Ode To Buffalo Springfield / Neil Young by Mark
Guerrero
Rock journalist Harvey Kubernik included my writings and
comments from interviews in his 2014 books "Turn Up the Radio:
Rock, Pop, and Roll In Los Angeles 1958-1972" and "It Was Fifty
Years Ago: The Beatles Invade America and Hollywood." In
both of these books my contributions were prominent. For
Kubernik's 2016 book "Neil Young: Heart of Gold," he asked me to
write as much as I wanted about Neil Young. I turned in
nine pages! As it turned out, only a couple of my quotes were used in the book.
Since I had put so much time, effort, and heart into writing
about Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young, I decided to put
the entire piece on my website. The Buffalo Springfield
and Neil Young were an influence and inspiration to me when I was in my teens and
early 20s making my way as a singer, songwriter, and
musician. Therefore, I thought I'd share my thoughts and opinions about them, as well as experiences I've
had seeing them in concert and personal encounters with them.
I also include Neil Young's East L.A./ Chicano connection. Below
is the piece that I wrote.
Buffalo Springfield
I loved Buffalo Springfield in the 60s and still
do. They’re second only to the Beatles on my list of favorite
bands of all time. That’s really saying something because they
were only together for a couple of years and made a mere three
studio albums. I liked “For What It’s Worth” when I heard it on
the radio in 1966, but the first record I bought by the band was
the album “Buffalo Springfield Again,” which I consider to be
their “Sergeant Pepper.” Words can’t describe how much I loved
that album. It was full of great songs that were unique and
diverse in their musical styles, yet somehow seamlessly fit
together. The band had three great singer/songwriters whose
different sounding voices and styles also magically blended
together. Here’s each singer/songwriter’s contribution to
“Buffalo Springfield Again.”
Neil Young: “Mr. Soul”- a rocking song
with a Rolling Stones inspired “Satisfaction”-like guitar lick
and drum groove, Neil’s frenetic raga rock lead guitar solo, and
its Dylanesque poetic lyric about some of the pitfalls of rock
stardom. “Expecting To Fly”- a beautiful melody, with time
changes, missing bars, key changes, and a heartfelt lyric which
touched on Neil’s battle with epilepsy, atop Jack Nitzsche’s
Phil Spectoresque dream-like arrangement and orchestration. I
think this is Neil Young at his best and most ingenious.
“Broken Arrow”- a suite of musical styles with time changes
woven in that’s in a league with Lennon/McCartney’s “A Day In
the Life.”
Stephen Stills: “Everydays”- a jazzy song
with two different grooves (slow 4/4 time and mid-tempo swing)
and featuring Neil Young’s simple, yet brilliant guitar part.
Neil played a single C note on the A string of his guitar
through a fuzz tone. At perfect moments, he put the guitar
facing the speaker of his amplifier to get feedback which took
the note up an octave and made it sound like an otherworldly
violin, which he gave just the right amount of vibrato with his
tremolo bar. “Bluebird”- a great rocker with folk overtones
that features a fantastic vocal and acoustic guitar solo by
Stills and rocking electric guitar solos by Neil and Stephen.
When played live they would extend the song with longer solos
and rock the house. “Hung Upside Down”- a great song about
being down and confused that features Richie Furay singing the
slow verses with his incredibly smooth and clean voice and
Stills coming in on the choruses at his rocking best. Here were
two of the best singers going in rock in their primes singing
lead on the same track. “Rock & Roll Woman”- shows Stills at
his best as a singer and songwriter. It features a repeating
acoustic double stop guitar lick that is joined by a three part
vocal harmony doing the same figure that becomes the background
to Stills’ edgy lead vocal. It’s a one of a kind song that also
has great instrumental sections that typify the Buffalo
Springfield’s unique style.
Richie Furay: “A Child’s Claim To Fame”- a
great 2-beat country song with two part vocal harmony, acoustic
guitar, and the legendary James Burton on dobro. “Sad
Memory,” a beautiful slow, sad song about a lost love featuring
Richie alone on acoustic guitar and vocal, backed only by Neil’s
tasty and beautiful electric guitar. “Good Time Boy”- a
Memphis-style R&B song featuring a horn section and a great
vocal by drummer Dewey Martin. This track shows Richie’s
versatility as a songwriter to write such a good song in a style
many would think would be out of his stylistic range. I
remember seeing
Buffalo Springfield perform this song live in 1967 and it was a
show stopper.
