Buffalo Springfield -- Live?

Cafe Society
#1

For those of you to young to know who I’m talking about, this is as good a place as any to read up on this seminal rock band.

Those of you who are serious fans already know that this band, known back in the day for its live performances, never released a live album. For my own benefit, I’m going to put together a “live” CD patched together from various places. If anyone knows of a recording I missed, then by all means let me know!

There is precious little actual Buffalo Springfield Live to piece together. About thirty minutes worth, in fact, and most of it is very, very poorly recorded. There’s a very short exceprt from the “Smothers Brothers Show” from 1967 that can be found on the CSN DVD “Long Time Comin’”, and an almost normal length performance of just this one song from the Monterey Pop Festival “Outtake Performances” DVD. I would just about kill to find a recording of that entire “Smothers Brothers” episode. Ditto for their Monterey Pop performance, but unfortunately, I know from the liner notes that the filmmaker was short on film (!) and only filmed the one song. There are also two performances from mysterious sources of very poor quality, as noted above.

Aside from that, I’m going to put together live performances of the various members of Springfield songs recorded post-Springfield. That gives me a little more material, but I’m not sure how much as I had to research some of these albums online, as I don’t own them all just yet. If anyone knows of anything I have missed, let me know!
Actual Buffalo Springfield Live (1967-1968)

  1. For What Its Worth (1:10)
  2. Pay the Price, Nobody’s Fool, Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing, Rock & Roll Woman (19:44)
  3. Rock & Roll Woman, Bluebird (5:58)
  4. For What Its Worth (3:15)

CSNY - 4 Way Street (1971)
5. On the Way Home (3:47)
(Not including “Carry On”, which includes “Questions”, but is just too stylistically different)

Poco - The Forgotten Trail (1969-1974) (Recorded 1972ish?)
6. Kind Woman (5:46)

Stephen Stills Live (1974)
7. Four Days Gone (?:??)
8. Special Care (?:??)

Neil Young - Live Rust (1979)
9. I am a Child (3:00)

CSN - Daylight Again DVD (1982ish)
10. For What Its Worth (5:44)

Neil Young - Unplugged (1993)
11. The Old Laughing Lady (5:14) – Hey, it’s on the box set, so it counts.
12. Mr. Soul (3:54)

Neil Young - Year of the Horse (1997)
13. Mr. Soul (?:??)

Poco - Keeping the Legend Alive (2003)
14. Kind Woman (?:??)

CSN - The Acoustic Concert DVD (2004)
15. For What Its Worth (5:53)

Poco - Bareback at Big Sky (2005)
BUT: Furay doesn’t participate in this one. Doesn’t Count. But it IS a nice cover!
XX. On The Way Home

#2

I was just listening to a cassette of the Best of Buffalo Springfield yesterday, by odd coincidence, and thinking what an incredible group they were. They’re up there in the patheon of best and most influential “one-hit wonders” ever. Yes, unbelievably, none of their singles ever hit the top 40 except “For What It’s Worth.”

As for your list, one addition:

The title doesn’t make it clear, but the American’s Children half of “49 Bye Byes/America’s Children” on 4 Way Street is actually an adaptation of “For What Its Worth” modified by strident antiwar posturing. I mean, I was as antiwar as anyone back in those days, but the song got ruined by heavyhandedness. One of Stills’ failings, except when he had good partners to haul him back from that abyss. Sort of Lennon-McCartney-esque that way.

#3

I seem to recall that Broken Arrow opens with a snippet of Mr. Soul being played live in concert. Does that count?

#4

Perhaps technically it counts, but two things:

  1. It’s only about four or five seconds.
  2. It’s Dewey Martin singing. Dewey Martin! :: shudder :: :smiley:
#5

Ponder, you’re right on both counts, but its still cool!

(and quit knocking Dewy Martin) :smiley:

#6

Exapno Mapcase, I had forgotten about the end of “49 Bye Byes/America’s Children”. You’re quite right. But I think I’ll still leave it off for the same reason I’m leaving off “Carry On”. Besides I already have four versions of “For What Its Worth”, anyway. :slight_smile:

Wartime Consigliori, Dewey only sang on one album track, “Good Time Boy”, and (IMHO) man is it a stinker (sorry, Dewey)!! That having been said, Dewey’s a great drummer. This didn’t really sink in to me until I listened to Poco’s version of “Kind Woman” that I list above as track 6, and heard how a “merely OK” drummer can make a great song, well, “merely OK”. Thinking back on listening to Poco stuff, I wonder if part of the reason they never quite made the “big time” was due to this? Percussion was always “OK” on their stuff, never inspired.

#7

This brings back a childhood memory. I was very young, but I recall going to the beach with my friend from across the street. We went in his mom’s yellow VW Bug. I don’t remember if a BS song wsa on the radio, but I remember his mom giving him a cheery ‘Buffaloooooooo Springfield!!’

(Speaking of ‘across the street’, ‘Be home when the street lights come on!’)

#8

on a side note…

I’ve been playing guitar for 25 years, and I still can’t figure out how to play that acoustic lick in Bluebird.

#9

I believe they played when they were inducted into the R&R HOF (minus Neil Young). Maybe you can get that.

#10

I had heard that that show had fallen through, precisely because Neil had declined to participate. If I heard wrong, I’d love to know where such a recording exists, but I’ve found nothing with google …

#11

I remember they made a live appearance on “Hollywood Palace” around 1967.
They started out with 1 verse of “For What It’s Worth” then went right into “Bluebird”.

Wartime Consigliori I thought about “Broken Arrow” too. I’ve always wondered if that really is a live recording or some studio trickery to make it seem as if it were a live recording.