers together for maybe a night and a day, this tune asks “should I tell you that I love you?” Rusty adds yet another light touch with the banjo only he’s over on the left side of the mix this time.

                The Dance (Rusty Young)

                                When the Dance is Over (2:47)

                                Go On and Dance (2:46)

                                Never Gonna Stop/When the Dance is Over (reprise) (4:30)

                                Breaking a suite of songs down into its three parts is a daunting task. It has been said by some critics that this feels like “filler material” but when you compare this track to the other best-known suite in music (Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills & Nash), it holds up. Three thoughts about “the dance”. There is no hidden metaphor here. Dance means dance. This suite is a celebration of the frenzied dancing seen often at concerts when the fans really “get into” the groove aid down by the band. Yes, it is country, it is fast in the first two segments. Then, the groove changes abruptly. It gets bluesy and slow at the beginning of the third segment “Never Gonna Stop”. We all need a breather for a bit while whirling and twirling. I am not so sure about the segue back into “When the Dance is Over”. It is just too harsh. There is no melding of the third movement back into the reprise of the first part of the suite. That would be my main criticism. I also am not sure about the “overproduction” using strings, horns, guitars, and orchestrations in the end. I can see why this “suite” gets less positive feedback than the rest of the recording. It is good musicianship until the last 2 minutes. Then it seems to fall apart.

 

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes chatting with Rusty Young before the performance by Poco at the Orange County Fair. We were talking about the reviews and I told Rusty that I would be less than honest if I didn’t say that the album Indian Summer kind of left me cold after Rose of Cimarron. I remember years ago the same thing happened. (Rusty told me he thought there were some good songs on Indian Summer… so I tried to open my mind). I decided to just walk away from the review project for a while to see what might occur.

 

You know what? If you “cleanse” your musical palate of the previous four albums (Seven, Cantamos, Head Over Heels, Rose of Cimarron) and let Indian Summer stand on its own, I think you will be amazed. The songs are well written and well played. And even though many say the last track (a “suite” of three songs) is just filler, I disagree whole heartedly. The album is very pleasant to listen to on the road or in a workout or as just plain “easy listening” music. Nothing is too harsh, nothing is too morose, and nothing is too much noise… until that last 2 minutes. If I had to pick one part of this album that I didn’t really like, it would be “Never Gonna Stop/When the Dance is Over”. It just didn’t work for me.

There is much good to be said about Indian Summer. And, Rusty, I take it all back. You are correct. There are good songs on this record. I just didn’t hear them before!

 

 

 

Chapter 10- The Rose Blooms

Title- Rose of Cimarron

Label- ABC

Released- May 19, 1976

Length- 35:35

Personnel- (additional personnel listed track by track)

Rusty Young- Vocals, acoustic and electric 12-string guitars, mandolin, banjo, Dobro, pedal steel guitar

Paul Cotton- Vocals, 6 and 12-string electric and acoustic guitars, Spanish guitar,

Timothy B. Schmit- Vocals, bass guitar, Spanish language vocals

George Grantham- Vocals, drums, tympani

Producer- Poco, Mark Henry Harman

Recording Engineers- Mark Henry Harman, Doug Rider

The year is 1976. Poco has existed as a group since 1968. Their catalogue contains 8 studio albums and 1 live album. Epic has released a “Very Best of Poco” consisting of tracks from the first 7 studio recordings and two tracks from “Deliverin'”, the live album. Poco has undergone personnel changes 3 times; first the departure of Randy Meisner because of “creative differences”. Then, Jim Messina who left to pursue producing avenues and eventually joins up with Kenny Loggins. And, of course, the loss of Richie Furay after 6 recordings seemed to be, at the time, a tolling of the death knell for this very talented group.

However, each time someone left the group, someone else stepped up who pushed the band in new directions. Meisner leaves for Rick Nelson, Jim picks up the bass until Timothy joins up, then Jim goes back to guitar and  eventually leaves after the 3rd album for greener pastures. But each one of these talented artists joined Rusty Young and George Grantham and took the band to new places, musically. Schmit added not just great, inventive bass lines but his high falsetto more than made up for the vocals of Meisner and Messina. Add to that, the songwriting abilities and talent on most any guitar brought to the band by Paul Cotton, after his own success with Illinois Speed Press, gave the band, seemingly, all it needed to break out of the “Eagles vs. Poco who?” argument.

