Poco versus Eagles: 'To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven'*

*Title quote taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1, also familiar from the Byrds song ‘Turn, Turn,Turn’, written by Pete Seeger. Richie Furay got together with Chris Hillman from the Byrds and J. D. Souther to form the imaginatively named Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Well, it worked for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Early days

So, this blog is really about why the Eagles made it and Poco didn’t.It's pure speculation of course.

‘What’s in a name?’

Well, Shakespeare thought nothing but I’m so glad that they changed the name from Pogo. Who could have taken them seriously? Poco was really a complete accident name-wise but you know, to the uninitiated, it could mean anything, peace in Arapahoe, for instance, river in Sioux. It has connotations of depth. I don't think there’s much to choose between the names Eagles and Poco though.

Could they look any more louche?

Genre-bending

Don Henley:

Even now the Eagles are thought of as a country-rock band. The music industry and the media saddled us with that label at the very beginning, and, no matter how diverse our musical palate, it has been impossible to shake that stereotype. At the end of the day, we’re an American band. We’re a musical mutt with influences from every genre of American popular music. It’s all in there.

[‘Saddled with’ seems like an apt term when we consider the cowboy-themed Desperado but the implication is that this is something you would want to avoid but I don't believe Poco ever felt the need to disassociate themselves from this category and I’m with them – in the 70s, surely it was the best thing to be? Or perhaps it shows foresight on Don’s part that he realised they had to transcend this label to achieve world domination.]

Despite this quote, it isn’t really true. The Eagles have crossed over. And everyone knows it. They straddle a number of genres, like musical giants. In doing this successfully, they also attract criticism from purists along with accusations of selling out. As if to sell records and to sell out were synonymous. Poco never sold out but neither did they ever sell as well as the Eagles.

So how did this band of talented musicians and songwriters, with a great pedigree, proven track record, manage to escape fame and fortune in the 70s? How did they do that usually quintessentially English thing – snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

They could!

Naked ambition

We know that the Eagles had this in spades along with tons of confidence.

David Geffen:

The Eagles weren’t going to fail. It was a group that was put together with clear intentions.

Glenn Frey:

This was our best shot. Everyone had to look good, sing good, play good and write good. We wanted it all. Peer respect. AM and FM success. Number one singles and albums, great music and a lot of money.

Bernie Leadon:

We had lofty goals …Here we are, you want us or not?

They sound so single-minded. Then again, it might have been mere bravado. Glenn Frey:

There was a certain intensity … perhaps a lot of it was bluff.

But I’m sure Poco were also driven, just more carefully. Timothy B. Schmit:

But I had a vision – I just wanted to write songs and travel and be on stage.  I wanted that adoration from being a musician.

Maybe Poco were too much of their time, too laidback and easy-going. No doubt they had ambition but it wasn’t the vaunting hubris that launches careers (for instance, a band who call themselves America – that’s a bold statement). They probably thought they could leave all that behind with Stills and Young. But they fit perfectly into the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter culture. Folk/country rock was up and coming, the latest rage. It was surely the right time and place for them.

Bitter Blue

Perhaps they didn’t rate themselves highly or take themselves seriously enough. Perhaps they looked like they were having too good a time, that nothing more was needed. The template in a way for the early Eagles, a vocal harmony group (the essence that the Eagles wanted to recapture when they reformed in 1994), as mentioned in my first Poco blog, they watched that band soar (forgive the pun) into the stratosphere while they languished on the ground, performing, releasing records, garnering admirers but never really ‘making it’.

They’re like a diamond in the rough. If you polish it, you gain something but you also lose something: the spontaneity, the freshness. I still love Eagles harmonies and loved it when they sang No More Walks in the Wood on the Long Road out of Eden tour but it was almost too perfect, too pristine.

Why did the people who walked away – Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Randy Meisner, Timothy B. Schmit – go on to greater things? It surely wasn't just talent.

Irving Azoff

The Eagles of course had a ruthless, devoted and feisty manager in Irving Azoff. They were his cause and he never lost sight of the big picture. Loyal to them above all. My favourite quote from the Hotel California book is from J. D. Souther:

Irving’s 15% of everybody turned out to be worth more than everyone’s 85% of themselves.

But did he really alter the course of their history? And I don’t want to suggest that Poco’s management was less effective although someone on the Border has just reminded me that Poco's management turned down an offer to play Woodstock - possibly not the greatest decision. As with everything though, it’s probably a combination of all of the above.
 

