Buffalo Springfield Looking Back
Content
I started writing this "piece" about 2 years ago while on a boat playing piano- with recent news of a "Reunited Buffalo Springfield Tour" in the offing I thought it would be apropos to go ahead and share it. Other than using "I" too often, it seems readable enough. My reminiscence here is inspired by a book I had postponed reading as i assumed it would dissemble, if not crush whatever remaining adolescent admiration/ adoration I held for the Buffalo Springfield. As it turned out, it didn't. It simply told the story of a band. I have never reviewed anything, I write poems, songs and letters as a rule. The book, titled, "For What It Worth, The Story of the Buffalo Springfield", was written by John Einarson and Richie Furay (Richie provides the bulk of the time line, recollections & anecdotes--) The book came out 10 or more years ago. I had almost intentionally avoided reading it, having seen it from time to time in various Scandinavian libraries as well as book stores during visits to US --- always thinking -- "I will read this someday when I am ready". If you like Buffalo Springfield, read the book, it is worth the read. As a 12/13 year old adolescent in Springfield,Ohio, Buffalo Springfield held a mythic status for me. For one thing, Richie Furay was from just down the road, Yellow Springs, Ohio --home of Antioch College (also sadly under the gun to survive these days) It was the COOL place where the early hippie vibe was felt--- in fact, it was Beatnik & Folkie in the early 60's. Art Galleries & strange looking folks abounded. Plus we had Furay's in my church and school who were somehow related to Richie (cousins?) Plus, as absurd as it seems, the SPRINGFIELD, in the name, was the OHIO SPRINGFIELD, our hometown. At age 12 or so, that was a big deal to me. JUSt thinking that such a cool band could have our town's name in it made it even cooler in my pubescent brain. I was following them as soon as I first read about them, in magazines like Song Hits, Hit Parader, Circus etc. In all honesty, I was a total Indian Lore geeky Boy Scout who LOVED pop music, took piano lessons, sang in the church choir --- I had my own "Indian Outfit" when I was 11 --- (anyone else out there ever read W. Ben Hunt books?) Neil's attire certainly caught my eye! I had a wall full of photos of the acts that I loved. Cut from pages in Bravo, a German fanzine, copies of which i had accumulated during a summer spent with my Grandparents in Switzerland in 1966. Photos of the Stones, the Troggs, Spencer Davis Group, the Small Faces, and the Kinks as well from as my US magazines like Song Hits & Hit Parader; the Byrds, Lovin' Spoonful & other US acts were plastered up there. My older brother already had the first Mother's LP, Freak Out. We had been listening to Beatles, Stones, Dylan & the Byrds religiously in our shared little bedroom on Lamar Dr or the radio (whatever was on) It was a tiny bedroom but we both LOVED a lot of the same music so it worked. Our Magnavox Stereo sounded great. We had the advantage of having a father in the TV business. At that time my Dad was the Service Manager at one of Springfield's larger home
entertainment stores, Crist-Kissel. I worked there the summer and Autumn of 1965. Beginning 1966 I was employed by another place where he worked as a TV repairman (yes kids, once upon a time, people repaired all things electronic!) while he organized starting his own business. This place, Miller's, was where I heard Buffalo Springfield for the first time. Every morning young Andy Boller would sweep the sidewalk out in front of the store, which happened to be directly across the street from the Roosevelt Jr High School that I attended. From the first few seconds of the song,"For What It's Worth" crackling out of my little Motorola transistor radio. I was enchanted. This was sometime in February, 1967. "For What It's Worth" was different. It didn't sound like anything else on the radio at that time. For another, they sounded so sincere. I liked the chorus so much that I was singing along by the last one "stop children, what's that sound, everybody look what's goin' down" it was like a bolt of lightning from some other place played next to the Motown hits, the Bubble Gum, the Monkees. Suddenly the Beatles sounded over-produced & the Stones too raw. i loved all the music of that time of my life but "For What It's Worth" had some mysterious quality of "real" about it that just pulled me in. When I heard it on my transistor radio & that opening thumping kick drum w/ the tremoloed/ reverbed single notes, strummed & single note lines on acoustic guitars, Stills hoarse voice, the choir like chorus - I was entranced. I