The "Deliverin'" album marks the culmination of Poco's early, and best, years featuring Richie Furay and Jim Messina leading the band in what it did best - delivering up-tempo, feel-good country rock tunes powered by four-part harmony and crack musicianship. In 1971, Poco was all about its live performances and "Deliverin'" captures the sound that was making the band famous, at least in the Northeast corridor where the album was recorded. The energy is high, the songs are strong, and if you are interested in owning Poco's live sound at the peak of its most creative period, this is the CD to buy. In it's original form as an album, the second side of "Deliverin'" was among the hottest sides of live rock music available in the early-70's. The band's acoustic take on Messina's "You Better Think Twice" is a tour-de-force of country funk pickin' that surpasses the popular studio version on the "Poco" album. Your head's bopping now and it won't stop as the band launches into "A Man Like Me," a new Furay tune which rocks till it drops into the stunning finale - a medley of "Just in Case It Happens, Yes Indeed" and "Consequently So Long" sandwiched around Rusty Young's best instrumental, "Grand Junction." As a soaring set closer, the medley works because the band plays all three tunes at full length, with George Grantham and Timothy B. Schmit holding down the rhythm chores on drums and bass, and adding high vocal harmonies behind Furay's lead tenor, while Messina and Young flash with brilliance on guitar and steel. No doubt about it, Side 2 is a flat-out "5" and worth the price of admission. Side 1, which opens with three new songs, doesn't quite reach that level. "I Guess You Made It," "C'mon," and "Hear that Music" are short and feel a bit rushed. The band improves with a tasty version of Furay's "Kind Woman," perhaps his most famous song from the Buffalo Springfield era, in which the tempo slows and the musicians, particularly Young on steel, stretch out. Side 1 ends with a medley of Schmit's "Hard Luck," the Springfield's "Child's Claim to Fame," and Poco's first hit "Pickin' Up the Pieces." Although not as stellar as the medley closing the performance, this one features Rusty on steel and dobro, and works quite well as the group rebuilds tempo heading into "You Better Think Twice." Other than the rushed feel of the set openers, just two quibbles both reflecting record company economics more than shortcomings of the band and keeps this rating at a shade under 5: one, the sound quality of the original album was good, not great, and the CD shows no obvious improvement. Two, the CD clocks in at only 40 minutes and would have benefitted immensely from bonus tracks, particularly "Hurry Up," "Anyway, Bye Bye," and the astounding "El Tanto De Nadie Regressa," all of which were staples of Poco's live shows at the time. Rumors have circulated for years that Epic had enough material for a double, and, if so, it is a shame no tracks were added to the CD release. Quibbles aside, "Deliverin'" remains the only official live release by the band during the Furay and Messina years, and well worth the investment.

Deliverin only gets five stars because that's the max.

Feeling that their studio work did not do justice to the power and energy of their sound, Poco decided to forego the studio for their third album and release a live album containing mostly new tunes, alternate versions of songs from their first two albums and a couple of covers from the Buffalo Springfield days of founders Richie Furay and Jim Messina. The result is absolutely spectacular. In terms of capturing this amazing band's power and energy, the mission was definitely accomplished.

Unlike many live albums of the era, Deliverin' was limited to about 45 minutes in duration. In addition, the sound mix is a little odd, as Furay's vocals and guitar are not as prominent as they should be. In a way this almost adds to the charm of this release as you get the true raw feel of an imperfect live performance. From the opening "I Guess You Made It" to the incredible closing medley from their first album, this record rocks. The latter features great interplay between Messina's Telecaster and Rusty Young's blazing Pedal steel during the instrumental "Grand Junction".

There are two great ways to enjoy Deliverin'. One way is to crank up the sound as loud as tolerable for your environment. The other is to use headphones and listen closely to the mastery of each of the five band members. The liner notes speak to how amazing each member was in concert, and the recording, while not doing total justice to their live act, comes pretty close.

This may well be the best live album ever recorded. It has aged well and is a great place to start a Poco collection, or any collection for that matter.

Poco was an awesome live act in the 1970s. But this low-energy, poorly engineered, niggardly recording doesn't really reveal the fire they exhibited on stage, in person. Surely, Columbia has some unreleased live tracks in the vault from this period.

Where, for example is "Nobody's Fool/El Tonto De Nadie, Regresa"? This song sounded totally different live, with Rusty Young's pedal-steel literally shrieking out an extended ear-shattering solo. I'd love to hear that track live again.

How about it Columbia?

The first time I saw Poco was at the old Convention Hall in Asbury Park New Jersey. It was July 1971 right around the time that Deliverin was released. They rocked from beginning to end. After the first show we were so into them that we scraped enough money together to go to the late show. I saw Poco about 10 times over the next few years and they were always great but never did they have the affect on me that they had that night This is a great live album. It captures the way we felt that night and they sound awesome.

DELIVERIN' is a great CD of live Poco. This album proves that Poco were as equally good live as in the studio, whereas the Eagles seemed to do much better musically on record than on stage. If you buy this album, you won't be disappointed.

