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Bluebird

Buffalo Springfield · 1967 · solo by Stephen Stills, Neil Young
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Bluebird

Buffalo Springfield, 1967, from Buffalo Springfield Again. Solo by Stephen Stills, Neil Young.

Stills' acoustic flatpicking and Young's electric lines trade off before the song ends in a banjo coda.

Bluebird packs several songs' worth of guitar into one track. Stephen Stills drives it with bright, rapid acoustic flatpicking, while Neil Young's electric lines cut across with a sharper, more jagged edge, the two players trading off as the arrangement shifts. The contrast between them, one clean and nimble, the other raw and restless, captures what made Buffalo Springfield such a volatile, inventive band. The song ends in a gentle banjo coda that changes the mood completely. Listen for the handoffs between Stills and Young; the difference in their attack tells you a lot about the two guitarists whose rivalry shaped the band and much of what followed.

Bluebird by Buffalo Springfield is featured in our Folk Rock (#6) list. The solo is played by Stephen Stills, Neil Young and the song was released in 1967.

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    Who played the guitar solo on Bluebird?

    Stephen Stills, Neil Young played the solo on Buffalo Springfield's Bluebird (1967).