Seven / Cantamos - Premium Quality Products for Your Everyday Needs | Perfect for Home, Office & Gifting

I bought this compilation CD for two reasons: because I never had Seven on CD, and because I wanted to see if the digital remastering had significantly improved the sound of Cantamos over the previously released version on the Wounded Bird label. As for the remastering, Cantamos is louder and somewhat richer than the earlier version, but the difference is not remarkable.However, this compilation disc should be appealing to Poco fans for other reasons. It is very interesting to listen to Seven and Cantamos back-to-back on one CD. These two Poco albums were recorded by the same band members and released during the same year (1974). They were the last two albums Poco released on the Epic label, and the first two albums recorded after Richey Furay left the band. With all due respect to the fans who still believe Furay was the heart and soul of Poco, in my opinion Poco never made a great album until after Richey left the band. And despite the commercial success of Legend (1978), Poco never made another great album after Timothy B. Schmidt left to join The Eagles. In between the departures of Furay and Schmidt, for a period of four years (1974 - 1977), Poco enjoyed its best line-up of Paul Cotton, Rusty Young, Tim Schmidt, and George Grantham. This quartet had great chemistry together and whipped out five albums in rapid succession that, for me at least, redefined the Poco sound and established Poco as my favorite band. Seven reveals Poco picking up the pieces after Furay's departure, and while it was at least as good as Poco's first 6 albums, it was only an appetizer for what was to come with the next four albums. Two of these albums, Cantamos (1974) and Rose of Cimarron (1976), are country-rock masterpieces, and two of the best albums ever made. Head Over Heels (1975) and Indian Summer (1977) are also very good albums and contain some of Poco's best individual songs. I have no idea what source of inspiration Poco tapped into in the few months that elapsed between Seven and Cantamos, but Poco suddenly gelled, matured, and became a great band, and that quantum leap is captured on this disc. This growth is apparent in many ways, but none more so than in Paul Cotton's singing and writing, which are noticeably stronger on Cantamos than on Seven.In summary, BGO's compilation of Poco Seven & Cantamos is a great disc. If you don't own Cantamos on CD, this is the best version available. Buy it for Cantamos, and consider Seven a bonus.