zumpoems

1. “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 2:05
2. “Have You Seen Her Face” (Chris Hillman) – 2:25
3. “C.T.A.-102” (Jim McGuinn, Robert J. Hippard) – 2:28
4. “Renaissance Fair” (David Crosby, Jim McGuinn) – 1:51
5. “Time Between” (Chris Hillman) – 1:53
6. “Everybody’s Been Burned” (David Crosby) – 3:05

7. “Thoughts and Words” (Chris Hillman) – 2:56
8. “Mind Gardens” (David Crosby) – 3:28
9. “My Back Pages” (Bob Dylan) – 3:08
10. “The Girl with No Name” (Chris Hillman) – 1:50
11. “Why” (Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:45

Personnel

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The Byrds

• Jim McGuinn – lead guitar, vocals
• David Crosby – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Chris Hillman – electric bass, vocals (acoustic guitar on bonus track 12)
• Michael Clarke – drums

 

The Hollies, released two albums in 1967, “Evolution” and “Butterfly”

Both  albums have their annoying, overly-commercial, teeny-bop elements (think of what you dislike about Herman’s Hermits) but this is compensated by the inclusion of several excellent tracks.  Lot of the credit for what is really good here goes to Graham Nash.

The best track on “Evolution” is the simply arranged and perfectly conceived “Stop Right There.”  Other worthwhile tracks include the hyper-vibrato-infused “”Lullaby to Tim”, the catchy, if outdated-sounding for 1967, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody?”, the wistful, and melancholic “Rain on the Window”, the early Beatles-era “Heading for a Fall”, and the AM radio hit “Carrie Anne.”

US/Canada track listing of “Evolution” [from Wikipedia]

Side 1

1. “Carrie Anne” (Clarke-Hicks-Nash) lead vocal: Clarke, Hicks and Nash
2. “Stop Right There”
3. “Rain on the Window”
4. “Then the Heartaches Begin”
5. “Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe”

Side 2

1. “You Need Love”
2. “Heading for a Fall”
3. “The Games We Play”
4. “Lullaby to Tim”
5. “Have You Ever Loved Somebody”

Personnel

• Allan Clarke – vocals, harmonica
• Tony Hicks – lead guitar, vocals
• Graham Nash – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Bobby Elliott – drums
• Bernie Calvert – bass guitar

“Butterfly” (retitled “Dear Eloise / King Midas in Reverse” in the US)  has its moments also such as the introduction to “Eloise”,  the upbeat, yet also partly annoyingly cloying “Wishyouawish” and “Away Away Away”, Nash’s  simple and direct “Butterfly” (similar to “Stop Right There” on “Evolution”), and “Leave Me”, which was on the original twelve track UK “Evolution” album but not on the US ten track release of “Evolution.” Another notable track, not on the UK version, but only on the US version of the “Butterfly” LP, is the quirky,  “King Midas with a Curse.”

US/Canada track listing of “Butterfly” released as “Dear Eloise / King Midas in Reverse”  [from Wikipedia]

At this point the reader probably sees where I am going with this post — covering the Byrds, which had David Crosby writing some of their best songs, the Hollies, with Graham Nash writing some of their best tunes, and next, Buffalo Springfield, with Neil Young and Stephen Stills — these four guitarists/singers/composers forming Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Buffalo Springfield’s first album. simply titled after the band, was released in December 1966, but it qualifies as one of the first solidly 1967-sounding albums.  In January 1967, the most impressive song of the first half of 1967 hit the airwaves, a rare objective view of the widening political divide in the U.S.. “For What It’s Worth”.  I was eleven when I heard this, and it was, for me, clearly the coolest song on AM radio of all time.  It is worth re-examaning the lyrics so relevant to 1967, but also applicable to today:

This is clearly Stephen Still’s masterpiece of his career and was of such impact that ATCO, the album’s label, re-released this first Buffalo Springfield album in March 1967, including this track. For this reason, its fair game to consider this album belonging to 1967.

Track listing of “Buffalo Springfield”  [from Wikipedia]

Personnel

Buffalo Springfield

• Stephen Stills — vocals, guitars, keyboards
• Neil Young — vocals, guitars, harmonica, piano
• Richie Furay — vocals, rhythm guitar
• Bruce Palmer — bass guitar
• Dewey Martin — drums, backing vocals

 

 .

As distinct and noteworthy as the first Buffalo Springfield album was, the second one is even better.  Neil Young’s driving, anthem-like “Mr. Soul” opens the album and Young’s surreal “Broken Arrow” closes it.  In between are additional songs by Young and Stephen Stills with three pretty good tracks authored by Richie Furay —  one of these, “Good Time Boy”, arranged to include excellent horn-work by the Louisiana group, “the American Soul Train”   This album is distinctly American, or more accurately, Canadian-American (Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer and Neil Young being Canadian-born musicians), combining rock, folk, country and psychedelic-rock elements.  One should also note David Crosby’s involvement in the Stephen Stills song, “Rock and Roll Woman”, which is predictive of Still’s later “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

Track listing [from Wikipedia]

 

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Vocals	Length
1.	“Mr. Soul“	Neil Young	Neil with Richie and Steve	2:49
2.	“A Child’s Claim to Fame”	Richie Furay	Richie with Steve and Neil	2:09
3.	“Everydays”	Stephen Stills	Steve with Richie	2:40
4.	“Expecting to Fly“	Neil Young	Neil	3:43
5.	“Bluebird”	Stephen Stills	Steve and Richie	4:28

 

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Vocals	Length
1.	“Hung Upside Down”	Stephen Stills	Richie and Steve with Neil and Richie	3:27
2.	“Sad Memory”	Richie Furay	Richie	3:01
3.	“Good Time Boy”	Richie Furay	Dewey	2:14
4.	“Rock and Roll Woman”	Stephen Stills	Steve with Richie and Neil	2:46
5.	“Broken Arrow“	Neil Young	Neil and Richie	6:14

Personnel

Buffalo Springfield

• Stephen Stills — vocals, guitars, keyboards
• Neil Young — vocals, guitars
• Richie Furay — vocals, rhythm guitar
• Bruce Palmer — bass guitar
• Dewey Martin — vocals, drums

Additional personnel

• James Burton — dobro on “A Child’s Claim to Fame”
• Chris Sarns — guitar on “Broken Arrow”
• Charlie Chin — banjo on “Bluebird”
• Jack Nitzsche — electric piano on “Expecting to Fly”
• Don Randi — piano on “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow”
• Jim Fielder — bass on “Everydays”
• Bobby West — bass on “Bluebird”
• The American Soul Train — horn section on “Good Time Boy”