Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Box Set: MusicNear.com

Music CD 1

There Goes My Babe (demo)
Come On (demo)
Hello, I've Returned (demo)
Out Of My Mind (demo)
Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (demo)
I'm Your Kind Of Guy (demo)
Baby Don't Scold Me (demo)
Neighbor Don't You Worry (demo)
We'll See (demo)
Sad Memory (demo)
Can't Keep Me Down (demo)
Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing
Go And Say Goodbye
Sit Down I Think I Love You
Leave
Hot DustyRoads
Everybody's Wrong
. Burned
Do I Have To Come Right Out And Say It
Out Of My Mind
Pa The PRice
Down Down Down (demo)
Flying On The Ground Is Wrong
Neighbor Don't You Worry (remix)

Music CD 2

Down Down Down (remix)
Kahuna Sunset
Buffalo Stomp (raga)
Baby Don't Scold Me
For What's Worth
Mr. Soul
We'll See
My Kind Of Love
Pretty Girl Why (previously unreleased mix)
Words I Must Say (demo)
Nobody's Fool
So You've Got A Lover
My Angel
No Sun Today
Everydays
Down To The Wire
Bluebird
Expecting To Fly
Hung Upside Down (demo)
A Child's Claim To Fame
Rock & Roll Woman

Music CD 3

Hung Upside Down
Good Time Boy
One More Sign (demo)
The Rent Is Always Due (demo)
Round And Round And Round
Old Laughing Lady (demo)
Broken Arrow
Sad Memory
On The Way Home
Whatever Happened To Saturday Night (remix)
Special Care
Falcon Lake (Ash On The Floor; remix)
What A Day
I Am A Child
Questions
Merry-G-Round
Uno Mondo
Kind Of Woman
It's So Hard To Wait
Four Days Gone (demo)

Music CD 4

For What It's Worth
Go And Say Goodbye
Sit Down I Think I Love You
Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing
Hot Dusty Roads
Everybody's Wrong
Flying On The Ground Is Wrong
Burned
Do I Have To Come Right Out And Say It
Leave
Out Of My Mind
Pay The Price
Baby Don't Scold Me
Mr. Soul
Child's Claim To Fame
Everydays
Expecting To Fly
Bluebird
Hung Upside Down
Sad Memory
Good Time Boy
Rock & Roll Womm
Broken Arrow

Free Music Notes for Buffalo Springfield Box Set

Free Music Review: Springfield Retrospective Secures Place In History
Hit: 5 Stars

Buffalo Springfield was a "can't miss" band that, sadly, just missed. Formed early in 1966, the five-man group featured three powerful singer/songwriters in Young, Stills and Richie Furay, all veterans of the '60's folk music scene who found more distinctive styles when they turned to rock. The Los Angeles-based band lasted just two years. They had a hit single (the magnificent "For What Its Worth") almost immediately, but the trouble began very quickly. Internal dissension, drug busts, poor management and a botched mix of their first album crippled the young band. By the second album the group was already fragmenting, with the three songwriters recording often recording their own tracks independently from the rest of the band. A third album was pieced together from leftovers and outtakes after the members had already gone their separate ways in May 1968. Despite this rocky history, Buffalo Springfield was way ahead of its time, successfully integrating rock, folk and country influences with some of the best songwriting of the era. They were among the most ambitious acts of their day, and when their efforts were successful, Buffalo Springfield were unbeatable.

So how can a group that survived barely two years be considered a legend? If the case can be made, the proof is in this set. Included here are classic tracks from all three albums, in the best sound quality possible, plus rare outtakes, demos and non-album tracks. The most memorable music here are those songs that have always been considered classics, including "For What It's Worth," "Mr. Soul," "Bluebird," "Broken Arrow," and "A Child's Claim To Fame," are still powerful music. If few of the other tracks reach those heights, it's because very little music does. There are revealing versions of songs by Stills, Furay, and, most significantly, Young, that were not released by the Springfield but reappeared later in their writer's career. "Box Set" should also go far to restore the musical reputation of Richie Furay, a terrific singer and songwriter who was strongly influenced by country music and who went on to form the seminal country-rock band Poco after Springfield had split up. Furay's excellent work here more than holds its own when compared to Stills and Young.

Sadly, no live recordings are included in this set. The band was at their best on stage, with Stills and Young already engaging in the monumental guitar duels that would be a major part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's performances a few years later. Unauthorized live recordings have surfaced over the last three decades, and inclusion of some live cuts would have offered lasting testimony to their greatness as a live act.

There are a few other things to quibble about, as there usually are with these multi-disc retrospectives. There a lot of demos here, many of which are from Springfield's formative months. While they give some insight into the creative process and how the group's sound developed, not all of these songs are memorable. Also, the fourth disc offers only new remixes of the band's first two albums, a welcome and much-needed opportunity that the band did not have in 1966 and 1967. The music sounds great, but many of the songs appear in their originally-released versions elsewhere in the box. Perhaps this fourth disc should have been included as a "freebie," which would have kept the price for the package at $40 or less. Finally, the failure to include the rare nine-minute version of Stills' "Bluebird" (a guitar tour-de-force and a staple of FM radio when it appeared on a 1973 "best of") is hard to understand.

These concerns are minor, and "Box Set" is a fine and fitting tribute to Buffalo Springfield. The packaging is well-conceived, and the excellent booklet includes valuable essays and a slew of rarely-seen photographs. Buying this set is a no-brainer for fans of the group and its members, but casual fans are also likely to greatly enjoy "Box Set."