It's a fave, Oh Yeah! Poco (Oranges) is the one that really hooked me. I liked the first record a lot, but when I heard the second one I knew I was a fan. It had everything I was looking for in an album from Poco. Great songwriting, spot on vocals and drumming, and the guitar and bass work were up to par. El Tonto was a wonder from day one, and when it comes around on the iPod, well that's another 18 minutes of driving I've got to do! I love those slinky little lead lines that Messina weaves around the structure of the song. I think the second album is fine as is, why mess with the good stuff?
i like "poco", but i wouldn't put up there with their best work. the long jam is a little tedious. for me. renny
Hey Brian, Mike W here. Good to see a fellow Poco fan on board here. However, I have to disagree with you about El Tonto. I never liked that organ sound Rusty made with the pedal steel. So for me El Tonto was a way to fill up an album side, rahter than adding three or four songs. I remember wondering if they didn't have enough material to fill out the album. I do like every other song on the album and thought that it was a good second album.
Back at ya Mike! Nice to see you over here. Agree, disagree, I'm not sure it matters, there's plenty of different Poco stuff to go around. I always liked Rusty's willingness to go in a different direction than Buddy Emmons or Tom Brumley, so the organ effect got to me right away. I always felt bad for the roadies who had to haul that Leslie Speaker around. Since I've been a Poco fan I've had to listen to the criticism that they were lightweights, couldn't rock, couldn't improvise, they just wrote pretty tunes and yadda yadda, I'm sure you've heard your share. I use El Tonto to defuse at least one of those contentions, and the rest of the record to shake the rest off. One of the things I like most about this band is they never failed to try something for fear of blowing it. They sure had the chops then, and they were great fun to see live!
Wow, that's just plain crazy. I guess that's a benefit of being into the band well past the years in which they were a contemporary act in their prime. In 1988, no one my age had an opinion about Poco because they didn't know who they were. Particularly once Paul Cotton joined the band they rocked pretty solidly. Part of what I think was a problem for the group was that they weren't perceived as being "dangerous". There wasn't any occult crap, legendary drug abuse, or mental illness in their image. I think people like their rock to be dangerous. Poco seemed like group of nice guys and relatively clean. Add in the "too country for rock" and "too rock for country" problem and it's surprising they were as big as they were. At any rate, it never occured to me that they didn't rock.
You summed up the "problem" with Poco... of course, the only problem is people missing out on great music.
Poco is one of those bands that people generally will tell you they never heard of them or "I didn't know they did that song" Sadly, that song is usually Crazy Love, while a very good song and a good representation of what Rusty Young had written in the past, I don't enjoy it anymore. Most people are not familiar with the music that drew most of us to them in the first place. That being those first albums. That second album was full of promise. Looking back on it, I could see a group growing in to the sound they wanted. However, when we get to that next album..........................I'll save it for then.
Poco Poco Here's my quickie review... This second Poco album has its high points and its lows. I don’t think it’s quite as good as the first album, but it does have some great moments on it. Side 1 is almost perfect…I think if you took “Honky Tonk Downstairs” off of side 1 and put “Don’t Let It Pass By” in its place you would have a perfect side 1. As it stands, for me, side 2 is pretty forgettable after “Don’t Let It Pass By.” “El Tonto de Nadie, Regresa” is a very long jam and I’m really not a fan of these side-long jams. It is a good tight performance, but just goes on too long for my interest. Right from the very first song this album has good bass playing. I think songs like “Hurry Up” and “You Better Think Twice” benefit from the solid bass playing. Overall album rating: *** ½ stars My favorite songs: “Hurry Up”, “You Better Think Twice”, “Anyway Bye Bye” and “Don’t Let It Pass By” ----- Side One Hurry Up (Furay) - ***** stars This is a perfect song…a great rocking song to open the album. This song has great hooks/chorus and a killer instrumental section. The fuzz lead guitar solo is terrific. You Better Think Twice (Messina) - **** ½ stars Another really good song here, great harmonies and some fine electric guitar playing. Honky Tonk Downstairs (Frazier) - ** stars Acoustic country song. It’s decent, but nothing spectacular. Keep on Believin' (Furay, Schmit) - *** ½ stars Good upbeat song, though the vocals seem a little pushed back in the mix. Anyway Bye Bye (Furay) - **** stars This is the longest song on side 1. I like the arrangement and the changes and the organ effect. Side Two Don't Let It Pass By (Furay) - ***** stars This song is just too short. It’s really good while it lasts! Nobody's Fool/El Tonto de Nadie, Regresa (Furay, Grantham, Messina, Schmit, Young) - *** stars The length of the jam is my only gripe. It’s a good performance, just way too long.
