Worth Checking OutÖ by Dana Eric Misenheimer copyright 2003
Neil Young part # 2
Merry Christmas everyone! Last month in Neil Young part one we took a look at four albums from the seventies and eighties that have finally been reissued on CD. This month weíll take a closer look at a four disc box set that was released in 2001 that gives Neil fans a glimpse at what was stirring behind the official releases of his first nationally popular band, the short-lived but vastly influential Buffalo Springfield.
A dear friend gave me the Buffalo Springfield box set last Christmas, so Iíve been absorbing these cuts for almost a year now. This is an absolute gem for anyone who is a fan of Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young, Steve Stills, or Richie Furay in any priority. Along with Bruce Palmer on bass, Dewey Martin on drums, and with the latter day presence of Jim Messina as producer, recording engineer, and bassist, the aforementioned singer/songwriter/guitarists fed off and influenced each other in a band that lasted only two years, but marked the coming of age of all of its members.
As could be expected, this box set is full of unreleased demos and alternate versions that shed considerable light on the development of each member during the bandís run from April of 1966 to May of 1968. While the primary focus of this article is Neil Young, it has to be stated that this may be one of the most demonstrative box sets ever released in regards to illustrating the evolution and growth of all of its members. Also, this has to be said: While keeping in mind the time in history the band was around and the desires of their record label to have something ìmarketableî to release, in several cases the official releases by the band are the weakest cuts on this set, taking on an almost bubblegum quality when compared with the less produced and more musically daring demo versions that had the band members experimenting with new techniques and influences while disregarding the pressure to come up with a ìhitî. Additionally, while Buffalo Springfield was first and foremost a full-blown electric ensemble, many of the demos were done as either solo performances or in small incarnations of two or three members on the acoustic instruments the singer/songwriters used to hone their art when outside of the glare of the spotlight.
This brings us to the focus of this monthís article. This set is absolutely brimming with great Neil Young solo performances that provide the revelation that what was to come later in Neilís career actually came first. With his lone folk singer persona fully intact and quite probably the most deeply rooted facet of his musical make up, we get to hear songs that showed up later in Neilís career as they were first developed, with a few familiar chord progressions being used on entirely different sets of lyrics with different titles. Any one of a mind to could actually extract all the Neil Young demos on the box set to create a dandy little disc of strictly his acoustic performances.
Immediately the first disc starts out with an unreleased demo recorded in June of 1966 for, get this, Sonny & Cher called ìThere Goes My Babeî. I donít know if the Bonos ever did record this song, but it sounds great with Neil doing it by himself on acoustic guitar despite the fact that heís singing it from a female perspective.
There are several cuts that Neil wrote but feature either Steve Stills or Richie Furay singing on the released versions. One of these is ìFlying on the ground is wrongî. The official release was recorded on September 10 and 11, 1966 with the entire band supporting Furay on lead vocals. However, Neil did a demo of the song in July of 1966 with just his acoustic guitar as support, and itís beautiful. Another of these cuts is ìDown to the wireî with Steve Stills handling the vocals. A version featuring Neil doing the singing is on his ìDecadeî compilation. There is a cut here exhibited in two different versions called ìDown, down, downî that contains fragments of lyrics and chords that were later used for ìCountry girlí and ìBroken arrowî. Both unreleased, one is a lovely rendition by Neil alone with his guitar, and the other is the entire band supporting Furay on lead vocals.
The third disc in the set contains several great solo performances by Neil. ìOne more signî is a great song that youíll swear you heard before but havenít. ìThe rent is always dueî is almost the same chords and melody as ìI am a childî(which is here in its first appearance as well) with an entirely different subject and set of lyrics.
A wonderful and illuminating surprise here is the presence of the unreleased ìRound and Round and Roundî from August of 1967 being showcased eloquently by Neil with just his voice and guitar. This is the song that resurfaces on the spring of 1969 album ìEverybody knows this is nowhereî as ìRound and Round (it wonít be long)î. On Neilís second solo album, this song is given a heated workout by Crazy Horse, but here we get to hear it as Neil first created it, and as could be expected, it easily works as well as the full band rendition.
