Swallow Tales

Prior to recording their second album, Cochise underwent a major change in personnel, with singer Stewart Brown getting replaced by John Gilbert. As Brown had written some of the material on Cochise's 1970 self-titled debut, that left the songwriting wholly in the hands of guitarist Mick Grabham and pedal steel player B.J. Cole. Still, the music remained largely the same — middle-of-the-pack early-'70s album-oriented British rock, sometimes hard and sometimes with a more reflective, folkier feel, though always with a more country-rock-ish tinge than most (owing largely to Cole's pedal steel). But as on their first album, Cochise had neither the stylistic distinction nor the top-shelf songwriting to attract wide notice, their approach encompassing a hard rocking update of Buddy Holly's "Love's Made a Fool of You"; original material which somewhat recalled the Guess Who's rootsier side; and lightweight U.S. West Coast folk-country-rock. As far as the latter style goes, "Lost Hearts," with a light early Love influence, is their best effort, while "Another Day" sounds a little like a cross between Crosby, Stills & Nash and the early Bee Gees, as peculiar as that mixture may seem.