Customer Reviews

Indian Summer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

After years of being out of print in the US, England's Lemon Records has now re-released POCO's excellent "Indian Summer". I've been a die-hard POCO fan for decades, and while I really love their early, Buffalo Springfield-inspired material, to me this is probably their very finest album (with "Rose Of Cimarron" running a close second). It's astounding that this has been unavailable on CD for so long, and this new release is very welcome indeed. As compared to the original MCA CD release (long out of print and now hard to find), this one has a better high end but a slightly shallower bottom. Overall, the sound is very good. I do have one complaint though, and while relatively minor, it is the reason I have only given this release 4 stars instead of the 5 it should otherwise deserve. During the solo guitar intro on the title cut (the first cut on the album), there is a slight but very distinct noise which sounds suspiciously like LP surface noise. This leads me to believe that the source for this CD (at least on this one cut) may have indeed been an LP. Other than this, the entire album sounds very clean. But the original CD issued by MCA did not contain this noise (though my old LP has something similar) so it seems doubtful that the original master tapes are at fault. Other than this one minor flaw I have no complaints whatsoever, and it is really nice to see this long-lost album once again in print. If you are a POCO fan or a fan of The Eagles (who imitated these guys, not the other way around) then this album is a must-have. How sad, though, that once again we have to look to England to provide us with such a fine album by a terrific and sadly underappreciated American band. Add mine to the many votes for POCO's place in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame!

I think its ludicrous to call this the sound of a desperate band as one reviewer has. Its overall a very pleasant outing, well sung, well played and typical melodic songwriting from the various band members. I listened to it a lot when it first came out. It hasn't quite stood the test of time and does show some signs of a band on their last leg (at least in this formation as T.B. Schmit was to leave soon thereafter for the greener pastures of the Eagles).

Strong melodies and great singing do have their place in rock music and there are some nice ones here. Lyrics have never been a Poco strong suit and are typcially slight here. T.B. Schmit's 3 songs are all very good. I always thought it was unfortunate when he moved to the Eagles where he would be limited to 1 song per record rather than the 3 he would normally get with Poco. If you listen to the body of work he did with Poco as compared to the Eagles you will understand. That said none of his songs here are quite as good as his best, but all are worthwhile.

The Paul Cotton songs are pretty good. The title song is one of his best and the rockers such as "Living in the Band" and "20 years on" pretty much delivery the goods. The 10 minute extended 3 part Rusty Young song, "The Dance" is o.k. Unfortunately, when you do the Eagles comparision here to lets say, "Hotel California" you do get a sense of how the Eagles grew as a band while Poco seems to be treading water at this point. None of this should be taken to diminish the impact this band had whether that be on country rock in general or specifically the Eagles.

At this point, Richie Furay was long gone and nobody can dispute the fact that he was the true architect of this sound and Poco itself. Still, this record brings a smile to me even to this day. For die hard Poco fans its still recommended. For others, there are better places to go rather than this effort. In conclusion I would say for the end of the T.B. Schmit Poco era, you would really be better off looking for the live cd, The Last Roundup. It contains a number of songs from Indian Summer in arguably better versions plus outstanding versions of other Poco songs including Rose of Cimarron and a guest appearance by none other than Richie Furay.

THE LEMON LABLE GOT A HOLD OF THE GREAT ALBUM AND MADE A MESS OUT OF IT. THEY THE 'LEMON LABLE' RECORDED THIS OFF A LP AND THEY CALL IT A REMASTER.SAVE YOUR MONEY! IF YOU ARE A POCO FAN, WRITE LEMON AND COMPLAIN.

This is the last Poco album featuring long time Poco members Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, George Grantham and Timothy B. Schmit. It's a departure from their former style with a more defined rock and roll "edge" but still laced with the flowing harmonies and melodic guitar licks they have always been known for. Gone is the overt country flavor replaced with more high energy guitar work and tempo on "Twenty Years", "Living In The Band" and "Downfall". The title cut, "Indian Summer" immediately whisks you to a memerable cool Autumn evening in the warmth of of a wonderful relationship. Paul Cotton's guitar solo sweeps you off your feet and shoots you out into the starry night! Two tracks by Timothy B. Schmit, "Me And You" and ""Find Out In Time" are true Poco classics with his rich vocals and great harmonies. Another track by Timothy B. "Stay(Night Until Noon)" is upbeat and features some great Bass and Banjo licks. The final cut' "The Dance", is broken up into four distinct parts. It ebs and flows with different pace and style into the final reprise which rocks out with superb guitar work and harmonies. This album is definately the beginning of the "new" Poco sound.

This is a four or five star album, but I have only given one as Lemon Records cds are often mastered from vinyl. This is no exception and the Japanese edition is far better with no vinyl noise. Unfortunately, it is more expensive, but if you like this album, it is certainly worth it.