During this period, I had a band called the Men from S.O.U.N.D
, who were very popular in East Los Angeles. We
regularly played “Mr. Soul,” Rock & Roll Woman,” “Hung Upside
Down,” and “Bluebird,” which we would extend to 20 minutes or a
half hour at times. We absolutely loved doing these songs. In
1967, my bass player Rick Rosas and I saw Buffalo
Springfield perform at Cal State Los Angeles in the gymnasium.
It was an awesome concert with Stephen Stills standing out as
the one with the most talent. His singing voice and guitar
playing were at a peak partly due to his youth and energy.
Once I had digested “Buffalo Springfield Again,”
I bought their first album, “The Buffalo Springfield.” This
album didn’t have the fidelity or production values of “Buffalo
Springfield Again” and they were a little raw and not as good in
the studio yet, however there are a lot of great songs and
vocals on the album. Here are my favorites on the album: Neil
Young’s “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing” is still one of my
favorite Neil Young songs and I think one his best. It was sung
by Richie Furay with Stephen Stills on the low harmony. Neil
Young’s “Flying On the Ground Is Wrong” and “Do I Have To Come
Right Out and Say It” are incredibly beautiful and well-crafted
songs. Both songs, although written by Neil, were beautifully
sung by Richie Furay. Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth” was
on the album I purchased at the time, but wasn’t included on the
original release. After “For What It’s Worth” became a top ten
hit, it replaced Stills’ questionable “Baby Don’t Scold Me.”
The following songs on the album were also written by Stephen
Stills: “Sit Down I Think I Love You”- a good song which was
also a hit for the Mojo Men at the time, “Hot Dusty Roads”- a
mid-tempo bluesy song with an infectious melody and Steve and
Richie in two-part harmony, and “Go and Say Goodbye”- a great up
tempo two-beat country song with Steve and Richie on two-part
harmony throughout. Years later Richie covered the song with Poco.
Buffalo Springfield’s third studio album, “Last
Time Around,” was akin to the Beatles “White Album” in that it
was recorded at a time the band was breaking up so many of the
songs were not recorded as a band. It was like three solo
artists coming in and doing their thing. However, it’s still a
really good album with some great songs. Here are my favorites
by each songwriter: Neil Young- “On the Way Home,” sung by
Richie and the acoustic gem “I Am a Child.” Steven Stills- his
bluesy “Four Days Gone” in 3/4 time with his great piano
accompaniment, “Questions”- one of my favorite Stills songs,
“Pretty Girl Why”- a kind of Latin jazz song with nice two-part
harmony on the choruses, and “Uno Mundo”- a Latin-style song
with full-blown Latin percussion that was later covered by the
East L.A. band El Chicano. Richie Furay- the beautiful “It’s So
Hard To Wait,” “Merry Go Round,” and his timeless, classic
country song, “Kind Woman.” Rick and I also saw Buffalo
Springfield’s farewell performance at the Long Beach Arena in
1968. It was a great show with one of its highlights being a
hot version of “Uno Mundo,” but it was sad to know it was the
end of the road for the band. Little did Rick and I know that
one day Rick would play with Neil Young and be part of the
Buffalo Springfield reunion in 2010.
In 1977, while going to college at Cal State
L.A., I was doing cover gigs with various bands. One such
band hired a substitute drummer for a gig at a restaurant in
Pasadena. To my surprise and delight it turned out to be Dewey Martin. Being a major Buffalo Springfield fan,
I was thrilled to be playing and singing with the same drummer
that backed Stephen, Neil, and Richie on all those great
records. At the same time it was sad to know that such a great
drummer was now in a position that he had to take a four hour
cover gig for $100.
Around 1998, I had a steady gig at an outdoor night
club in Palm Springs, California. One night Dewey Martin
happened to show up. I talked with him quite a bit during
breaks about Buffalo Springfield. After the gig he played an
audio cassette for me in my car of an album he had recorded but was
never released. It was R&B in style with his great vocals and a
kick ass horn section. He expressed frustration that the record
company didn’t release it for some reason. A few months later,
he came to my gig again and brought a new snare drum he had
developed, which he showed to my drummer.
He gave me his phone number, but I never had occasion to call
it. I was saddened when I heard he passed away in 2009.
