We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
In the early 70’s there were tons of solo singer-songwriters…but duos were also becoming popular. Seals & Crofts, Brewer & Shipley, Cashmen and West, Hall & Oates…just to name a few. So I guess it’s a bit ironic that one of the most popular duos of the era started as a solo act.
Kenny Loggins was recording his first solo LP for Columbia Records. Jim Messina, late of Poco and Buffalo Springfield, was providing guitar and background vocals on some of the tracks and producing the album. The chemistry was so good that the record morphed into a dual effort with Messina not only singing and playing but writing or co-writing many of the tracks recorded. They Called it “Kenny Loggins With Jim Messina Sittin In”
Some of the stuff was pure Loggins including “House on Pooh Corner” which Loggins had written in high school at the age of 17 and had been recorded the year before by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
The song is one of the better “loss of innocence” songs that sprang up in that time frame joining Neil Young’s “Sugar Mountain” and Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game”. It was theme that many of these cats would re-visit.
The album is a gem. So good in fact that even though the duo would record other LPs and have more hits…they never got it better than this.
The songs are strong…Vahevala, Back To Georgia and Listen To A Country Song give you different tastes of the country-rock that Messina had explored with Poco. “Danny”s Song” became an instant classic for new parents and was a hit for Anne Murray later. Rock & Roll Mood showed the bluesier side of the duo with Loggins unmistakable voice floating over Mike Omartian’s piano. And “Same Old Wine” would have been the best track on the LP if it wasn’t for the Trilogy.
Messina wrote or co-wrote all three parts of what became the centerpiece of the album. ‘Lovin Me’, “To Make A Woman Feel Wanted” and “Peace Of Mind” blend seamlessly into one entity. It’s really good.
We shouldn’t downplay the other players on the record. Jon Clarke and Al Garth deliver all kinds of different sounds from various woodwinds and violins. Larry Sims on bass and Merel Bregante on drums are solid in the background and deliver more harmony vocals as well.
This whole album is a triumph and although Loggins would go onto to superstar solo success in the 80’s, I’ll take this record over all of them. He never sounded better than here.
