"...A Field Day..."
The July 2001 "Buffalo
Springfield Box Set" (reissued October 2013 in smaller packaging but with
the same 88-song compliment – see separate review) seemed at the HDCD time to
be the last word on this iconic 60ts American band – a four-disc behemoth with
the guts of all three albums and wads of previously unreleased – even offering
an Alternate Version of that notorious 1966 first album rarity "Baby Don't
Scold Me".
But that was 16 years ago
and the latest remastering skills has prompted another go round with Neil Young
(who oversaw these transfers) now saying that these 2017 John Hanlon/Chris
Bellman versions are the best yet and offer long-suffering fans far superior
audio to anything that has gone before (and there's a Vinyl version too). And
on the evidence of what I'm hearing here – Canada's most stately curmudgeon is
right yet again because nowadays you really 'can hear Clancy sing'. There's a
ton of detail to wade through, so here goes into the hour of not-quite-rain...
UK released 28 June 2018 (29 June 2018 in the USA) -
"What’s That Sound? Complete Albums Collection" by BUFFALO
SPRINGFIELD on Atco/Rhino R2 566970 (Barcode 603497860678) is a 5CD Box Set of
2017 Remasters in Mini LP Repro Artwork that plays outs as follows:
CD1 - "Buffalo
Springfield" Mono
Originally US issued
December 1966 Debut Album on Atco 33-200 (Tracks 1 to 12, see Notes)
2017 Remastered 13-Track
Version (see Notes) on Rhino R2 33200M (36:02 minutes)
Side 1:
1. Go And Say Goodbye
[Stephen Stills song]
2. Sit Down I Think I Love
You [Stephen Stills song]
3. Leave [Stephen Stills
song]
4. Nowadays Clancy Can't
Even Sing [Neil Young song]
5. Hot Dusty Roads [Stephen
Stills song]
6. Everybody's Wrong
[Stephen Stills song]
Side 2:
7. Flying On The Ground Is
Wrong [Neil Young song]
8. Burned [Neil Young song]
9. Do I Have To Come Right
Out And Say It [Neil Young song]
10. Baby Don’t Scold Me
[Stephen Stills song]
11. Out Of My Mind [Neil
Young song]
12. Pay The Price [Stephen
Stills song]
13. For What It’s Worth
CD2 "Buffalo
Springfield" Stereo
Stereo Remix Version of the
Debut Album originally US issued March 1967 on Atco SD 33-200A
2017 Remaster on Rhino R2
33200 (32:59 minutes):
Side 1:
1. For What It’s Worth
[Stephen Stills song]
2. Go And Say Goodbye
[Stephen Stills song]
3. Sit Down I Think I Love
You [Stephen Stills song]
4. Nowadays Clancy Can't
Even Sing [Neil Young song]
5. Hot Dusty Roads [Stephen
Stills song]
6. Everybody's Wrong
[Stephen Stills song]
Side 2:
7. Flying On The Ground Is
Wrong [Neil Young song]
8. Burned [Neil Young song]
9. Do I Have To Come Right
Out And Say It [Neil Young song]
10. Leave [Stephen Stills
song]
11. Out Of My Mind [Neil
Young song]
12. Pay The Price [Stephen
Stills song]
NOTES ON THE DEBUT: Buffalo
Springfield's self-titled debut album has a tangled history on both vinyl and
now CD too – so here goes. Originally released 6 December 1966 on Atco 33-200
in Mono and Atco SD 33-200 in Stereo – the first version had 12 songs – six to
each side as per Tracks 1 to 12 above on CD1. However, recorded the day the LP
was released (6 December 1966) and then issued for the Christmas market 23
December 1966 on Atco 45-6459 with "Do I Have To Come" as the
flipside - the band's most famous song "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey
What's That Sound)" changed everything for the group. With accumulating
radio play -18 February 1967 saw the anti-war song enter the US Billboard
singles chart and slowly became a huge commercial and political hit – eventually
peaking at No. 7 and staying on the American hit parade for almost three
months. Such was the power of the song and its identity with Buffalo
Springfield – Atco decided to reissue the debut album with that song given
prominence (Track 1 on Side 1). "Baby Don't Scold Me" from the
December 1966 version was dropped from the new 21 March 1967 Mono and Stereo
mixes and the track-run altered also. The album was remixed by the band into
MONO and re-released as Atco 33-200A (Mono) and Atco SD 33-200A (Stereo). The
second (and band preferred) 12-track version has been used ever since.
Now there's a third variant
here in this June 2018 Five-Disc Box Set - the song "For What It’s
Worth" added on at the end of Side 2 as a 13th track for completion
purposes. There has never been a 13-track "Buffalo Springfield" album
until now - so that configuration is exclusive to this Box Set which is also
available as a American VINYL variant on Atco/Rhino R1 566970 (Barcode
603497860661) issued 29 June 2018 as a limited edition of 5000 copies.