Wow! Joe looks gorgeous

Then there’s Joe Walsh. He attracted a whole raft of rock fans (and still does) and although I think he’s a crazy and entertaining character with a great sense of humour, the well-brought-up, un-rock-and-roll side of me doesn’t approve of all those destructive rampages. I just don’t see the point and can't help but feel sorry for the people who had to clean up after him. He brings rock credibility, at no. 54 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. And his onstage guitar duels with Don Felder were something else.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven

I tend to believe this is simply serendipity rather than strictly meritorious. Even given that taste is subjective, we all know bands/singers whose work has never received the recognition it deserves while lesser talents are lauded (not that I’m in any way implying the Eagles were lesser talents). People seem to like what they hear most often and these days that tends to be rap, hip-hop and fey, affected girl singers. See my first ever music blog for my thoughts on this.

Path less travelled

Poco followed the country route, unlike the Eagles, who made a transition, became a bonafide country-rock hybrid and didn’t lose anything, only seemed to gain. It was no accident that  Bernie Leadon fell by the wayside. He wanted to stay closer to their country roots. Poco have stayed more grounded in this way. They appear in the Country Music Hall of Fame (with their own exhibit) rather than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But, even if we accept that the Eagles’ huge success was down to their ability to cross the divide, it doesn’t explain the popularity of tracks from early in their career, such as Peaceful Easy Feeling, Witchy Woman and Take It Easy, a time when they were more country-orientated. These all made the Top 40.

Rose of Cimarron

'I write the songs' 

Rusty Young highlights the importance of being able to write songs in this entertaining interview. David Geffen, speaking to Rusty, after convincing Richie Furay to leave Poco: 

You don’t write and you don’t sing.  You’re in big trouble.

Rusty Young:

That’s the day I became a songwriter.  Whether he knew it or not, David Geffen gave me the best advice I have ever heard.

There’s been much discussion on the Poconut forum lately about which band has the best writers and I have to admit to 'Sitting on a Fence’. I can see that Henley’s lyrics chimed with the Zeitgeist in a way that Poco’s didn’t (while prefiguring its eventual disillusion/dissolution - Henley's always been prescient that way) and that, at the same time, they were incredibly evocative and alluring to people who were only aware of the 70s, the Californian scene, after the fact and from a great distance. The Eagles became a soundtrack to the era. I love both Frey and Henley’s songs (and the contributions of Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, Jack Tempchin and Jackson Browne) equally. But Poco had as many talented writers as the Eagles, with Richie Furay, Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, Timothy B. Schmit, Jim Messina all writing. They just couldn’t seem to translate critical acclaim into commercial success. This simple fact led to a series of line-up changes as members became disenchanted or were poached by record companies, but Poco still endured, with the core altering a little each time.

In my last blog, I mentioned a few Poco songs that I think are on a par with Eagles songs but there are more: Furay’s What If I Should Say I Love You (the passion and fervour bring tears to my eyes every time); Schmit’s Find Out in Time; Cotton’s Angel; Young’s magical Spellbound.

And I’m only a newcomer to Poco whereas I know Eagles albums like the back of my hand. I’m probably only scraping the surface of their material. All taste is subjective so I’m certain there are plenty of Poconuts who would choose completely different tracks to these or those in my last blog.

But perhaps they were mere featherweights in a heavyweight field. Their gossamer-fine songs lacked the punch of the best of the Eagles material.

Exposure
I suspect though that radio play was a significant factor. I can't speak for the States but in the UK, it was hard not to hear the Eagles, whereas you would only ever hear Rose of Cimarron by Poco. It’s not that their songs did not resonate as strongly, more that they never reached the same market and never got a chance to become standards in the way of Desperado or New Kid in Town. It might be a question of how they were promoted or how they were perceived.

Go, Don!

It's all about sex, really (to quote my former English Lit teacher)

But I think what really did it, what made the difference, is something I can actually trace in my own experience. One of These Nights was simply the sexiest thing I’d ever heard on late-night radio and the first time I heard the Eagles. Its intro sent a thrill through me. Rose of Cimarron I believed pleasant but unmemorable although my first Schmitten blog confirms it had entered my consciousness and I did remember it years later.

Don Felder came up with the opening bass line of One of These Nights (and let's not forget his other vital contribution: Hotel California). Don Henley:

With Don Felder, we can really rock. He's made us nastier and he's done a great guitar solo on One of These Nights.

The very act of listening to One of These Nights (and Witchy Woman which has the same ‘satanic country-rock’ vibe) seemed illicit and exhilarating (well, I did live in Sidcup and we got real excited about a chicken the other day – it was a magnificent chicken though). You felt complicit in a crime.

