Search - Poco :: Legacy

A surprisingly successful reunion

Philip Bradshaw | toronto canada | 04/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I probably have too many records and cds. At least my wife Donna thinks so. By my calculations if I started listening to my first alphabetical record (Aha) and finished with the last cd (ZZ Top, naturally) and if I devoted eight hours a day I would be two years into the project before I arrived at Neil and the other Youngs! The collection continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace than in the past. I mention the foregoing in light of the fact that I have no recollection of either buying or ever listening to Poco's reunion album Legacy. Perhaps I was consumed by other matters immediately after the purchase. Perhaps I acquired other cds at the same time and perhaps one or two of these were so magnificent that I just never got around to playing the Poco cd. Who knows? Anyway, some twenty years after Legacy's release I decided to play my way through Poco's catalog and jot down my thoughts on each. I reached the end of the process and came across this cd.











The cd certainly starts of promisingly with Furay's When it all Began - a reflection on the band's beginnings ("Some called it country. Some called it rock and roll"). Nice song. Meisner's Nothin' to Hide is more Eagles than any song Poco ever recorded. Is this the direction Poco may have taken had he not left the group so early in its existence? Who Else is a pretty Rusty Young composition that would have fitted well on any Poco LP from the early 1970's. As I listened to the cd I anxiously awaited another Richie Furay tune. It arrived, finally, with the penultimate song, If It Wasn't For You. It is typically tuneful and made me wish there had been room for a couple more Furay contributions. I wasn't very struck with Messina's additions to the project until I reached the final song, Follow Your Dreams. It forms a neat autobiographical bookend to When It All Began.



Gathering together the original five members to record a new record twenty years after the band's formation was a great idea. Although Randy Meisner is credited as a player on Pickin' up the Pieces he was no longer a band member when the LP was released. Jim Messina, now known as Jimmy, left soon thereafter. When George Grantham and Richie Furay departed only Rusty Young remained of the founding quintet. For much of the band's career Poco was as much Paul Cotton as anyone else. Thus a return to 1969 was an interesting move. During the band's heyday (1969-1980) Poco was content to make good sounding, easy listening, stress free music. Nothing has changed here. The cd is, for the most part, very enjoyable. However, for I cannot view Legacy as a Poco album. It comes across more as a series of individual's song each backed up by the members of a band once known as Poco. This is an observation and not a criticism. I liked the cd and notwithstanding the thousands of LPs and cds in my basement I will find the time to play Legacy again. Now I must go to Amazon.com and hunt down some Richie Furay solo cds. Please don't tell my wife!

"

Excellent album

Lone Wolf | Michigan | 12/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've always been a fan of country rock music. Especially when it's done well. Country rock groups like - The Eagles & Restless Heart have created some of the most memorable songs & greatest harmonies ever captured on tape & then went on to major commercial success. Then there's Poco. They never quite reached the level of success that their peers did but their music was still just as timeless & well written & they are regarded by many as one of the best groups out there.



"Legacy" which was released in 1989 & is their 19th album, is excellent from beginning to end & it reunited the five original members of the group - Jim Messina, Richie Furay, Rusty Young, Randy Meisner & George Grantham. It also contained two top-40 singles, "Call It Love" and the Richard Marx penned - "Nothing to Hide." Both are great songs & among Poco's very best. The rest of the setlist is also quite strong. One of the highlights is the leadoff track - "When It All Began" which is very catchy and features the group's excellent trademark harmony vocals as well as great banjo & guitar. It could've easily been a single. Another great mid-tempo number that could've been a hit single is the sexy "Who Else" which was sung & written by Rusty Young. Then there's some very pretty ballads like "Follow Your Dreams" & "Look Within" which were both written & sung by Jim Messina and the sensual "If It Wasn't for You" which was penned by Richie Furay. I also really enjoyed the harder rocking songs like "The Nature of Love" & "Lovin' You Every Minute" which has a great beat to it & is one of the best driving down the road fast songs i've ever heard.



All in all, you can't go wrong with this album cuz it's a joy from beginning to end & one of the groups very best.





"

Solid collection

G. Schmitt | Norcal USA | 02/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great collection of one of the earliest country rock great bands. The Eagles have made the big bucks, but the roots of this band are the real beginnings along with the Springfield ,Early Byrds, and of course, Gram Parsons."