The Souther Hillman Furay Band-The Souther Hillman Furay Band (1974)

After leaving Poco, guitarist Richie Furay considered launching his own solo career immediately, but instead, he answered the call of Asylum Records executive David Geffen and joined the project Geffen was founding with vocalist and bassist Chris Hillman and guitarist and vocalist J.D. Souther. Hillman came from iconic bands like The Byrds, Manassas (with Stephen Stills), and The Flying Burrito Brothers, while Souther was a folk singer-songwriter who would go on to become one of the genre's great composers, working with The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Bob Seger, and Christopher Cross, among others. But that wasn't all; Geffen also recruited other legendary musicians from the folk and country scene, such as drummer Jim Gordon (formerly of Derek and the Dominos), the renowned keyboardist Paul Harris, percussionist Joe Lala (formerly of Manassas), and guitarist Al Perkins, a true legend of American country and folk. Despite their enormous egos, their debut album is one of the landmark works of American country and folk rock, creating a dreamlike repertoire in a single release, beginning with "Fallin' Love" and "Border Town", songs that evoke the catchy country melodies and irresistible choruses of their contemporaries Poco and The Eagles. In that same vein are the addictive tracks "Trouble in Paradise", "Believe Me", "Prisoner in Disguise", and "Heavenly Fire". As expected, such a wealth of exquisite songs propelled the album to number eleven on the Billboard charts and considerable sales in the North American market.