Rose of Cimarron was the fourth album for this foursome of Poco players. Preceded by Seven, Cantamos, and Head Over Heels, Rose of Cimarron found the band firing on all four cylinders. Cotton provided the spark for Rusty Young to start singing as well as writing. Schmit became more and more innovative in finding ways to make the bass guitar a lead instrument and not just part of the rhythm section. All of this was guided by the ever solid drumming of Grantham. The album is the first Poco album to be led off by not one, but TWO, compositions from Young. Ten tracks… four from Rusty, four from Paul, and two from Timothy. And what tracks they are!

Track 1- “Rose of Cimarron” (Young) (6:42) Additional personnel- Mark Henry Harman (celeste), Milt Holland (percussion), Tom Sellers (piano, string arrangements), Sid Sharp (concert master)

Stepping away from his pedal steel and dobro duties, Rusty Young picks up the acoustic 12-string and gives us an opening phrase that any Poco fan will instantly recognize in the same way that Eagles fans know Don Felder’s opening lick from “Hotel California”. It only lasts sixteen measures and away we go… the whole band jumping in. Layer upon layer of instrumentation brings gives us dobro on top of acoustic guitars on top of piano on top of mandolin and so on. But the real treat is yet to come.

After giving us a taste of the chorus with Paul doing the honors, Timothy takes over on the verse. And here is where headphones or earbuds or a really kick ass loud stereo becomes important. Listen to the lead fills on the left channel by Paul. The middle is taken up by some amazing dobro playing and over on the right lurks the acoustic 6 string, mandolin, piano, banjo, and harmonica.

If you have been keeping up with my reviews, you know I have never been a fan of strings on Poco recordings. Not here. Tom Sellers integrates the strings and orchestra at 3:08 into the recording. They provide a PERFECT counterpoint to all the sounds of a country/rock band. You also should know by now,  I am not a fan of extended tracks. I think there are edits that could be made to make tracks more “playable”. One again, not here. If you cut  the recording at 4:20, you will miss the exquisite lead electric guitar playing of Paul Cotton. The whole thing crescendos at around 5:10 and the strings lead you out but the piano in the right channel continues and gives this ending so much texture. Faintly, you can hear Rusty’s banjo as the song comes to an end. It’s kind of like when I fall asleep… so pleasant and so soothing as you slip away. Speaking of which…

Track 2- “Stealaway” (Young) (3:12) This time, Young starts immediately into the two lines of the chorus with just an acoustic guitar accompaniment. And after the same 16 bar intro as the previous track, Paul chimes in with another amazingly innovative guitar lick. And once again, the whole band kicks into gear. I am telling you, that if you listen to the bass playing by Timothy on any of these tracks, you will hear a master at work. He carries so much of the band by being in the forefront that it is no wonder he is regarded as one of the best. At 20 seconds into this recording, Grantham kicks his bass drum into overdrive. It amazes me how fast 3:12 goes by while listening to this track. Cotton’s electric lead playing is as good anything from Neil Young (in my opinion). And Grantham’s fill at 1:40 is so spot on. I don’t want this song to end. Cotton could keep playing for 30 minutes as far as I am concerned! And the rest of the band, as well! I want more!

Track 3- Just Like Me (Schmit) (2:45) “Keep on Tryin’ “on Head Over Heels was a breakout song for Schmit. He still plays the song in his live shows. And this track continues that vein of excellence. After the two opening tracks, we get a chance to just chill and listen to Tim’s voice on top of a beautiful background of instruments and vocals. The focus on vocals is such a pleasant journey into musicianship. Well crafted, short, sweet and to the point…

Track 4/5- Company’s Comin’/Slow Poke (Young) (Young) (2:39) (2:04) Additional personnel- John Logan- banjo, Al Garth- fiddle, Milt Holland- washboard, Annie Emery/Jenny Grantham/Jennifer O’Keefe/Doug Rider/Jeddrah Schmit/Noreen Schmit- handclaps