also really liked the "children" idea as I knew at age 12 almost 13, that I was not a "grown-up" in any way shape or form and it seemed like they were singing for me & my friends. Talkin' 'bout my generation. So I postponed reading the book to preserve that feeling or so I thought, I have read so many band bios including books about Young, Stills & for that matter, even one book about a Young fan which is actually a good read -- some Young maniac re-creates the Young hearse journey that first took him and Bruce Palmer to L.A. Most books about rock stars tend to go for the dirt, the salacious, or the tragic. This book doesn't. It is very honest & straight forward. I commend both Einarson & Furay for this. As for the info disclosed? Well gee, it turns out Neil Young can be a royal flake at times - no news there. The man did not even show up for their induction into R&R Hall Of Fame. Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer (both sadly absent in this upcoming reunion due to their deaths) were given short shrift by the media & the public at the time yet played key roles in the band's early days- just listen to the recordings & decide for yourself. Dewey had played w/ Nashville acts, Bruce had worked w/ Rick James. Of course Steve & Richie had been in the A Go Go Singers but having a rhythm section that anchored them with a solid groove in their nascent days in the Whiskey A Go Go had to have helped them build their original LA fan base & establish camaraderie that led to their being signed. It was the peak for both these men & when they attempted to re-create or ride whatever shards of fame they had, the others put a stop to either of them using any reference to Buffalo Springfield in advertising etc. There is a telling anecdote concerning Palmer having problems w/ immigration in the 70's that I simply dangle for you. Guess which former bandmate came to his aid? That the book takes the time to follow these men equally as
members is another plus. As for Richie, he seems to have settled down to life as a preacher in his own church somewhere in Colorado. I will always remember an impromptu sudden concert Poco gave early on in their existence in Yellow Springs that many fellow Springfielder's also saw. Thank you Richie, for that one! We all know what happened with Neil who apparently became the biggest star of lasting impact. Although one might line up the music of the various members & decide for oneself what stands up. We all will have our favorite songs etc (one of mine is "Hung Upside Down" which Richie has mentioned already as possible set list material) Of course, I think Stills had the largest impact of all of the band on his generation as the first CSN LP became a soundtrack for a time & place. I don't know the sales numbers etc but i would imagine that the 1st 2 LP's (CSN, and CSNY) are among the biggest sellers of that time. And many a musician I know had Super Session in the record pile. In the end, what I personally liked about the book most was that it really gives a good behind the scenes look at the rise & fall of a band. Any Buffalo Springfield fan knows the tale of Young & Palmer driving to LA, Furay and Stills seeing the Hearse, flagging it down & presto, the band was born. Hearing how Stills had persuaded Richie to come to LA is another story in itself- all in all, though, it covers a time when so many people made changes. And it is the band's story clear down to the final version with Jim Messina piecing together some sort of LP to release for the "Last Time Around" out of whatever fragments were lying around. While the tour may be fun for nostalgia's sake, it is sad they couldn't find a way to do it sooner when they all were closer to their peak form. The idea of a close to 70 year old Neil Young singing "I Am A Child" or Richie (who of the 3 probably has the most power left in his pipes from a cleanly lived life) singing " A Child's Claim To Fame" (his song about Neil) or for that matter Stills doing "Bluebird" or "Rock & Roll Woman" ?? (i have listened to his more recent work & his voice has become shreds of what once was) That said, i am certain fans won't care, they will simply be there for the shared communal sense of having been there together at one time, asking in unison "stop hey, what's that sound?" & reminiscing in mass -- I know I would likely go to a show if there was one in my town. That said, I doubt they make a trip to Europe & to be honest, I am content with my memories of watching my fellow 12/13/14 year old kids file into Roosevelt Jr High across the street while I sang along with Steve, "There's something happening here" back on a brisk February morning while sweeping the sidewalk.
