10 Albums: Poco

Say the words, "country rock," and most immediately think of The Eagles. (And, there will be an Eagles entry in this blog soon.) Yet, the group who first fused country and rock sounds with upbeat harmonies was Poco, a group closely linked with The Eagles given band members who started with the former and ended with the latter.

I played the heck out of the band's second album, Poco. It was so unique and, in some ways, polarizing (among my contemporaries), when it was released in May 1970. It was too country for rock fans; it was too rock for country fans.

Richie Furay, guitarist and vocalist, founded Poco along with Jim Messina, who would late go on to team with Kenny Loggins in Loggins & Messina. Furay previously helped form Buffalo Springfield, the group which birthed Crosby Stills Nash & Young.

Unlike Springfield and CSNY, Poco's notoriety and commercial success was uneven, at best. "You Better Think Twice" was the most successful cut off of Poco. And, while a bit harsh, noted music reviewer Robert Christgau (The Village Voice) perhaps said it best about Poco in explaining why they did not achieve the heights of bands they birthed or influenced. "The most overrated underrated group in America. All of CSNY's preciosity with none of the inspiration; all of bluegrass's ramifications with none of its roots. In short, the perfect commentary on the vacuity of competence," wrote Christgau.

I loved this album because it was so different for its time. And, it moved me as a listener away from rock, at least temporarily, to a fusion of country, rock and sweet harmonies. (A side note--those harmonies on Poco featured Timothy B. Schmit--the group's bassist who took over for Randy Meisner. Meisner quit Poco shortly after their first album was released in order to join The Eagles. Schmit would replace Meisner in The Eagles lineup in 1977, joining them for their Hotel California tour.)

Poco--the album that broadened my music consumption and tastes.