Buffalo Springfield | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Buffalo Springfields time was short -- they formed in 1966 and split in 1968 -- but their legacy was vast. Some of their legend was cultivated in the ensuing decades, after founding members Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young went on to fame either on their own or with such groups as Poco and Manassas, but much of it rested upon "For What Its Worth," a protest song written and sung by Stills, that not only became their Top Ten breakthrough in 1967 but their enduring anthem, eventually serving as shorthand for all the political turmoil of the 1960s. So popular was "For What Its Worth," it threatened to obscure how instrumental Buffalo Springfields original run of three albums were in reshaping the sound of rock & roll in the late 60s. Nominally a folk-rock band, Buffalo Springfield also showed a facility with country-rock, psychedelia, soul, and hard rock, all the while embracing the possibilities of the recording studios of Los Angeles. Buffalo Springfield Again, their 1967 masterwork, in particular showcased the groups expansive reach, and if that musicality didnt result in hits -- they never again cracked the Top 40 after "For What Its Worth" -- it certainly laid the groundwork for many aspects of the album rock of the 1970s. The roots of Buffalo Springfield stretch back to Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Neil Youngs rock & roll combo the Squires were opening for the Company, a satellite group of the folk revue the Au Go-Go Singers featuring Stephen Stills. Once that tour ended, Stills headed out to Los Angeles, California, where he began to grind out a living on the session circuit. There, he became friendly with producer Barry Friedman, who encouraged the singer/songwriter to develop his own band. Stills recruited Richie Furay, who he had previously played with in the Au Go-Go Singers, and this pair, along with Friedman, were driving down Sunset when they noticed a hearse that they swore belonged to Young. It did. Neil Young moved to Los Angeles with Bruce Palmer, who played bass with Young in a group called the Mynah Birds, which also featured future funk-rocker Rick James as their lead singer. Once that group split, the pair decided to make a go of it in California, and they were struggling until they happened upon Stills and Furay. Soon, the quartet formed a group, adding Dewey Martin -- who had previously played with garage rockers the Standells and progressive country pioneers the Dillards -- as their drummer. Swiping their name from a steamroller company, Buffalo Springfield debuted at the Troubadour on April 11, 1966 -- they had rehearsed no longer than a week -- then launched a six-week residency at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip a month later. This stint led to new managers Charlie Greene and Brian Stone, who also worked with Sonny & Cher, who helped secure a contract with Atco, a subsidiary of Ahmet Erteguns Atlantic Records. Atco released Youngs "Nowadays Clancy Cant Even Sing" as Buffalo Springfields first single in August 1966, but it only found airplay in Los Angeles. That wasnt the case with their next single, "For What Its Worth." Written by Stills after he witnessed a riot on the Sunset Strip, the group quickly cut and released the tune as a single, and it swiftly spread across the U.S. "For What Its Worth" climbed its way into the Billboard Top Ten in March 1967, its success leading Atco to rejigger the groups eponymous debut -- which was originally released at the tail end of 1966 -- so their hit could be featured. Despite this flush of success, things were not well within Buffalo Springfield. Bruce Palmer was arrested for marijuana in January of 1967, leading to his deportation from the United States. The band cycled through a number of bassists as they attempted to record a second album, provisionally called Stampede. This album never materialized. Tensions began to rise within the band, particularly between Stills and Young, leading to Neil walking out of the band during the summer of 1967; Doug Hastings played guitar in his absence, with the Byrds David Crosby taking this spot when Buffalo Springfield played the Monterey Pop Festival. Palmer returned during Youngs hiatus, and the band pulled it together in the fall of 1967. Firing managers Greene and Stone, the group finalized a second album called Buffalo Springfield Again, a record nominally produced by Ahmet Ertegun but featuring each singer/songwriter -- including Richie Furay, who contributed original songs for the first time -- helming his own cuts. During the supporting tour for Buffalo Springfield Again, Palmer once again was arrested for drugs and deported, leading to Jim Messina becoming the bands bassist. Messina also stepped into the role of producer