TimmyB

from www.billboard.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. October 12, 2004, 12:45 PM ET

Capitol Boxes Up Early Beatles Albums

The Beatles' first four U.S. albums -- "Meet the Beatles," "The Beatles Second Album," "Something New" and "Beatles '65" -- will be bundled together in the boxed set "The Capitol Albums Volume 1," due Nov. 16. All were originally released in 1964 as Beatlemania swept the United States.

"In the '60s, American record labels often chose to reformat British records to suit the needs of the U.S. market," says Capitol president Andy Slater. "In America, singles were generally included on current albums, where in the U.K. albums and singles were most often separate releases. Higher music publishing costs in the U.S. also made it impractical to include as many songs on American albums. In addition, in the case of the Beatles, some of the recordings on the American albums were given more echo than the British versions, to 'Americanize' their sound."

The albums, which have been remastered from the original tapes, include stereo and mono versions of each song. Each album is housed in a miniature replica of its original album cover, while the box will feature a 48-page booklet chronicling the Beatles' unprecedented 1964.

"Meet the Beatles" (originally issued Jan. 20, 1964, in the United States) begins with what was at the time the group's latest single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and its U.S. and U.K. B-sides, "I Saw Her Standing There" and "This Boy." The bulk of the remaining tracks were taken from the U.K. version of the album "With the Beatles."

"The Beatles Second Album" (April 10, 1964) is a grabbag of such tracks as the "She Loves You" single and its B-side "I'll Get You," additional songs from "With the Beatles," cuts from the "Long Tall Sally" EP and a German version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand."

"Something New" (July 20, 1964) includes eight songs from the soundtrack to the Beatles' first film, "A Hard Day's Night," although not the title track or "Can't Buy Me Love." The album was denied the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top LPs chart by the movie's proper soundtrack, issued by United Artists.

"Beatles '65" (Dec. 15, 1964) boasts the "I Feel Fine"/"She's a Woman" single, the "A Hard Day's Night" leftover "(I'll Be Back)" and eight songs from the U.K. album "Beatles for Sale," including three particularly dark John Lennon tunes, "No Reply," "I'm a Loser" and "Baby's in Black."

It is unknown if Capitol plans to re-release additional titles such as "Beatles VI" or "Yesterday ... and Today."

Here is the track list for "The Capitol Albums Vol. 1"

"Meet the Beatles":

"I Want To Hold Your Hand"

"I Saw Her Standing There"

"This Boy"

"It Won't Be Long"

"All I've Got To Do"

"All My Loving"

"Don't Bother Me"

"Little Child"

"Till There Was You"

"Hold Me Tight"

"I Wanna Be Your Man"

"Not a Second Time"

"The Beatles Second Album":

"Roll Over Beethoven"

"Thank You Girl"

"You Really Got a Hold on Me"

"Devil in Her Heart"

"Money"

"You Can't Do That"

"Long Tall Sally"

"I Call Your Name"

"Please Mr. Postman"

"I'll Get You"

"She Loves You"

"Something New":

"I'll Cry Instead"

"Things We Said Today"

"Any Time At All"

"When I Get Home"

"Slow Down"

"Matchbox"

"Tell Me Why"

"And I Love Her"

"I'm Happy Just To Dance With You"

"If I Fell"

"Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand"

"Beatles '65":

"No Reply"

"I'm a Loser"

"Baby's in Black

"Rock and Roll Music"

"I'll Follow the Sun"

"Mr. Moonlight"

"Honey Don't"

"I'll Be Back"

"She's a Woman"

"I Feel Fine"

"Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby"

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

from www.rollingstone.com

Elton Rocks the Osbournes

John puts the stars on their feet at the Beverly Hills mansion

"Be fabulous," the invitation instructed on the topic of dress. Elton John, the guest of honor and performer at "An Evening at Home With the Osbournes," always dresses with fabulous in mind, and he arrived Thursday night in a black suit with a zipper stretching across the back and down the left sleeve. The crowd also obliged. For men, it meant suits without ties; for women, it meant colorful outfits accented with major cleavage.

