Grant Hart Live: Milton, Sputnik, Burroughs, Amtrak and Apollinaire

William S. Burroughs

Links in song titles as usual.

Last time we saw Grant, he played a blistering show with the Burn Burning at the Monto, Water Rats. It was amazing to hear him with a full band again but tonight he’s solo once more, again promoting The Argument, his musical take on William Burroughs’s truncated version of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Grant is not afraid of a concept or a broad canvas or a mythical theme. The songs on this album I think of as those ‘details taken from a painting’ postcards you get and I was hoping to hear a good few tonight. I wasn’t disappointed. Haven’t got the album yet and heard that Grant had some to sell but never saw any.

The Miller at London Bridge

The Miller is a pub a stone’s throw from the Shard side of London Bridge, easy for us to get to from South London. Big, rambling and full of nooks and crannies, with the pleasant and efficient bar staff all in Hallowe’en-themed costumes. The gig takes place in an upstairs room with a stage, a couple of tables and a few bar stools. See some familiar faces from previous Grant gigs. Learn that there are two support acts and Grant should be on at 10pm. I usually like to cut to the chase but my sister is less jaded so we go up to listen. Had a brief chat with Grant while they were playing but forgot I had cotton wool in my ears and couldn't hear him properly. Grant, ever the joker, claimed he had come as the infamous, elusive graffiti artist Banksy – no one knows what he looks like. He looks well, still has tons of thick black hair, some pulled back in a ponytail. If he dyes it, he’s doing a great job.

Early days

Bold Things from Ireland start the warm-up. They collect the firewood. Their songs are pleasant enough. They have a lot of tall twenty-something fans who stand right in front of us. Next up are Le Deux Furieuses. (I think it should be Les Deux Furieuses, girls.) They light the taper. They look distinctly art collegey but after a deal of preparation, involving back projection and a carved and lit-up pumpkin, we’re smacked by a sonic onslaught, which would probably have terrified the fans of Bold Things but which is welcomed by die-hard Hüsker fans. I end up quite admiring them and I think they’re surprised by the crowd’s positive reaction.

Grant today

When Grant eventually takes the stage to stoke the flames, he’s a little frustrated by some problems with a borrowed amp and is unimpressed generally as they are unable to turn off a strobe effect that’s giving him vertigo, saying something like it’s great if you enjoy taking it up the ass every night (don’t quote me on that) but, after jokingly offering people their money back (the audience demurs, won't be pulled down by the undertow, buoys Grant up with its enthusiasm), the show goes on. It must be so difficult travelling, using the equipment to hand, organising everything yourself, dependent on the goodwill, courtesy and commonsense of venues and other bands.

I’m not going through the whole setlist; I’ll post it at the end, just mention certain songs. Suffice to say that Grant could play and sing some of these songs perfectly in his sleep and it’s always good to hear them. You know the ones I mean.

'Hey, are you sure you're not taking my picture?'

There’s something about the next three songs that reminds me of the rhythm of the sea – constant but ever-changing, the same but always different, waves crashing against a beach; the way a lyric or refrain is repeated/altered. 

You’re the Reflection of the Moon on the Water

Always a rousing opener: inspired by this comment from a monk about a possible candidate for the next Panchen Lhama, ‘He is the reflection of the moon on the water but he is not the moon’, i.e. something lesser than the real thing, the truth but not the whole truth. The verses are variations on this theme: the insistence and repetition reinforce the point, like the sea rushing headlong to shore, the fourth line of each stanza a diminishing of the first three, like the backwash of the tide.

You’re the reflection of the moon on the water/You’re the reflection of the moon on the water/You’re the reflection of the moon on the water/But you’re not the moon

You are the scent of the sea on the night wind/You are the scent of the sea on the night wind/You are the scent of the sea on the night wind/But you’re not the sea

You are the shadows from the light of a fire/You are the shadows from the light of a fire/You are the shadows from the light of a fire/But you’re not the light

You are the sound of the rain on the dry earth/You are the sound of the rain on the dry earth/You are the sound of the rain on the dry earth/But you’re not the rain

Sputnik 1

Is the Sky the Limit?

Grant dedicates this to Lou Reed (RIP) as ‘another satellite’ song – the song was built around the beeps from Sputnik, Lou Reed’s is of course Satellite of Love. I’ve got to love a song that uses the word ‘apogee’. Another charming, infectious melody; insistent, repetitive – an ocean tide.

Is the sky the limit?/What is the apogee?/

Is the sky the limit/For me?/

I only wish to love you/For you to notice me/

Now I dread how limited I can be

Golden Chain

This is the gentler ebb and flow of a calmer sea. Becalmed.

The earth it hangs on a golden chain/
The earth it hangs on a golden chain

Paradise Lost

The songs he plays from The Argument are liberally interspersed with older material throughout the set and work as standalone tracks as well as to illustrate aspects of the story, as if you simply focused in on a character and his thoughts/intentions. Grant is able to slip between viewpoints and in and out of musical styles.

This quote from Pitchfork sums it up:

But the great thing about The Argument is that, not only does it make a Hüsker Dü reformation seem like an evermore remote possibility, it makes the whole prospect that much more undesirable and unnecessary. 

