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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Furay's Finale With Poco, March 17, 2001
This was the fifth and final studio album to include founding member Richie Furay, who contributed only two songs: a nearly ten-minute tribute to Gram Parsons, "Crazy Eyes," and the closing track, "Let's Dance Tonight."
The other band members continue to mature as songwriters. Rusty Young adds the bluegrass-flavored instrumental "Fools Gold." Timothy B Schmidt offers the lovely ballad "Here We Go Again." On his third album with the band, Paul Cotton has two songs: the country/rocker "Blue Water" and the hard-driving "A Right Along." The album is rounded out with two covers: a lovely Gram Parsons ballad "Brass Buttons" and J.J. Cale's gorgeous "Magnolia."
Poco would continue to record for another ten years and even have a few hit singles after Furay's departure, but they were never as good without him. And, unfortunately, Furay's post-Poco career never really caught fire. As such, I've always treasured his work with Poco--it's among his best. RECOMMENDED
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is Poco's BEST album, period., September 15, 1998
The 1973 classic CRAZY EYES was founding member Richie Furay's last album with Poco. But while his mood is somewhat somber on both the title song and Gram Parsons' haunting "Brass Buttons", the other four bandmembers harmonize superbly, play as well as ever (especially the amazingly versatile Rusty Young), and otherwise seem not at all bothered by the impending split. Standout tracks include "Here We Go Again", Tim Schmit's look at ill fated, symbiotic romance; Paul Cotton's environmentally cryptic "Blue Water", and Young's "Fool's Gold", which is rivaled in quality among Poco's legendary hillbilly-style thigh-slappers only by "Rocky Mountain Breakdown" off perhaps the group's most underrated effort, 1974's SEVEN. And as usual, Cotton ably carries the responsibility of showcasing some no-frills western-style rock with "A Right Along", as well as doing ballad honors on J.J.Cale's lush,languid "Magnolia". However, even as I recognize fully the talented artists who remained in the band, it must be honestly noted that Poco, even though they produced several excellent albums after CRAZY EYES, was never really the same group after Furay left. Songs like "Let's Dance Tonight" and the panoramic title tune cement Furay's irreplaceable value as the band's best "chemist" when it came to consistently pleasing the tastebuds of country-rock fans who came of age in the 1970s. All things being equal, if you've only heard OF Poco but never actually HEARD them, This is definitely the CD to start with. CRAZY EYES is Poco's very best album - straight up!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little Known Gem, March 9, 2002
By A Customer
As innovative as the Byrds and with twice the talent of the Eagles, Poco remains one of rock's most underrated groups. Crazy Eyes is not as simple and sunny as some of their earlier classic country-rock albums, but the patient listener will be rewarded. Close your eyes and let Brass Buttons and Magnolia take you to deep bittersweet places in your heart. Timothy B Schmidt's voice is as smooth as ever on Here We Go Again, and Richie Furey shows again why he deserved to play along side Stills and Young in Buffalo Springfield. This album is impossible to categorize and is not for everyone but i'm still appreciating it after 25 yrs.
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