188 - Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield Again is the second album by the band and seems to capture themselves in mid-fracture. Songs jump from here to there with different feel, singers, and style. There are three Neil Young tracks on here that seem to only feature him (and from what I read, they were meant for a solo project of his). You go from Neil opening the album with his raw and sloppy "Mr. Soul" into the perky folk-rock with pretty harmonies in "A Child's Claim to Fame." That is followed up by the groovy jazz shuffle of "Everydays - Live" that features an electric guitar doing an impersonation of a fly incessantly buzzing around the room during the song. So, there is quite a bit of a disjointed listen here.

On the other hand, many of these tracks are interesting listens. The harmonies that are on here are beautiful. It is a good collection of songs. And I guess that is part of my struggle with this album - as we get higher up the list, my hope and expectation is that the albums which are "a collection of songs" will fade away, leaving mostly albums which demonstrate that the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" philosophy. If this wasn't Buffalo Springfield Again, but was Buffalo Springfield: Late 60s Recordings, I might be a little less conflicted about this album's position.

Songs I Knew I Liked: None

Songs I Now Like: "Everydays - Live," "Bluebird," and "Rock & Roll Woman"

Songs I Don't Want to Ever Hear Again: "Mr. Soul," "Sad Memory" (YAWN!!!) and "Broken Arrow"