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Producers: Mike Clute, Rusty Young A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Johnny Norris New albums from bands that have their origins in the Sixties tend to be pale reflections of past glories. One of the most recent examples was CSN&Y's much-anticipated Looking Forward album—it basically served to answer the question "What do these guys have to say these days?" But once my curiosity was satisfied, I found that there just wasn't enough really top-notch, memorable material to keep me coming back for repeated listenings.
 Poco is Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, George Grantham & Jack Sundrud. Thankfully, seminal country-rock band Poco has survived 33 years of bumps and bruises with its music not only intact but better than ever. Since its rise from the ashes of the legendary Buffalo Springfield in 1968, the band has put out 18 different albums, weathered a dizzying array of personnel changes, and played their butts off to one appreciative crowd after another, night after night after night. In the process they've influenced countless artists who have tried to blend elements of rock and country—everyone from the Eagles to the Dixie Chicks. (The Eagles' original bassist, Randy Meisner, was an integral part of the earliest Poco lineup. And when Randy left the Eagles in '77, they recruited Timothy B. Schmit, who until then had been Meisner's replacement in Poco!) They've been particularly important as the country music community has gradually embraced rock—a musical form to which it was aesthetically and culturally opposed when Poco's debut album, Pickin' Up The Pieces, was released in 1969. This was a big reason why Pickin' Up The Pieces didn't achieve greater commercial success—a problem that has plagued Poco throughout its career. These days rock is such an integral component of the current Nashville sound that it's hard for today's listeners to imagine how "murderously polarized" (as William Ruhlmann puts it) country and rock audiences once were. By the time the country boom of the 90s hit, time and changes had eradicated this polarization, and Brooks & Dunn could cover B.W. Stevenson's 1973 rock hit "My Maria" and take it to the top of the country charts without anyone so much as batting an eye. And by that time Poco had four hit singles —"Crazy Love" and "Heart Of The Night" in 1979, and "Call It Love" and "Nothin' To Hide" ten years later. All sorts of country bands have borrowed from them over the years. For example, Alabama's early device of shifting from a two-step into a shitkicker (which they used—some would say overused—on "My Home's In Alabama," "Mountain Music," "Dixieland Delight" and "If You're Gonna Play In Texas") came right from Poco's 1974 album-opener "Sagebrush Serenade." Having been this influential, Poco doesn't need to chase after current trends in either country or rock. Why try to play catch-up with so many people who you originally inspired in the first place? Yet ironically, Running Horse is one of their most accessible albums. And it surely demonstrates why they've had so much influence. All the stylistic adventurousness, the congeniality, the musicianship and the singing talent of their early days hasn't faded —and it has been buttressed by a noticeable growth and development in their songwriting and arranging skills. Running Horse is surely one of Poco's most consistent albums—eleven strong songs, not a stinker in the bunch. A number of Poco albums have been criticized for being fairly patchy in terms of material, and it seems as if the band was determined this time around that no one would be able to slag them for that. "One Tear At A Time" kicks off the album on a somber, wistful note—it almost serves as a prologue or intro. Probably the oldest tune here, "One Tear" is a remake (and a slight rewrite) of a song that appears on the unreleased Four Wheel Drive album, recorded by Rusty, Bill Lloyd, John Cowan and Patrick Simmons in the early 90s. The only criticism I have is that the bridge should have led into a guitar solo instead of back into another chorus. Paul's lead playing is so good throughout the album that you just hunger for more of it. "Every Time I Hear That Train" is where Running Horse really gets down to business. A robust, energetic travelogue (I suspect it's about the tropical isle of Curacao), it clips right along, anchored by Paul's inspired guitar licks and founding member George Grantham's loose-limbed, inventive drumming. In fact, his drumming on the entire album is first-rate, and it's great to hear him again—he hasn't played drums on a Poco album since 1977's Indian Summer. He has improved with time—you have to hear him playing and singing live to really appreciate what an asset he is to this band. And whoever had the idea to have the backup vocals echo Paul's lead voice at the end of every chorus should be congratulated—it works beautifully. "If Your Heart Needs A Hand" is a change of pace for Rusty, who usually writes extremely bright melodies ("Nothing Less Than Love," "I Could Get Used To This," "I Must Be Doing Something Right"). This one is a smoky, moody piece in a minor key. This time the arrangement is spot-on—the bridge does lead into a solo. The playing, with Paul on lead guitar and Rusty on lap steel, is inspired and enhances the song's mood perfectly. I love how you can hear Paul clearly on the "need a hand, need a hand" background vocals toward the end. This album is the result of a true creative collaboration—a real band rather than an uneasy alliance of songwriters. "Never Loved, Never Hurt Like This" introduces a voice that hasn't been heard on a Poco record before now —bassist/vocalist Jack Sundrud, who first joined the band 18 years ago and whose former act Great Plains scored a country hit in the early 90s with "A Picture Of You." If you're not familiar with Great