entertainment stores, Crist-Kissel. I worked there the summer and Autumn of 1965. Beginning 1966 I was employed by another place where he worked as a TV repairman (yes kids, once upon a time, people repaired all things electronic!) while he organized starting his own business. This place, Miller's, was where I heard Buffalo Springfield for the first time. Every morning young Andy Boller would sweep the sidewalk out in front of the store, which happened to be directly across the street from the Roosevelt Jr High School that I attended. From the first few seconds of the song,"For What It's Worth" crackling out of my little Motorola transistor radio. I was enchanted. This was sometime in February, 1967. "For What It's Worth" was different. It didn't sound like anything else on the radio at that time. For another, they sounded so sincere. I liked the chorus so much that I was singing along by the last one "stop children, what's that sound, everybody look what's goin' down" it was like a bolt of lightning from some other place played next to the Motown hits, the Bubble Gum, the Monkees. Suddenly the Beatles sounded over-produced & the Stones too raw. i loved all the music of that time of my life but "For What It's Worth" had some mysterious quality of "real" about it that just pulled me in. When I heard it on my transistor radio & that opening thumping kick drum w/ the tremoloed/ reverbed single notes, strummed & single note lines on acoustic guitars, Stills hoarse voice, the choir like chorus - I was entranced. I also really liked the "children" idea as I knew at age 12 almost 13, that I was not a "grown-up" in any way shape or form and it seemed like they were singing for me & my friends. Talkin' 'bout my generation. So I postponed reading the book to preserve that feeling or so I thought, I have read so many band bios including books about Young, Stills & for that matter, even one book about a Young fan which is actually a good read -- some Young maniac re-creates the Young hearse journey that first took him and Bruce Palmer to L.A. Most books about rock stars tend to go for the dirt, the salacious, or the tragic. This book doesn't. It is very honest & straight forward. I commend both Einarson & Furay for this. As for the info disclosed? Well gee, it turns out Neil Young can be a royal flake at times - no news there. The man did not even show up for their induction into R&R Hall Of Fame. Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer (both sadly absent in this upcoming reunion due to their deaths) were given short shrift by the media & the public at the time yet played key roles in the band's early days- just listen to the recordings & decide for yourself. Dewey had played w/ Nashville acts, Bruce had worked w/ Rick James. Of course Steve & Richie had been in the A Go Go Singers but having a rhythm section that anchored them with a solid groove in their nascent days in the Whiskey A Go Go had to have helped them build their original LA fan base & establish camaraderie that led to their being signed. It was the peak for both these men & when they attempted to re-create or ride whatever shards of fame they had, the others put a stop to either of them using any reference to Buffalo Springfield in advertising etc. There is a telling anecdote concerning Palmer having problems w/ immigration in the 70's that I simply dangle for you. Guess which former bandmate came to his aid? That the book takes the time to follow these men equally as
members is another plus. As for Richie, he seems to have settled down to life as a preacher in his own church somewhere in Colorado. I will always remember an impromptu sudden concert Poco gave early on in their existence in Yellow Springs that many fellow Springfielder's also saw. Thank you Richie, for that one! We all know what happened with Neil who apparently became the biggest star of lasting impact. Although one might line up the music of the various members & decide for oneself what stands up. We all will have our favorite songs etc (one of mine is "Hung Upside Down" which Richie has mentioned already as possible set list material) Of course, I think Stills had the largest impact of all of the band on his generation as the first CSN LP became a soundtrack for a time & place. I don't know the sales numbers etc but i would imagine that the 1st 2 LP's (CSN, and CSNY) are among the biggest sellers of that time. And many a musician I know had Super Session in the record pile. In the end, what I personally liked about the book most was that it really gives a good behind the scenes look at the rise & fall of a band. Any Buffalo Springfield fan knows the tale of Young & Palmer driving to LA, Furay and Stills seeing the Hearse, flagging it down & presto, the band was born. Hearing how Stills had persuaded Richie to come to LA is another story in itself- all in all, though, it covers a time when so many people made changes. And it is the band's story clear down to the final version with Jim Messina piecing together some sort of LP to release for the "Last Time Around" out of whatever fragments were lying around. While the tour may be fun for nostalgia's sake, it is sad they couldn't find a way to do it sooner when they all were closer to their peak form. The idea of a close to 70 year old Neil Young singing "I Am A Child" or Richie (who of the 3 probably has the most power left in his pipes from a cleanly lived life) singing " A Child's Claim To Fame" (his song about Neil) or for that matter Stills doing "Bluebird" or "Rock & Roll Woman" ?? (i have listened to his more recent work & his voice has become shreds of what once was) That said, i am certain fans won't care, they will simply be there for the shared communal sense of having been there together at one time, asking in unison "stop hey, what's that sound?" & reminiscing in mass -- I know I would likely go to a show if there was one in my town. That said, I doubt they make a trip to Europe & to be honest, I am content with my memories of watching my fellow 12/13/14 year old kids file into Roosevelt Jr High across the street while I sang along with Steve, "There's something happening here" back on a brisk February morning while sweeping the sidewalk.
