For many music listeners, Buffalo Springfield is remembered primarily as the launching pad for the careers of such notables as Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. (In a similar way that The Yardbirds is remembered more for giving us the Holy Trinity of British Guitar Gods-Clapton, Beck and Page-than for their own work.) But in their two short, tumultuous years, Buffalo Springfield pioneered a true amalgam of rock, country, folk, bluegrass and psychedelia. Stills and Furay were probably the first, but by no means the last, to discover how thrilling and impossible it is to work for any sustained length of time with Neil Young. While Neil is the most important artist to emerge from their ranks, and he was also the wild card that made them so interesting, at heart this was Stills’ band. One of the great “what ifs” is what kind of music we would have had if they had been able to hang together for another three or four records.
Buffalo Springfield (1966/1967) ****
A wonderful set of American music-influenced rock, it was clear from the outset that this was a special band. The suits at Atlantic were uncomfortable with Young’s “acquired-taste” vocals, so while he was a major songwriter on the record, most of his tunes were sung by the more vocally pleasing Furay. BS was made much better when it was re-issued in ’67 with Stills’ haunting, generation defining single “For What It’s Worth” tacked on.
ABOVE: Neil Young’s famous 1948 Buick hearse, or one just like it (dubbed “Mortimer” by Neil). He used it because there was plenty of room for equipment and the slide-out tray that usually supports a casket was great for heavy amplifiers. Legend has it that Young and bassist Bruce Palmer, newly arrived from Canada, were stuck in L.A. traffic on Sunset. Going in the opposite direction were Stills and Furay. Stills recognized Neil’s wheels (they had crossed paths in Canada), made an illegal u-turn, and Buffalo Springfield was literally born on the Sunset Strip (they soon added session man Dewey Martin on drums).
Buffalo Springfield Again (1967) *****
Potential realized. This is one of the most exciting and diverse records of the 1960’s. Young delivers three of the best songs of his career with the Stonesy “Mr. Soul,” the gorgeous “Expecting To Fly” and the experimental “Broken Arrow.” Stills is at the top of his game here too, giving us the never bested folk-rock masterpiece “Rock and Roll Woman” and his crowning achievement, the genre-busting “Bluebird.” If that isn’t enough, Furay emerges as a major songwriting talent as well, with his catchy “A Child’s Claim to Fame” and the lovely “Sad Memory.” So much talent here that…
Last Time Around (1968) ***
…it couldn’t last. The Springfield were already disbanded by the time this hodgepodge was released, it is really a collection of semi-solo tracks played with various session musicians. The actual band never plays together on a single track. That’s not to say that there still is not some worthwhile music here, especially Young’s “I Am a Child” and his Furay-sung “On the Way Home,” as well as Stills’ “Questions” (a dry run for his later CSNY hit, “Carry On”), and Furay’s “Kind Woman,” which is one of the prettiest country songs you will ever hear.
Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield (compilation) (1969) *****
A bit on the short side at 12 tracks, but that actually makes it all the more potent. The Springfield’s most essential stuff is here (well, it is missing “Questions”), and it is a perfect listen from start to finish.
Buffalo Springfield (compilation) (1973) ****
Out of print double album compilation that is quite the collector’s item due to the part live nine minute version of “Bluebird.” But in all honesty, the studio version of the song is better.
Buffalo Springfield (compilation box set) (2001) ****
You would think that a four disc set for a band that only released three records would be able to cover all of the bases. At the very least, it should contain those three short records in their entirety (it can be done on one and half modern day CDs). Not when Neil Young is the archivist putting it all together. Instead you get the first two records twice (mono and stereo versions), a bunch of outtakes and demos (a handful of which are really worthwhile) and highlights from the third record. Why not include all of the third? Where’s any of the legendary live material that allegedly exists in bootleg form and in the vaults? What is here is great stuff and at times it can be a revelatory set, yet it is not completely satisfying.
ABOVE: Look closely at the Last Time Around album cover. Neil Young is already looking to go his own idiosyncratic way.
Bottom Line: Retrospective is crucial to any collection, but the rest of their catalogue is more for dedicated fans of these individuals. Buffalo Springfield Again, of course, should be owned in its entirety, but honestly Retrospective contains its most essential tracks as well.
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