ìThe old laughing ladyî is represented here in a demo from August of 1967 that differs from the version that later surfaced on Neilís ìDecadeî. ìOn the way homeî is here in an unreleased mix with Furay on vocals in a recording from the end of 1967, two and a half years before being reworked by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for the audiences that were present for the shows they played in the summer of 1970 and which were recorded for the live album ìFour way streetî.
In addition to the solo acoustic performances of alternate takes and unreleased material, there are all the official releases that Neil penned and played, a few of which still surface occasionally in his live shows, showing the timelessness of his musical observations. As stated earlier, ìI am a childî is here as is the beloved ìMr. Soulî.
The examples Iíve just discussed here are just a hint of what treasures are lurking in this chest of musical nuggets. I could go on and on, but Iíll leave the rest of these recordings alone for the Neil Young fans to discover on their own. With four discs of quality music, this is a great box set that is effortless to listen to and absorb. The members of Buffalo Springfield went on to make great contributions down the road. Neil Young had CSN & Y, Crazy Horse, Pearl Jam, and a productive solo career among an assortment of other efforts in his musical future. Steve Stills had CS & N, CSN & Y, and a solo career waiting on the horizon. Richie Furay was a founding member of the prototype country rock band Poco and now preaches the gospel and sings for Jesus. Jim Messina went on to form Poco with Furay before pairing with Kenny Loggins in Loggins & Messina. Dewey Martin did some recording but kind of went under the radar. Bruce Palmer recorded one highly experimental album in 1971 entitled ìThe cycle is completeî which is now available on CD. It contains four ìsongsî of eclectic, improvisational jamming that push categorization aside in favor of artistic expression that reveals his depth as a musician. He has lamentably left the radar screen as well.
There is one footnote in regards to the box set that should be noted. This is a perfect example of the reason I refuse to give up my turntable. On receiving the box set, I immediately looked to see if the long version of Steve Stillsí ìBluebirdî was included. Iím not referring to a single and an album version here. In 1973, probably due to the success of its former members and possibly because they owed the record company an album, ATCO put out a double album of ìgreatest hitsî by the band simply titled ìBuffalo Springfieldî. This album never made the jump to CD and - with the presence of the box set - it probably never will. The album contains a few songs that are not on any other album, CD, or the box set. One of these songs is the extended jam session that was edited down and married to another recording to make the official version of ìBluebirdî. ìBluebirdî was usually Buffalo Springfieldís encore in live performance and would last until the band couldnít squeeze any more improvisation out of the song. This vinyl recording contains the unedited jam that was used to begin the approved version and gives listeners a glimpse at the live interplay that took place between Stills, Young, and the rest of the band. Clocking in at nine minutes, this is twice as long as the cleaned up album version and infinitely more adventurous. If you can find a copy of this album, get a hold of it and strap yourself into your recliner for a roller coaster ride through the universe courtesy of the Springfield. Why this song isnít on the box set is bewildering, but these decisions continue to be made, making vinyl the only way to unlock some doors to the past. It should be noted that this version also appeared on one strange compilation of assorted bands from the mid-seventies perversely entitled ìHeavy Metalî and long out of print.
In closing, I would like to extend a special thanks to my dear friend Janet for giving me this box set last Christmas and also supplying the vinyl LP I just referred to for my listening research. Next month will be a surprise for my faithful readers, so until then I would like to thank all of you for stopping by to read my articles and once again wish you a very merry Christmas. I encourage all to remember the reason for the season, and when giving a gift, remember music is a wonderful choice that keeps on giving. May the Good Lord bless you all, and Iíll see you in 2004. Like the Buffalo Springfield box set, Iím sure it will beÖworth checking out.