for the sessions that became Last Time Around, the summer 1968 album that turned out to be their farewell. A few months prior to its release, Buffalo Springfield disbanded in a mediation helmed by Ertegun, leading to Young signing with Warner and Stills retaining his contract with Atlantic. Furay and Messina finished Last Time Around and then formed Poco with singer/songwriter Rusty Young. Dewey Martin attempted to keep the brand alive by assembling New Buffalo Springfield, a band that churned through many musicians before Martin was fired in 1969 and the remaining members turned into Blue Mountain Eagle. Buffalo Springfield may have disbanded in 1968, but its alumni turned into superstars in the 1970s, with Stills and Young achieving success both as solo acts and as part of a group also featuring David Crosby and Graham Nash. Furay made six albums with Poco before starting a solo career. Messina departed Poco after their third album, then teamed with Kenny Loggins in a duo. Bruce Palmer released an album in 1971 then spent the 70s largely out of the spotlight, surfacing in 1982 as a member of Youngs touring band. This gig reactivated Palmers musical activity and he launched a band called Buffalo Springfield Revisited in 1984, adding Dewey Martin to the lineup quickly afterward. Stills and Young not only gave Palmer their blessings for Buffalo Springfield Revisited, they entertained reuniting the original lineup in 1986, but those plans fell apart after two rehearsals. By the end of the decade, the Revisited band slowly came to a halt. In the dawning days of the 21st century, Young began making rumblings of reuniting Buffalo Springfield, even writing a song called "Buffalo Springfield Again" for his 2000 album, Silver & Gold. Not long afterward, Young assembled a complete Buffalo Springfield box set called Buffalo Springfield. Youngs attention soon drifted away from Buffalo Springfield. Palmer died in 2004 and Martin passed in 2009, and in the wake of their deaths, Young, Stills, and Furay played a reunion show as part of the yearly Bridge School Benefit concerts, in October 2010. This pushed the trio to hire drummer Joe Vitale and bassist Rick Rosas as a rhythm section and go on a mini-tour in 2011, culminating in an appearance at that years Bonnaroo festival. Further plans for a tour were scrapped once Young turned his attention toward Crazy Horse, and Buffalo Springfield once again went into hibernation in 2012. Its legacy was revived in 2018, when the group released Whats That Sound? Complete Albums Collection, a five-disc set containing Young-approved remasters of the mono and stereo mixes of their three albums. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: Star Collection Released: Tracks: 11 Duration: 31:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock’n Roll (02:44) 2 A Child’s Claim to Fame (02:09) 3 I Am a Child (02:15) 4 Everydays (02:38) 5 Bluebird (04:28) 6 Mr. Soul (02:35) 7 Hung Upside Down (03:24) 8 Burned (02:14) 9 For What It’s Worth (03:00) 10 Nowadays Clancy (03:26) 11 Out of My Mind (03:05) |
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Buffalo Springfield Released: 1966 Tracks: 12 Duration: 33:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Go and Say Goodbye (02:23) 2 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:33) 3 Leave (02:45) 4 Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (03:27) 5 Hot Dusty Roads (02:51) 6 Everybodys Wrong (02:29) 7 Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (02:43) 8 Burned (02:17) 9 Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It (03:05) 10 Baby Dont Scold Me (03:03) 11 Out of My Mind (03:09) 12 Pay the Price (02:36) |
| Buffalo Springfield : Allmusic album Review : The band themselves were displeased with this record, feeling that the production did not capture their on-stage energy and excitement. Yet to most ears, this debut sounds pretty great, featuring some of their most melodic and accomplished songwriting and harmonies, delivered with a hard-rocking punch. "For What Its Worth" was the hit single, but there are several other equally stunning treasures. Stephen Stills "Go and Say Goodbye" was a pioneering country-rock fusion; his "Sit Down I Think I Love You" was the band at their poppiest and most early Beatlesque; and his "Everybodys Wrong" and "Pay the Price" were tough rockers. Although Neil Young has only two lead vocals on the record (Richie Furay sang three other Young compositions), hes already a songwriter of great talent and enigmatic lyricism, particularly on "Nowadays Clancy Cant Even Sing," "Out of My Mind," and "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong." The entire album bursts with thrilling guitar and vocal interplay, with a bright exuberance that would tone down considerably by their second record. [Some reissues present both mono and stereo mixes of the album, and include "Baby Dont Scold Me" (which was on the first pressing of the record, but was soon replaced by "For What Its Worth").] | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: Buffalo Springfield Again Released: 1967-12 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mr. Soul (02:51) 2 A Child’s Claim to Fame (02:12) 3 Everydays (02:43) 4 Expecting to Fly (03:46) 5 Bluebird (04:30) 6 Hung Upside Down (03:29) 7 Sad Memory (03:03) 8 Good Time Boy (02:17) 9 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 10 Broken Arrow (06:14) |