Buffalo Springfield were an extraordinary
band with great vocals and songs with a fine rhythm section,
Dewey Martin on drums and Bruce Palmer, and later Jim Messina,
on bass. They were a seminal band that influenced many future
bands, including America and the Eagles. Their influence,
talent, and the special alchemy they had together deservedly got
them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Neil
Young Solo
I bought Neil Young’s first solo album, “Neil
Young,” as soon as it was released. I loved the album. One
could tell from this album what his contribution was to the
style and sound of Buffalo Springfield. Standout songs for me
were “The Loner,” “I’ve Been Waiting For You,” “Here We Are In
the Years,” and “I’ve Loved Her So Long.” The songs on the
album showed his rock, country, pop, and folk styles. Despite
the fact that it was a very good album, it didn’t sell very well
or chart that high. I think Neil decided to go in a harder
direction for his next effort so he went out and recruited the
band Crazy Horse, who’s members included the basic and solid
rhythm section of Billy Talbot on bass and Ralph Molina on drums,
and a great singer/guitarist, Danny Whitten.
“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” was the
result. Many believe this album marked the birth of grunge. It
was rock & roll, “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down By the River,”
and “Cowgirl
In the Sand,” and country rock, “The Losin’ End” and “Everybody
Knows This Is Nowhere.” Sandwiched in there were the slow folky
song with beautiful violin accompaniment “Runnin’ Dry (Requiem
For The Rockets)” and the beautiful acoustic laden song “Round
and Round (It Won’t Be Long),” with vocal harmony by Robin
Lane. I saw Neil Young with and without Crazy Horse many times
at the Troubadour during this period of 1969-‘70. It was great,
particularly fantastic in such a small venue. It seemed every
band in Los Angeles, including my own, were playing “Cinnamon
Girl” and “Down By the River.” At the time I had a gig with an
unrehearsed pick up band at Antelope Valley College in
Lancaster, California. I thought it was going to be a dance,
but it turned out we were in concert opening for Rick Nelson and
the Stone Canyon Band with Randy Meisner on bass. Randy had
recently left Poco, Richie Furay’s band that I also loved at the
time. Two of the songs I pulled out of the hat with Nelson and
Meisner watching were “Cinnamon Girl” and “Down By the River.”
After our set Randy complimented me, but I was still mortified
and embarrassed by the unexpected situation.
In 1970, Neil Young was invited to join
Crosby, Stills & Nash for their first concert tour. Neil said
he would do so, but smartly and boldly said he had to have equal
partnership and billing. This was ballsy because CSN had the #1
album at the time. Neil’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” had
done better than his first album, but wasn’t exactly burning up
the charts having peaked at #34. CSN wanted Neil because they
needed a second lead guitarist for their live shows. David
Crosby and Graham Nash are great acoustic guitarists and
electric rhythm guitarists, but they’re not going to tear up a
show with guitar solos. What CSN got from Neil was a second
lead guitarist and a fourth great singer-songwriter. What Neil
got from CSN was a major platform, touring with the number one
band in the country in large venues where he and his music could
get gigantic exposure. I saw many of those early shows,
including several of their inaugural shows at the Greek Theater
in 1969 and a memorable show at U.C. Santa Barbara. Neil would
be featured in his own acoustic solo part of the show and some
of his songs would be part of the electric show. This
visibility was of great help when Neil came out with his third
album, “After the Gold Rush.” Due to Neil’s greater fame from
recording and touring with CSNY, along with the fact that it was
a great album, “After the Gold Rush” cracked the top ten so he
no longer needed CSN. From then on he played with them only
when he wanted to.
“After the Gold Rush” had acoustic songs and
electric band songs. My favorites on that album were “Tell
Me Why,” “After the Gold Rush,” “Southern Man,” “Don’t Let It
Bring You Down,” and “I Believe In You.” By this time it
seems Neil was fully comfortable with his voice and knew how to
use it with confidence and to full effect. His vocal on “After the
Gold Rush,” which was sung in a high register and strongly went
up even higher on the “all in a dream” phrase is a great example
of that. During this period I was in a very good East L.A. band
called the Emeralds. We played at a Rock & Roll Show at East
Los Angeles College that featured about a dozen East L.A.
bands. Part of my contribution to the show were rousing all-out
versions of “Southern Man” from “After the Gold Rush” and
“Ohio,” which had just been released as a single by CSNY. Both
songs went over very well even in the barrio.