On Pickin’ Up the Pieces, it was “Grand Junction”. Off From the Inside, the track was “Railroad Days”. Crazy Eyes had “Fool’s Gold”. Seven? “Rocky Mountain Breakdown”. Cantamos continued the pattern with the last half of “Sagebrush Serenade”. Any one of these tracks should have been on any bluegrass playlist in 1976 and today as well. So much is made of “The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” and their bluegrass background and sound. But the banjo playing on these two tracks is as good any I have ever heard. And I have heard quite a few banjo players both live and recorded: John Hartford, Roy Clarke, Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin, Grandpa Jones, Pete Seeger, Tommy Smothers and so on and so on. The banjo picking on this track is as good as anything produced by any of the preceding. Throw in “Company’s Comin’” and its throwback lyrics that give a nod to “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” and you have almost 5 minutes of pure bluegrass joy. I dare you to listen to this track and NOT tap your feet. I dare you. I double dog dare you! Let me know if I win. (By the way, this was only the 2nd time Rusty took the lead vocal part. You can find which was the 1st time a few reviews back!)

Track 6- “Too Many Nights Too Long” (Cotton) (5:59) Additional personnel Al Garth- violin, Steve Ferguson- piano, Milt Holland-marimba, percussion

Like “Rose of Cimarron”, the opening track of side 2 is long. It clocks in a just a tick under SIX MINUTES??? What? It can’t be that long? I get lost in this song and consider it six of the best minutes in music. Paul’s opening licks on 12 string sound so laid back. Add the mandolin and the second 12-string. Then bring in the bass and drums. And suddenly, we are on a journey into a story of loneliness, escape, “running below the pale moonlight”, and staying in one place too long. I absolutely love this song and the emotions evoked by this tale of escape. Later recordings (Bareback at Big Sky) omit Timothy’s Spanish verses. And that is a shame. Those lines give the song intrigue and a flavor of the southwest that we can picture in our imaginations. This composition is almost a movie in a song. I can see it happening between my ears.

Track 7- “P.N.S. (When You Come Around)” (Cotton) (3:15) Additional personnel Al Garth-fiddle, Steve Ferguson-piano

I remember hearing this song way back when the album came out in 1976. And it bugged me for, oh, let’s say 42 years because I could never figure out what “P.N.S.” meant. (I still haven’t a clue about the song title for “N.S.U.” from Cream’s Disraeli Gears). This year I found out. It has no deep meaning. When Paul wrote the song as a member of Illinois Speed Press, he didn’t have a title and so it was known as “Paul’s New Song”. So much for that…

I have sung this song so many times driving or in the shower or just out walking. It is one of those “ear worms” that just stick with you. From the drop of the first notes and the lead lick, it sticks like oatmeal in your stomach on a winter’s morning. Al Garth (a former member of Loggins and Messina) switches from the violin mode on “P.N.S.” to fiddle mode for this tune. It is as country as anything you can still hear today. And proves once again, that Poco could have fit onto any music chart.

How much do you like this song? How much would you pay for this album so far? $9.95? $10.95? But wait, there’s more!

Track 8- “Starin’ at the Sky” (Schmit/Logan) (2:58) Additional personnel Al Garth- alto saxophone, Steve Ferguson- electric piano

Well of course! After the ultimate “kiss off, I don’t need you anymore… good riddance” song, we have to have the “Oh crap, what did you do to me? You ruined me!” song! And Timothy, along with co-writer Johnny Logan, gives it to us. I have been jealous of the lead playing in this song since the first time I heard it. But I just don’t have the chops. And I have been noodling on the guitar since age 14! I have begged God (many times) “Please, just give me the talent to write just ONE SONG like this! And I will never ask for another thing, ever again, I promise!” (BTW, it still hasn’t happened. I no longer eat all my broccoli… defiance!)

Once again, going to the headphones/ear buds, listen to the subtle use of banjo over on the right channel and Paul on acoustic over on the left side. And just to blow your mind, Poco adds a little sax solo by Al Garth. SAX? Holy hell, these guys can get away with anything! And the sax is bright and shiny and short unlike most “wailing” sax breaks. It is perfection.

