Poco (Official Thread)

[dr wu]

Excellent @dr wu . Illinois Speed Press is news to me, and very cool. I can say from the videos posted they do sound like hard rock meets country blues. It’s strange how the record labels either “made” or “broke“ the bands back in the day. I am going to see if I can find both albums.

The history of Illinois Speed Press is on Wiki. Sadly, both Paul Cotton & Kal David have passed.

Illinois Speed Press - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Glad you found them interesting.....I would give up my Poco and Eagles lps long before my 2 Illinois Speed Press ones. Their songs and playing are simply fantastic and I don't understand why a mediocre band like the Eagles were bigger. I do like some Eagles tracks but those 2 ISP albums are better as a whole than any lp by Eagles imho.
I'm not surprised Cotton ended up in Poco but they never had that dynamic sound that ISP had.

 

[dr wu]

The Eagles can only wish they had ever written a song like this........play this one louder than normal....

Illinois Speed Press - Beauty

 

[Magic]

@dr wu

I just realized Illinois Speed Press should be in our Lost, Forgotten, Obscure forum. Think I will give both albums a listen.

 

[dr wu]

@dr wu

I just realized Illinois Speed Press should be in our Lost, Forgotten, Obscure forum. Think I will give both albums a listen.

A great unknown band for the most part.. from 1968-70...the Eagles formed in 1971.
I have read that the Eagles Henley and Frye spent some time watching bands play the Troubador and other LA venues in the late 60s and Speed Press did play there along with other bands ike The Byrds, Jackson Browne, Buffalo Springfield, Love, JDSouther, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, etc.....even The Eagles later in 1971.
Many of the Illinois Speed Press songs sound like the Eagles borrowed style ,substance, and even melody to me . Not saying they plaigarzized though. At any rate Speed Press broke up and never became big like the Eagles but I would rather listen to their 2 lps over most of the Eagles.
There is not a week track on either lp. I like James Gang 3 lps with Walsh better than Eagles also.
They also recorded before the Eagles. I'm surprised that they didn't ask Cotton to join them but he was in Poco by then. I know Henley and Frye used to watch Walsh play with James Gang also but Walsh did solo lps for 3 years before they asked him to join them. IMHO Cotton had a great voice and imho played as well as Joe back then. Would have been perfect for the band that 'borrowed' so many of his ideas.

 

[Magic]

@dr wu I can always count on you for a music history lesson.

 

[dr wu]

@dr wu I can always count on you for a music history lesson.

Thank you,,,,but I just read too much and I enjoy origin details.