Indian Summer is a very solid, though not particularly remarkable release. Tim Schmit shines on the album, particularly on the fantastic Find Out in Time which may be one of the best songs Schmit ever performed. Unfortunately for Poco fans, the album would turn out to be Schmit's swan song with the band as he jumped ship to join the Eagles after Indian Summer was released.

Paul Cotton stands out front once again on Indian Summer, delivering big time on the laid back title track, and the rockers Twenty Years, Win or Lose and Living in the Band. Rusty Young is not as much of a presence on this album as on the preceding albums, but still delivers some fine steel guitar work as well as giving us a taste of things to come in the future through his song Downfall, his first out-front full lead vocal.

Indian Summer doesn't stand up among the best works in the Poco library, but it is still a very listenable album with some very good moments on it.

From the sound of the guitars to the structure of the harmonies, Poco music is an American Treasure that should be given a second chance by everyone. The comparisons to the Eagles overall are fair, but each band has its own positive points and its own negative ones. The Eagles were duo in wolf's clothing that approached success in music like success in professional sports. Poco is a band that worked together as a group of friends. If the music business was a big picnic, you could see Poco sitting on your front porch playing and singing. Whereas the Eagles would be trying to get a game of football going while Henley pontificated to anyone who would listen about the condition of the world. Undeniably, both make great music. Poco was the only real BAND that came out of the Buffalo Springfield. Both Stills and Young were, and always have been, solo artists that wish they could belong to bands, but never have been able to. Poco is a long-term entity that has held together through times of success and times of frustration. They have always been better musicians than the Eagles, but they will never get the credit. To compare this to Hotel California is unfair. The real point of comparison is the solo work of Stills and Young, especially during this time period. The guitar work on Indian Summer is considerably stronger than anything Stills was doing at the time. The songwriting is better than Young's was at the time. You can rave about On the Beach and Tonight's the Night all you want, they are both good albums that say something about the time of their creation, but how often do you really listen those downers? Indian Summer shines. Twenty Years is a solid song that could easily open to an Allman Brothers-like jam if they wanted it to. Living in the Band is a rocker that is right up there with A Good Feelin' to Know. The Dance is a really interesting experiment that comes very, very close to working. There are many echoes of Springfield throughout this CD, yet it is still the sound of a band that works together for the benefit of the music, not each other's solo careers. Sonically, I am just glad the CD has been released. It sounds ok, but I have heard a bit better. Some of the criticism the earlier reviewers have offered about the mastering is close, but it still sounds miles above anything that preceded it. In short, this is a great Poco CD that channels Springfield more than they ever did before. It also sounds a lot better than it did at the time. Give it a chance.

Indian Summer starts as beautifully as any Poco Album with the gorgeous, languid Indian Summer (1 of Paul Cotton`s finest moments), thru Twenty Years onto the evocative, Me and You by Tim Schmit which is one of his finest contributions to Poco. Rusty chimes in with Downfall with soaring harmonies, chiming guitars, driving bass line in a brilliant rendition of Country Rock. Songs 5 thru 8 include the Autobiographical Living in the Band with its surging melodious rock, then two Schmit songs, Stay and Find out in Time, both up to his usual standard. The album ends with Rusty`s The Dance which has its moments but sadly descends into a Disco/Funk blend which probably prevents this album from being the best album that Poco did. This was Schmit`s last outing with Poco before joining the Eagles. If you can find this then certainly get it.

This album was one of the best albums from the seventies.

Its Poco at their best in my opinion.

3/5. Released in May of 1977, Indian Summer remains one of the high points of Poco's career and was the third in a trio of albums which had seen the band break through to a more commercial level. The music is quite compact and despite some country influences, the sound begins to turn darker and harder. Songs like "Downfall" and "Stay (Night Until Noon)" sound pretty much as stadium rockers although the lyrics are rather unimaginative. The best song on the album is the title track - a gentle ballad with nice steel guitar and harmony vocals and a strong American vibe that shoots you right out in the starry summer night. Another song that stands out is "The Dance", broken into four distinct parts and burdened by string and horn arrangement. Although this might be an interesting tune to listen the first couple of times, the song grows increasingly annoying due to its epic length and repetitive structure. "Indian Summer" was also the last album that Poco did with Timothy B.Schmit prior to his departure for the Eagles. As song-writing efforts are shared evenly between the band members, Timothy provides lead vocals on three songs, none of which are particularly interesting. "Find Out In Time" is exactly the same kind of tune that you can find on any of his solo albums - light acoustic sound and distinctive singing style, perfect for easy listening but uninspiring and shallow. -Sain Alizada