Languid, mysterious

Glenn and Don, in particular, Glenn, let’s face it, the cascading hair, the droopy moustache, those molten blue (I admit I always thought they were brown), come-to-bed eyes, looked and sounded dangerous. Poco seemed like safe, down-home country boys nextdoor, the Eagles like bad boys from the wrong side of the tracks. But I can't even say this had anything to do with looks because I'd never seen young Timothy B. Schmit.  Then there were those straightforward lyrics ‘I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight’ (Peaceful Easy Feeling) or ‘It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me’ which leads to ‘Open up, I’m climbing in’, so compelling, direct and honest.

Of course, the Eagles played up the outlaw image with the Desperado album but we were already convinced. More West Coast than Wild West, it was all the same to those of us in the London suburbs. Something out in the Wild Blue Yonder.

Anyway, these are just a few of my thoughts. Be interested to hear what any readers think.

Now, if I'd seen this ...

Thanks to http://www.timothybschmitonline.com,

http://eaglesonlinecentral.com, http://www.poconut.org/ and Wikipedia.

Adventures in the Kinkdom

Here’s a brief précis of my Kinks blogs so far.

I become enchanted

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/birth-of-obsession-kinks.html

and bewitched

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/kinks-progress-of-obsession-part-ii.html

Dave Davies Satsang Experience

First time around

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/dave-davies-breaks-my-heart-again.html

Setlist and band members

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/dave-davies-satsang-weekend-setlist.html

You Only Live Twice

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/dave-davies-satsang-ii-april-2012-you.html

Muswell Hillbillies, Kinks locales

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/this-is-my-street-and-im-never-gonna.html

X-Raying X-Ray

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/x-raying-x-ray-by-ray-davies-part-one.html

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/x-raying-x-ray-by-ray-davies-part-two.html

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/x-raying-x-ray-part-3-lost-between.html

Uncovering Kink

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/reflections-on-kink-by-dave-davies.html

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/dave-davies-kink-man-behaving-badly.html

Kink vs X-Ray

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/brothers-beyond-kink-dave-daviesx-ray.html

Movie Stars

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/who-should-play-ray-and-dave-davies-in.html

Village Green

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/village-green-preservation-society.html

Come Dancing

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/come-dancing-with-ray-davies-2012.html

Ray Davies Live

At Canterbury

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/ray-davies-canterbury-tale.html

At the Hop Farm

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/ray-davies-rocks-hop-farm-festival-2012.html

On tour with Ray

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/ray-davies-its-really-been-quite-trip.html

Dave Davies Guitar Hero

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/dave-davies-unsung-guitar-hero.html

Dave Davies & George Harrison Paralle1 Lives 1

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/dave-davies-and-george-harrison.html

Dave Davies & George Harrison Paralle1 Lives 2

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/dave-davies-and-george-harrison.html

Dave Davies: Flowers in the Rain
http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/flowers-in-rain-dave-davies.html

Ray Davies at the BBC

http://sshh-sshh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/ray-davies-mastertapes-bbc-maida-vale.html

Bashful Badger also summarised her Kinks blogs so far in a digest.

'Some called it country, some called it rock and roll': Poco and Timothy B. Schmit

Refreshingly casual

Links in song titles as usual. Tenuous Kinks connection is their country album, the brilliant Muswell Hillbillies. Here's a taster complete with Ray's customary pop at Dave.

When It All Began

I remember the feeling, not so long ago/The kids came dancin', their hearts were romancin'/And the music was live Poco/Some called it country, some called it rock and roll/But whatever the sound, it was sure to be found/With a heart, rhythm and soul

So, through the Eagles and Timothy B. Schmit, I finally get to Poco. What an amazing band. I said before that I thought they were a prototype for early Eagles. They were like outriders, checking out the territory, pioneers. Of course they were part of a bigger movement, a general progression that was taking place in California in the late 60s and early 70s and rose from the ashes of Buffalo Springfield (also forerunners) in 1968, with Richie Furay, Jim Messina and Rusty Young recruiting George Grantham and Randy Meisner. Having just read Hotel California by Barney Hoskyns, I can understand why their first album was called Pickin' up the Pieces. That’s what Stills and Young always seemed to leave in their wake. Pieces.

Particularly winsome: Randy Meisner

I had no idea that Randy Meisner was asked to leave the band. I had assumed (as a new fan) that he was poached by the Eagles but now I see that the timeframe for that would not work. Can't believe they took his picture off the sleeve and had George Grantham redo all his lead vocals. Goes to show that all bands have their spats. What’s astonishing is, if Randy was willing to upset the applecart with Poco, how did he last as long as he did with the surely less easy-going Glenn and Don?