About 250 people showed up, walking up the flower-lined stairs of the iconic Osbournes' Beverly Hills home -- made famous by the MTV reality show -- each paying $2,500 to benefit John's AIDS foundation and Sharon Osbourne's Colon Cancer Program at nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

All the Osbournes were present and mingling: Kelly's strapless black dress revealing angel wing tattoos on her shoulder blades, Jack opting for a more conservative look in suit and tie, and Ozzy sporting black tie with tails. Sharon Osbourne, elegantly dressed in black with spiky, magenta hair, came up onstage to introduce the evening and the entertainment. "You're stuck with me and a couple of my friends," she said. "I hope tonight will educate and entertain you."

The educational portion of the evening featured a speaker on colon cancer as well as a video on AIDS orphans: a heartbreaking story about two children in South Africa who represent just a tiny fraction of the 14 million children worldwide orphaned by the disease.

Osbourne returned to the small stage, set up in front of the guest house, to introduce the entertainment portion of the night. "The best, the legendary Elton John!" she announced. "I want to see you on your feet!"

Sir Elton has been in the news quite a bit lately -- less for his music than his profanity-laced tirades against the press and Madonna. So it was nice to see him doing what he does best: performing music, this time beneath stately palm trees in the backyard of the Osbourne mansion. Backed by a band featuring drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone -- who have been with him longer than his current hair -- John rocked through a stripped-down set.

John opened the show with oldies including a rollicking "The Bitch Is Back" and an impassioned, solo piano rendition of "Your Song." Then, shifting gears, he said, "We're gonna do something new: you might as well be the guinea pigs for it," introducing "Answer in the Sky," a tune from his forthcoming album, Peach Tree Road. The new number, a classic John power ballad, generated a clap-along response from the crowd. Another new song, "All That I'm Allowed," showed gospel influences. The band was predictably tight and John was in strong form and voice, seated at his keyboard and pounding out two-fisted rhythms.

"When we did this event last year," John said in a serious moment, "Sharon was ill and had to watch from her bedroom upstairs. I was frightened, but she survived. It's a lesson to all of us. I dedicate this next song to her," he continued, launching into "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." Sharon stood, arms around a seated Ozzy, watching the show. John then closed with a raucous "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)," and he had the whole crowd up and dancing by the end.

The moneyed attendees -- who included 'N Sync's Lance Bass, Quincy Jones, Robin Williams and Jennifer Love Hewitt -- sipped bubbly from Perrier Jouet and dined on miso-cured Alaskan butterfish and five-spice sirloin steak from Asia de Cuba, the trendy fusion restaurant just a few blocks away on the Sunset Strip. Will & Grace's Eric McCormack and Megan Mullally led a live auction, including the sale of an Aston Martin DB 9, purchased by Bass for $220,000. An estimated $1 million was raised by evening's end, to be split between the two charities.

CHRIS RUBIN

(Posted Oct 08, 2004)

I agree Jaimoe,

Lennon/McCartney and Jagger/Richards are the two best in that order IMO.

People totally overlook Bernie Taupin as well. Elton would be NOTHING without Bernie. Elton is an interpreter of Bernie's songs and couldn't hack out a tune to save his life.

Bernie Taupin was the lyricist while Elton John wrote the music. They had much the same relationship as Hunter/Garcia. Elton could hack out a tune, it's just the lyrics wouldn't be so great that's all.

I went to the premiere of "Greendale" at the Toronto International Film Festival the day after Neil Young's second Greendale concert at the Air Canada Centre. At the premiere which Neil Young was at I screamed "Great film Neil!" and he replied to me "Hey, thanks!"

As Neil Young films go I wasn't lying either. Comparing "Greendale" to "Journey Through The Past" and "Human Highway," "Greendale" should have won an academy award.

Rich Robinson covered the Beatles for the first time on this on this tour last night (October 11) in St. Louis. The Beatles song Rich performed was "It's All Too Much."

