Buffalo Springfield is the debut studio album by the Canadian-American folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield. Released by Atco Records around November 1966,[nb 1] the songs on the album were written by the band members Stephen Stills and Neil Young and produced by Charles Greene and Brian Stone. The tracks were recorded by July 18 to September 11, 1966, in Gold Star Studios and CBS Columbia Square, based in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Two singles were originally released for the album: "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" (backed with "Go and Say Goodbye") and "Burned" (backed with "Everybody's Wrong"). Most subsequent pressings of the album from March 1967 onward replaced the track "Baby Don't Scold Me" with the standalone single "For What It's Worth", which was ascending the US charts at the time. The single (backed with "Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It?") eventually peaked at number 7 on the Hot 100,[9] while the album reached number 80 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.
Background and content
Buffalo Springfield were formed in early 1966, playing their first gig at The Troubadour club in Hollywood in April of that year. An initial single that appeared on this album, Young's "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing", sung by Richie Furay and recorded on July 18, 1966, failed to reach the national charts. But made the Top 40 locally in Los Angeles during August. This album was mostly recorded in July, August and September of 1966 at Gold Star Studios where Phil Spector created his "Wall of Sound" and Brian Wilson produced recordings by the Beach Boys. Young sings lead on only two of his five compositions, Furay singing lead on the other three.
The album was produced by the group's managers, Charles Greene and Brian Stone, both of whom had minimal experience as record producers. The group was reportedly unhappy with the sound of the album, feeling that it did not reflect the intensity of their live shows.[10] The band asked Atco for time to re-record the album, but not wanting to miss the Christmas holiday season the label insisted that the record be released as it was.
Buffalo Springfield was originally released in both mono and stereo versions as Atco SD 33-200. The back cover contained band profiles of each member in the mode of those for Tiger Beat. Recorded the day the LP was released and issued soon after, the band's new single by Stills "For What It's Worth" became a national hit, making the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in March 1967.[11] For the second pressing of March 6, 1967, the album was reissued as Atco SD 33-200A with the hit as the lead track, dropping "Baby Don't Scold Me" and slightly reconfiguring the running order. "Baby Don't Scold Me" has never been reissued in stereo; all compact disc releases feature only the mono mix of this track.
The album was remastered in HDCD and reissued on June 24, 1997, with two versions on one disc, the mono tracks from Atco 33-200 first with the stereo tracks from SD 33-200A following. Not contained were the stereo mix of "Baby Don't Scold Me" from Atco SD 33-200 or the mono mix of "For What It's Worth" from Atco 33-200A. "Burned" has also never been issued in stereo.
The recording sessions took place at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles from July 18 to September 11, 1966, with "For What It's Worth" recorded at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles on December 5, 1966.
Critical reception
The album was met with positive reception when it released. AllMusic and The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (the latter written by Colin Larkin) would later give the album four out of five stars, while The Rolling Stone Album Guide would give the album three out of five stars. Cash Box said that "Burned" has a "slick, mid-tempo rock arrangement that could catch on big" and mentioned how "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" was a "pulsating, folk-ish item with some inventive unexpected melodic changes."[15]
Track listing
Original release
Side two| Title | Writer(s) | Lead singer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong" (September 10, 1966) | Young | Furay | 2:40 |
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| 2. | "Burned" (August 1966) | Young | Young | 2:16 |
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| 3. | "Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It" (August 1966) | Young | Furay | 3:01 |
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| 4. | "Baby Don't Scold Me" (August 1966) | Stills | Stills and Furay | 3:04 |
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| 5. | "Out of My Mind" (August 1966) | Young | Young | 3:05 |
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| 6. | "Pay the Price" (August 1966) | Stills | Stills | 2:36 |
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March 1967 release
Side one| Title | Writer(s) | Lead singer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "For What It's Worth" (December 5) | Stills | Stills | 2:40 |
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| 2. | "Go and Say Goodbye" (July 18) | Stills | Stills and Furay | 2:20 |
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| 3. | "Sit Down, I Think I Love You" (August) | Stills | Stills and Furay | 2:30 |
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| 4. | "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" (July 18) | Young | Furay | 3:24 |
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| 5. | "Hot Dusty Roads" (August) | Stills | Stills | 2:47 |
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| 6. | "Everybody's Wrong" (August) | Stills | Stills and Furay | 2:25 |
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Side two| Title | Writer(s) | Lead singer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong" (September 10) | Young | Furay | 2:40 |
|---|
| 2. | "Burned" (August) | Young | Young | 2:15 |
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| 3. | "Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It" (August) | Young | Furay | 3:04 |
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| 4. | "Leave" (August) | Stills | Stills and Furay | 2:42 |
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| 5. | "Out of My Mind" (August) | Young | Young | 3:06 |
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| 6. | "Pay the Price" (August) | Stills | Stills | 2:36 |
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Personnel
- Buffalo Springfield
- Production personnel
Charts
Album - (United States)
| Year
|
Chart
|
Position
|
| 1967
|
Billboard Pop Albums
|
80
|
| Cashbox Albums Charts[16]
|
54
|
| Record World Album Charts[17]
|
54
|
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year
|
Single
|
Chart
|
Position
|
| August 1966
|
"Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" / "Go And Say Goodbye"
|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
|
110
|
| November 1966
|
"Burned" / "Everybody's Wrong"
|
-
|
-
|
| January 1967
|
"For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)" / "Do I Have To Come Right Out And Say It"
|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
|
7
|
Notes
- ^ An advertisement in Billboard on October 22, 1966, indicates the album was due for release that month,[6] but the New York Daily News reported that the band planned to "uncork" their album in New York on November 9.[7] In his band biography, John Einarson writes the album was "[r]ushed out by late November".
References
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Author Favorites". www.richieunterberger.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- ^ Johnny Rogan (September 18, 2007). "Neil Young: 1966-1975". Under Review. Music Video Distribution. 3:50 minutes in.
- ^ Alexander 1967, quoted in Lizie 2021, chap. 1.
- ^ "The Sound of LP Excitement on Atlantic–ATCO". Billboard. October 22, 1966. p. 44–45 – via Google Books.
- ^ Muir, Florabel (November 2, 1966). "Hollywood". New York Daily News. p. C24 – via Newspapers.com.
Hollywood, Nov. 1 – ... the 'Buffalo Springfields [sic]' will uncork their first album in New York Nov. 9 ...
- ^ "The Buffalo Springfield". Billboard.
- ^ McDonough, Jimmy. Shakey: Neil Young's Biography. New York: Anchor, 2003, p. 181
- ^ Google Books archive Billboard March 25, 1967 Hot 100 chart retrieved 25 March 2017
- ^ Buffalo Springfield at AllMusic
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1979. p. 53.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 12, 1966. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
- ^ "RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
Sources
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| Studio albums | |
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| Compilations and box sets | |
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| Songs | |
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| Related artists | |
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| Authority control databases | |
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