Track 9- “All Alone Together” (Cotton) (3:21) Additional personnel Al Garth-fiddle, Steve Ferguson- piano

After the previous two tracks, there is another chapter yet to be told. If “P.N.S.” is “I don’t care” and “Starin’” is “but I did care, once”, then “All Alone Together” is the “help me make it up off the ground so maybe I can care again” statement. They are a perfect trio of songs.

Pedal steel paired with fiddle and a steady country two-step beat, this song could easily have been covered by any number of country artists or fit right into the catalogue of Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakum, or even Merle. Poco is perfect once again! But the song never got wide spread exposure and that just sucks!

Track 10- “Tulsa Turnaround” (Cotton) (2:40) Additional personnel- Al Garth-fiddle, Steve Ferguson- piano

To bring this album to a close, the band chose another Cotton composition. And it has the right feel. Pedal steel lines, fiddle music, a great lead line and a nice easy melody. It is like sipping a good Kentucky bourbon… smooth with just the right bite when it hits the back of your throat (if you’ve never had a good Kentucky bourbon, you are missing out on one of Gods’ best gifts!) The song is short, sweet and to the point.

 

Wow! Just wow! As I have been discussing with others, on line and in person, there is a category of recordings that I call the “perfect recording”. Others call these “deserted island” recordings (as in “If you were on a deserted island with a good stereo, what records would you want to have?”).

This album tops that list. I can listen to this over and over and over again. It is the perfect blend of all that is Poco. Add in Al Garth and Steve Ferguson and Poco is over the top. Garth was asked to join the band on a permanent basis but left after some unspecified disagreement. Garth had been a founding member of the band behind Loggins and Messina and had recorded with John McEuen of NGDB, Dan Fogleberg, Kinky Friedman, Iain Matthews, Claire Lynch, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Glenn Frey of Eagles, and Timothy B. Schmit on his solo efforts. Garth did tour with the band in 1976 and 1977 but never became permanent part of the band. (Too bad… who knows what might have happened.)

Once again, Epic Records decided to put the screws to Poco because they broke their contract after 8 recordings and still owed Epic one more album. Epic released Poco Live on top of the release of Rose of Cimarron  in the same way they released Very Best of Poco to compete with  Head Over Heels. And once again, Epic succeeded in splitting the market for the record. The album Rose of Cimarron peaked at #89 on the charts. Once again, Poco was thwarted. And Epic came out the winner in album sales of a group they only sought to harm.

I don’t know how many times I can listen to this recording and think just how fickle and wrong the music industry can be. Rose of Cimarron stands head and shoulders above other albums of 1976 which included Songs in the Key of Life, Boston, and, of course, Hotel California.

I just don’t get it. And I probably never will. Oh, well… think I will slip in the old earbuds and listen to Rose of Cimarron for the 5^th time in two days. Yup, it’s that good. It really is.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9- Head Over Heels

Chapter 9- Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels

Label –ABC

Recorded –

Released – July 1975

Length- 36:26

Personnel-

Paul Cotton- Guitar, vocals

Rusty Young- Steel guitar, guitar, vocals

Timothy B. Schmit- Bass guitar, vocals

George Grantham- Drums, vocals

Donald Fagen- Synthesizer

Victor Feldman- Percussion

Steve Forman- Percussion

Al Garth- Violin

Mark Henry Harman-Keyboards, piano, cello

Jimmie Haskell- Strings

Milt Holland- Percussion

Garth Hudson- Keyboards

Michael Von Verdick- Vocals

Producer- Poco, Mark Henry Harmon

Recording Engineer- Mark Henry Harman

Head Over Heels is the eighth studio album by Poco. It was also their first on ABC Records. Poco bailed on Epic with one album left in their original contract which would be problematic at a later date. “Keep On Tryin’” marked the first time that a Timothy B. Schmit composition would lead off a recording by Poco. The album also contains two other unique recordings. The first is Rusty Young performing his first lead vocal on the track “Us” and the second is a cover of a track from the very first Steely Dan album. The composition “Dallas” was overlooked by many as very “unDan” like and Poco takes on the song with some assistance from a member of Steely Dan.

