EVERMORE BLUES: POCO - THE FORGOTTEN TRAIL 1969

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

POCO - THE FORGOTTEN TRAIL 1969 - 1974

For a band which, quite frankly, released its share of duds over the years, this is a remarkably consistent compilation. Not strictly a hits collection (widespread commercial success came to Poco only years after the period covered here) or a rarities collection (though it does contain a generous portion of previously unreleased material), The Forgotten Trail is a best-of in the truest sense of the term. Most of the original albums from this era are worth picking up in their own right, but for new fans, this is a worthy cross section of them.

As the liner notes point out, Poco was so influential on more commercially successful bands like the Eagles (two of whom were ex-Poco members) that it's easy to forget how radical their country-rock approach was when they appeared on the scene in 1969. More than most country-rock bands - including the later and more popular Poco lineups - the original Poco leaned heavily on the country half of its genre. For that reason, this album might be offputting to fans of later country-rock at first, but repeated listenings will be rewarded. If you know these guys mostly from the later years, this is the best place to start when it comes to "how it was when it all began."

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