No Skips: Buffalo Springfield does it again 

Here we are yet again. Welcome back to the University of Connecticut for a fun-filled semester and another edition of No Skips, where we take albums track-by-track and see whether they contain any skippable songs. Before launching what fans claim to be one of the best solo music careers of all time, Neil Young was part of Buffalo Springfield in the mid to late 1960s with future frequent collaborator Stephen Stills, among others. Though the band only has three albums to their name, the middle child, “Buffalo Springfield Again” is touted as their best, and for good reason. 

As is the case with most of my reviews, I like to look at these albums in isolation from the rest of an artist’s or band’s discography, and this will especially be the case here, since this is the only Buffalo Springfield album I’ve heard, and I only know a few of Young’s songs. Needless to say, there’s enough genius here to chew on for an article, so here it goes! 

Perhaps an unoriginal observation to start the review with, the rhythm on the introductory track, “Mr. Soul,” is undeniably similar to the Rolling Stones’ classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Whether that parallel is why this is the album’s most popular cut is beyond me, yet there’s plenty to glean from the song’s lyrics. 

The second verse involves Young receiving a letter from a fan who claims, “‘You’re strange, but don’t change,’” a reflection on the positives in embracing the weird in other people as well as the increasingly outdated practice of sending physical fan mail. Nowadays, sending a celebrity their 1000th appreciation email of the day is the equivalent of adding to the pile of envelopes they would receive and rarely have time to read. I’d like to think that down-to-earth celebrities understand that the people writing to them are just as valuable as themselves, hence my belief that Young is still one of those people, taking this backhanded compliment in stride. 

One thing you’ll notice on the liner notes of this record is the disjointed contributions of each musician, as there’s only one writer and one or two lead vocalists on every song. The songs are mostly played by all members of the five-piece, but the formation of each track was individualistic, considering Young was in and out of the band during this time, among other lineup troubles. 

The folky second track, “A Child’s Claim to Fame,” is where I started to enjoy this album. Richie Furay takes charge of writing and vocals, and I specifically like the Americana tinge brought on by the Dobro guitar played by James Burton. Additionally, the innocent tone set by the crooning and instrumentation makes it easy to glaze over the fact that one of the lyrics reads, “I can’t believe what you say, ‘cause tomorrow’s lullaby can’t pacify my lonesome crying.” That’s just sad, no elaboration needed. 

While it’s listed as a live version on Spotify, the recording quality of “Everydays” is impeccable with Stills’ intimate vocals and the beautifully played piano. I can relate to the sentiment in the second verse of 10 grocery store clerks making pocket change, showing despite how the economy may change, service jobs were and still are undesirable to many people.  

“Expecting to Fly” touches on the artsy side of the band with echoey instrumentation that features one-time inclusions on the project like the harpsichord, timpani drum and a half-dozen backing vocalists that only add more layers. The epic slower-paced tune concludes with 15 seconds of pure angelic bliss that makes the entire track a worthy listen from start to finish.  

The lighthearted mood is brought back with “Bluebird” even though Stills comments on his crying “bluebird,” a metaphor for a romantic interest. A majority of the song is instrumental until the closing minute where session musician Charlie Chin plays banjo, enforcing the bluesy vibes cultivated by the group. “Hung Upside Down” is off-putting at first with one of the guitars only coming through the right channel; however, the vocal performances by Stills and Furay are timeless, enhanced by energetic grunts and shouts in the song’s outro. 

“Sad Memory” is an acoustic ballad that is better outside of this album’s context because it fails to offer anything unique when paired with the preceding six tracks. Nevertheless, it’s pleasant, albeit tacky in the lyrical department with a verse like “Did you ever love a girl who walked right out on you? / You should know just how I feel then / Why I’m so blue.” 

“Good Time Boy” might as well be off a soulful funk album. It also stands out for being the only track to star drummer Dewey Martin as the lead vocalist. He appears to be less versatile than Young, Stills or Furay but I wonder what this record would’ve sounded like if two songs were sung by each one of the band’s five members. Bassist Bruce Palmer never got his chance to shine on “Buffalo Springfield Again,” but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was a gifted vocalist who happened to be designated a predominately non-vocal role, like Martin. 

The rhyme scheme on “Rock & Roll Woman” was likely a secondary priority for Stills, who also plays electric piano and organ on this one. The first and last lines of the first verse end with “know,” but so do the first two out of three lines on the song’s bridge. The song sounds good, but details like these are representative of how rushed and chaotic this album’s recording likely was.  

“Broken Arrow” is a six-minute closer interspersed with crowd noises, drum rolls and moments of silence. The most tangible structure is found in the verse-chorus segments, with each verse telling its own story that all become loosely connected by the mantra of “Did you see them?” The jazzy outro rides the point home that this is just a collection of songs above anything else, and it could’ve benefitted from more cohesion. 

Stills and Young would later form one-half of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Furay would help found the band Poco, both of which were prolific for decades to come. There are plenty of ‘60s groups — some of whom were bearers of haphazard material — that saw the first efforts of future music legends, so it’s fun to see where the history begins. I don’t think Buffalo Springfield will be releasing further material, so this sequel to their self-titled record will be one to cherish.