Here’s an extract from an interview with Rusty Young about that era:

It was a great time to be there. The music scene wasn’t what it is today.  It was before MTV and all this other kind of stuff. It was a real local happening there in Los Angeles. Eras were changing. The Troubadour was the hub of it all.  We were like the house band at the Troubadour once we got our band together. Everybody hung out there, from Ricky Nelson to J. D. Souther, Jackson Browne, Waylon Jennings … any night there would be interesting people there.

The Troubador, LA

And here’s TBS on Richie Furay:

Richie is a dear friend of mine, still is to this day. He taught me a lot. I came to Los Angeles when I was still 21 I think, I turned 22 as I was working in that band. I was very young, and he really kind of showed me a whole new level of singing and being on stage. He really had a lot of faith and trust in my ability, which was really wonderful for me. I ended up doing Poco between 1969 and 1977, that’s how long I was in Poco. I was involved in about thirteen albums.

This is typical Timothy – grounded, modest, unassuming, always ready to give credit to others – it’s no wonder he keeps all his friends.

And Poco were pretty central to the whole vibe according to Domenic Priore as quoted in Hotel California:

The Eagles will tell you that the Dillard & Clark shows were like fucking revival meetings … Pogo and Dillard & Clark and Linda Ronstadt were really the seminal events.

Yes. That's when they were still called Pogo. I can imagine that at that time, they would have seemed like the band most likely to make it even though in 1969, David Geffen decided to swap them with Clive Davis for David Crosby.

The biggest hit

As a latecomer to the band, it’s hard for me to catch up with all the albums and changes in line-up. It’s probably best if I don’t try for the moment. I’ve experienced this before, discovering Husker Du by way of Nirvana, so seven years after the former had broken up. If you don’t grow up with a band, you have an entirely different perspective on them than if you watch them progress alongside you. For instance, I’m exploring Poco songs on YouTube but usually there’s little extraneous detail so when I heard Crazy Love (amazing song and as I understand it, their biggest hit and ranked by Billboard as the no.1 Adult Contemporary hit of 1979). I thought that it was TBS singing, not realising that this was after he’d left and it was Rusty Young. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean – they sound like something TBS would write and their voices aren't unalike.

Tonight I'm gonna break away/Just you wait and see/I've never been imprisoned by/A faded memory/Just when I think I'm over her/This broken heart will mend/I hear her name and I have to cry/The tears come down again

I’ll concentrate more on TBS’s contribution to Poco although I love many Poco songs written and sung by other members. He arrived with the second album, Poco. [Other core members have included: George Grantham, Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, Paul Cotton.]

They're trying not to laugh

I can't find where I saw this but I know Justin Hayward, when asked which band he would have liked to be in if he hadn’t been in the Moody Blues, said Poco. Strange, you wouldn’t think they moved in the same circles or that country rock would appeal to him. I get the idea that Poco were a musicians’ band, that other musicians recognised their integrity and ability and wanted to be part of it.Be interesting to know who else had auditioned to be in Poco (apart from Gregg Allman who Rusty mentions in his interview).

As you can see from early Poco clips on YouTube (and there aren’t many), they were characterised by a joie de vivre that all band members seemed to share, what seems to be a simple love of playing, unfettered enthusiasm. Naturally some of these performances would have been mimed but their unselfconscious enjoyment shows.

So, first, my take on some beautiful Poco tracks.

1 Just for Me and You (written by Richie Furay, lead vocal by Richie Furay)

Album: From the Inside

All of them are buzzing with energy. TBS and Paul Cotton seem to have borrowed some of John Denver’s shirts. The melody is all girl-nextdoor prettiness – wholesome and bubbly. When Timothy’s vocals come in, the song gains another dimension. He’s so into it, so vehement.

Wish that I could come/With the mornin' sun/Shinin' through your window/I could be the one/To open up your day/Ooh, words can't begin to say/Feelings that are hidden in/In such a special way/And they're just for me and you.

J. J. Cale (RIP)

2 Magnolia (written by J. J. Cale, lead vocal by Paul Cotton)

Album: Crazy Eyes (the title track was about Gram Parsons)

I can't even begin to describe the passion and soul in this cover version. How does all the guitar playing manage to sound completely uninhibited and yet masterfully controlled?  They let it go just so far and pull it back. Go, Rusty! Chills of pleasure each time I hear it. Simply awe-inspiring.

Whippoorwill's singing/Soft summer breeze/Makes me think of my baby/I left down in New Orleans/I left down in New Orleans/Magnolia, you sweet thing/You're driving me mad/Got to get back to you, babe/You're the best I ever had/You're the best I ever had 

3 Faith in the Families (written by Paul Cotton, lead vocal by Paul Cotton)

Album: Seven

Sounds very America(the band)-esque, West Coast, beautiful tune, lovely piano, marvellous harmonies, full of hope.