I'm sure bouche is interested in this news.

from www.billboard.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. October 11, 2004, 3:30 PM ET

New Prince Video Rocks Terrorism

Now a Jehovah's witness, Prince has toned down his mojo, but the Purple One can still pack a political punch. His new music video, "Cinnamon Girl," is a big-budget production that follows the hardships and confusions of a teenage Arab-American girl in a post 9-11 America.

It stars Keisha Castle-Hughes ("Whale Rider"), who concludes the video by imagining herself detonating a bomb in a crowded airport terminal. The video, directed by Phil Harder, visualizes the lyrics of Prince's four-minute rocker. It uses a stylized type of illustrated animation, with Castle-Hughes filmed over a background of high contrast tints of black and beige.

Following an airplane crash, presumably 9-11, Castle-Hughes is beset by racism and prejudice because of her Arab ethnicity. After being chased by her schoolmates, she watches Arabic storefront signs be replaced with English ones and is chided by her more traditionally Islamic parents.

Prince sings, "Cinnamon girl mixed heritage/ Never knew the meaning of color lines/ 9-11 turned that all around/ When she got accused of this crime." Disillusioned and angered, Castle-Hughes' character detonates a bomb in an airport terminal, exploding herself and others. However, a reverse motion immediately following the explosion reveals that she's only imagining the deed.

"I kind of think about it as how far can her imagination go when the world comes down on her pretty heavy," says Harder. "None of it's literal, but you get the picture."

Prince only appears in the video intermittently playing guitar and singing. He gave Harder much room for creativity, but was very involved in the video, following its production throughout.

Seeds of controversy are already beginning to grow, even though the video will not begin running on MTV until next week. It is currently viewable on Yahoo and on Prince's NPG Music Club site.

But Harder says, "Kids are seeing real death and war on television. Kids are smarter than people think and know what's going on in the world." He adds, "The main motivation is to get people to talk about it."

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals is on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS tonight (October 11) at 11:35PM. Ben Harper will be performing a song with the Blind Boys of Alabama off their new album "There Will Be A Light."

I picked up Rich Robinson's debut solo album entitled "Paper" (Keyhole Records) this past Saturday at Sam The Record Man on Yonge Street. I'm currently giving it my fourth listen while I'm typing this, and I've got to say that it's pretty amazing.

If you have enjoyed albums by the Black Crowes then you are surely going to enjoy this album. Rich's brother took the vocals of the Crowes to his solo project New Earth Mud, but Rich has the sound of the Crowes hands down.

Since the departure of Marc Ford from the Black Crowes after their album "Three Snakes And One Charm," Rich has really come into his own as a lead guitarist. And you really hear his confidence now that he is the only guitarist on this record.

Also Rich's lead vocals are quite competent and fit the material remarkably well. If the Black Crowes record again I would look forward to Rich taking the lead vocals on a track or two on the album to mix it up, much like how Keith Richards has on each Rolling Stones album.

I'm so looking forward to seeing Rich perform at Lee's Palace this upcoming Thursday October 14! And with Gordie Johnson (former leader of Big Sugar) droping the guitar and picking up the bass for this tour there is a great chance that former members of Big Sugar are going to show up at this gig! Also since Lenny Kravitz cancelled his fall tour Craig Ross a resident of Toronto could show up as well.

And on October 8, Rich covered Pink Floyd's "Fearless" and "Echoes" at the show. Rich also has an amazing mix of other great covers as well spattered throughout the show. It's going to be an amazing night of southern rock and roll to be sure.

Hey Greg and/or Shain,

I too was at that Merle Saunders show and would love to know the accurate setlist. If you could post it here that would be great!

Thanks, Tim

I'm so looking forward to the R.E.M. show at the Hummingbird Centre on November 10!

from www.billboard.com on October 11, 2004.

Robbie, R.E.M. Overtake U.K. Charts

Familiar names added to their totals of U.K. No. 1s on yesterday's (Oct. 10) new U.K. charts. Robbie Williams notched his sixth best-selling single with "Radio" (Chrysalis) while R.E.M. gained its seventh chart-topping album with "Around the Sun" (Warner Bros.).

