Cochise were a fantastic (but sadly short-lived) early 70s country-rock band which created a very special and unique sound that was unlike any other band, and yet one I personally crave for every time I'm ready to delve deep into the vaults of 70s rock. Founded by pedal steel player-extraordinaire B.J.Cole and guitarist Mick Grabham, the group recorded just three albums (now all available on CD!) and a handful of singles before its members decided to call it a day and go their own separate ways.
In my opinion, there are basically two sides to Cochise - when they played country-rock, they played mellow, laid-back, quiet and pleasant (but very talented and well-written!) country-tinged songs that were uniquely theirs and unlike any other band. I don't think a comparison with, say, Creedence Clearwater Revival would do them justice - the two bands were nothing alike. Where John Fogerty would belt out his lyrics, Cochise would take it nice an' easy, as if inviting you to sit down on a sunny day and sip on a glass of lemonade... Where they (Cochise) actually rocked, their country tinge would disappear and they would sound more like a great 70s blues-rock band, not unlike Free or Bad Company! B.J.'s pedal steel was still very much present in the mix, and it was weird to hear this essentially made-for-country instrument on such decidedly non-country numbers, but at the same time it all somehow worked!
In a perfect world, they would've stayed together for a few more years and created some more of that magic I now yearn for, and I know I'm not alone on this. ~Alex Gitlin, March 1999