Taking the dream how we ran/In the rage of another plan/Heading for the mountain wall/Where it all began to fall/When we heard the wind call/Take your homes in the sun/There ain't no need to run/You've been here, you've been there/You've been everywhere/And the time has come to really care

Timothy B. Schmit

4 Bitter Blue (written by Timothy B. Schmit, lead vocal by Timothy B. Schmit)

Album: Cantamos (‘we sing’ in Spanish – and they weren’t kidding)

The intro and the backing guitars so tentative and tender throughout the contemplative verse building up to the muted anguish of the chorus. Timothy as melancholy minstrel. These women keep doing him wrong. How can he understand the mysterious creatures?

There’s a fantastic, impassioned middle eight too. Have you noticed that these often come quite near the end of songs rather than the middle? Or is it only me?

I keep on calling out your name/I look outside and find the rain/If I only had an idea what to do

5 Keep On Tryin’ (written by Timothy B. Schmit, lead vocal by Timothy B. Schmit)

Album: Head over Heels

Already talked about this in Schmitten. Two and three-quarter minutes of perfection. In the chicken video as I call it (you’ll see why), they all look so casual and confident and their vocals are as pristine as Glenn recalls: a veritable celestial choir.

And I feel so satisfied when/I can see you smile/I want to confide in/All that is true/So I'll keep on tryin'/I'm through with lyin'/Just like the sun above/I'll come shinin' through

Paul Cotton

6 Rose of Cimarron (written by Rusty Young, lead vocal by Paul Cotton)

Album: Rose of Cimarron

Discussed this in Part One and Part Two of my Schmitten blog. Yeah, when am I going to shut up?

In the linked complete version,  you can see TBS shyly smiling – he can't seem to stop himself.

Rusty Young says:

Rose of Cimarron is a song I wrote after I picked up a brochure while [Poco] were on tour in Oklahoma in 1973. It told a story of a woman who took in outlaws in the 1800s. She fed them, mended their wounds and sent them on their way. Or so they say. ... [W]hen I played Rose for the band, everyone wanted to make it a Poco record.

Rusty Young

I love the counterpoint of their voices, Tim’s high harmonies, the grandiose, orchestral-sounding ending and eventual diminuendo.

Hearts like yours belong/Following the dawn/Wrapped up in a song/Rose of Cimarron

Criminal that it only reached no. 94 in the singles chart in August 1976. Why on earth wasn’t it a huge hit? I don't know whether Emmylou Harris’s cover version fared any better. Here's a truncated version in which TBS looks particularly callow, earnest and appealing, in another freebie T-shirt.

When did he alter his style, graduate from freebie T-shirts to the obligatory waistcoats, worn over a loose shirt, three sizes too big for him? 1992?

7 Starin’ at the Sky (written by Timothy B. Schmit and John "Juke" Logan, lead vocal by Timothy B. Schmit)

Album: Rose of Cimarron

More delectable guitar parts. A bright, sunny, stirring sound full of youth and promise.

I've come to discover you've got to think it out on your own/And it takes some time for the words to rhyme/To really feel what you've always known/And when you break through/You might even feel as though you can fly/But when it all comes down I hope I'm around/And not alone again starin' at the sky

Trying to look a little more serious

8 Stay (Night Until Noon) (written by Timothy B. Schmit and Noreen Schmit, , lead vocal by Timothy B. Schmit) 

Album: Indian Summer

A glorious romp of a song from a devil may care Timothy; it always cheers me up. Like children rushing headlong down a hill, like the Ingalls girls in the credits for Little House on the Prairie.

Baby can you stay - oooh stay until the break of day/I wanna feel your body sway/We can let them say what they want to/They can talk themselves into shades of blue/Oooh Baby I got lots of room/Wanna stay with you night until noon

Who wouldn't stay?

The Timothy in Poco was a far more robust figure than the effete, doe-eyed, lovelorn minstrel he is in the Eagles (much as we love him like that). Poco themselves are a breath of fresh air, air redolent of unbridled optimism, boundless freedom and endless possibility.

Thanks once again to http://www.timothybschmitonline.com,

http://eaglesonlinecentral.com and Wikipedia.

Next blog will tackle the eternal question: What did the Eagles have that Poco didn't?

For another poem on TBS, click here.

Schmitten Part Two: Sweet Talking Guy

The Long Run

Part One is here.

YouTube Links in most song titles.