Surprisingly, it's Williams' first time at the singles summit since "Somethin' Stupid," a duet with Nicole Kidman that was top at Christmas 2001. For R.E.M., it was the third consecutive No. 1 album in the U.K. and seventh in its last nine albums.

The singles chart featured seven new entries in the top 10. Former S Club 7 member Rachel Stevens was next to arrive at No. 3 with her Polydor cover of Andrea True Connection's 1976 hit "More More More." Tampa-based hip-hop act Khia's "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Direction) bowed at No. 4.

The retooled Duran Duran's "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise" (Epic) opened at No. 5, giving the band its first U.K. top 10 hit since "Ordinary World" reached No.6 in 1993, and its highest ranking since "A View to a Kill" hit No. 2 in 1985. It's Duran Duran's 14th top 10 hit overall.

New at No. 7 was "What You're Made Of" (Mercury) by Lucie Silvas, the first top 40 appearance by the English singer/songwriter who was formerly signed to EMI. Angel City's club crossover "Do You Know (I Go Crazy)" (Data) weighed in at No. 8; the act is a studio project featuring singer Lara McAllen. New at No. 9 was "Whatever U Want" (Def Jam) by Christina Milian featuring Joe Budden. Stateside, the cut flickered onto Billboard's Hot 100 a week ago for a solitary appearance at No. 100.

New entries missing the British top 10 were Brandy's "Afrodisiac" (Atlantic) at No. 11, Good Charlotte's "Predictable" (Epic) at No. 12 and Marilyn Manson's cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" (Interscope) at No. 13.

Besides R.E.M., the U.K. album chart had one additional top 10 newcomer, and it was another old favorite. Barry Manilow's "Ultimate Manilow" (Arista) arrived at No. 9, becoming his first U.K. top 10 album since "A Touch More Magic" in 1983.

Also on Arista, Usher's "Confessions" rebounded 32-10, while Fatboy Slim's "Palookaville" (Skint) opened at No. 14, Tom Waits' "Real Gone" (Anti) debuted at No. 16 and Super Furry Animals' "Songbook - The Singles Vol.1" (Epic) landed at No. 18.

Culling charts from across the continent, German industrial hard rock act Rammstein entered the European Top 100 Albums chart at No. 1 with "Reise, Reise" (Polydor), while Aventura's "Obsesion" (Up Music/Warner Music) tops the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles survey for a fifth week.

-- Paul Sexton, London

Here's other Canadian R.E.M. dates in November.

Tue, 11/09/04

07:30 PM

R.E.M. John Labatt Centre

London, ON Find Tickets

on sale now

Wed, 11/10/04

07:30 PM

R.E.M. Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts

Toronto, ON Find Tickets

on sale now

Thu, 11/11/04

08:00 PM

R.E.M. Ottawa Civic Centre

Ottawa, ON Find Tickets

on sale now

Mon, 11/15/04

07:30 PM

R.E.M. Centennial Concert Hall

Winnipeg, MB Find Tickets

on sale now

Wed, 11/17/04

07:30 PM

R.E.M. Pengrowth Saddledome

Calgary, AB Find Tickets

on sale now

Sun, 11/21/04

07:30 PM

R.E.M. Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver, BC Find Tickets

on sale now

May you rest in peace Christopher Reeve, I hope your death will not be in vein and that John Kerry will win the November election and fight in the memory of you for embryonic stem cell research.

That's cool Steve,

Some of the aforementioned songs are on the Buffalo Springfield Box Set that came out in 2001. I love the song "The Rent Is Always Due" whenever it's the first of the month I often put that song on!

That's cool Steve,

Some of the aforementioned songs are on the Buffalo Springfield Box Set that came out in 2001. I love the song "The Rent Is Always Due" whenever it's the first of the month I often put that song on!

