Ghost Town- Poco

Ghost Town

"Ghost Town" was the first Poco album for Atlantic Records. Known for their AOR prowess, Atlantic was the perfect label for a band that had their beefiest lineup, and most AOR friendly material to date. This album is nothing short of a masterpiece. From start to finish, you sense a Poco meets Hotel California moment. The album's haunting opening title cut, featuring both Paul Cotton and Randy Young on lead vocals is a testimony to the creative power of this duo, who should be recognized for pioneering the marriage between country and rock well before Glenn Frey and Don Henley made it fashionable. And even though the Eagles had packed up and called it quits when this record hit the shelves, the boys in Poco soldiered on without Tim Schmidt who made his mark on "The Long Run". After the epic opening track, the band rocks out on the made for AOR "How Will You Feel Tonight?" with Paul Cotton stradling the line between country rock and polished pop. "Shoot For The Moon" is "Crazy Love" part II, a great soft rock tune that would have done better if it were still 1978. But trends were rapidly shifting in 1982, and "Ghost Town" was largely underpromoted by Atlantic. The song peaked somewhere in the top 50. "The Midnight Rodeo", "Cry No More", "Break of Hearts" and "Special Care" are all great slices of country tinged pop rock with big hooks and sensitive lyrics. Paul Cotton and Randy Young shine on this album and the band is smooth, tight and creative. One of the most interesting pieces on "Ghost Town" is "High Sierra", an incredible country-rock instrumental that could have made any Urban Cowboy era movie a whole lot more interesting. You can sense the old west, the cowboy element and a band hitting on all cylinders. This is a special collection. It captures the revamped Poco at a creative apex. If you don't own a Poco CD, buy this one first. Every song is a winner