Binge Mode

Thanks to those who posted the Bill Simmons article on The Border. As well as being a great read, it’s reassured me that I’m not the only crazy person out there who has a ‘binge mode’ where music is concerned. Previous to my return to the Eagles (and via them my belated discovery of Poco and Timothy B. Schmit) I did this with the Kinks, a group I never really knew much about but whose personalities, stories, songs, completely captured my imagination for a long while (over two years) leading to excessive spending on Kinks-related trips, gigs, books, CDs and so on. It’s so nice to know it’s not just me.

Wasted Time

So why is it that I can now appreciate TBS when I couldn’t before? Perhaps again not as late to the party as I was to the Kinks one but pretty avoidably delayed. Still, got there in the end. Am I more grown up? Maybe it just wasn’t the right time. But I can't help but think if we had music TV back then and they’d shown I Can't Tell You Why some time in the 80s, I would have fallen at least a little in love.

The ubiquitous dungarees

‘O still small voice of calm’

In History of the Eagles, and in interviews, concerts, TBS comes across as so grounded, naturally optimistic and good-natured, with a sense of gratitude and humility, an awareness that the other Eagles probably didn’t have in 1979:

‘I’m a lucky guy. What can I say?’

but seem to have now (although HOTE proves that Don H and Glenn were always conscious of the transience of fame and success). I imagine Timothy can usually be relied on to see both sides of an argument although I expect he deems it wise not to rock the boat. In this interview on Bob Rivers, he’s affable but doesn’t let them get anything wrong (eg. the tapdance teacher misconception).

I wonder if his unassuming, placid presence and apparent all around wholesomeness have an effect on other people’s behaviour, their egos. Would it make them hesitate before swearing? Of course I could be wrong; he might be a total divo although this quote from TimothyBSchmitonline seems to back up my impression:

‘With his sweet, calm, caring demeanor he always manages to make a fan feel special … Timothy always takes the time to go the extra mile to connect with his fans … he loves to create music and is extremely grateful for all of his good fortune.’

In Part One, I speculated that the rest of the Eagles might eat him for breakfast. Learning more about him, hearing his solo songs, his sweet talking voice (surely the voice of reason, he’s so softly spoken in the aforementioned interview that you have to listen really hard to hear him), I think it was more like throwing a lamb to the wolves.Would they rip him to shreds or adopt him as a mascot?

The Lone Arranger

The Lone Arranger and the First Resort

But he was Glenn's first choice; he wanted him even though Irving Azoff reported him as ‘smashed out of his head and gakked up’ in a hotel bar. Still not entirely clear on how to spell ‘gakked’ up or what it means – any elucidation appreciated. Revved up on speed I think. With Glenn the most volatile member of the band rooting for him, he was safe-ish. Glenn seems to be the one who’s always had a vision of what the band should be, how it should develop, the man with the plan. I like what he says about Poco:

‘Back then, Poco was the band that impressed me most. Their vocals were pristine and perfect. They were the band I wanted to model us after. …but I had my eye on Poco… and I wanted to go beyond them too.’

Listen to this high audio quality Keep On Tryin’ and you’ll see what he means. In HOTE, TBS affirms that he belonged in the Eagles (see Bashful's poem).

There’s no doubt that the Eagles surpassed Poco in terms of success and effectively bridged the divide between country/folk and rock music but more of that in a bonafide Eagles/Poco blog later. I believe Poco were a prototype for early Eagles.

Hell Freezes Over

'I don't know when I realized the dream was over' (Waiting in the Weeds)

These lines could just as easily refer to the dissolution of the band than as to any other relationship (not with a bang but a whimper). By the time I was old enough to go to gigs though, ‘the dream was over’, the flame had fizzled out. Then, by 1994, when hell froze over, it was Kurt Cobain all the way. I was going to tons of shows but had forgotten all about the Eagles. But Hell Freezes Over - what a fantastic title for a tour and an album. It shows they didn't take themselves too seriously and could laugh at the past.

But, at any time, I could go back, and often did. Would decide to play the old vinyl albums I’d bought long after the first Greatest Hits had come out, Desperado, etc. Also had The Long Run but never really got into it, apart from Heartache Tonight, which still had the vitality of the early days. Didn’t rate I Can't Tell You Why, which I now love. It didn’t fit with my idea of the band at the time.

‘I have my place in the band’

However, I do think TBS has been a little pigeon-holed in the Eagles; he’s proved himself great at tear-jerking ballads but he did much more than this in Poco and in his solo projects. The Eagles had lost Randy’s high vocal range and Bernie’s soft side (songs like I Wish You Peace) and country credentials and Timothy was the ideal substitute. He had those three things in spades.

I find his phrasing so distinctive, so unusual. I can never anticipate where he will pause or what he will emphasise. He reaches the high note on a word or elongates a word unexpectedly. But however he does it (and probably he doesn’t have to think about it), it works brilliantly and after a while seems the natural and only way to sing the line. It’s almost like he’s having a conversation and you can hear the cadences and rhythms of his normal speaking voice in the songs.