California Zephyr

Upbeat song about riding the rails. It’s such a romantic thing to do, not ride the rails but name your trains, and so evocatively too. Unfortunately using Amtrak is anything but a romantic experience. Only did it once and there was a twelve-hour delay!

Then a cab to the Bay Bridge Inn/

They check you out while they check you in

Milton by way of Burroughs by way of Hart

Shine, Shine, Shine

That fairground organ on the album track – let’s get on the merry go round. A sparkling Christmas bauble of a song.

We enjoy the life ideal/Running naked through the fields/

There’s no shame/No secrets unrevealed

Remains to Be Seen

Another song rife with connotations and literary allusions and a lilting refrain. It’s ostensibly about the remains of Apollinaire but with Grant, there’s always another level (and I’m not talking defunct British boyband). Here’s a little extract from a chat I had with Grant when this song was new:

I had been reading the life story of Apollinaire, … in the context of like viewing somebody at a funeral or ‘all that’s left’, only an outline … when they circle the body and things like that and I didn’t change anything … on … the studio recording of it because it’s nice that it bear those other meanings as well.

Supposing, too much to assume/Saying nothing but speaking volumes
Silence broken with shattering sounds/Books for no one, where are they bound?

So Far from Heaven

Grant asks the audience to ‘pucker up’ to whistle along and it’s fantastic how many of them can a) whistle b) know the tune c) actually whistle in tune. Grant has been playing this live for ages so I was surprised that it was part of the Paradise Lost project.

What is it you’re seeking?/What would be your prize?

Is it no fair peeking?/If I look past your disguise

Someone requests Letting Me Out but Grant reacts as if he’s called ‘Let Me Out’ and says ‘The door’s over there’.

2541

During this, an over-enthusiastic fan sings along off-key and very loudly (I find the two usually go together at gigs) and Grant notices and has to choose something that the guy doesn’t know next.

Oh well I put down the money/When I picked up the keys/

We had to keep the stove on all night long/So the mice wouldn't freeze

A shy woman asks my sister to pass Grant a note for her. It says ‘Please play All of My Senses’. His response: ‘Boring’. There are some songs Grant must be sick of performing (the die-hard Husker fans inevitably ask for the same ones and occasionally he obliges) but this isn’t one I’ve ever heard him try live.

Another song he never plays, out of respect, because it’s hard to separate the song from its provenance, is Diane but for those who called for it at the Miller, here’s a fantastic version from Sao Paulo. Sends chills through me.

Less suspicious

The Main

A crowd pleaser. This sounds like and works well as a sea shanty (on the 'high' main) while the lyrics also tell a story about drug dependency (mainlining), with a litany of red-light districts – Reeperbahn, Christiane, Pigalle (coincidentally always the location of our hotel whenever we travel) – and references to De Quincey and Christ. As the makers of Every Everything no doubt discovered, Grant is knowledgeable on many subjects but what astonishes me is the way he’s able to crystallise ideas and images into lyric and melody.

There was life on the corner/And death all around/…

Reeperbahn, Christiane, Pigalle, all the same/On the main, the main, remember your name

The song I wanted him to play (I Knew All about You since Then) is a great example of this talent and his Mary Poppins-style approach – a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. Trenchant put-downs in wordplay encased in a sunny little tune so you’re suck(er)ed in without realising.

Letter from Anne-Marie

This was my belated alternative request because Grant couldn’t play the original one, for very good reasons. This video is from the actual night.

With her family far and in a family way/Well she told me that she missed 'em
It's hard to keep in touch/With just the US postal system

Grant changes the lyrics each time, this time he sings ‘useless social system’. It’s one of the things I love about him – a gig can go in any direction at any time – he keeps it fresh and the night is entirely dependent on his mood and how he interacts with the audience.

Green Eyes

Still shimmeringly pretty even when slowed down and infused with bitterness as in this ‘mid-life crisis version’ from Zurich.

It's a great big world/There's a million other guys

I feel so lucky when I look/In those green eyes

Grant’s voice still has that pure tone, clarion-clear (as in this version of Don’t Want to Know if You Are Lonely; a burst of breathless energy); he still has that facility to fashion a memorable tune, his lyrics still blend the everyday with the erudite and I’m left pondering that eternal question. Bjorn and Benny put it better:

I've often wondered, how did it all start?
Who found out that nothing can capture a heart
Like a melody can?

Have guitar, will travel ...

Mercurial, maverick, articulate, undaunted, Grant Hart may be coming to a town near you – catch him if you can. 

The Argument is available on Domino Records and from Amazon of course.

Setlist from the Miller, London 31 October 2013

You’re the Reflection of the Moon on the Water

Admiral of the Sea came in here somewhere

California Zephyr

Is the Sky the Limit?

(From The Argument)

Shine, Shine, Shine

(From The Argument)

Awake, Arise!

(From The Argument)

Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill

Remains to Be Seen

Never Talking to You Again

The Main

You Are the Victim

So Far from Heaven

(From The Argument)

Letter from Anne-Marie

Golden Chain

(From The Argument)

Pink Turns to Blue

Underneath the Apple Tree

(From The Argument)

Green Eyes

She Floated Away

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.