Hey guigsy,

Sorry about the loss in your family. I hope it wasn't too sudden or at all painful.

I completely agree with you about how John Stirrat deserves more recognition in the band. Especially since John was the only other original member of Wilco on stage last night along with Jeff Tweedy. It's funny that Garth Hudson showed up on stage last night as I've always felt that Stirrat reminded me of Garth's on Bandmate Rick Danko.

Stirrat also has a pretty voice, but on stage with Wilco you only ever hear him sing backup. Other than on on Wilco's debut album "A.M." where there's on track where Stirrat sings lead vocal called "It's Just That Simple." I luckily saw John Stirrat perform the song at the Horseshoe on February 10 of this year as a part of one of his side projects the Autumn Defence. Next time they perform Toronto I'll post it on this site.

Speaking of Autumn Defence the multi-instrumentalist that you liked so much was Stirrat's partner in Autumn Defence, which was his obvious in when Leroy Bach left Wilco this year. His name is Pat Sansone. I agree with you Sansone is fun to watch on stage, especially when he pulls a Pete Townshend on guitar.

Funny how you complained about the crowd not standing at the show last night as well. On Wilco's fanpage www.viachicago.org the majority of the complaining from last nights show was due to the crowd sitting on their asses. I too would have preferred to stand as well but accepted it when the crowd didn't. I wasn't about to let it ruin the gig of one of my favorite bands.

Nels Cline Trio

1997 Alligator Lounge Compilation

Alligator Lounge- Santa Monica, CA

Gary Davis Super Stereo Soundboard Recording

Multi-Channel Soundboard/Audience Matrix > DAT > CDR > SHN

Nels Cline: Guitar & Tenor Recorder

Bob Mair: Bass

Michael Preussner: Drums

1. Heard It Was A Holiday (Jan. 20, 1997)

2. Sister Hotel (Feb. 24, 1997)

3. Pants (For Polly Jean) (January 6, 1997)

4. Beer Bottle Collection (March 10, 1997)

5. Arrows (March 10, 1997)

Hey secondtube,

I don't know if you know this or not, but Nels Cline is the new lead guitarist in Wilco. He joined the band earlier this year and I personally feel has given the band the best group on stage since the departure of Jay Bennett.

It's up to six Vote For Change Shows that Neil Young has been apart of (so far).

Oct 2

Vote For Change

with Pearl Jam Toledo Sports Arena

Toledo, Ohio

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct 3

Vote For Change

with The Dixie Chicks & James Taylor

Fox Theatre

Detroit, Michigan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct 3

Vote For Change

with DMB

The Palace

Auburn Hills, Michigan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct 5

Vote For Change

with Bruce Springsteen & REM

Xcel Energy Center

St. Paul, Minnesota

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct 6

Vote For Change

with DMB

Hilton Coliseum

Ames, Iowa

Here's the setlist for the last show (So Far) with Neil Young.

DMB set

One Sweet World

Grey Street

Granny

#41

Joy Ride

Hello Again

Don’t Burn The Pig

Jimi Thing

Warehouse

Cry Freedom

All Along The Watchtower (with Neil Young)

Cortez The Killer (with Neil Young)

Rockin in the Free World (with Neil Young & Pegi Young)

Encores

Crush

Too Much

At the Wilco Massey Hall show there was a Canadian all girl band called the New Priscillas that opened. This was the first show I've attended since Bruce Palmer the original bassist in Buffalo Sprinfield died earlier in the week. Palmer like Neil Young was Toronto and I don't know if the New Priscillas were concious of Palmer's passing but they opened their set with a cute version of Young's first song with lead vocal called "Burned." The song originally on Springfield's self-titled debut which Palmer played bass on felt to me at least like a tribute to Palmer.

Here's the setlist from Wilco's show at Massey Hall on October 9, 2004.