Neil’s next album was “Harvest” with the Stray
Gators, which went to number one on the charts. Highlights for
me were “Harvest,” “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man,” and “The Needle
and The Damage Done.” The album had a great overall sound and
style and is still one of my favorite Neil Young albums. Around
this time I saw Neil perform solo at the Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion in Los Angeles. This was a fancy venue for a rock
artist at the time, similar to Lincoln Center in New York. Neil
put on a great solo show with just acoustic guitar and piano. I
particularly remember him doing “A Man Needs a Maid” on a grand
piano.
In the summer of 1970, I ran into Neil Young on
the street in Greenwich Village and walked along with him for a
few blocks talking with him. I was in New York City visiting my
older brother who had been living there for about eight years.
CSNY was playing at the Fillmore East. It was sold out and I
didn’t have a ticket, but I went anyway. I showed up after the
show by the backstage door and lo and behold Crosby, Stills,
Nash, &Young came out and were hanging out there for a while.
It was a treat to see them up close when they were in their
prime. They were all dressed in their inimitable style and
looked great. After that I walked alone from the East Village
to the West Village and happened to run into Neil who was
amazingly also alone. We were walking in opposite directions so
I just turned around asked “what are you doing here?” and
started walking with him. While we talked, he was knocking on
doors of clubs like the Bitter End hoping something was still
going on but they were all closed. I told him that I was
recording an album at the time and offered him some California
herb, which he politely declined. We walked for three or four
blocks and went our separate ways. I remember being very
excited about meeting him and having a little talk. The next
day I called my bass player Rick Rosas long distance to L.A. and
told him I had just met Neil Young. He was pretty amazed about
it too.
In late 1973, I was rehearsing with my A&M band,
Tango (which also included Rick Rosas on bass), at Studio
Instrument Rentals (S.I.R) on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.
We were preparing for our upcoming shows at the Roxy Theater on
Sunset Blvd. Neil Young was also there recording his “Tonight’s
the Night” album. We often saw him playing pool there with his
band during breaks. We rehearsed some of my songs in one of the
rooms near where he was playing pool. At one point someone
opened our door from the inside and Neil was outside the door
listening to us. I think he probably liked what he was
hearing. We were a tight band playing music that was definitely
akin to what he was doing. I recall we were playing one of my
songs, “Walk On Down,” when he was listening. On his next
album, “On the Beach,” he had a song called “Walk On.” I’m not
suggesting that my song gave him an idea, his song was nothing
like mine in style or lyric content, but you never know.
After having done a solo single produced by Lou
Adler on his Ode Record label in 1971, followed by two solo
singles on Capitol Records in 1972, and an album and single with
my band Tango on A&M Records in ’73 and ‘74, I went back to
school and got a B.A. degree in Chicano Studies. This led my
music in another direction, my version of Chicano rock, which
contained some Latin rhythms and styles with lyrics which dealt
with Chicano culture. Because of my new direction and
discovering some new and different artists and music, I would
occasionally buy a Neil Young album throughout the years. It
was like visiting an old friend from time to time. I would
always find gems I liked such as “Don’t Be Denied,” “See the Sky
About To Rain,” “For the Turnstiles,” “Cortez the Killer,” “Long
May You Run,” “Like a Hurricane,” “Comes a Time,” “Hey Hey My
My,” “This Note’s For You,” “Rockin’ In the Free World,”
“Unknown Legend,” and “Harvest Moon.” On a cultural level I
particularly appreciated “Cortez the Killer” because Cortez is
reviled by me and most other Mexican-Americans and Mexican
nationals for his “conquest” of the Aztecs and the brutal rule
Spain held over Mexico for 300 years.
In 1988, Rick Rosas, who had been my bass player
for ten years, was bassist on Neil Young’s “This Note’s For You”
album. He got the hook up from members of the horn section Neil
was using, old friends of ours, Steve Lawrence and Tom Bray. We
knew them as two-thirds of the Elijah horn section, who I’d used
on several recordings of my songs in the ‘70s. Elijah was a
funky horn band from East L.A. that had a couple of albums out
in the 70s, one on United Artists, the other on Al Kooper’s
Sounds of the South label. Rick and I had known them since high
school days and our bands often played on the same bill
throughout the 60s and early 70s. (I’d heard the following
story when it happened, but recently got the details from Tom
Bray.) During the “This Notes For You” period, Neil and the
band had just finished doing a photo session in Hollywood when
Neil said he felt like playing somewhere. Steve Lawrence said
“I’ve got the perfect place.” Steve had been doing a gig at a
local restaurant/night club called La Casita in Montebello,
which is in East L.A. Without hesitation Neil and the band
caravanned to the venue. Steve’s band who was playing the gig
that night were alerted that Neil was coming so word began to
spread. By the time Neil and the band arrived, the place was
packed. Neil and the 10-piece band set up in a very small space
with no stage and did a set of songs from the album which was
well received by the crowd. Rick Rosas, Steve Lawrence, and Tom
Bray can be seen in Neil’s video for the song “This Note’s For
You.” Rick went on to play on Neil’s next album, “Freedom,”
which included the anthem “Rockin’ In the Free World.” Rick
invited me to come to the video shoot of the song, which was
done at a junk yard in San Fernando, California. I was there
for the duration of the taping, but didn’t get a chance to meet
Neil.