So, first a retrospective look at his vocals with the Eagles.

To die for cute ...

I Can't Tell You Why

Discussed this in Part One but have a little more to say. A little rewriting of history is taking place, as implied by this from Don H:

‘Timothy came in with the title and other bits and pieces. Glenn and I just wanted to surround it with everything we could. Glenn came up with that wonderful counterpart … Glenn also composed and played that great guitar solo.’

And Glenn’s version:

‘Timothy joined the band and the real challenge, as Don and I saw it, was to get a piece of material for him that wasn’t country. So we got him over to LaFontaine, and the three of us got down to work. I said, “You could sing like Smokey Robinson. Let’s not do a Richie Furay, Poco-sounding song. Let’s do an R&B song.” He said, “Sure, love to try!”’

[I think I’d just do what Glenn told me too. And it turned out to be a great choice, leading as it did to a no. 8 single.]

Glenn makes it sound as if they racked their brains and came up with something but surely that’s a revision of the original story? And personally, I love the Poco sound and who better to deliver it than one of Poco? I do agree there is a Smokey-like quality to Timothy’s voice, something that has been exploited to good effect in the songs he gets to sing with the Eagles. However, Timothy’s role seems to have been minimised in the retelling. I don’t doubt that Don and Glenn had a lot of input but the emphasis was different before.

When we get crazy, it just ain't right/(Try to keep your head, little girl)/Girl, I get lonely, too/You don't have to worry/Just hold on tight/(Don't get caught in your little world)/'Cause I love you/Nothing's wrong as far as I can see/We make it harder than it has to be/And I can't tell you why

Can't help but wonder if the lines ‘Nothing's wrong as far as I can see/We make it harder than it has to be’ are an oblique reference to the situation in the band, with the in-fighting and eventual implosion. TBS has said before that he thought to start with that it was just the usual band friction rather than anything worth breaking up over. 

‘Come on, guys!’

Timothy didn’t have to think twice about an Eagles reunion. You can tell from his comment about their experience during the Travis Tritt Take It Easy recording in 1992 that he was ready and waiting. Incidentally, has Tim’s hair ever looked more gorgeous than in the video for this?

HOTE

Love Will Keep Us Alive 

A version from the current tour (2013) with a nice introduction by TBS. Don says something during this that makes him smile.Also love it when he performs this solo. It has a different feel, more personal.

I grew up in the 80s so even though I know very well what the song is called, every time I say the title it comes out as Love Will Tear Us Apart, a Freudian slip perhaps indicative of my natural negativity. Timothy’s a glass half-full person; I’m a glass half-empty, I hesitate to say more like Don Felder. Always ready to look a gift horse in the mouth.

[There’s a version on YouTube with some over-keen fans that’s torture to listen to. Timothy comes across as such a sensitive soul – when someone’s putting his heart into a vocal, why do people think it’s ok to ‘sing’ along, and so badly? Makes me angry when this happens at gigs. I didn’t go to hear Joe Bloggs yell out the lyrics. I paid money to hear the person on stage. I can understand people getting carried away, wanting to express their enthusiasm. Please do it some other way. We all know the words, you don’t need to prove it. Fine to join in if the singer asks you to (as Ray Davies insists on doing) but otherwise mouth the words and save your vocals for the shower. It just shows a lack of respect for the singer.]

Timothy endows the lyrics with his own sanguine, romantic sensibility and tenderness:

I was standing/All alone against the world outside/You were searching/For a place to hide/Lost and lonely/Now you've given me the will to survive/When we're hungry/Love will keep us alive

I Don’t Want to Hear Any More

Moody

Nice to see TBS run the show so sweetly, with such grace, humour, confidence and joy in this 'solo' rendition, segueing smoothly from an easy rapport with musicians and audience:
‘Alright then! … Ready, Herman? I know you are’
to the heart of the emotion in the song. I feel tears start in my eyes. I only wish he’d sung the chorus too. I don't know whether he is naturally able to invest the melody and words with soul or whether it’s simply a quality or tone he always has in his voice that makes you  quiver. Incredible.

This Paul Carrack song has rather drippy lyrics:

It's not the first time/That I've had the sense that something's wrong/But I'm old enough to know/That things don't always work out like they should/I know you're tryin' hard/To break it gently to me, now/But there's no easy way/To tell it like it is, so baby

but Timothy manages to lend them credibility because of his gentle persona and manner. Instead of thinking ‘What a sap!’, you think ‘Oh how sensitive’.

