Customer Reviews

There's Something Happening Here: The Story of Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

True Buffalo Springfield aficionados will be excited that this high-quality book is available, documenting the short but spectacular career of the seminal 60's band. Although too many typos, and some awkward sentences slightly diminish the book's literary attributes, it is nonetheless a fascinating and accurate chronicle of how Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin came together from far-flung locations and synergized into this all-time group. The individual bios of the band members are extremely interesting, descriptions of the heady Sunset Strip club days enthralling, and accounts of group crash pads, groupies, jams and friendships with such diverse legends as Jimi Hendrix and Peter Tork absorbing. I was a slightly too-young teen to participate in the Hollywood scene or attend the nightly shows by not only Buffalo Springfield, but The Doors, The Byrds, and so many others, so I'm happy for this book whichs evokes in me the excitement, the dreams, the disappointments and the triumphs of the times. Towards the end of the book, we learn the causes of the group's breakup and get a compelling comparative description of how Stephen Stills and Neil Young exploded into large-scale success stories, while Richie Furay struggled, and Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin foundered. A great book for readers seeking inside knowledge of the times and places of this great band from the magical 60's music period.

This detailed story of Buffalo Springfield fills in the blanks for any fan of this influential band or its many offshoots. Many of the photos have not been published elsewhere, while a comprehensive discography is also included.

I disagree with "stinnett@inmind.com" on the overall writing. This book actually stands out as an exceptionally well-written rock book-a real rarity. Much first-hand research went into it unlike so many other rock books. Founding member Richie Furay's close involvement gives the book extra authenticity.

For hard-core Buffalo Springfield fans (like me), it clears up the rumors and legends that have swirled around topics like the "Stampede" album and their Monterey appearance. These nuggets alone make it worth the price of admission.

Whatever you think of the writing, this is an important book because, to the best of my knowledge, it's the only one on BS. It is as informative as it could be given that the main players did not contribute to it. I buy every book on Neil Young and this contained much that was not duplicated in other biographies. Just be prepared for many grammatical errors - it seems to have bypassed the proofreading stage! Call it trainspotting if you like, but I found the frequency of errors interrupted the flow and gave the book an amateurish feel. Don't let that stop you buying it, though. I doubt they'll revise it.

Well written, as rock journalism goes. We don't get much early history about band members and Furay is a little self serving (at least he doesn't ram his conversion experience down our throats) and he could show more self-criticism, esp. given his obvious grudges with Neil Young. Beyond this it's a fascinating history of the 60s music scene. Buffalo Springfield intersected with virtually everyone from the Monkees to Hendrix and you do get a flavor of the late 60s music scene. This is probably one of the most underappreciated of the seminal 60s bands and they deserve the visibility that the book gives. Their mausical experimentation and the various bands, solos, and duos they spawned make them arguably more important to rock history than such overplayed groups as the Beach Boys. There's more to Buffalo Springfield than "For What It's Worth" and that comes through in this brief, informative book.

I can't see why the other reviewers don't rate this a 5 star. I've read all the other CSNY books and this one really has the scoop plus there is a tremendous amount of content in this long narrative. One of the things that I enjoyed most about the music of this era were the characters involved. This is the band that spawned Stephen Stills, Neil Young, CSN, CSNY, Loggins & Messina, Poco, (in a way, the Eagles). This was the best of folk rock and yet Buffalo Springfield was largely a disappointment. This band played at my high school for an after-school assembly and what I remember was that the PA system went out. This book recalls that moment. I think the real fans of this era will really enjoy this book...it should have sold more copies.

I was not a fan of Buffalo Springfield until they were already in other groups: CSN & Poco. Listening to the previous music of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, and Furay was how I came to appreciate Buffalo Springfield. This book puts many things into perspective for the public. The fact that Richie has taken care to be fair to everyone involved is a bonus. Criticisms made (when taken in conjunction with the reflections/ memories/ feelings of other band members) help to round out the picture of how the band members related (and still relate) to each other. In a lot of ways they are like a big extended family.