I just could never get into the "Poco" album. It started out on a very bad note, having to hear the pedal steel being forced to sound like a bad organ.....Rusty was talented, but that is not the kind of talent I wanted to hear, especially not for more than one song. Other than "You Better Think Twice" (which is one of their best songs), none of the other songs stand out to me. Certainly not in comparison to "Pickin Up The Pieces." I felt this was a truly poor sophmore effort. Luckily, "Deliverin" helped redeemed things.....but it was not long after before they would go into Eagles-territory with MOR/Adult Contemporary stylings that I just won't listen to. Give me real country-rock!!!
Poco Deliverin' Jan 13, 1971 Epic Records I Guess You Made It (Furay) C'mon (Furay) Hear That Music (Schmit) Kind Woman (Furay) Medley: Hard Luck/Child's Claim to Fame/Pickin' up the Pieces (Furay, Schmit) You Better Think Twice (Messina) A Man Like Me (Furay) Just in Case It Happens, Yes Indeed/Grand Junction/Consequently So Long (Furay, Goodwin, Young) Deliverin' was the most successful Poco album up to this point, with even the single "C'Mon" getting into the top 40. Many fans consider it their favorite Poco album. I consider it a summation of their work up to that point. Poco did one last tour with Jim Messina with the intention of both making a live album and teaching new guitarist Paul Cotton all of Messina's parts (Cotton doesn't play on this album though). Given that Messina was on his way out, I can't help but listen to Deliverin' without some sense that the album is something of a wake. The departure of Messina was the first major lineup change (I don't count Meisner). It was the end of the Poco that was also known as "Richie Furay's Dream". That's not to say that the next version of Poco isn't really good, but the initial ambition of doing innovative country rock was over. Deliverin' is a very good album. It features three new songs and two of Richie's Buffalo Springfield songs. Pulling "A Child's Claim To Fame" and "Kind Woman" into the group's set as as releasing them on album made logical sense since both songs were proto-Poco songs, a point that their inclusion on the album makes clear. "I Guess You Made It" is a hard driving rock song. It's one of Richie's most rocking songs, as well as a Buffalo Springfield hold-over. Grantham's cowbell work deserves special praise. Rusty plays his pedal steel as an organ throughout the song. Messina plays excellently throughout. "C'Mon" is similar to the songs from Poco. It's a country song with more rock than before. As usual Rusty and Jim play great together. I'm surprised Messina didn't try to steal him for Loggins & Messina. "Hear That Music" is Schmit's first songwriting contribution to the group. It holds it's own with Richie's songs so much that I find it hard to believe that he didn't get a lot of help. It's another perfect early Poco song. "A Man Like Me" foreshadows the songwriting and sound on From The Inside. It was perfect for the Paul Cotton era. It's a good song, but I don't think of it very often. "Hard Luck" was the first Schmit song that Poco recorded, but it wasn't released for another 20 years. Again, it fits right in with Richie's songs and easily holds it's own in the medley. Regarding the medleys, I'm not a big fan. The music is great and the playing is great but I just don't care much for medleys. I'd rather have the full versions of the songs, although "Just In Case It Happens (Yes Indeed)", "Pickin Up The Pieces", and "Consequently So Long" are basically presented in full. 4.5 stars (despite my reservations about medleys, the new songs and excellent playing cannot be denied)
Actually, there are 4 new songs on it (I Guess You Made it, C'mon, Hear That Music and A Man Like Me). Tim Schmitt's first song for the group was actually Hard Luck and it was on the b-side of a single. Why quibble...it's good music. My only "gripe" about this album is that it should've been a double. There was plenty of stuff left in the can. One of my favorite live albums.