| Buffalo Springfield Again : Allmusic album Review : Due in part to personnel problems which saw Bruce Palmer and Neil Young in and out of the group, Buffalo Springfields second album did not have as unified an approach as their debut. Yet it doesnt suffer for that in the least -- indeed, the group continued to make major strides in both their songwriting and arranging, and this record stands as their greatest triumph. Stephen Stills "Bluebird" and "Rock & Roll Woman" were masterful folk-rockers that should have been big hits (although they did manage to become small ones); his lesser-known contributions "Hung Upside Down" and the jazz-flavored "Everydays" were also first-rate. Young contributed the Rolling Stones-derived "Mr. Soul," as well as the brilliant "Expecting to Fly" and "Broken Arrow," both of which employed lush psychedelic textures and brooding, surrealistic lyrics that stretched rock conventions to their breaking point. Richie Furay (who had not written any of the songs on the debut) takes tentative songwriting steps with three compositions, although only "A Childs Claim to Fame," with its memorable dobro hooks by James Burton, meets the standards of the material by Stills and Young; the cut also anticipates the country-rock direction of Furays post-Springfield band, Poco. Although a slightly uneven record that did not feature the entire band on several cuts, the high points were so high and plentiful that its classic status cannot be denied. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: Last Time Around Released: 1968 Tracks: 12 Duration: 33:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 On the Way Home (02:30) 2 It’s So Hard to Wait (02:08) 3 Pretty Girl Why (02:27) 4 Four Days Gone (02:55) 5 Carefree Country Day (02:37) 6 Special Care (03:35) 7 The Hour of Not Quite Rain (03:50) 8 Questions (02:57) 9 I Am a Child (02:22) 10 Merry‐Go‐Round (02:05) 11 Uno Mundo (02:04) 12 Kind Woman (04:14) |
| Last Time Around : Allmusic album Review : The internal dissension that was already eating away at Buffalo Springfields dynamic on their second album came home to roost on their third and final effort, Last Time Around. This was in some sense a Buffalo Springfield album in name but not in spirit, as the songwriters sometimes did not even play on cuts written by other members of the band. Neil Youngs relatively slight contribution was a particularly tough blow. He wrote only two of the songs (though he did help Richie Furay write "Its So Hard to Wait"), both of which were outstanding: the plaintive "I Am a Child" and the bittersweet "On the Way Home" (sung by Furay, not Young, on the record). The rest of the ride was bumpier: Stephen Stills material in particular was not as strong as it had been on the first two LPs, though the lovely Latin-flavored "Pretty Girl Why," with its gorgeous guitar work, is one of the groups best songs. Furay was developing into a quality songwriter with the orchestrated "The Hour of Not Quite Rain" and his best Springfield contribution, the beautiful ballad "Kind Woman," which became one of the first country-rock standards. But it was a case of not enough, too late, not only for Furay, but for the group as a whole. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield Released: 1969 Tracks: 12 Duration: 40:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 For What It’s Worth (02:38) 2 Mr. Soul (02:51) 3 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:33) 4 Kind Woman (04:14) 5 Bluebird (04:30) 6 On the Way Home (02:30) 7 Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (03:27) 8 Broken Arrow (06:14) 9 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 10 I Am a Child (02:22) 11 Go and Say Goodbye (02:23) 12 Expecting to Fly (03:46) |
| Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield : Allmusic album Review : Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield may not be definitive, but its a good, basic overview of the groups career, containing most of the groups biggest hits and signature songs. Yes, several worthy album cuts are missing, but as a sampler, this works quite well, offering a nice introduction to the group. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: On the Way Home Released: 1992 Tracks: 16 Duration: 50:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Bluebird (04:30) 2 A Child’s Claim to Fame (02:12) 3 On the Way Home (02:30) 4 Carefree Country Day (02:37) 5 Broken Arrow (06:14) 6 Sad Memory (03:03) 7 Hung Upside Down (03:29) 8 Four Days Gone (02:55) 9 Mr. Soul (02:51) 10 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 11 Everydays (02:42) 12 Special Care (03:35) 13 It’s So Hard to Wait (02:08) 14 Good Time Boy (02:17) 15 Pretty Girl Why (02:27) 16 Expecting to Fly (03:44) |
