‘Sad Memory’: The Buffalo Springfield song recorded by accident
During those golden years of rock, when new genres were being formed and a genuine buzz of excitement and change was in the air, many musicians struggled to find their feet, moving through various bands before settling with one. In some instances, bands would dissolve, only for several members to move onto bigger and better projects, leaving their previous project a legendary relic.
This happened a few times, like when The Yardbirds found significant success, only for its’ members to break away and become musical icons in the following years. While Jimmy Page became a member of Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton founded Cream, and Jeff Beck led the Jeff Beck Group. The same thing happened with Buffalo Springfield, the pioneers of folk rock.
The band was founded by Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer and Richie Furay. Of course, Stills and Young ended up with the iconic group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young together, while Young also honed an incredibly successful solo career as one of the most popular folk singers of all time. Additionally, Furay appeared in Poco with Jim Messina, who also played in Buffalo Springfield for a short period.
Evidently, the band was a perfect stepping stone for these musicians, who would soon become some of rock music’s most revered names. Somehow, they released three albums within the space of two years, breaking up in 1968 due to complications such as issues locking down a solid line-up and drug abuse. In those two fruitful years, the band helped to popularise folk rock through songs like ‘For What It’s Worth’, a protest track.
The band really was a chance for the members to experiment with making music, and for Furay, it wasn’t until their second album that he garnered the courage to write songs himself. He donated three tracks, ‘A Child’s Claim to Fame’, ‘Good Time Boy’ and ‘Sad Memory’, but it was the latter that allowed him to have his contributions taken seriously. To Furay, the fact that the album ended up having three of his own compositions on it was an accident.
Talking to Uncut, the guitarist explained: “I was waiting for the rest of the band to come to the studio, because we’d come in whenever we woke up. So I got there first and I was out in the studio, just playing the song [‘Sad Memory’].”
He continued, “Neil comes in, and all of a sudden he pushes down the talk button and says, ‘Hey man, we gotta record that song!’ I said, ‘Sounds good to me.’”
Evidently, Young could hear something in these tracks that Furay perhaps didn’t have the confidence to share, but getting approval from Young – a songwriting genius, even back then – was enough for Furay. “There wasn’t much like it at the time. It’s very spare. As it ended up, I think Neil’s guitar is the only other instrument on there,” added Furay.
The song appears on the second side of the creatively titled Buffalo Springfield Again, which only gained significant acclaim in the years after its release.
