Buffalo Springfield (1966)
The first album of the group was the self-titled “Buffalo Springfield” in 1966. It was originally released in April but did not produce much of a commercial stir. Many (including the band themselves) believe this failure stems from the muted production not reflecting the raw energy of their live performances which was their strength at the time. The album did better in re-release in October when the popular song “For What It’s Worth” was added. Despite an early lack of sales, however, most people looking back recognize the album as quite groundbreaking in its blending of folk, rock, country, and other elements. The album is full of solid-song writing both in lyrics and melody—Stills and Young showcase some of their best tunes. Harmonies are essential to the album but Furay’s smooth voice also really carries many of Young’s songs to a melodic level that they would not have otherwise had. For me, one of the larger problems of the album is the flow of the tracks. The standout song “For What It’s Worth” was added later and the next few songs do not flow naturally from it. The songs styles continue to alternate throughout the album and many of the better songs get lost in the end.
| 1. For What It’s Worth | 7. Flying on the Ground is Wrong |
| 2. Go and Say Goodbye | 8. Burned |
| 3. Sit Down I Think I Love You | 9. Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It |
| 4. Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing | 10. Leave |
| 5. Hot Dusty Roads | 11. Out of My Mind |
| 6. Everybody’s Wrong | 12. Pay the Price |
Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)
“Buffalo Springfield Again” would prove to be a more consistent project in terms of the flow the album. It is book-ended by two Neil Young compositions (the second of which opens with a live recording of the first) and is full of strong compositions in which the guitar work is prominent and thus ties the album together. It is today considered to be the best of the regular release Buffalo Springfield albums since the songs capture a bit more of the spirit of performance central to the Springfield. Much of the individual flair of the group members also shines throughout the album. The penchant of Young for free-form compositions is very prominent on this album (e.g. “Expecting to Fly”) while Stills gets to highlight his acoustic ability and interest in blues. Even Furay gets his first hand at songwriting and does well with the country-tinged “A Child’s Claim to Fame” (though his overdone “Good Time Boy” is a low-light of the album.) Unfortunately, several of the standout songs like “Bluebird ” and “Rock and Roll Woman” failed to chart highly despite having all the essential elements for big hits. Nevertheless, the strength of the album seemed to bode well for the future of the group—though we now know that internal pressures would cause the momentum to fizzle.
| 1. Mr. Soul | 6. Hung Upside Down |
| 2. A Child’s Claim to Fame | 7. Sad Memory |
| 3. Everydays | 8. Good Time Boy |
| 4. Expecting to Fly | 9. Rock & Roll Woman |
| 5. Bluebird | 10. Broken Arrow |
Last Time Around (1968)
The final album of the group, appropriately titled Last Time Around, is generally considered the least successful of their releases though I consider the songs and styles quite good. (My favorite song being Still’s “Four Days Gone”.) Although Furay’s very highly regarded “Kind Woman” has been seen as the start of the country-rock genre, the overall tone of the album actually steps away from the folk/country blending and guitar strength that made Buffalo Springfield such a sensation. Instead, the songs seem to pull more from blues, smooth jazz, and old-time ballads for inspiration. (Furay demonstrates the latter in the laid-back “It’s So Hard to Wait”.) Stills’ contributions to the album are very clearly tied to what would become CSN in the future—not just the obvious “Questions” which was later turned into “Carry On” for CSN but also songs such as “Special Care ” and “Uno Mundo” with a lot of harmony call-response and rhythm. Even later comer Jim Messina gets to add his own song (and decidedly odd-sounding voice). Young’s influence is largely absent from this album (though “I am a Child” is a standout). The fracturing of the group led to this being a very different album from the one prior and is probably why many fans like it less. I find the variety interesting, however, and think it rounds out the Springfield catalogue quite well.
| 1. On the Way Home | 7. The Hour of Not Quite Rain |
| 2. It’s So Hard to Wai | 8. Questions |
| 3. Pretty Girl Why | 9. I am a Child |
| 4. Four Days Gone | 10. Merry-Go-Round |
| 5. Carefree Country Day | 11. Uno Mondo |
| 6. Special Care | 12. Kind Woman |
Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield (1969)
A somewhat uneven representation perhaps but, despite being released way back in 1969, this is still the main greatest hits compilation of the group’s recordings and actually a fairly good introduction for casual fans. (A longer 1971 compilation was never re-released on CD and the 2018 What’s that Sound is just the original three albums repackaged.)