Sounding more, at times, like “pop” than country, the album gets good reviews which might be due to the fact that the songs are much shorter than on previous recordings. The album also features 11 songs which is about two more than most Poco offerings.

Epic records decided to retaliate for Poco’s departure by releasing “The Very Best of Poco” (also known as the “sequined shirt album” as there were many “Very Best of…” albums from companies representing their Poco catalogues). The release helped cloud the issue of any success for Head Over Heels despite the solid offerings of “Keep on Tryin’”, “Let Me Turn Back to You”,  Back to You”, “Us”, and Georgia, Bind my Ties”. This is such an unfortunate turn of events as Poco had finally hit its stride as a group of songwriters and vocalists surrounding themselves with great musicians and production.

Track Listing

1. “Keep on Tryin’” – (Schmit) (2:54) A pop, a chord on a guitar and then those vocals. This is Tim’s first lead off song on any Poco. There is nothing but vocal beauty underscored by a single acoustic gear. Good Lord, these voices are pure emotion and it is no wonder that the song became a concert favorite. I will not draw any comparison to a band of contemporaries that would be such a cheap shot. But show me one track on “One of These Nights” that is this simple and yet so complex at the same time.
2. “Lovin’ Arms” – (Young) (3:29)  Along comes Rusty Young. Cotton’s lead vocals really soar but do yourself a favor and put on some headphones for this one. Then listen to the right side channel. You will find some of the best pedal playing on any record, now or then. There is banjo in there as well. I really don’t know what more a song can deliver. Just amazing… and that laugh at the end seems so perfect. Young has a hit on his hands!
3. “Let Me Turn Back to You” – (Cotton) (3:37) PLEASE, LET ME UP! I don’t know if I can find any more superlatives to describe this song. Three songs, three songwriters and each track just seems to best the previous. Throw in Cotton’s lead line at 2:01 and well, words escape me as to how much I like this song.
4. “Makin’ Love” – (Young) (2:55) One of my favorite things about Poco recordings is how fearless the producers are about letting the bass line carry the song. A slow starter, Timothy burns down the song with solid playing. Cotton uses the fuzz tone extensively and by the way, did I mention just how much of the song is also carried by Grantham’s solid drumming? Talk about “take my breath away” rocking a song. I need a breather.
5. “Down in the Quarter” – (Cotton) (4:32) Ever been to the French Quarter in New Orleans? There is something fun yet mysterious with a looming dark side around every corner. This song reminds exactly of that. And after four rockers, Paul gives us a chance here to breathe a composition that accentuates his vocals abilities along with his excellent guitar skills. In the past, Poco was a bit heavy handed when strings were added to compositions by Jack Richardson. But this time, they are perfectly in the background.
6. “Sittin’ on a Fence” – (Young) (3:31) Wait! I thought this was some kind of “country/rock” band. What are they doing with marimbas and congas? Caribbean folk country/rock? And who decided that we needed to hear more bass? I’m not sure who was making the choices but they could not have chosen better. After the laid back “New Orleans” track we just heard, this almost “Miami mania” beat song cooks along and turns up the fire again. You won’t be sitting on the fence about variety in the Poco sound after this track. You should be convinced these guys can make just about anything work!
7. “Georgia, Bind My Ties” – (Cotton) (3:25) I am truly at a loss by this point. I can’t think of what to say. Cotton? Great! Grantham? Without equal! Rusty? Amazing. Timothy? Rock solid. I don’t know what else there is. While I am not sure what the hook means (“bind my ties”), it works.
8. “Us” – (Young) (1:56) Rusty Young steps up with his first lead vocal on this tune. Sounding like a cross between Cotton and Messina or something kind of in the middle, he holds his own. Young had been a very competent member of the ensemble. So why was he hiding all this talent until the eighth studio album? He has an amazing amount of emotion in his voice and the song may be short but it sure is sweet! And anyone know who played mandolin? It is not credited but I’m wondering if Chris Hillman snuck in on this track!
9. “Flyin’ Solo” – (Schmit, Jacob Otis Brennan) (3:36) This song has been running through my head for about 40 years. I remember hearing it so long ago and it just never left. “Flyin’ Solo” came at a time in my life when I was flying solo after three years with the same girlfriend. The build to the crescendo and then the sudden let down at 2:30 in the song mirrors so many of the feelings in a relationship… “‘Til you find out you’ve been flyin’ solo”. Broken heart songs are always hard to listen to later in life but this one is still one of my favorites.
10. “Dallas”– (Donald Fagen, Walter Becker) (3:29) Much has been written how this song is a “rare” song from the catalogue of “Steely Dan”. It was on their first album and then was removed and not to be seen again until a compilation years later. I have heard the Steely Dan recording and it lacks the ability to sound “country”. “Steely Dan” wasn’t meant for country. But this is a PERFECT song for Poco. I would like to hear it without the strings but I don’t how to magically filter out that element. “Dallas” is a solid song for the entire group. Fagen contributed to the recording. But I doubt he ever imagined it could sound this good.
11. “I’ll Be Back Again”– (Schmit) (3:02) Not only do we get Timothy leading off the record, but here we are at the end and he is “Back Again”. One line says “I can’t believe it’s the end”. Neither can I because I don’t want this song or this album to end. The last verse is accentuated with simple marimbas and percussion. The fade out leaves me crying out “NO NO NO! Don’t leave! Just one more verse”. Yet, Tim fades out with a promise of “I’ll be back again”. One can only hope.