Was the "My Kind Of Love"/"Hard Luck" single actually released? I thought it was supposed to be released then wasn't, then "My Kind Of Love" appeared on a b-side.
Sorry to backtrack but, when I first heard "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" on Sticky Fingers, I thought, jeez... the Stones ripped-off Poco (El Tonto de Nadie, Regresa).
there's not a bum note on Deliverin' and the singing is sublime. it's one of the best live rock albums, IMO. has anyone heard the quadraphonic version?
I have the Quad LP, the mix is a bit different, instruments are separated (easier to pick out), and there's a lot more stage chatter on the Quad. I agree about it being a double LP, certainly more bang for the buck, and a live El Tonto would have been nice
I recently got the BGO remaster and enjoyed hearing this one again. I played the LP to death. I don't know of any other album I listened to over and over for years before I burned out on it. When I got the BGO remaster I listened to it for the first time in 20 years and you know what stuck out to me. The vocals. That and you could almost feel the energy of the band. Great live album. I think the medleys may have been an attempt to give new listeners a broader idea of what Poco was about musically. A very enjoyable album. Showcased the band vocally and showed that pedal steel guitar could be used in a rock band format. This album more than any other got a lot of people to take notice of Rusty Youngs abilities.
"Deliverin'" was the first Poco lp that I bought. I really enjoyed their energy. I listened to it recently and thought it sounded a little strange. Why do the vocals in the songs sound so clear, but whenever Richie speaks inbetween songs you can't understand what he is saying. I thought it might be a fake live lp, because of this. Johnny Winter and..."Live" is also formated like "Deliverin'", Vocals sound clear but the stage bantering is unclear.
I was talking with a sound engineer who happens to be a Poco fan. He complains about the sound on that album. Me being just a music fan have no clue as to how they may have placed the mikes and other such stuff. He says they could never make that album sound good becasue of the way it was recorded. If I remember correctly.......I'm 53 years old so I probably don't, I recall one of the band members saying there were no overdubs or studio work done on that album. They were also not happy with the sound qaulity of that album. But hey, I enjoyed it hundreds of times.
If the album were remixed, it'd be just fine I doubt that sound engineer has heard the mutli-track tapes. The album was mixed in a hurry, Messina stated in the notes to Forgotten Trail. Regardless, the album isn't polished and NO live album should sound that way. It's live and IIRC there are NO overdubs...not many bands could achieve such great harmonies LIVE. After having done some research, here are the possible missing songs excluded from deliverin' (these were in Poco's seltist during that period): Don’t Let It Pass By Nobody’s Fool/El Tonto de Nadie, Regressa Anyway Bye Bye Hurry Up Make Me a Smile And The Moody Blues were on the bill at those NY and Boston gigs IIRC. That would have been a great double bill.
Poco From The Inside 1971 Epic Records Side One Hoe Down (Furay, Young) Bad Weather (Cotton) What Am I Gonna Do (Furay) You Are the One (Furay) Railroad Days (Cotton) Side Two From the Inside (Schmit) Do You Feel It Too (Furay) Ol' Forgiver (Cotton) What If I Should Say I Love You (Furay) Just for Me and You (Furay) Even though it was the late 80s, and I could’ve cherry-picked the band’s catalog, I got each album in the order it was released. I loved the first three albums with the Messina version of Poco. Now with Messina gone, I was concerned that I wouldn’t like the group anymore. As it turned out, I had nothing to be worried about. I found From The Inside to be as enjoyable as the previous albums. However, this version of Poco is a different band. The musical direction shifted away from country and more toward a commercial rock sound. They didn’t completely forsake country of course (which the first song makes evident) but they were now trying to create country-rock with a rock emphasis that would be commercial. The era of “Richie Furay’s Dream” was over. Luckily, despite what some might consider a “watering down” of the sound, the new Poco had great songs and Paul Cotton’s guitar playing and songwriting were great additions. I didn’t know that the band was unhappy with the record until years later. The band didn’t gel very well with producer Steve Cropper in particular. Rusty and Richie have expressed their displeasure with the