| 1. For What It’s Worth (from Buffalo Springfield) | 7. Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (from Buffalo Springfield) |
| 2. Mr. Soul (from Buffalo Springfield Again) | 8. Broken Arrow (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| 3. Sit Down I Think I Love You (from Buffalo Springfield) | 9. Rock and Roll Woman (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| 4. Kind Woman (from Last Time Around) | 10. I am a Child (from Last Time Around) |
| 5. Bluebird (from Buffalo Springfield Again) | 11. Go and Say Goodbye (from Buffalo Springfield) |
| 6. On the Way Home (from Last Time Around) | 12. Expecting to Fly (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
Buffalo Springfield (2001)
It’s considered a given that a true fan of Buffalo Springfield has to have this definitive box set but even I have to admit that it almost contains too much much material. Full of unrealized demos, unreleased recordings, and both mono and stereo versions of the same songs, it’s a big hodgepodge that gets a little unwieldy. For me, the most important offerings are the songs recorded by the full group that never saw release; there are about twelve or thirteen of those scattered across the four discs of the set. (Highlighted below, I would almost have preferred that these just be grouped on a single disc.) Most significant among these is the song “Baby Don’t Scold Me” which was actually originally released as part of their first album but replaced in subsequent versions. (And actually, it’s stereo and mono versions are quite different, the latter including a brief Beatles shout out.) My other favorite of these is the decidedly different “Down to the Wire” whose guitars and rhythm sound more like a Byrds song.
| DISC ONE | DISC TWO |
|---|---|
| There Goes My Babe (Demo) | Down Down Down (Unreleased – Reworked into Broken Arrow) |
| Come On (Demo) | Kahuna Sunset (Unreleased instrumental) |
| Hello I’ve Returned (Demo) | Buffalo Stomp (Raga) (Unreleased instrumental) |
| Out of My Mind (Demo) | Baby Don’t Scold Me (Unreleased) |
| Flying on the Ground is Wrong (Demo) | For What It’s Worth (from Buffalo Springfield) |
| I’m Your Kind of Guy (Demo) | Mr. Soul (From Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| Baby Don’t Scold Me (Demo) | We’ll See (Unreleased) |
| Neighbor Don’t You Worry (Demo) | My Kind of Love (Unreleased) |
| We’ll See (Demo) | Pretty Girl Why (from Last Time Around – Remix) |
| Sad Memory (Demo) | Words I Must Say (Demo) |
| Can’t Keep Me Down (Demo) | Nobody’s Fool (Demo) |
| Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (from Buffalo Springfield) | So You’ve Got a Lover (Demo) |
| Go And Say Goodbye (from Buffalo Springfield) | My Angel (Demo) |
| Sit Down I Think I Love You (from Buffalo Springfield) | No Sun Today (Unreleased) |
| Leave (from Buffalo Springfield) | Everydays (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| Hot Dusty Roads (from Buffalo Springfield) | Down to the Wire (Unreleased) |
| Everybody’s Wrong (from Buffalo Springfield) | Bluebird (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| Burned (from Buffalo Springfield) | Expecting to Fly (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It (from Buffalo Springfield) | Hung Upside Down (Demo) |
| Out of My Mind (from Buffalo Springfield) | A Child’s Claim to Fame (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| Pay the Price (from Buffalo Springfield) | Rock & Roll Woman (from Buffalo Springfield Again) |
| Down Down Down (Demo) | |
| Flying on the Ground is Wrong (from Buffalo Springfield) | |
| Neighbor Don’t You Worry (Unreleased) |
| DISC THREE | DISC FOUR – ALTERNATE MONO/STEREO |
|---|---|
| Hung Upside Down (from Last Time Around) | For What It’s Worth |
| Good Time Boy (from Last Time Around) | Go and Say Goodbye |
| One More Sign (Demo) | Sit Down I Think I Love You |
| The Rent is Always Due (Demo) | Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing |
| Round and Round and Round (Demo) | Hot Dusty Roads |
| Old Laughing Lady (Demo) | Everybody’s Wrong |
| Broken Arrow (from Buffalo Springfield Again) | Flying on the Ground is Wrong |
| Sad Memory (from Last Time Around) | Burned |
| On the Way Home (from Last Time Around – Remix) | Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It |
| Whatever Happened to Saturday Night (Unreleased) | Leave |
| Special Care (from Last Time Around) | Out of My Mind |
| Falcon Lake (Ash on the Floor) (Unreleased instrumental) | Pay the Price |
| What a Day (Unreleased) | Baby Don’t Scold Me (Quite different from stereo version) |
| I am a Child (from Last Time Around) | Mr. Soul |
| Questions (from Last Time Around) | A Child’s Claim to Fame |
| Merry-Go-Round (from Last Time Around) | Everydays |
| Uno Mundo (from Last Time Around) | Expecting to Fly |
| Kind Woman (from Last Time Around) | Bluebird |
| It’s So Hard to Wait (from Last Time Around) | Hung Upside Down |
| Four Days Gone (Demo) | Sad Memory |
| Good Time Boy | |
| Rock & Roll Woman | |
| Broken Arrow |