From New Orleans to Georgia to LA, Poco takes you on not only a tour of the country but a tour of their abilities. Eleven songs. Eleven incredible songs. There is not a “runt pup” in this litter. This is the best Poco offering to date. All the songs are short, tight and solid, the vocals are impeccable and the material is fresh as a country breeze with a little light shower thrown in for good measure (“Down in the Quarter”).

There was just one MAJOR problem; the year was 1975. If you look at the top albums of that year, you see titles such as “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd, “Blood on the Tracks”, “Born to Run”, “A Night at the Opera”, “Physical Graffiti”, “Horses”, “Another Green World”, “Tonight’s the Night”, “Toys in the Attic”, and “Mothership Connection”. That’s just the top 10 according to one music site, www.besteveralbums.com Throw in “Fleetwood Mac”, “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”, “Dreamboat Annie”, and “One of These Nights” and that means there was a hell of a lot of competition for dollars and ears! Hell, “Venus and Mars” didn’t come in until #50 on this list based on reader ratings! Is it any wonder that Poco got lost? They couldn’t compete against a newly formatted FM radio jammed with albums and singles the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the British Invasion of 1964/1965.

Which is entirely too bad. This was Poco. And they were getting better with each recording. The songs were getting tighter and the vocals could and should have blown the doors off any competitors. But ABC, like Epic, didn’t know where to slot Poco and thus, a lot of listeners didn’t hear one of the best unknown (except among their cadre of fans) groups in America. Despite all their hard work (along with some very underhanded dealings by Epic, which didn’t help!), Head Over Heels went largely unheard.

I want to do add one note here. In all of my reviews, I have very little to say about George Grantham as he had not written a single tune for Poco that was recorded (so far). But his solid drumming and fills are some of the best in the business. I couldn’t tell you exactly you what vocal parts are his because I haven’t anything with which to make a comparison. But when George takes off in the middle eight of any song, you know you are hearing a great drummer as well as vocalist.

If anyone says “Who is Poco?”, put on this album and plunk their butt down in a chair for 36+ minutes. Then just say… “THAT’S Poco. Any more questions?”

