BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD (Box Set, Original Recording Remastered)

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Buffalo Springfield

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I saw them play in 1966 at The Whisky,and how I got in was nothing short of a miracle.They remain my favorite Band to this day. So, after hearing Neil remark in 1975 that he had unreleased tracks,along with the others,perked my ears right up.How were we to know that we would all reach middle age before getting them?? Neil was the sole effort behind the set,and he gave us what most we have been waiting for. However,I can't give this set 5 stars because of some glaring errors. First,why the repetative Disc 4?? Why were tracks such as "Sell Out" "Extra, Extra" "I Guess You Made It" "The Hour Of Not Quite Rain" left out?? I was greatly disappointed not to see the 12 min. "Bluebird" not there(Reportedly, both Stephen & Neil can't stand it).For all of those who never saw them during their short duration, this STILL is an example of what they were like LIVE. The original version of "Mr.Soul" is a gem.Bruce was the engine that ran The Springfield, and this track shows it. And stop looking for "Stampede". It never existed.Period. Read the Book that Ritchie and John Einarson wrote. Lastly, whether Neil wants to admit it or not,The Springfield was Stephen's Band.Period.

This seems to be the type of box set where the audience is predetermined. If you're not a Buffalo Springfield fan by now, surely no major radio stations are playing much else besides For What It's Worth to win you over. But if you are someone who's unsure of whether to buy this or not, be forewarned: it's not a real great value. For the full price of a four-disc set, you get about 22 demos, six remixes, and most (but not quite all) of the material on the Springfield's three albums. As for me, I'm a huge Neil fan, so I had to have it regardless, but I was a little annoyed at several things, from the way the sticker on the box describes the fourth disc as a "bonus" disc (I'm paying for it, aren't I?) in which 21 tracks are repeated from the first three discs, to the chintzy single-ply paper inserts in the individual jewel boxes, to the lack of commentary from Neil or anyone else in the band about the tracks in the booklet. You could probably purchase the three Springfield albums for ten or fifteen dollars less than the cost of this box. If you don't need the demos, or if you have one or two of the original albums on disc already, that might be a better way to go.Some of the demos are interesting, and you can hear what later became Country Girl on CSNY's Deja Vu here as Down, Down, Down. But Rhino usually gives you much more bang for your buck. Let the buyer beware.