Richie Furay was an influential figure in several rock styles, playing in the archetypal Southern California hippie-rock band Buffalo Springfield, and then as co-founder of Poco, which was one of the pioneering bands of LA's country-rock sound. When fame and personal pressures weighed heavily on him, Furay got religion and resurfaced as a born-again Christian, recording some influential Christian rock albums, as well as a string of solo pop albums. Here's a quick look at his work...
Poco "The Songs Of Richie Furay" (Epic Records, 1980)
Furay left Poco in 1974, but left behind a string of well-crafted tunes, including several of the band's defining hits. This collection spotlights his work as one of the band's principal songwriters, and is a nice encapsulation of his pre-solo creativity...
The Au Go Go Singers "They Call Us..." (Roulette Records, 1964)
Faux "hootenany" pop-folk, modeled after prefab folk bands such as the New Christy Minstrels, who were in the charts at the time. This band -- which was spawned from the Cafe Au Go Go nightclub -- is notable for starting the professional careers of Richie Furay and Stephen Stills, who went on to greater fame as founding members of the hippie-rock band Buffalo Springfield. This might not be an earthshaking album, but you do get a few quick glimpses at these guys in their earliest days -- Furay solos on "Where I'm Bound," though that's about it for his moment in the spotlight. From here, it was onto LA and true rock stardom.
Souther-Hillman-Furay Band "The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band" (A&M Records, 1974)
(Produced by Bill Cooper & Richard Podolor)
One of those 'Seventies albums you used to see in the used bins all the time, but probably never bothered to check out... This all-star country-rock ensemble featured JD Souther along with guitarist Richie Furay (from Buffalo Springfield and Poco), an un-Byrds-ed Chris Hillman, steel player Al Perkins, and other studio players of the era. Given their mellow-rock pedigrees, the blaring, desperate-for-a-hit opening number, "Fallin' In Love," might seem a little jarring, but right away the sound softens and gets more acoustic. This is okay and definitely has its moments, but at its core, it's kind of what you'd expect -- super-professional, super-slick, treble-heavy and maybe a little lacking in heart. The cynical among us might tut-tut at songs like "Pretty Goodbyes" and "The Heartbreaker" and say, oh man they're just ripping off the Eagles! but of course that's because JD Souther helped sculpt that sound in the first place. These guys were all pioneers and progenitors of the LA soft-rock/country-rock sound, so if you dig that 'Seventies vibe, you'll probably find plenty to enjoy here. But it's equally easy to view this group as a cautionary tale, or how even the most talented musicians could be held captive to the antiseptic studio system their successes helped create. There's a predictable blandness and tedium in more than a few of these tunes.
Souther-Hillman-Furay Band "Trouble In Paradise" (A&M Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Dowd)
More of the same. The label even tried sub-branding these guys as the "SHF Band," but that wasn't really gonna help... Keyboard player Paul Harris and steel guru Al Perkins were still on board though several of the other LA scene hired guns had moved on to other equally soulless projects. I dunno, I try not to be reflexively cynical about most things in life, but it's hard not to see records like this as mere "product," just like the labels did at the time. I guess it was a paycheck.
Richie Furay "I've Got A Reason" (Asylum Records, 1976)
Richie Furay "Dance A Little Light" (Asylum Records, 1978)
Richie Furay "I Still Have Dreams" (Asylum Records, 1979)
Richie Furay "Seasons Of Change" (Myrrh Records, 1982)
Richie Furay "In My Father's House" (Calvary Chapel Records, 1997)
Richie Furay "I Am Sure" (Friday Music, 2005)
Richie Furay "Alive" (Friday Music, 2009)
Richie Furay & John Macy "The Heartbeat Of Love" (2006)
