Artist: Poco
Album: Bareback at Big Sky
Label: Drifter's Church Productions
Release Date: 20 Sep 2005
Web: www.poconut.com
Poco is a crucial band of the California country-rock movement. Although they have never reached the stratospheric success of say, The Eagles, Poco has been creating albums and playing live for almost four decades to a devoted legion of fans.
After Buffalo Springfield disintegrated in 1968, Neil Young & Stephen Stills went onto Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jim Messina and Richie Furay founded Poco. Other founding members included Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner. Meisner later went on to play with the Eagles and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit who also eventually went on to play with the Eagles. Rusty Young and Paul Cotton have been the fuel that's kept the band moving forward over the years. The newest members of Poco include Jack Sundrud (bass guitar) and George Lawrence (drums) who provide the foundation to Bareback at Big Sky. George Lawrence took over the drumming duties because George Grantham is still recovering from a stroke. The band is helping collect funds for his medical expenses here.
Poco is best known for their soft-rock AM radio hits "Crazy Love" and "Heart of the Night". However, it's their less known songs that are true country-rock gems not to be missed. The latest effort by these old-timers has easily become my favorite Poco album of all time. They have taken great care to strip-down and re-tool their songs. The resulting 1.2 hours of music on this acoustic-heavy disc is cohesive, warm and intimate.
Bareback At Big Sky was recorded live at the Goodwin Ranch, which is about a 10 minute drive from downtown Bozeman, Montana. Poco hung around this rustic lodge in big sky country for a week or so and worked out new songs and remade old ones. They recorded them live onsite in front of a local studio audience. The relaxed and optimistic vibe is captured perfectly. Incredibly, this is Poco's first ever live acoustic album. The acoustic guitars, mandolins, steel-pedal, three part harmony and precision rhythm section set a solid foundation for the laid-back melodies. Fan favorites like "Barbados" had never been done "unplugged" before now. Why they waited over 35 years to do it is beyond me. The whole album has a mature, refined and rustic quality that highlights the great band that Poco is.
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