Photogenically windswept

Do Something

Amazingly not available on YouTube so can't link to it. Another plaintive break-up ballad, co-written with Glenn and Don H. Timothy’s vocal is perfect as ever, like the iridescence in a bubble, light and beautiful, floating over our heads:

But when I feel like giving up/And there’s nowhere left to go/That’s the time I dig down deep/It's the only thing I know

But these slightly sappy songs are not solely reserved for TBS. People have criticised IDWTHAM but the sentiments in What Do I Do with My Heart are very similar, maybe even wimpier:

You don't have to say a word/I can see it in your eyes/I know what you wanna say/It's so hard to say goodbye

But then Glenn is able to counterbalance this with the brilliant paranoid rant of Somebody.

Learn to Be Still

Although it’s a Henley song, it’s a lesson that could be learned from Timothy. More haste, less speed. You get the feeling that he’s paid his dues and finally gets to reap the rewards. Too often that never happens to the most-deserving people. His attitude:

‘Don't take yourself too seriously and all that stuff. That’s hard to do sometimes.'

But only to note his lead vocals would not fully cover his contribution to the band – the harmonies, the solid bass rhythm, his personable and peaceful presence, spreading ripples of good humour and calm across stage and studio. Well, I feel it when I watch him.

‘I’m doing alright’

This is his sweet understatement on the Bob Rivers show. He just seems so endlessly optimistic and positive, almost Pollyanna-ish, ready to find the good in any situation. Of course that’s just my idea of him and may not be accurate at all. Strikes me he might be the Mark Owen of the band if it’s not an insult to compare the Eagles with Take That. Robbie Williams talked of ‘the Tao of Mark Owen’. He (Robbie) would be bitching and moaning about something and Mark would just say ‘It doesn’t matter’. He managed in this manner to stay friends with everyone and win Celebrity Big Brother.

Back together

Collared by a reporter (on HFO DVD), TBS is unable or too polite to shake him off. He’s pursued and shepherded around till someone rescues him (Irving Azoff I think).

As a recent convert, I’m only just beginning to investigate Timothy’s solo work. Hardly an arduous task. Admit I was a little afraid of Playin' It Cool and Timothy B. and the big 80s hair, not to mention the ‘at-first-sight’ fairly naff videos. But that’s what all music and videos were like then. At least that's what I remember. Dry ice and wind machines. I’ve chosen a few of my current favourites, discovering more all the time, that demonstrate Timothy’s versatility as arranger, composer, singer and his ability to interpret someone else’s song while staying true to its spirit.

Something Sad from Tell Me the Truth

This song showcases the perfect bell-like clarity of his voice. The middle eight is mellifluous and highlights his peculiarly effective phrasing. He reaches a peak on the ‘up’ of ‘wake up’, extends ‘dream’ into two syllables and ‘really’ into three. Interesting.

Deep in the night I dream we're together/Nothing can do me wrong/But then I wake up and find you're really not there/Like a singer without a song

Caroline, No from Stars & Stripes, Vol. 1

TBS’s interpretation of this Beach Boys tune is clear and true, full of energy; the original seems to drag a little in comparison. There’s a clip of the recording on YouTube with the Beach Boys comments about TBS ‘really feeling the song’ and singing it ‘beautifully’. They recorded some background harmonies that weren’t there first time around so all in all a new improved version.

One More Mile from Expando

He deflates any sexiness in this bluesy number by singing:

Well, I cleaned up the kitchen and it looks so good/I'm ready to live my life/I got my umbrella and my rubber boots/I even got my pocket knife

He’s not exactly living on the edge. Before he can live his life, he has to clean up the kitchen and then makes sure to take an umbrella out in case he gets wet. Bless.

Top of the Stairs from Feed the Fire

Beautiful acapella – so striking and intimate. Because of the layering of the vocals, you don’t at first realise that there are no instruments. Perfectly constructed.

I know a place that's right/Meet me at the top of the stairs tonight/And we'll remember what heaven's for/It's waiting behind that door

I’ve been waiting a while now, honey. When you gonna show?

The Shadow from Feed the Fire

His voice is totally sublime, I feel a catch in my throat as he sings the first line, the acoustic guitar refrain so delicate.

I've been so brokenhearted/You've been so far away/I don't know how it started/To be this way/I want to tell you something/I want to play with fate/Come over here and listen/It's not too late/We need to feed the fire/Gotta stir the wind/I will never tire/And I won't give in

I realise that I'm probably preaching mainly to the converted but I've always evangelised where music is concerned, hence all my blogs on the late, great and much-missed Jackie Leven.

But, if I thought TBS was a revelation, Poco were an epiphany so more on them in the next blog.