Trouble In Paradise

This country-rock supergroup featuring David Souther (songwriter for The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt), Chris Hillman (Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds), and Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco) hit paydirt on their 1974 self-titled debut album. This follow-up from the following year was a relative commercial flop—not because it was bad, but because the band were splitting at the seams. The suitably titled affair, produced by the legendary Tom Dowd, is a complete and engaging listen, full of sparkling country rock and hummable refrains. And Souther came into his own as songwriter and singer here; his folk-country “Mexico” is a weirdly alluring cheating-lover confessional; “Prisoner in Disguise” (later covered later by Linda Ronstadt) is an emotionally articulate ballad, and his rocking title song nearly steals the entire album. Hillman’s “Follow Me Through” is patented ’70s country-rock with a little funky breakdown and impassioned rock ’n’ roll guitar playing, and Furay’s gentle “For Someone I Love” rivals anything he did in Poco or Buffalo Springfield.