Last Time Around
Last Time Around is the third and final studio album by the rock band Buffalo Springfield, released on July 30, 1968, by Atco Records.[1][2] The album, which runs for 32 minutes and 54 seconds, features 12 tracks primarily in the folk rock and country rock styles.[1] It was assembled posthumously following the band's breakup earlier that year, after their final concert on May 5, 1968, in Long Beach, California.[3] Buffalo Springfield formed in the spring of 1966 in Los Angeles, with core members including Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Richie Furay, alongside drummer Dewey Martin and bassist Bruce Palmer.[4] The group gained prominence for their blend of folk, country, and rock influences, most notably with the 1966 hit single "For What It's Worth," which addressed social unrest.[5] Internal tensions, lineup changes—including Palmer's replacement by Jim Messina—and drug-related issues plagued the band throughout their brief two-year run, leading to their dissolution in 1968.[6][7] Despite the chaotic recording process, Last Time Around captures contributions from the band's evolving roster and includes notable tracks such as "On the Way Home" (written by Young), "Questions" (by Stills), and "Kind Woman" (by Stills).[2] Produced amid the group's fragmentation, the album serves as a fragmented yet influential swan song, highlighting the songwriting talents that would propel Young and Stills to greater fame in subsequent projects like Crosby, Stills & Nash and solo careers.[8]Background and Development
Band Context
Buffalo Springfield formed in Los Angeles in April 1966 through a serendipitous encounter on the Sunset Strip. Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, who had previously played together in the folk-rock group the Au Go Go Singers, were driving when they spotted a hearse carrying Neil Young and Bruce Palmer, fellow musicians from Canada whose band the Mynah Birds had recently disbanded. The group converged after Stills and Furay pulled over, leading to an impromptu jam session; they were soon joined by drummer Dewey Martin, an experienced session player who had worked with artists like Patsy Cline and the Dillards. The band's name derived from a steamroller parked nearby, symbolizing the rapid and forceful assembly of their talents.[9] The band quickly signed with Atco Records and released their self-titled debut album, Buffalo Springfield, in December 1966. The album blended folk, country, and rock elements, featuring Stills' protest anthem "For What It's Worth," which became a Top 10 hit in early 1967 and captured the era's social unrest on the Sunset Strip. Their follow-up, Buffalo Springfield Again, arrived in October 1967 and showcased a more experimental sound, incorporating psychedelic influences in tracks like Young's "Expecting to Fly" and Stills' "Bluebird." Despite critical acclaim, the second album highlighted growing internal conflicts, including drug issues and visa problems that prompted lineup shifts, such as Palmer's temporary replacement.[10][11] Central to the band's dynamic were the contrasting personalities of its key members. Stills emerged as the de facto leader, driving much of the creative and logistical direction with his versatile songwriting and guitar work. Young, however, maintained an intermittent presence, often withdrawing due to health issues and creative differences, which created tension but also fueled innovative contributions when he participated. Furay emphasized harmony-rich, country-inflected songs, providing vocal balance and pushing toward a rootsier sound that influenced later country-rock developments. These interactions produced a volatile yet potent chemistry, marked by ego clashes and logistical challenges that ultimately fulfilled their contract with a third album.[10][11] Buffalo Springfield exerted significant influence on the 1960s music landscape, bridging folk-rock with emerging psychedelic and country-rock styles. Their intricate guitar interplay and socially conscious lyrics inspired contemporaries like the Byrds and helped pioneer the Los Angeles folk-rock scene, while their harmonic vocal arrangements and experimental edges contributed to the broader psychedelic movement. The band's short tenure belied its lasting impact, launching members into supergroups like Crosby, Stills & Nash and Poco, and cementing their role as architects of American rock's evolution.[10][11]Recording Circumstances
By early 1968, Buffalo Springfield had effectively disbanded amid escalating internal conflicts and member departures. Neil Young withdrew from the band in February 1968, citing exhaustion and a desire to pursue solo endeavors, though he briefly rejoined in March before leaving again later that spring.[12] Similarly, Stephen Stills began focusing on solo projects and potential collaborations outside the group, contributing to the fractured dynamic.[13] Bassist Bruce Palmer's repeated drug-related arrests culminated in his deportation to Canada in early 1968, leaving the rhythm section in disarray.[14] With core members absent, vocalists Richie Furay and Jim Messina— the latter having replaced Palmer on bass—were left to salvage existing material to meet a contractual obligation for one final album with Atco Records.[15] The compilation drew from scattered sessions spanning November 1967 to March 1968, incorporating one earlier outtake, "Pretty Girl Why," recorded during early 1967 sessions for the band's aborted second album, Stampede.[16] New recordings were added piecemeal amid the absences, resulting in an album where no track features the full original lineup.[15] The band played its final shows in May 1968, including a performance at the Long Beach Arena on May 5, before the official breakup, with Last Time Around released posthumously that July to fulfill the label commitment.[17]Recording and Production
