November-December 2007
RICHIE FURAY RETURNS
TO RE-CLAIM HIS FAME WITH HEARTBEAT OF LOVE
By Terry Roland
On first listen to Richie Furay's latest CD, Heartbeat of
Love, one may have a hard time hearing his folk influences. As co-founder of the legendary Buffalo Springfield
and country-rock pioneers Poco, he is no str anger to originality,
innovation and the marriage between traditional and contemporary music. One of
the many innovations of his first mainstream release in 25 years is the layer
of styles that he has successfully integrated. As
in the past, he has provided an innovation of country and rock roots into an
original contemporary sound.
The influence of folk music on Richie's music should come as
no surprise for those who know his story. He began playing Kingston Trio influenced
music in the early 60's in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio.
From these roots he graduated to the basket houses of Greenwich
Village following in the footsteps of artists like Bob Dylan and
Tom Paxton. Richie's musical odyssey in NYC included the formation of the Au Go-Go Singers which included a young Stephen
Stills. The Au Go-Go singers were an
attempt to follow the success of the New Christy Minstrels. They performed
Civil War songs and traditional folk songs with a contemporary flair. The group
completed one album before disbanding
Later, through a meeting with Gram Parsons in Greenwich
Village, Richie heard the newly born electric sound of The Byrds performing Mr.
Tambourine Man. From this moment he fell
in love with the blend of folk and rock. This was just a breath away from the
merger of country music and rock and the creation of a style of music that
would influence and re-shape today's mainstream country music.
Before he left for Los
Angeles,
Richie met a young, struggling songwriter named Neil Young. Stephen Stills was
touring in Canada
at the time and had already met Neil while on this tour. During this time Neil
Young played a song for Richie called Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing.
Richie had the good sense to record this song on an old reel-reel tape
deck. This song would go on to become a Richie Furay signature song with
the Buffalo Springfield and during live performances for his solo career. After this, Young and Furay parted company feeling
that one day they would meet again. How Stephen Stills and Richie Furay met
Neil Young to form The Buffalo Springfield on Sunset Boulelvard in Los Angeles
is now a part of rock and roll legend. While The Buffalo Springfield became one
of the major innovators of the infant country-rock sounds, their internal
battles caused the band to break up pre-maturely within two years; But not
without leaving behind a legacy of folk and country influenced rock music that
would find them inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thirty years later.
Frustratingly, Richie's next projects, including another
seminal country-rock band Poco, never brought him to the level of success that
came to Stephen Stills and Neil Young. A
brief involvement with Chris Hillman and J.D. Souther as The Souther, Hillman,
Furay Band would yield one minor Top 40 hit, his own Falling In Love. After leaving this band, Furay embarked on a four
year/four album solo career that didn't catch fire in spite of excellent
reviews and dynamic live performances due to a lack of corporate record company
support. After this Richie Furay
left the music scene, but not for good.
Today, he has emerged with Heartbeat of Love,
his first mainstream release in 25 years. It is a straight forward country-rock
CD with 10 new original songs, co-written with his partners Scott Sellen and
Jim Mason, and two well-deserved re-recordings of songs from his Buffalo
Springfield and Poco days. From Heartbeat of Love emerges a sound that
not only recaptures the sound of his early days in Greenwich
Village and the Buffalo Springfield, but advances the long
neglected and influential genre of country-rock. While some bands have sold the
soul of their music to exclusive deals to with large retailers and morphed into
corporate rock, Richie Furay remains an independent artist free to experiment
with fresh new approaches to country-rock.
Always trying
something new to advance his music and bring something fresh, the CD allows
saxophones, mandolin, fiddles, rock guitars, drums and electric bass to play
side by side. The sound of acoustic guitars are always present as a foundation for
the variety of instruments. The remarkable part of this approach is the total
integration of the three major musical influences on this artist that brings
together and builds on his musical history with folk, country and rock. The
blend has never been better than on this CD.
And to top it off,
Richie's vocals are fresh, energetic, passionate and sound like he's still 22. At age 63, this is quite a feat. His voice is widely
recognized as one of the best of the classic rock era. Heartbeat of Love
serves as a reminder as to why this is not an exaggeration.
While the material on the CD is consistently first-rate
throughout, there are some stand-out tracks which must be mentioned. The
opening track, Forever With You, begins with an acapella three-part
harmony vocal provided by Richie, his daughter Jesse and The Dirt Band's Jeff
Hanna. It then kicks into a full-blown country-rock celebration of devoted love.
It's a fine introduction to what is to follow. The title track, Heartbeat
of Love is richly layered country-rock at it's best. The song features
Poco's Paul Cotton and session man Dan Dugmore who provides guitar work
throughout the CD. Dean's Barbecue is the most stellar and straight
forward country song on the CD featuring Mickey Raphel on harmonica, Rusty
Young on dobro, Al Perkins on guitar
and Richie's partner, Scott Sellen on banjo. Calling Out Your Name is
song of desperate love featuring Stephen Stills on background vocals.
The two songs chosen for re-recording are Kind Woman
from The Buffalo Springfield and Let's Dance Tonight, a Poco song. Both
songs provide high points on this CD. Kind Woman features Neil Young on backing
vocals and Gretch guitar and Kenny Loggins on background vocals. The song has
been called the beginning of Poco and one of the songs that started the
country-rock movement. It is interesting to contrast the 1968 version with this
new production. The first version has the feel of a soulful, new-found love
while the new version resonates with the depth of a love that has grown through
the years. The truth of the new version of "Kind Woman" is the
feeling that through the struggles that most couples face, his marriage has
endured and grown.It could be said that the song, written about his wife Nancy
of 40 years, has deepened because of a commitment held steadfast through the
years. This is a rare thing in today's culture
Let's Dance Tonight is a Poco song from 1973. This
version is performed with a passion and focus that is only hinted at in the
original recording. It's no wonder that the genesis of Heartbeat of Love
was the suggestion of a friend in Nashville
that he re-record this song. Let's Dance Tonight features bluegrass great,
Sam Bush on mandolin and fiddle
Since Heartbeat of Love is an independent project, it is
available through Richie's website, www.richiefuray.com.
It is also available through Amazon
and Friday Music (www.fridaymusic.com ).
For a more in-depth look at the journey Richie Furay has been through over the
last 40 years, I would recommend reading For What It's Worth: The Story
Buffalo Springfield by John Einarson and Richie Furay and Pickin' Up the
Pieces by Richie Furay and Michael Roberts. To find out what Richie has
been up to over the last 25 years read the My Story section of the same
website told in his own words. The Richie Furay story is a journey of the magic
of music, the success, the frustration, the pitfalls of fame, and ultimately
the redemption of this legendary pioneer of American
music who has earned a place in both rock and country music history.
Terry Roland is an English teacher free-lance writer, occasional
poet, songwriter and folk & country enthusiast. The music is in his blood
since he was raised in Texas, but came to California where he was
taught to say, 'dude' at an early age.