album. However, I think it’s great regardless of the problems. Richie’s “Hoe Down” is blatantly country, yet is also a blend of the sound of the Messina-era with the Cotton-era which means that there is a harder edge to it. It’s actually quite a remarkable blend of country and rock. Paul Cotton’s guitar is evident right from the beginning, yet Rusty solos on both dobro and pedal steel. My worries about whether I’d like Paul Cotton were immediately put to rest with “Bad Weather”. Even with writers as good as Messina and Furay, “Bad Weather” distinguishes itself as one of the best Poco songs ever, a distinction it holds to this day. It’s one of the few Poco songs that I would qualify as a potential “standard”. Throughout most of the first half of the song Rusty plays wonderful accompanying pedal steel. Richie plays the 12-string guitar solo in the middle and toward the end, and and his “go and you take me by the hand” vocal is one of the most impressive vocals he ever laid down. I didn’t know that Paul had already recorded “Bad Weather” with his previous band, Illinois Speed Press. That version is worth a listen too. One unique characteristic of From The Inside is that Richie was in a bad place emotionally due to problems in his marriage. As a result, he contributed three slow sad songs. “What Am I Going To Do” is the first, and I think it’s a beautiful country ballad. It’s probably the most traditional country song on the album. I could even hear Gram Parsons singing it. “You Are The One” returns to Richie’s upbeat style. With a few changes here and there, it could have been a more commercial song, not that I’d prefer that because it’s great just the way it is. Paul’s guitar is interesting throughout. It isn’t terribly noticeable, but he plays a lot of nice parts. The harmonies are as good as ever. On Paul’s awesome “Railroad Days” Poco truly rocks for the first time. It still has a country feel, but the emphasis on rock is exactly why Paul was chosen for the group. He plays a great guitar throughout, not to mention the song’s signature lick. “Railroad Days” has all of the elements of Poco’s sound through 1977. Starting side two is the simply wonderful “From The Inside”. How did Schmit become such a good writer all of a sudden? It’s only his second contribution to the group, but it’s a great one. Due to VH1, I already knew that Schmit was the guy in the Eagles who did “I Can’t Tell You Why”, so when I heard “From The Inside” the only surprise, aside from it’s quality, was that he already had that sound as early as 1971. Richie’s second down song is an old one dating back to Buffalo Springfield as well as Poco’s first album. However, in it’s resurrection here, the tempo was slowed considerably, to the point where the music reflected the desperate lyrical content. Paul contributes multiple guitar parts and they’re all interesting. Rusty brings back the Leslie-pedal steel guitar sound. I like it even though some think it’s dated. This new version is at least as good as the previous version. Listen to Richie really belt it out at around 3:40. It’s one of his most throat searing vocals. The long instrumental fade is a nice opportunity to stretch out a little. “Ol’ Forgiver” is Paul’s song about his dog. I think it’s the least of his three songs, but it’s still damn good. This kind of laid back and confident country music playing is something the other purveyors of country-rock never had. Richie’s last sad song is “What If I Should Say I Love You”. By any measure, it’s clearly one of the best songs he ever wrote. It was written in the shadow of his marriage problems. It features a great vocal, a wonderful melody, and great playing. Finishing up the album is Richie’s upbeat “Just For Me And You”. In an alternate universe, this would’ve been a hit. It’s catchy, melodic, has a great and easily memorable chorus. So what was the problem? Richie has pointed out that he believes Columbia didn’t push the song. Lack of exposure could have been the problem. On the other hand, for as good as it is, it doesn’t have the ridiculous obvious commercial appeal of The Eagles early songs for instance. It could be that “Just For Me And You” was simply too country, or lacked certain commercial touches that the dj’s wanted to hear. Or, perhaps it simply wasn’t serviced well. The way I see it, there isn’t a bad song on From The Inside. There isn’t even an average song on the album. It’s pure quality straight through. I understand the band’s displeasure with the production, but it’s still a very very good album. Unfortunately, it sold about as much as Poco’s first two albums, which was a setback after the more successful Deliverin’. 4.5 stars