 

Chapter 9- Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels

Label –ABC

Recorded –

Released – July 1975

Length- 36:26

Personnel-

Paul Cotton- Guitar, vocals

Rusty Young- Steel guitar, guitar, vocals

Timothy B. Schmit- Bass guitar, vocals

George Grantham- Drums, vocals

Donald Fagen- Synthesizer

Victor Feldman- Percussion

Steve Forman- Percussion

Al Garth- Violin

Mark Henry Harman-Keyboards, piano, cello

Jimmie Haskell- Strings

Milt Holland- Percussion

Garth Hudson- Keyboards

Michael Von Verdick- Vocals

Producer- Poco, Mark Henry Harmon

Recording Engineer- Mark Henry Harman

 

Head Over Heels is the eighth studio album by Poco. It was also their first on ABC Records. Poco bailed on Epic with one album left in their original contract which would be problematic at a later date. “Keep On Tryin’” marked the first time that a Timothy B. Schmit composition would lead off a recording by Poco. The album also contains two other unique recordings. The first is Rusty Young performing his first lead vocal on the track “Us” and the second is a cover of a track from the very first Steely Dan album. The composition “Dallas” was overlooked by many as very “unDan” like and Poco takes on the song with some assistance from a member of Steely Dan.

Sounding more, at times, like “pop” than country, the album gets good reviews which might be due to the fact that the songs are much shorter than on previous recordings. The album also features 11 songs which is about two more than most Poco offerings.

Epic records decided to retaliate for Poco’s departure by releasing “The Very Best of Poco” (also known as the “sequined shirt album” as there were many “Very Best of…” albums from companies representing their Poco catalogues). The release helped cloud the issue of any success for Head Over Heels despite the solid offerings of “Keep on Tryin’”, “Let Me Turn Back to You”,  Back to You”, “Us”, and Georgia, Bind my Ties”. This is such an unfortunate turn of events as Poco had finally hit its stride as a group of songwriters and vocalists surrounding themselves with great musicians and production.

Track Listing

1. “Keep on Tryin’” – (Schmit) (2:54) A pop, a chord on a guitar and then those vocals. This is Tim’s first lead off song on any Poco. There is nothing but vocal beauty underscored by a single acoustic gear. Good Lord, these voices are pure emotion and it is no wonder that the song became a concert favorite. I will not draw any comparison to a band of contemporaries that would be such a cheap shot. But show me one track on “One of These Nights” that is this simple and yet so complex at the same time.
2. “Lovin’ Arms” – (Young) (3:29)  Along comes Rusty Young. Cotton’s lead vocals really soar but do yourself a favor and put on some headphones for this one. Then listen to the right side channel. You will find some of the best pedal playing on any record, now or then. There is banjo in there as well. I really don’t know what more a song can deliver. Just amazing… and that laugh at the end seems so perfect. Young has a hit on his hands!
3. “Let Me Turn Back to You” – (Cotton) (3:37) PLEASE, LET ME UP! I don’t know if I can find any more superlatives to describe this song. Three songs, three songwriters and each track just seems to best the previous. Throw in Cotton’s lead line at 2:01 and well, words escape me as to how much I like this song.
4. “Makin’ Love” – (Young) (2:55) One of my favorite things about Poco recordings is how fearless the producers are about letting the bass line carry the song. A slow starter, Timothy burns down the song with solid playing. Cotton uses the fuzz tone extensively and by the way, did I mention just how much of the song is also carried by Grantham’s solid drumming? Talk about “take my breath away” rocking a song. I need a breather.
5. “Down in the Quarter” – (Cotton) (4:32) Ever been to the French Quarter in New Orleans? There is something fun yet mysterious with a looming dark side around every corner. This song reminds exactly of that. And after four rockers, Paul gives us a chance here to breathe a composition that accentuates his vocals abilities along with his excellent guitar skills. In the past, Poco was a bit heavy handed when strings were added to compositions by Jack Richardson. But this time, they are perfectly in the background.
6. “Sittin’ on a Fence” – (Young) (3:31) Wait! I thought this was some kind of “country/rock” band. What are they doing with marimbas and congas? Caribbean folk country/rock? And who decided that we needed to hear more bass? I’m not sure who was making the choices but they could not have chosen better. After the laid back “New Orleans” track we just heard, this almost “Miami mania” beat song cooks along and turns up the fire again. You won’t be sitting on the fence about variety in the Poco sound after this track. You should be convinced these guys can make just about anything work!
7. “Georgia, Bind My Ties” – (Cotton) (3:25) I am truly at a loss by this point. I can’t think of what to say. Cotton? Great! Grantham? Without equal! Rusty? Amazing. Timothy? Rock solid. I don’t know what else there is. While I am not sure what the hook means (“bind my ties”), it works.
8. “Us” – (Young) (1:56) Rusty Young steps up with his first lead vocal on this tune. Sounding like a cross between Cotton and Messina or something kind of in the middle, he holds his own. Young had been a very competent member of the ensemble. So why was he hiding all this talent until the eighth studio album? He has an amazing amount of emotion in his voice and the song may be short but it sure is sweet! And anyone know who played mandolin? It is not credited but I’m wondering if Chris Hillman snuck in on this track!
9. “Flyin’ Solo” – (Schmit, Jacob Otis Brennan) (3:36) This song has been running through my head for about 40 years. I remember hearing it so long ago and it just never left. “Flyin’ Solo” came at a time in my life when I was flying solo after three years with the same girlfriend. The build to the crescendo and then the sudden let down at 2:30 in the song mirrors so many of the feelings in a relationship… “‘Til you find out you’ve been flyin’ solo”. Broken heart songs are always hard to listen to later in life but this one is still one of my favorites.
10. “Dallas”– (Donald Fagen, Walter Becker) (3:29) Much has been written how this song is a “rare” song from the catalogue of “Steely Dan”. It was on their first album and then was removed and not to be seen again until a compilation years later. I have heard the Steely Dan recording and it lacks the ability to sound “country”. “Steely Dan” wasn’t meant for country. But this is a PERFECT song for Poco. I would like to hear it without the strings but I don’t how to magically filter out that element. “Dallas” is a solid song for the entire group. Fagen contributed to the recording. But I doubt he ever imagined it could sound this good.
11. “I’ll Be Back Again”– (Schmit) (3:02) Not only do we get Timothy leading off the record, but here we are at the end and he is “Back Again”. One line says “I can’t believe it’s the end”. Neither can I because I don’t want this song or this album to end. The last verse is accentuated with simple marimbas and percussion. The fade out leaves me crying out “NO NO NO! Don’t leave! Just one more verse”. Yet, Tim fades out with a promise of “I’ll be back again”. One can only hope.