Start Time 9:00PM

1. Muzzle Of Bees

2. Hummingbird

3. Company In My Back

4. Handshake Drugs

5. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

6. War On War

7. I'm Always In Love

8. Hell Is Chrome

9. Jesus, Etc.

10. Via Chicago

11. A Shot In The Arm

12. At Least That's What You Said

13. Theologians >

14. Poor Places >

15. I'm The Man Who Loves You

Encore 1: 16. Less Than You Think >

17. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

Encore 2 (w/ Garth Hudson): 18. When The Roses Bloom Again

19. California Stars

20. Christ For President

21. The Late Greats

Encore 3: 22. I'm A Wheel

23. Be Not So Fearful

End time 11:02PM (Total time 2 hours and 2 minutes)

Unfortunately the sound was off for the first four songs. There was a lot of feedback that came from Jeff Tweedy's vocal monitors. Interestingly enough I've seen a few artists that have had those types of difficulties at Massey Hall during the beginning of shows there. Maybe the legendary status of the acoustics at the grand ol' venue makes artists think they can skip soundcheck there, I really don't know.

That the great Garth Hudson came out for four songs during the second encore made up for any problems at the beginning of the show! When Hudson walked out I was screaming "Oh My God!" over and over again so many times that my girlfriend thought I was having a heart attack or something. I had to tell everybody around me who Hudson is. Though I did hear somebody around me after the second or third song scream out "Chest Fever" which I thought was funny. Also he did get a great ovation from the audience and at three different times. When Garth came out to join Wilco on stage, after his first solo on "Christ For President," and when he walked off.

As for the openers the New Priscillas I'll say this. This was the first show I've attended since Bruce Palmer the original bassist in Buffalo Sprinfield died earlier in the week. Palmer like Neil Young was Toronto and I don't know if the New Priscillas were concious of Palmer's passing but they opened their set with a cute version of Young's first song with lead vocal called "Burned." The song originally on Springfield's self-titled debut which Palmer played bass on felt to me at least like a tribute to Palmer.

I know a few hippies that will be going to the Wilco show tonight that aren't active on this board. So handing out flyers for the Slip might not be a bad idea.

Have a good show everybody.

HOUS OF BLUES CONCERTS PRESENTS

WILCO

MASSEY HALL

SHUTER ST & VICTORIA ST AT THE QUEEN SUBWAY

SAT OCT 9, 2004 AT 8:00PM

SOLD OUT! TICKETS ARE $39.00 CALL THE MASSEY HALL BOX OFFICE TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY EXTRAS (416)872-4255

THE OPENER IS A TORONTO BAND CALLED THE REAL PRISILLAS.

I can't wait to see Wilco for the third time this year! I'm so proud of Jeff Tweedy and Co. that they've sold out the great Massey Hall, and I hope one day I can say the same about them selling out the Air Canada Centre as I only hope the best for this band!

I'm going tonight with Rachael and MarcO's girlfriend Laurie. Two girls and one guy always a great ratio. Um, I mean-- Hey Marc, I'll take good care of your woman tonight and bring her home safe and satisfied. Satisfied because of the concert. Okay I'll shut up now.

Whoever else is going tonight are going to have a great time I guarantee it.

from Billboard Bits on www.billboard.com on October 9, 2004.

1948 - Jackson Browne is born in Heidelberg, West Germany.

1944 - John Entwistle of the Who is born in London.

1944 - Reggae star Peter Tosh is born.

1940 - John Lennon is born in Liverpool, England. One of the founding members of the Beatles, Lennon is shot to death by Mark David Chapman in New York City on Dec. 8, 1980. "(Just Like) Starting Over" goes on to become Lennon's biggest hit, starting its five-week run at No. 1 on Dec. 27, 1980.

Hey Stoned Phillips,

If you decide not to pick up Rich Robinson's new album at the used CD store, private message me which store it was as I'm going into Toronto tomorrow (Oct 9) to see Wilco and right now I'll be picking up a reserved copy of "Paper" at Sam The Record Man, but if I can get it for cheaper I will.

Hey Swan,

I wonder if this means that Gordie Johnson will be able to score the spot as bassist in the reunited Black Crowes in 2005? They already have one Canadian with Eddie Hersch the Robinson brothers must like us Canucks. That would be great financially for Gordie.

