CoronaVinyl Day 448 (P): The Very Best of Poco by Poco

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "P," and I listened to Poco's 1975 Very Best Of compilation.

Poco is one of those bands better known for the groups its members founded or joined after leaving than for the music it made.  The band was founded in 1968 by former Buffalo Springfield guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, along with bassist Randy Meisner, multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, and drummer George Grantham.  During the recording of the band's first album, 1969's Pickin' Up the Pieces, Meisner left and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit.  Messina left the band in late 1970, to be replaced by Paul Cotton.  Of course, Meisner went on to be a founding member of The Eagles, and Messina went on to form Loggins & Messina with Kenny Loggins.  Schmit stayed in Poco until 1977, when he again replaced Meisner, this time in The Eagles.  

Poco is considered one of the pioneers of country rock, which makes sense, both given their Buffalo Springfield roots and their Eagles defections.  This album featured songs from the band's first seven albums.  As another reminder about how much more prolific bands were back in the day, yes, Poco released seven albums between 1969 and 1974.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I might, as I'm not the hugest Eagles fan.  This was definitely more of a bridge between Buffalo Springfield/Crosby Stills & Nash/Flying Burrito Brothers and the Eagles.  It's a combination of rock, county, folk, and, at times, bluegrass.

Poco would continue to regularly put out albums until the late '80s, and they had four Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1979 and 1989, three of which reached the Top 20.

The album isn't on Spotify, but someone made a playlist with nearly all of the songs on the album, so I posted that below.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "Fool's Gold"
This is a short (2:23) but punchy and energetic instrumental country jam.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "Another Time Around"
This one definitely reminds me of The Eagles, but one of their more countyish rockers.

Favorite Song on Side 3:  "C'Mon"
"C'Mon" is a peppy little toe tapper with some nice slide guitar.

Favorite Song on Side 4:  "A Right Along"
This one is almost southern rock, but just slightly too much on the southern side.  It's not far off from a Skynyrd song.