After recording and touring with Neil Young in
1988 and ’89, Rick Rosas didn’t play with Neil again until a
string of albums and tours starting with “Prairie Wind” in 2003
and continuing with “Living With War,” “Chrome Dreams,” and
“Fork In the Road.” I particularly liked the “Prairie Wind”
album, my favorite songs being “The Painter,” “No Wonder,”
Falling Off the Face of the Earth,” and the humorous song about
Elvis, “He Was the King.” Rick was also a band member in Neil’s
2006 concert film “Heart of Gold” and its 2009 sequel “Neil
Young Trunk Show.” Also in 2006, he played bass on the “Freedom
of Speech” tour with CSNY. Rick invited me to their
show in Irvine, California. Neil performed many of the
“Living With War” songs on that tour on which our old friend Tom
Bray, from the Elijah horn section, played trumpet on a
couple of songs.
Before playing with Neil, Rick had recorded and
toured extensively with Joe Walsh in the 80s. It pleases me to
know that Rick Rosas’ time as my bassist from 1964-1974,
performing live and recording for GNP Crescendo Records, Kapp
Records, Capitol Records, and A&M Records, gave him the tools and
experience necessary for his later opportunities with Joe Walsh
and Neil Young. Our mantra was to lock the bass in with the
bass drum, get in the right groove, and keep it simple. This
formula served Rick well, especially when working with Neil.
When Buffalo Springfield reunited for a short tour in 2009, Rick
was the bass player. He invited me and Ernie Hernandez (the
drummer who played with us throughout the 60s and early 70s)
to their concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. It was
mind blowing to see my former bass player playing with the band
we loved so much when we were growing up in East L.A. Rick
introduced us to Richie Furay backstage before the show and he
couldn’t have been nicer. I was very happy to meet Richie and
talk with him a bit.
Neil Young is an exceptional electric guitar
player. He’s not a shredder or technically proficient like
Carlos Santana or Eddie Van Halen. He doesn’t have to be. He
has a unique style, which is very melodic and has an
identifiable sound. He also plays with great confidence and
passion. Some of my favorite Neil Young guitar parts and solos
can be heard in the following songs; “Mr. Soul,” “Down By the
River,” “Woodstock,” “Almost Cut My Hair,” “Southern Man,” and
“Ohio.” On most of these songs he uses a whammy bar to great
effect. It’s a major tool in his arsenal. He also often plays
without a pick, which gives the guitar a smoother, more organic
sound. Most of his electric guitar work in his post-Buffalo
Springfield career features his guitar known as “Old Black,” a
1953 Gibson Gold Top, which was painted black at some point in
time. With this guitar and his rig there’s some distortion and
a lot of sustained notes. With the use of his tailpiece Bigsby
whammy bar, he makes his guitar sing. Neil plays lead guitar
freely, letting the heart, soul, and spirit of the music take
him where it will. You can tell his solos are not mapped out or
pre-planned. He just takes off and lets it fly. On the softer
side he can play with great sensitivity and beauty like he did
backing Richie Furay on “Sad Memory” or the way his simple
electric guitar with amp vibrato served “For What It’s Worth.”
Neil’s a real artist using the acoustic guitar to
accompany his singing. He usually plays acoustic without a
pick. Neil comes up with great signature guitar parts on songs
like “Tell Me Why,” “Old Man,” and “The Needle and the Damage
Done.” He often uses D modal tuning on electric and acoustic.
Examples of songs using this tuning on electric songs are
“Ohio,” Cinnamon Girl,” and “When You Dance.” On acoustic he
uses it on “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” his acoustic version
of “Mr. Soul,” and “The Old Laughing Lady.” Bringing the high
and low E strings down a step to D gives the guitar a droning
sound because they ring through many of the chord changes.