Plains, hearing Jack's voice for the first time in this context might give you the impression that he's a Don Henley wannabe. Although there's a superficial similarity in their voices, Jack's writing distances him from this rather than trying to capitalize on it. "Never Loved" is a smooth, relaxed heartbreaker that uses the classic AABA structure. His singing is a masterpiece of understated beauty. Listen to how he ends the first two verses on the third, then on the last verse executes a graceful vocal turn that lands him on the tonic for the final note. Rusty plays a luminous obligato on mandolin, and Paul contributes an impeccably tasteful solo. "Forever" sounds on its first few listenings as if Rusty was trying to write his own remake of "Call It Love"—the instrumental groove bears a slight resemblance. But as the melody and lyrics sink in, it becomes apparent that "Forever" is a more tightly-structured piece of material than "Call It Love," with better lyrics. It's a bouncy, breezy love song highlighted by a soaring lap steel solo from Rusty and velvety backup vocals from Jack and George. "Never Get Enough" brings Jack to the forefront again, this time with a high-spirited romp anchored by a muscular guitar hook. Of Jack's three tunes, this is the one that sounds most like Great Plains. He co-wrote it with Nashville tunesmith Craig Bickhardt (who was once one-third of the country act SKB along with Thom Schuyler and Fred Knobloch). "Never Get Enough" wouldn't sound out of place on country radio—that is, if country radio were bold enough to play anything that included the kind of wild wah-wah lap steel that Rusty plays here. There's also a humorous break featuring only the rhythm section, in which Jack and George almost sound like they're playing a Civil War march. The enthusiasm and sense of enjoyment that permeates this whole album is one of the most welcome things about Running Horse—this is one act that definitely does not sound tired or jaded. The whole disc plays through without the obsessive self-importance that has characterized every Eagles release since Hotel California. If you've ever wondered what the Eagles' music might sound like if they'd loosen up and let it breathe, wonder no more—Running Horse is the definitive answer to that question. "If You Can't Stand To Lose" is a 6/8 ballad that almost sounds like it could have been written for Randy Meisner to sing—like the Richard Marx-penned hit from the Legacy album, "Nothin' To Hide." But unlike that song, "If You Can't Stand To Lose" is simpler in structure, more understandable in its subject matter and less pretentious in its general stance. Co-writer John Cowan (one of Rusty's ex-Sky Kings bandmates) contributes high harmonies with George, while Rusty plays acoustic guitar, sings in his best "wispy" vocal style and adds some tasty single-note pedal steel similar to what he did on "Heart Of The Night." Paul's second contribution, "I Can Only Imagine," is a rough-hewn love song that finds him fronting a guitar army that includes Rusty and power-pop king Bill Lloyd (Rusty's other ex-Sky Kings bandmate). Like "Every Time I Hear That Train," the structure is fully realized and the tune is strong and memorable. Some of the melodies on Paul's recent solo album Firebird were somewhat arid, but that simply can't be said about any of Paul's songs here—all the melodies are first-rate. The background vocals provide a delightful counterpoint to Paul's lead voice, just as they do on "Every Time." Jack's steamy "Shake It" could be pegged as the "least Poco-sounding" song on the album—but then, Poco has never been shy about occasionally departing from their signature sound (indeed, they once did it for an entire album, the 80s-era Inamorata). "Shake It" is the kind of song that could have easily been arranged as a fast rocker, but instead they've done something more imaginative—they've given it an exotic, almost Dire-Straits-like feel, highlighted by George's oddball, around-the-beat rhythmic groove, and it works spectacularly. Rusty inserts one of his characteristically witty quotes near the end of his fiery lap steel solo. "That's What Love Is All About" was co-written by Rusty and Pure Prairie League founder Craig Fuller. It's another romantic rumination like "Forever" and "If You Can't Stand To Lose," and just as strong a piece of material. By this time in the album's running order, some listeners might feel that this song amounts to one too many earnest love songs—even though this type of material has been a constant in the Poco catalog, dating all the way back to the days of Richie Furay. Rusty has always been an adventurous pedal steel player, but his work on this cut consists of the "sweetening" favored by more traditional steel guitarists like Buddy Emmons. The album's closer, "Running Horse," is a sonic jewel. Paul Cotton has written a heartfelt tribute not only to the band itself, but also to the unforgettable "red-eyed stallion" artwork by the late, great Phil Hartmann that has graced a number of Poco albums since it first appeared on the cover of Legend in 1978. Listen to Paul's rugged sustain, then listen to Rusty's gorgeous steel playing, and you can't help but recall the thick, dense texture of their classic 1972 album A Good Feelin' To Know. Poco's trademark high harmonies grace the wonderful, wordless middle section. It's a song heavy with memories, but also full of determination to press on into the future, powered by faith in the worthiness of Poco's career. "Running Horse" makes it clear that this band is an ongoing piece of rock 'n roll history, a treasure of American music. Long may they run. Related Links: For more information on POCO and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links (Photo: Toni Vincent Fisher) -- Poco Official Site
 (Originally Published on November 23, 2002) |
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