It’s Turntable Tuesday because life is too short not to listen to great music! Turn that TV off! It is time to fire the turntable and crank up some great tunes! This week the 53 year old recording from a band of great players is going to get some play and discussion. Let’s get right to a flashback from 1967.
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/buffalo-springfield-whats-sound-box-set-%E2%80%94-reissue-done-100-right
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1967. I was very young and remember a few things from this year. The Beatles were very popular having been on Ed Sullivan three years earlier and in 1967 they released “Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” I remember seeing the Beatles on TV and all the screaming from the crowd. More on that on the companion podcast. Do I remember when the band Buffalo Springfield was making records? No but I do remember hearing the music over time and anytime I listen to this music it takes me back to my early years as this music is very unique. It has such a stamp of this group of artists on it and when you hear it you know what it is. The band was Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin. There was a cast of amazing talent on the record that are not in the album credits but this is the core band. I do mention on the podcast most all of the musicians involved including two members of the “Wrecking Crew” as well as some session players with deep skills. All of this amazing talent was at the beginning of a journey to become solo and even multi-band musicians that would write many entries into the history of rock music. You can expand this discussion to include The Dillards and Patsy Cline who Dewey Martin had played with, later Buffalo Springfield member Jim Messina of Loggins and Messina fame, the success that came from Jim Messina and Richie Furay in Poco, and of course the solo career of Neil Young as well as Stephen Stills in Crosby, Stills, Nash, and sometimes Young.
On the companion podcast this week I am going to focus on the album background and talk through the tracks with maybe a personal story or two. I have seen most of the Buffalo Springfield band play live although never together. My favorite story of all of those was a night when I was only a few feet from the stage at a Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young show. I was obviously getting into being right in front of Neil Young as he played his Gibson electric and pumping my fist at “Rocking in the Free World.” Stephen Stills saw that. This was a very powerful concert that completely rocked. Stephen did the vocal lead on “Southern Cross” and I raised my hand and made a circle in the air as he sung “I have been around the World.” He locked eyes with me at that point and as he exited the stage he walked over to the edge and handed me one of his gold Herco picks with a smile on his face and although I could not hear him it was obvious he said thank you. Man that made my night. I have missed opportunities to meet Stephen in the past in small show settings due to scheduling conflicts. I regret that and hope maybe there is still time one day.
An old random pick photo (L to R) The Herco Pick from Stephen Stills, A John Prine pick John gave me at a show in Greensboro where Keith Sykes opened for him, and a Peter Mayer pick he gave me from the 1994 Jimmy Buffett tour. 
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in Greensboro, North Carolina at the second CSNY show I had seen in one year.
That’s all for this week. Be sure to tune into the companion podcast this week for the discussion on this album as well as the band. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes of this free podcast. It is available on all streaming services from Spotify to Apple.
Until next time I’ll see you, down the road.