I saw Poco perform this very set on the same tour in the Fall of 1969 in Lewiston, Maine. They played with conviction and heart. One of the tightest country rock rythmn sections on record. Neither they, nor any country rock band before or since, played so well on one recorded night. It is absolutely criminal that, in this day of audio sophistication, this masterpiece has never been remastered with bonus tracks from the same concert tour. Are you listening, Epic?
Jack Cooney; Ellington, CT; jcooney55@comcast.net

It's hard to do POCO justice in a little paragraph. "DeLIVErin'" gives you just a taste of the great songwriting, awesome musicianship, incredible vocal harmonies, and good nature that have carried POCO through their 30+ year career. I saw them live just a few weeks ago and they're just as amazing as they sound on this 1971 recording. The band's enthusiasm for the material and appreciation for the crowd are clearly evident in real life and on "DeLIVErin'".

Like one of the reviewers of this forum I too have this one on Vinyl which I got at the goodwill some 10 years ago. Poco if they desired to make a double album perhaps this band would've gone to more greater heights which could've made a run for their money perhaps be more bigger than the Eagles. But instead Poco went along making this one live album which was their only charted album which they won't see again for seven years. Poco's original line up has to be the best of the bands history even though they were the kids on the block before the Eagles came along and most of you know where they went from there. This live album Poco did were songs they did from their first two albums some of them a medley of songs which most of them were from the first album. They also had did an old Sprinfield Number Kind Woman which is arguably Ritche's best song he's ever written, and yes they were even new tunes like I Guess You Made it & C'mon which they had a hit single with it. Listening to Poco live certainly is a time traveller that's for sure even though I wasn't around to see it but listening to it I wish I would've been alive to witness.

Ahhhh Poco live! Yes it is true, this is perhaps one of the best live albums that is not a double Every song on here makes you smile. Every song is excellent on here, from the opening "I Guess You Made It" to the closing medley of "Just In Case It Happens, Yes Indeed/Grand Junction/Consequently So Long" the albums just flows so well right into each other.

Yes!!! Let's here it for the good guys!

Definately a must! Get this and "The Forgotton Trail" for starters and you'll be hooked!

POCO LIVE....lots of memories and listening to the CD brings al those memories back. All LIVE CD's should be half this good. This is great music and FUN. If you can listen to this and not smile, sing along, or tap your feet, then put a mirror under your nose cause your dead.

poco enters to a darkened stage. with just the lights of the amps. Then the drummer starts up, and it never lets up from then. the vocals are from heaven sent to deliver us all who want to believe. believe in happyness and good times! leave the show and fell happy , pass it on!

I still have my vinal copy of this album. I went to my first concert the year this album was relesaed. I was a young rock musician going to see Emerson Lake and Palmer. I had never heard of Poco, but they were the opening act. Simply put....FANTASTIC! Poco turned me on to country-rock within the first 8 bars of their opening number. They validated a whole new direction for me in music. I credit these guys with making country-influenced music "cool" for me at a pretty young age. My musical path ended up taking me to Nashville and a string of recordings, number one records, and tour dates. This is a great album. Be sure to listen closely. This is what it's all about for the players and the audience. It will make you feel good. The connection is so strong!

I had the pleasure of seeing Poco live many times in the early 70's and they never failed to deliver, no matter which line-up this ever-evolving group featured. After the warmup acts had finished dismantling their huge stacks of amps and double drum sets, lil' ol' Poco would amble out with their modest array of equipment and tear the place apart. This excellent concert CD is from the Jim Messina version of the band and it rocks mightily. Amazingly pristine sounding for a live album, it was done with no overdubs, so what you're hearing is five superb singers and players blending their not inconsiderable talents effortlessly. My favorites ; the boppin' "C'mon",featuring unsung MVP Rusty Young's snarling Hammond organ-like steel guitar(I can't describe the steel guitar sound here. You've got to hear it to believe it!). I love Richie Furay's achingly beautiful "Kind Woman" and Jim Messina's high-octane "You Better Think Twice" too. Timmy Schmidt and George Grantham are an underrated powerhouse of a rythm section and excellent singers to boot. What's not to love? Well, I've used a lotta adjectives and superlatives to extol the charms of this CD, and this band, and yet I havn't come close to describing just how good they were. So, c'mon',why not get this CD and get out your thesauras and help me out. And help yourselves to a little fun while you're doin' it.

Poco's "DeLIVErin" is what a live album should be. From the opening song,"I guess you made it" to "A man like Me" to the ending "Consequently so Long" the energy is here, and what energy it is. The music is heart thumping, hand clapping, good time country rock and roll. Also included here is Richie Furay's classic "Kind Women". All who love country-rock should have this collection of tunes in their CD player.

"Deliverin'" should be required listening by those who want to record live performances these days. It surpasses virtually every live album I ever owned, in every respect, mostly because of POCO's unlimited enthusiasm on stage. I never saw 'em live, so I'm sure glad for this.

This is one of my most favorite albums. If you can't dance and sing to this, and if this music doesn't move you.... you have no blood in your veins. One of the greatest albums ever by anyone!!!

This live album comes across as a non-stop celebration of life. The songs are the very essence of joy. After several decades of cynicism and angst, this album is an oasis.