However, if you want to
configure the March 1967 12-Track Mono version from CD1 use the following
tracks:
Side 1: Tracks 13, 1, 2, 4,
5 and 6
Side 2: Tracks 7, 8, 9, 3,
11 and 12
Eagle-eyed fans will notice
that the STEREO version of "Baby Don’t Scold Me" included on the
original December 1966 LP but not on the March 1967 reissue is NOT on CD2 as a
Stereo Bonus. It’s never been issued in true Stereo anywhere in the world on
any CD and the reason still remains something of a mystery that not even this
new box set clears up (this also makes the secondary title 'Complete Albums
Collection' inaccurate).
CD3 "Buffalo
Springfield Again" Mono
Second Album originally US
issued October 1967 on Atco 33-226
2017 Remaster on Atco/Rhino
R2 33226M (33:58 minutes):
Side 1:
1. Mr. Soul [Neil Young
song]
2. A Child's Claim To Fame
[Richie Furay song]
3. Everydays [Stephen Stills
song]
4. Expecting To Fly [Neil
Young song]
5. Bluebird [Stephen Stills
song]
Side 2:
6. Hung Upside Down [Stephen
Stills song]
7. Sad Memory [Richie Furay
song]
8. Good Time Boy [Richie
Furay song]
9. Rock & Roll Woman
[Stephen Stills song]
10. Broken Arrow [Neil Young
Song]
CD4 - CD3 "Buffalo
Springfield Again" Stereo
Second Album originally US
issued October 1967 on Atco SD 33-226
2017 Remaster on Atco/Rhino
R2 33226 (34:01 minutes):
Same Tracks as CD3
CD5 - "Last Time
Around" Stereo
Third and Final Studio Album
US released July 1968 on Atco SD 33-256 in Stereo Only
2017 CD Remaster on Rhino R2
33256 (33:39 minutes)
Side 1:
1. On The Way Home [Neil
Young song]
2. It's So Hard To Wait
[Richie Furay and Neil Young song]
3. Pretty Girl Why [Stephen
Stills song]
4. Four Days Gone [Stephen
Stills song]
5. Carefree Country Day [Jim
Messina song]
6. Special Care [Stephen
Stills song]
Side 2:
7. The Hour Of Not Quite
Rain [Richie Furay/Micki Callen song]
8. Questions [Stephen Stills
song]
9. I Am A Child [Neil Young
song]
10. Merry-Go-Round [Richie
Furay song]
11. Uno Mundo [Stephen
Stills song]
12. Kind Woman [Richie Furay
song]
AUDIO:
Re-mastered by JOHN HANLON
in 2017 (with Neil Young) and then Mastered by CHRIS BELLMAN at Bernie Grundman
Mastering - these new versions are amazing in terms of fidelity. You'd have to
say that the bulk of the work appears to have been on the first two albums in
MONO - but I'm a fan of that last patchy album and these new STEREO mixes are
rocking my 'Carefree Country Day' with a vengeance.
OK, you can and should argue
that the missing "Baby Don't Scold Me" track in Stereo is yet another
disappointing AWOL scenario - but I like the five separate discs forcing me the
listener to take the album's as they were (are). It's admittedly a tad odd to
hear "For What It's Worth..." at the tail-end of the "Buffalo
Springfield" debut instead of as Track 1, Side 1 like we've been used to
all these decades down the line. But 13-track-version or no - the AUDIO is so
damn clear and alive.
The Stereo mix for "Sit
Down I Think I Love You" has brighter guitar and the combo vocals sound
glorious - the Salsa shuffle rhythm section and Stills vocals of "Pretty
Girl Why" is superb too on the 3rd LP and the wall of fuzzed guitars that
is "Bluebird" is almost too much (what a tune). That Phil Spector
epic feel to Young's "Expecting To Fly" where the drums and strings
seem like they're in a very far away cathedral now has a tighter hold - beautiful
song beautifully transferred. The acoustic guitar on Furay's gorgeous "Sad
Memory" is intimate as is his Fred Neil vocals. The opening cut "On
My Way Home" from the 3rd LP was missing from the 2001 remasters - so it's
cool to have an upgraded version of that too.
Do I miss the stunning
long-version of "Bluebird" from 1973 double-album retrospective - or
the Take 1 Demo of "Baby Don't Scold Me" that appeared on Disc 1 of
the 2001 "Box Set" 4CD retrospective - hell yes. Can't help thinking
that a sixth CD gathering up album outtakes might have been nice
("Neighbor Don't You Worry") - but that would I suppose have diluted
the purity of the albums as presented.
The single card inlay with
Neil Young liner notes repeating his 'this version is superior to any
pre-existing version' five times in a row (for each LP) is almost childish in
its laziness. But despite niggles - it's all about the MUSIC and the AUDIO -
and the makers of "What's That Sound?" have nailed it. True believers
will need both "Box Set" and this - newbies should dive in and learn
what all the fuss was about.
"...There's something
happening here..." - Stephen Stills sang on the monumental "For What
It's Worth..." - vocalising what was on young people's minds in the mid
60ts.
They carried a sign for this one and so should you...