One previous reviewer felt this book was too hard on Neil Young. I disagree- reading this book puts Neil's on-again/off-again relationship with Crosby Stills & Nash in perspective: it's the same pattern he utilized while in Buffalo Springfield. This does not mean the members of either group hate him- they just understand that this is the way Neil functions (or doesn't function- take your pick). Criticism of someone who has been like a member of your own family doesn't mean you hate them, it just means you are realistic about the way things are. That's what this book attempts (and in my opinion succeeds in doing).

There are stories of how various songs came together, ups & downs of trying to make it as a group, & problems that made them grow and take more personal responsibility for the quality of the music they put out. I found this a delightful & informative read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the music of: Buffalo Springfield/ CSN(Y)/ Poco/ Stills/ Young/ Furay!

This book details the 60s & the Buffalo Springfireld very well. It lets us understand the group through Richie Furay's view making us the actual surveyors of this talented band & its time. The pictures are interesting & very rare. However, I feel this book should have been titled something else than just "Buffalo Springfield" being that is is basically about Richie Furay & his band. However, it still lets you experience the feeling of being in a band & being in L.A. during the tumultous glow of 60's California rock. Not many "dirty" secrets are told here, as all music lovers love to see or hear even though they don't admit it. It tells of the trials & triumphs of a talented band & the beatings a singer goes through while trying to enthrall others & himself w/ musical creativity. If you are a Buffalo Springfield fan, you will enjoy this book. Not only does it mention the band but there are mentions of the "Whiskey au-go-go", the Sunset Strip scene, and the infamous Monterey Pop Festival. This is a must for a fan to read-I got great joy out of it & info on the band i never knew before. Not to mention the pictures are great also! Definately go out & buy this if you have not already! Non fictional books of bands or band members is a great way to learn about music or, for the die hard fans, the band itself. I also don't want to forget about the honorable mentions insighting the reader on the bands the Dillards, the Au Go-Go Singers, Manasses, Poco, C,S,N, & Y-when "Y" was around- and many other important bands of the times. Definately a must for the fan or music maven.

This is an outstanding book on what I still feel(after 33 years)is the best band ever. The one aspect that I appreciated about John Einarson's approach,is that he refuses to draw conclusions on each Bandmate,as to who was responcible for the Band's demise.Instead,one is given everyone's take.I cannot say enough for Ritchie Furay's contribution. For one who was literally stuck in the middle of a sometime's maelstrom,his love and respect for each one of his Bandmates shines all throughout each page.No one could have written a better account.

This is a fairly detailed and ultimately depressing look at the brief history of a band that more or less invented country rock, with an emphasis on rock, not country. Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay (Poco) were the leading members. They argued and fought and made great music and broke up way too soon. As in most pop music books, the writing is awful but you get used to it because the material is so interesting. Lots of info not to be found elsewhere

Buffalo Springfield is still considered one of rock's most important American bands. While they never managed to record a truly classic album (the closest being their 2nd, Buffalo Springfield Again), those who witnessed them maintained that the group's live performances were incendiary. The starting ground for one of the century's finest artists, Neil Young, not to mention the springboard for Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills, & Nash) and Richie Furay (Poco)--lesser talents, but still well-regarded--the group deserves investigation if only for that. The book is invaluable in its in-depth treatment of the early musical endeavors of its members. It also gives an excellent treatment to straightening out the often confusing web of the band's many line-up changes; it gives strong coverage to even those who joined the band for the most fleeting of moments (Neil's teenage bandmate Ken Koblun, for instance). Those interested in the early years of funkmeister Rick James--an early bandmate of Young's--will also be pleased with some long-lost details. The book, co-written by vocalist/guitarist Richie Furay, is frequently quite critical of Young; though he did frequently throw a wrench into the group's works, a mild resentment toward his later success is detectable in nearly every other member's recollections. The bitterness doesn't overwhelm the proceedings, however.

Despite its historical value, the book is poorly edited and proofread. Numerous instances of terrible grammar can be found, not to mention embarassing misspellings (e.g., "plaintiff" is used to describe a song that is "plaintive"). Still, the author has done his homework and provides a thorough look at not merely the pre-Buffalo Springfield years, but the tumultuous years the band was together, as well as the follies and successes of the various members in the years following the group's dissolution. I've never been a fan of this band (I think Stills is one of the most overrated musicians you could dredge up), but that didn't spoil the book for me. Any student of rock history needs a primer in this acclaimed, if over-acclaimed, group.