Dewey Martin and Medicine Ball - Dewey Martin and Medicine Ball 1970

Most rock fans know that after Buffalo Springfield broke up, three of its members -- Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Richie Furay -- went on to record numerous notable records, in bands and as solo artists, in which they figured strongly as talented singer/songwriters. It's far less known that the other two members of the original band, drummer Dewey Martin and bassist Bruce Palmer, also continued to make records, both releasing LPs as solo artists in the early '70s. As Martin (unlike Palmer) had a respectable voice, one might think he was better positioned to make a go of it under his own name than his old rhythm-section partner, if not nearly as well equipped for solo stardom as Young, Stills, or Furay. In all frankness, however, the 1970 album Dewey Martin & Medicine Ball is not an overlooked nugget, though it's far more polished and song-oriented than Palmer's legendarily uncommercial The Cycle Is Complete. Instead, it's ordinary country-soul-rock, handicapped by Martin's lack of songwriting chops, Dewey contributing just one original tune, "Indian Child." While he actually had a decent husky soul-rock voice that was arguably underrepresented in Buffalo Springfield (although he did sing lead on that group's "Good Time Boy"), it's not showcased to its best advantage here, both because his vibrato-laden delivery can be erratic and because the songs aren't great. A couple notable players are in the supporting cast (particularly Buddy Emmons on steel guitar and ex-Bobby Fuller Four member Randy Fuller on rhythm guitar), and a pair of songs are written by Ron Davies, most known for penning a tune covered by David Bowie, "It Ain't Easy." Bruce Palmer is heard on acoustic guitar, also writing the folk-raga instrumental "Recital Palmer" -- which, since it doesn't have any drumming behind its lone acoustic guitar, is presumably an actual Bruce Palmer solo track (and actually one of the best cuts). Martin doesn't do himself any favors, however, by trying to interpret classics by Buddy Holly ("Maybe Baby") and, in a weird country-pop arrangement, the Beatles' "Yesterday." AMG.

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