I saw Gordie Johnson play with Chris Robinson in 2002, and I also saw another for Big Sugar member Kelly Hoppe aka Mr. Chill perform with Chris in 2003. Mr. Chill recently joined Rich and Gordie in Detroit on September 28. So I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Chill showed up at Lee's Palace next week as well.

Also Craig Ross lead guitarist for Lenny Kravitz has shown up on stage the last two Chris Robinson shows in Toronto, it would be great to see Ross perform with Robinson's younger brother. I'm very excited about this gig!

from www.rollingstone.com

Springfield's Palmer Dies

Bassist was Sixties rockers' mysterious force

Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer died Monday of an apparent heart attack; he was fifty-eight. Born in Canada in 1946, Palmer was an early collaborator with Neil Young, first in the Mynah Birds, a band that also featured the recently deceased Rick James. The group broke up after James was sent to prison for going AWOL from the military. Palmer and Young moved from Ontario to Los Angeles in the spring of 1966, making the journey in Young's black hearse. The pair soon joined forces with Stephen Stills, drummer Dewey Martin and singer/guitarist Richie Furay to form Buffalo Springfield.

In just two years Buffalo Springfield captured the spirit of folk-rock protest with songs such as "For What It's Worth," and revealed a more rocking side with "Mr. Soul." The group served as a springboard for some of the biggest bands of the late Sixties and early Seventies, with alums going on to form Crosby, Stills and Nash; Neil Young and Crazy Horse; Poco; and Loggins and Messina.

"There's not a person who listened to the Buffalo Springfield that wasn't drawn to the way he played bass," says Furay. "He made the music move -- Bruce was truly a musician's musician. I consider it a privilege to have played with him in such a creative time in my life."

Buffalo Springfield split in 1968 after two years and two albums, in part due to Palmer's ongoing difficulties with U.S. immigration, which sought to deport him for a pair of marijuana-related convictions. Palmer left the group shortly before its break-up and was replaced by Jim Messina.

Palmer went on to record one solo album, 1971's The Cycle Is Complete, recruiting his old bandmate Rick James to contribute percussion and vocals. More than a decade later, Palmer re-teamed with Young to join his live band and play on Young's 1983 Trans. In the mid-Eighties, Palmer and Martin resurrected the Buffalo Springfield name, performing shows as Buffalo Springfield Revisited. The closest the group came to a full reunion was in 1988 when the original members got together for an informal rehearsal. Palmer told Rolling Stone in 2002 that the reunited Springfield sounded "terrific," but plans for a reunion were scuttled when Young didn't show up for the next scheduled rehearsal a few months later. "He just forgot," Palmer said. "So we all said, 'What's the use?'"

An enigmatic stage presence, Palmer frequently performed with his back to the audience and was often photographed with his hair covering his face. "Bruce was the mysterious one in the group," says Furay. "You may not have always known what he was thinking as he just looked at you and smiled, but when he plugged the bass in, there was no mistaking his life was truly about the music."

COLIN DEVENISH

(Posted Oct 08, 2004)

I was never holding my breath for a Buffalo Springfield reunion, but when Neil Young released "Buffalo Springfield Again" on his 2000 album "Silver And Gold" I had some hope.

The closest I ever got to seeing Bruce Palmer was when I saw Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre in 2000. Before the supergroup started in on Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" Graham Nash said "This song is dedicated to Bruce Palmer!" I'm guessing Palmer was in the crowd that night. If only he came out during the Springfield tune for a mini Springfield reunion of three fifths of the orginial band. But I guess it wasn't meant to be.

May Bruce Palmer rest in peace.

Hey Greg, Yes you're right I'm not an active user yet on bit torrent, if the offer still stands I would really appreciate it if you burned me a copy.

I had a great time at that concert! So much so that if Van "The Man" Morrison was playing the next night in Buffalo or another town I would have been there.

Thanks in advance, Tim