Poco

Crazy Eyes

The end of the "original" group -- but what an end

Review Score:

(10/10)
Meet Poco -- perhaps the most underappreciated band ever -- at the end of their first life.

The original Poco recorded exactly one album together before bassist Randy Meisner quit. He was replaced by Timothy B. Schmidt, and the band recorded two more albums, charting a couple of songs, before lead guitarist Jim Messina quit. Both Meisner (with the Eagles) and Messina (with Loggins & Messina) became huge stars. Poco, meanwhile, added Paul Cotton and struggled with its fourth album.

Then, in a stroke of genius, Poco was paired with the Canadian producer Jack Richardson (who produced everything from the Guess Who to Alice Cooper to Bob Seger's "Night Moves"). The result was a brilliant song and album, both titled "A Good Feelin' to Know," that everyone from Poco leader Richie Furay to CBS Records chairman Clive Davis thought would be monster hits. But both unexpectedly flopped, stunning the band and the label. Then Richie's long-time friend and country-folk-rock pioneer Gram Parsons died.

In that depressed state, Poco and Richardson recorded one of the true masterpieces of the 1970s, the album "Crazy Eyes." The haunting title track (about Gram Parsons), one of Richie's only two compositions on the CD, is still -- 30 years later -- an epic mixture of band (featuring dobro, banjo and electric guitar) and orchestra, while Richie's vocals cover enough range to remind everyone why HE was the lead singer in a band with Neil Young and Stephen Stills as members. Richie also contributes vocals on Gram's "Brass Buttons" and gives the song a rendition equal to Gram's best. Meanwhile, Paul Cotton's strong vocals highlight another lengthy and melancholy cover tune, J.J. Cale's masterful "Magnolia," and future Eagle Timothy B. Schmidt performs his own ballad, "Here We Go Again" -- making this Poco's most reflective album ever.

Mixed in with the slower tunes are more typical Poco offerings for balance. Paul Cotton contributes the ecological "Blue Water" (the only song on the album that seems dated) and the side 1 closer (on the LP, that is) "A Right Along." Multi-talented Rusty Young's instrumental "Fool's Gold" is perhaps the strongest of his many "hoedowns," and Richie's "Let's Dance Tonight" starts off slowly (which makes sense, as it follows the 15-plus-minutes of "Crazy Eyes" and "Magnolia") but then brings the album to a rousing close.

Although it's only occasionally given its due, "Crazy Eyes" is one of the all-time classic albums of country-folk-rock. When the album was finished, Richie left the group, and Poco (Version 2)'s long journey through obscurity continued for six more albums before it finally had a breakthrough hit. What an unfortunate time for Richie to give up ... but at least he helped give us "Crazy Eyes" first.

Side note: in addition to the songs on the CD, Richie wrote and recorded "Believe Me," his best-known song from the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, for this record. It (and several other good songs) had to be omitted because CBS wasn't willing to give Poco a double album after the flop of "A Good Feelin' to Know." Poco's version can be found on the marvelous anthology "The Forgotten Trail (1969-1974)."

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