Showing posts with label Buffalo Springfield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo Springfield. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Buffalo Springfield's "Special Care"

I just listened to Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around for the first time.  At the very end of "Special Care," there are some spoken parts.  I can't make out all of them, but at the end there's "only some, they [are] more equal than others."

I'm not sure if it's intentional on Stephen Stills' part (although the similarities in phrasing suggest that it was a conscious quotation), but this is the same sentiment expressed in George Orwell's Animal Farm:  "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Friday, April 18, 2014

Eagles' "Saturday Night"

I'm listening to the Eagles' Desperado.  There's a song called "Saturday Night" that rhetorically asks, "Whatever happened to Saturday night?"  I didn't notice this the first time I listened to this album (this is only the second time I've listened to it), but that line is also a line in Buffalo Springfield's "Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?" (and, of course, the title).  Buffalo Springfield released only three albums (four, if you include Retrospective), but "Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?" didn't appear on any of them.  I'm not sure, but I think it was first released on Box Set.

In any case, I don't think it's likely that the Eagles knew about the Buffalo Springfield's "Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?"  Yet it's still interesting that the two bands - which are pretty similar in their musical styles - are asking the same question.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Buffalo Springfield's Buffalo Springfield Again

I just listened to Buffalo Springfield’s Buffalo Springfield Again.  What I found interesting was that on some of the tracks, the lead vocalist also sings the harmony parts.  Like on “Expecting to Fly,” Neil Young sings the lead vocal, and he also sings the harmony part.  See also “Broken Arrow” and Stephen Stills’ “Bluebird.”

Having both parts sung by the same person would give the song more coherence, but I’m not sure if that’s why they did it that way.  Judging by the Wikipedia page, it was more likely due to acrimony in the group or Neil Young’s frequent absences, but I’m hesitant to accept Wikipedia so readily and I’m not sure if those would explain all of the cases.  Incidentally, I have a book about Buffalo Springfield that I’d planned on starting soon.  Maybe I’ll find an answer in there.