Under the Gun (Poco album)

Poco's successful album, Legend, had been released in November 1978 on ABC Records just prior to that label being bought out by MCA: in a June 7, 2013, interview with Rockin' Rich Lynch of SoundPress.net Radio Network, veteran Poco member Paul Cotton would state that MCA required that Poco audition prior to being allowed to record for MCA. Cotton said, "We had to go over to a rehearsal hall and play in front of all the executives" who after hearing Poco perform "Under the Gun", a Paul Cotton composition referencing the pressure attendant on the audition, approved Poco's recording for MCA.

Released at the same time as the album, the "Under the Gun" single failed to reach the Top 40 stalling at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100: another Paul Cotton composition "Midnight Rain" also failed to chart high in its single release with a No. 74 peak. Without the impetus of a major hit single the Under the Gun album failed to match the success of Legend, the former's album chart peak being No. 46.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

In his Allmusic review, music critic William Ruhlmann called the album "a workmanlike but unremarkable effort."[1]

1. "Under the Gun" (Paul Cotton) – 3:11
2. "While We're Still Young" (Rusty Young) – 3:52
3. "The Everlasting Kind" (Young) – 4:22
4. "Down to the Wire" (Cotton) – 2:55
5. "Footsteps of a Fool (Shaky Ground)" (Young) – 3:57
6. "Reputation" (Young) – 4:51
7. "Midnight Rain" (Cotton) – 4:25
8. "A Fool's Paradise" (Young) – 3:18
9. "Friends in the Distance" (Cotton) – 3:40
10. "Made of Stone" (Young) – 4:00

• Paul Cotton – guitar, vocals
• Rusty Young – steel guitar, guitar, vocals
• Charlie Harrison – bass, vocals
• Steve Chapman – drums
• Kim Bullard – keyboards, vocals
• Steve Forman – percussion
• Phil Kenzie – saxophone

• Producer: Mike Flicker
• Recording Engineer: Joe Chiccarelli