Poco - The Forgotten Trail 1969-74 (FLAC) (2CDs) - 1990
Audio CD (October 5, 1990) | Number of Discs: 2 | FLAC - No Cue - No Log | 850 MB
Genre: Rock | Label: Sony

First biography paragraph from All Music (by Bruce Eder):

One of the first and longest-lasting country-rock groups, Poco had their roots in the dying embers of Buffalo Springfield. After Neil Young and Stephen Stills, the co-founders of that group, exited in the spring of 1968, only guitarist/singer Richie Furay and bassist Jim Messina remained to complete the group's swan song, Last Time Around. The final Springfield track, "Kind Woman," included only Furay and Messina, with a guest appearance on steel guitar by Rusty Young -- at the time, he was something of a rarity as a talented lap-steel guitarist who was comfortable working in a rock idiom, and had previously belonged to a folk-rock-turned-psychedelic band called Boenzee Cryque. Young stuck with Furay and Messina, in the process skipping a scheduled audition for a new group that ex-Byrds member Gram Parsons was putting together. Auditions followed before the fledgling group reached out, at Young's urging, to ex-Boenzee Cryque drummer/vocalist George Grantham, and also to bassist/singer Randy Meisner, who had previously played with a band called the Poor. This lineup rehearsed for four months before making their debut at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, in November of 1968. A month later, they made their first appearance at the Fillmore West on a bill with the Steve Miller Band and Sly & the Family Stone.

Read all of the bio at: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/poco-p5156/biography

All Music Album Review (by Jim Newsom):

This excellent two-disc collection captures Poco's finest moments from the days when they were laying down the template for all the country-rock music that was to follow. It's hard to remember, but when the Eagles first hit the scene, they were thought by many to be a Poco-wannabe band. Listen to this set and you'll hear why. The Forgotten Trail (1969-1974) culls tracks from Poco's first eight albums, as well as unreleased cuts and singles. From the classic anthem "Pickin' Up the Pieces," which kicks things off, through "You Better Think Twice," "C'mon," "Kind Woman," "From the Inside," "A Good Feelin' to Know," "Crazy Eyes," and on and on, this is wonderful music, ahead of its time in many ways. If Poco had arrived on the scene in the early '90s, they would have been kings of the country charts. Of course, without Poco, country music wouldn't have taken on the rock trappings that it did in the '80s and '90s. As it was, the band was considered too country for the Top 40 rock format of the time, and too rock & roll for country radio. This set is the place to start for an appreciation of the original Poco, when the group was considered to be Richie Furay's band. All the ingredients are here that made their music so delightful: the trademark high-vocal harmonies; Rusty Young's pedal steel guitar wizardry; Furay's patented juxtapositions of sad lyrics against bouncy, harmony-filled tunes; and their spirit of optimism and good feelings even in the face of hard luck and bad weather. The 36-page booklet does a fine job of telling the story in print, and the 38 songs speak volumes about the band's place and influence. Thanks to this compilation, Poco's trailblazing days need be forgotten no longer.

Taken from: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-forgotten-trail-1969-1974-r15433/review

Amazon.com's page: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000274H

Track List:

Disc 1:

01. Pickin' Up The Pieces
02. Grand Junction
03. Consequently So Long
04. First Love
05. Calico Lady
06. My Kind Of Love
07. Hard Luck
08. Last Call (Cold Enchilada 3)
09. Honky Tonk Downstairs
10. Hurry Up
11. You Better Think Twice
12. Anyway Bye Bye
13. I Guess You Made It
14. C'mon
15. Hear That Music
16. Kind Woman
17. Just For Me And You
18. Bad Weather
19. You Better Think Twice
20. Lullaby in September

Disc 2:

01. You Are The One
02. From The Inside
03. A Good Feelin' To Know
04. I Can See Everything
05. And Settlin' Down
06. Blue Water
07. Fool's Gold
08. Nothin's Still The Same
09. Skunk Creek
10. Here We Go Again
11. Crazy Eyes
12. Get In The Wind
13. Believe Me
14. Rocky Mountain Breakdown
15. Faith In The Families
16. Western Waterloo
17. Whatever Happened To Your Smile
18. Sagebrush Serenade

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