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Buffalo Springfield Box Set Released: 2001-07-17 Tracks: 88 Duration: 4:13:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 There Goes My Babe (demo) (01:47) 2 Come On (demo) (01:27) 3 Hello, Ive Returned (demo) (01:38) 4 Out of My Mind (demo) (02:44) 5 Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (demo) (03:11) 6 Im Your Kind of Guy (demo) (01:07) 7 Baby Dont Scold Me (demo) (02:07) 8 Neighbor Dont You Worry (demo) (02:31) 9 Well See (demo) (04:11) 10 Sad Memory (demo) (02:53) 11 Cant Keep Me Down (demo) (02:10) 12 Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (03:27) 13 Go and Say Goodbye (02:23) 14 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:33) 15 Leave (02:45) 16 Hot Dusty Roads (02:51) 17 Everybodys Wrong (02:29) 18 Burned (02:17) 19 Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It (03:05) 20 Out of My Mind (03:09) 21 Pay the Price (02:36) 22 Down Down Down (demo) (02:15) 23 Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (02:43) 24 Neighbor Dont You Worry (remix) (02:25) 1 Down Down Down (remix) (02:46) 2 Kahuna Sunset (02:56) 3 Buffalo Stomp (Raga) (03:53) 4 Baby Dont Scold Me (03:27) 5 For What Its Worth (02:43) 6 Mr. Soul (02:51) 7 Well See (02:47) 8 My Kind of Love (02:34) 9 Pretty Girl Why (mix) (02:30) 10 Words I Must Say (demo) (01:16) 11 Nobodys Fool (demo) (01:34) 12 So Youve Got a Lover (demo) (03:10) 13 My Angel (demo) (03:51) 14 No Sun Today (02:04) 15 Everydays (02:43) 16 Down to the Wire (02:31) 17 Bluebird (04:30) 18 Expecting to Fly (03:48) 19 Hung Upside Down (demo) (04:30) 20 A Child’s Claim to Fame (02:12) 21 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 1 Hung Upside Down (03:29) 2 Good Time Boy (02:17) 3 One More Sign (demo) (02:05) 4 The Rent Is Always Due (demo) (03:06) 5 Round and Round and Round (demo) (03:40) 6 Old Laughing Lady (demo) (02:43) 7 Broken Arrow (06:14) 8 Sad Memory (03:03) 9 On the Way Home (mix) (02:30) 10 Whatever Happened to Saturday Night? (remix) (02:09) 11 Special Care (03:35) 12 Falcon Lake (Ash on the Floor) (remix) (04:22) 13 What a Day (02:22) 14 I Am a Child (02:22) 15 Questions (02:57) 16 Merry‐Go‐Round (02:05) 17 Uno Mundo (02:04) 18 Kind Woman (04:14) 19 It’s So Hard to Wait (02:08) 20 Four Days Gone (demo) (03:47) 1 For What Its Worth (02:41) 2 Go and Say Goodbye (02:23) 3 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:33) 4 Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (03:27) 5 Hot Dusty Roads (02:51) 6 Everybodys Wrong (02:29) 7 Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (02:43) 8 Burned (02:17) 9 Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It (03:05) 10 Leave (02:45) 11 Out of My Mind (03:09) 12 Pay the Price (02:36) 13 Baby Dont Scold Me (03:13) 14 Mr. Soul (02:51) 15 Childs Claim to Fame (02:13) 16 Everydays (02:43) 17 Expecting to Fly (03:46) 18 Bluebird (04:30) 19 Hung Upside Down (03:29) 20 Sad Memory (03:03) 21 Good Time Boy (02:17) 22 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 23 Broken Arrow (06:14) |
| Buffalo Springfield Box Set : Allmusic album Review : The plainly named Box Set -- thats the actual title -- contains four CDs by a band that made only three albums in their brief lifetime. It goes without saying that this has a lot of great music, and is an essential purchase for fans of this phenomenal 1960s folk-rock-psychedelic band, containing no less than 36 previously unreleased demos, outtakes, and previously unissued mixes. Its the unreleased stuff that holds the most interest, especially since even on their outtakes, Buffalo Springfield were often superb. Songs like "Neighbor Dont You Worry," "Down Down Down" (which contains seeds of both "Broken Arrow" and the Neil Young solo standout "Country Girl"), "Well See," and "My Kind of Love" are actually up to the standard of many of the songs that made it onto the official albums. Although acoustic demos of various Young, Stills, and Furay songs are not as strong, they are always at the least pleasant, and often show intriguing, unsuspected sentimental pop and folk leanings. Alternate versions of great songs, such as "Hung Upside Down" and a piano-only "Four Days Gone," are substantially different from the fully arranged familiar versions, yet worthwhile performances in their own right. At the same time, this box -- which, other than the last disc, sequences the material in the chronological order it was recorded -- is not all it could have been. First of all, for some reason, this does not have everything the band ever released. Not only are a few songs from Last Time Around missing (including one of Richie Furays best moments, "In the Hour of Not Quite Rain"), but the nine-minute version of "Bluebird" (available on the two-LP Buffalo Springfield compilation) and the Neil Young-sung take of "Down to the Wire" (which came out on his Decade collection) are also absent. First-rate songs from Last Time Around, including "On the Way Home," "Pretty Girl Why," and "Four Days Gone," are represented by different demos and remixes, though it would have been easily possible to include the official final versions too. Worst of all, disc four is comprised solely of all the material from the groups brilliant first two albums -- which would not be cause for criticism, except that identical versions of every one of them (except for "Mr. Soul" and "Baby Dont Scold Me") also appear at some point in the course of the preceding three discs. This bizarre repetition is doubly galling both because that space could have been used for remaining Last Time Around absentees, and because other quality unreleased material, both studio and live, is known to exist, and is far more hungrily desired by fans eager to purchase a box set in the first place. Fortunately you can still (almost) complete the Springfield discography by buying Last Time Around itself. The sound is very good, and on the rarities, notably superior to bootlegs (such as the famous Stampede) on which some of the songs have previously surfaced. The 82-page booklet, primarily comprised of vintage clippings, is nice too, even if specific details and anecdotes about the unreleased songs in particular would have been good. As good as it is, though, this could have been one of the greatest rock box sets of all time, if only a saner approach to presenting the bands complete official albums, and more rarities, in one place had been employed. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: What’s That Sound? Complete Albums Collection Released: 2018-06-25 Tracks: 57 Duration: 2:50:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Go and Say Goodbye (02:23) 2 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:35) 3 Leave (02:45) 4 Nowadays Clancy Cant Even Sing (03:28) 5 Hot Dusty Roads (02:53) 6 Everybodys Wrong (02:31) 7 Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (02:43) 8 Burned (02:19) 9 Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It (03:04) 10 Baby Dont Scold Me (03:06) 11 Out of My Mind (03:08) 12 Pay the Price (02:35) 13 For What Its Worth (02:41) 1 For What Its Worth (02:19) 2 Go And Say Goodbye (02:42) 3 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:33) 4 Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (03:27) 5 Hot Dusty Roads (02:51) 6 Everybodys Wrong (02:29) 7 Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (02:43) 8 Burned (02:17) 9 Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It (03:05) 10 Leave (03:03) 11 Out of My Mind (03:09) 12 Pay the Price (02:36) 1 Mr. Soul (02:35) 2 A Childs Claim to Fame (02:09) 3 Everydays (02:38) 4 Expecting to Fly (03:39) 5 Bluebird (04:28) 6 Hung Upside Down (03:24) 7 Sad Memory (03:00) 8 Good Time Boy (02:11) 9 Rock and Roll Woman (02:44) 10 Broken Arrow (06:13) 1 Mr. Soul (02:35) 2 A Child’s Claim to Fame (02:12) 3 Everydays (02:42) 4 Expecting to Fly (03:46) 5 Bluebird (04:30) 6 Hung Upside Down (03:29) 7 Sad Memory (03:03) 8 Good Time Boy (02:17) 9 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 10 Broken Arrow (06:14) 1 On the Way Home (02:30) 2 It’s So Hard to Wait (02:08) 3 Pretty Girl Why (02:27) 4 Four Days Gone (02:55) 5 Carefree Country Day (02:37) 6 Special Care (03:35) 7 The Hour of Not Quite Rain (03:50) 8 Questions (02:57) 9 I Am a Child (02:22) 10 Merry‐Go‐Round (02:05) 11 Uno Mundo (02:04) 12 Kind Woman (04:14) |
| What’s That Sound? Complete Albums Collection : Allmusic album Review : Buffalo Springfields discography received the complete box set treatment in 2001, with a four-disc set filled with previously unreleased demos, alternate takes, and other rarities. In contrast, Whats That Sound: The Complete Albums Collection attempts to restore the discography to how it was heard upon its original release. Whether in its vinyl or CD incarnation, it serves up both the stereo and mono versions of 1966s Buffalo Springfield and 1967s Buffalo Springfield Again, along with the stereo version of 1968s Last Time Around. Neil Young supervised the remastering, so the audio is on par with his acclaimed Original Release Series, and the packaging has been replicated, resulting in the rare complete box set that offers a considerable bang for the buck. | ||