From New Orleans to Georgia to LA, Poco takes you on not only a tour of the country but a tour of their abilities. Eleven songs. Eleven incredible songs. There is not a “runt pup” in this litter. This is the best Poco offering to date. All the songs are short, tight and solid, the vocals are impeccable and the material is fresh as a country breeze with a little light shower thrown in for good measure (“Down in the Quarter”).

There was just one MAJOR problem; the year was 1975. If you look at the top albums of that year, you see titles such as “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd, “Blood on the Tracks”, “Born to Run”, “A Night at the Opera”, “Physical Graffiti”, “Horses”, “Another Green World”, “Tonight’s the Night”, “Toys in the Attic”, and “Mothership Connection”. That’s just the top 10 according to one music site, www.besteveralbums.com Throw in “Fleetwood Mac”, “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”, “Dreamboat Annie”, and “One of These Nights” and that means there was a hell of a lot of competition for dollars and ears! Hell, “Venus and Mars” didn’t come in until #50 on this list based on reader ratings! Is it any wonder that Poco got lost? They couldn’t compete against a newly formatted FM radio jammed with albums and singles the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the British Invasion of 1964/1965.

Which is entirely too bad. This was Poco. And they were getting better with each recording. The songs were getting tighter and the vocals could and should have blown the doors off any competitors. But ABC, like Epic, didn’t know where to slot Poco and thus, a lot of listeners didn’t hear one of the best unknown (except among their cadre of fans) groups in America. Despite all their hard work (along with some very underhanded dealings by Epic, which didn’t help!), Head Over Heels went largely unheard.

I want to do add one note here. In all of my reviews, I have very little to say about George Grantham as he had not written a single tune for Poco that was recorded (so far). But his solid drumming and fills are some of the best in the business. I couldn’t tell you exactly you what vocal parts are his because I haven’t anything with which to make a comparison. But when George takes off in the middle eight of any song, you know you are hearing a great drummer as well as vocalist.

If anyone says “Who is Poco?”, put on this album and plunk their butt down in a chair for 36+ minutes. Then just say… “THAT’S Poco. Any more questions?”