So on our way to Trenton this morning, a meeting for me and Kathy was going to the State Archives to look for dead people (do genealogy research), I put on some Poco, a band we both like. As I listened to Poco, I thought about their predecessor Buffalo Springfield and how the members of that band had such a big effect on my musical listening over the last 40 years! I mean where would popular music but without Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer! No I obviously mean those other four guys that went on to make just a little good music. So where do you start with those guys I guess with Stephen Stills – obviously he went on to Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes that other guy.. and I have several of their albums. One of my favorite Stills tracks is 4 and 20 from Deja Vu. I also have some of Stills solo work. one of the favorite things that Stills did was the second side of Super Session with Al Kooper there’s a lot of good stuff on both sides of that album. But probably my favorite Stills release was the double Manassas album. There’s a lot of good music on that album including “Johnny’s Garden”, “It Doesn’t Matter”. Then there’s Neil Young I only have some of his early stuff Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, and his first album. But obviously through the years I’ve heard lots of his music!
Next there’s Richie Furay and Jim Messina who went on to form Poco now I only have Deliver’n in my collection but my wife was a big Poco fan and we almost all of the Poco albums in our combined collection! And while Furay and Messina left the band the band has stayed together and we have seen them several times in concert in the last several years. Richie Furay went on to become part of the Souther, Hillman and Furay Band (SHF) and they put out two good albums that are in my collection. Richie went on a recorded Christian albums for years and a few years ago returned to secular music with a great album Heartbreak of Love an album that was made with the help of a lot of friends! Also he put out a great live album Alive that chronicles his career covering all the aspects of his career. Check it Out!
Then there was Loggins and Messina and Sittin’ In that also resides on my vinyl shelf! Jim Messina is working on a new album that will be released soon.
I don’t know that there is another band that had four members that had such an impact on my musical listening than Buffalo Springfield. Maybe the Byrds with David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. I have lots of their music in my collection, too.
Here’s “For What It’s Worth” from The Smothers Brothers Show (now there was a great show!)