Session Details
The recording sessions for Last Time Around took place primarily at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California, and Atlantic Studios in New York City, spanning from November 1967 to March 1968.[2][18] These locations hosted a series of dispersed tracking dates, with early work on tracks like "On the Way Home" beginning in November and December 1967 at Sunset Sound, while later efforts shifted between studios.[18][2] The sessions were notably fragmented owing to the band's deteriorating availability and internal tensions, culminating in their disbandment in May 1968.[19] Neil Young's contributions, including basic tracks for "On the Way Home" and "I Am a Child," were largely completed before his final departure from the group in early 1968.[18] Stephen Stills recorded several of his compositions independently with session players during the band's collapse at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles, reflecting his solo-oriented approach.[2] Meanwhile, Richie Furay and Jim Messina managed the bulk of the post-breakup assembly, overseeing overdubs and compilations in the spring of 1968 to fulfill contractual obligations.[19] Additional session musicians were enlisted to fill gaps caused by absent core members, with pedal steel guitarist Rusty Young contributing to tracks like "Kind Woman" during March 1968 sessions at Sunset Sound.[20] Other guests, including bassist Jim Fielder and drummer Jimmy Karstein, supported isolated recordings, underscoring the album's piecemeal construction.[2] The final product clocks in at a total runtime of 32:54 minutes, a concise length that mirrors its patchwork nature rather than a unified band performance.[1]Production Process
Jim Messina served as the primary producer and engineer for Last Time Around, stepping into the role amid the band's increasing disarray, which included Neil Young's intermittent absences and internal tensions that prevented cohesive group sessions.[21] Messina took the lead in selecting tracks and applying overdubs, compensating for the fragmented contributions from band members, as the group rarely recorded together as a unit.[22] Recording techniques emphasized multi-track overdubs to layer harmonies and instrumentation, creating a rich texture that blended the band's folk rock roots with emerging country elements. Acoustic and electric guitars were prominently featured, with overdubs allowing individual performances—such as Stephen Stills' impulsive guitar parts and Richie Furay's country-inflected contributions—to be integrated seamlessly despite the lack of live band interplay.[22] These methods, including razor-blade editing of tapes, pieced together disparate recordings to simulate unity where none existed.[21] The compilation approach involved Messina and Furay curating 12 tracks from scattered sessions at various studios, drawing on Neil Young's raw demos and Stills' more polished compositions to form a cohesive album despite the band's dissolution.[21] This selective process prioritized material that highlighted individual strengths, addressing Young's self-sufficient style, Stills' spontaneity, and Furay's need for structure, while navigating the logistical chaos of the era.[22] Final mixing took place at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, where Messina refined the sound to accentuate the album's stylistic diversity—from folk-tinged introspection to rock-driven energy—without imposing a false sense of unified band presence, reflecting the project's ad hoc reality.[21]Musical Content
Track Listing
Last Time Around features twelve tracks divided across two sides on its original vinyl release by ATCO Records in 1968. The album's total length is 32:54.[1]Side one
- "On the Way Home" (Neil Young) – 2:25
Lead vocal: Richie Furay[2] - "It's So Hard to Wait" (Richie Furay, Neil Young) – 2:03
Lead vocal: Richie Furay[2][23] - "Pretty Girl Why" (Stephen Stills) – 2:24
Lead vocal: Stephen Stills[2] - "Four Days Gone" (Stephen Stills) – 2:53
Lead vocal: Stephen Stills[2] - "Carefree Country Day" (Stephen Stills) – 2:35
Lead vocal: Stephen Stills[2] - "Special Care" (Stephen Stills) – 3:30
Lead vocal: Stephen Stills[2][24]
Side two
- "The Hour of Not Quite Rain" (Richie Furay, Micki Callen) – 3:45
Lead vocal: Richie Furay[2][25] - "Questions" (Stephen Stills) – 2:52
Lead vocal: Stephen Stills[2] - "I Am a Child" (Neil Young) – 2:15
Lead vocal: Neil Young[2] - "Merry-Go-Round" (Richie Furay) – 2:02
Lead vocal: Richie Furay[2] - "Uno Mundo" (Stephen Stills) – 2:00
Lead vocal: Stephen Stills[2] - "Kind Woman" (Richie Furay) – 4:10
Lead vocal: Richie Furay[2]