Check out his guitar work on “The Old Laughing Lady” in the
movie “Heart of Gold” and you’ll see and hear an impressive
example of his use of D modal tuning. On the early versions of
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” including on the “After the Gold
Rush” album, Neil tunes his whole guitar down a step and then
detunes the E strings down another step. This puts the song in
the key of C while still using the D modal tuning and fingering
and makes the guitar sound incredibly deep and husky. In
addition to his guitar playing, Neil accompanies himself
beautifully on piano, banjo, and harmonica.
Neil Young is a great songwriter who never seems
to run out of ideas or inspiration. He’s incredibly prolific
and hasn’t slowed down since he came on the scene almost 50
years ago! One would think with all his success he would rest
on his laurels for a spell, but he keeps on writing and
recording. He’s one of the few artists who emerged in the 1960s
who is still relevant. Each new generation discovers and
embraces him and his music. He’s not afraid to try new things
and explore musical genres, such as his rockabilly album and
electronic albums of the 80s. He’s also not afraid to take on
the establishment, even presidents. The song “Ohio” and his
album “Living With War,” which includes the songs “Mission
Accomplished” and “Impeach the President,” attest to this. He
also has a great and unique sense of melody. His songwriting
can be musically simple; “Cinnamon Girl,” “Helpless,” “Heart of
Gold,” and “Lotta Love,” or more complex; “Nowadays Clancy Can’t
Even Sing,” “Broken Arrow,” “Expecting To Fly,” “Here We Are In
The Years,” and “Country Girl.”
Lyrically, Neil almost always is very abstract
and poetic, using a stream of consciousness way of writing.
Like Dylan, I think he starts writing what he feels and sees
where it goes. This is unlike many songwriters who have a song
mapped out with maybe a title or storyline before they start
writing. On his “After the Gold Rush” album Neil wrote the
great lyric “Sailing heart ships through broken harbors out on
the waves in the night, still the searcher must ride the dark
horse racing along in his fright.” I would bet Neil wrote those
words not knowing the “tell me why” chorus was coming. I’m
still not sure what the song is about, but I like it a lot and
it works. He paints visual pictures with his lyrics. With Neil
it’s more about feeling and emotion than clarity and logic.
Neil Young made the most of his musical abilities
to become a perennial rock star and rock & roll hall of famer.
There are many who are better guitarists, better singers, and
even better songwriters than Neil, but the way he passionately
delivers his songs with full commitment, along with his enormous
body of work, fearless activism, and unique sound and style sets
him apart and makes him one of the most popular and greatest
singer/songwriters in rock history.
Neil Young’s East L.A. / Chicano Connection
In 1990, Neil Young covered “Farmer John” on his
“Ragged Glory” album with Crazy Horse. The song was originally
recorded by the R&B duo Don & Dewey, but Neil’s version is
definitely derived from the Premiers’ hit version of 1964. The
Premiers’ chord changes and groove are recognizable and
different from Don & Dewey’s. I also read somewhere that Neil
used to play the song with Neil & the Squires back in Canada
around the time the Premiers’ version was on the charts. The
Premiers were a teenage Chicano garage band from East L.A. when
their version of “Farmer John” was a hit which reached #19 on
the national charts. They were managed and produced by Billy
Cardenas, who also managed and/or produced other East L.A. bands
such as Cannibal & the Headhunters, the Blendells, and my
teenage band Mark & the Escorts. I also noticed when I first
heard Neil’s guitar solo on the short reprise of “Mr. Soul” in
the intro of “Good Time Boy” on “Buffalo Springfield Again,”
that it sounds like the 60s East L.A. style of guitar playing.
Once I learned that Neil had played the Premiers’ version when
he was a teenager, I thought he may have gotten the style he
used on that song from the Premiers’ record. The Premiers’ lead
guitarist, Lawrence Perez, definitely played that East L.A.
style of the period. Considering Neil Young’s recording and
performing of the Premiers’ version of “Farmer John,” his
aforementioned impromptu show in East L.A. in 1988, working with
members of the Elijah horn section on his “This Notes For You”
and “Freedom” albums, extensively using Rick Rosas on bass, and
singing “Cinnamon Girl” backed by East L.A.’s Los Lobos at the
Bridge School Benefit in 2005, and Los Lobos opening for Neil on
tour in 2012, one can see, whether he's aware of it or not, Neil
Young has a definite Chicano/East L.A. connection.
