I'll feel a whole lot better (The Byrds) (LP 4227 - 4234)

The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man (CD, Columbia Records, 1965) *****  

The Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn! (CD, Columbia Records, 1965) ****  

The Byrds Fifth Dimension (CD, Columbia Records, 1966) ***  

The Byrds Younger Than Yesterday (CD, Columbia Records, 1967) ****  

The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers (CD, Columbia Records, 1968) ****  

The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Vinyl and CDs, Columbia Records, 1968) ***** 

The Byrds Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (CD, Columbia Records, 1969) ***

The Byrds Ballad of Easy Rider (CD, Columbia Records, 1969) ***** 

Genre: Folk rock, pop 

Places I remember: Mr. Tambourine Man to Ballad of Easy Rider CDs - A nineties pop-up remainder shop in the Onehunga Mall. It had all of these CD reissues for very cheap prices. Each one comes with a number of bonus tracks. I grabbed one of each as quick as I could!

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Goin' Back, Wasn't Born to Follow (The Notorious Byrd Brothers)

Gear costume: Renaissance Fair (Younger Than Yesterday)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7

Active compensatory factors: I didn't set out to own all of The Byrds albums, but that's what's happened. Truth be told, it was my interest in David Crosby's career that led me to The Byrds. This post will cover their sixties work, then I'll look at seventies. live, and compilation albums.

Mr. Tambourine Man is their debut album. Those taking flight: Jim McGuinn – vocals, lead guitar; Gene Clark – vocals, rhythm guitar; David Crosby – vocals; rhythm guitar; Chris Hillman – bass; Michael Clarke – drums.  

They were yet to develop their own songs but the chiming guitars and harmonies are very much here from the start. They mainly trade in cover versions of folk songs, primarily composed by Bob Dylan, and some originals written or co-written by singer Gene Clark.

The sound gives the album a unity and sense of purpose (to be the American Beatles). Same goes for their second album of 1965 - Turn! Turn! Turn! It's like volume 2 of the debut with covers, including a couple by Dylan, mixed in with some originals. Overall, it's not quite as strong as the debut but folk rock was here to stay.

Fifth Dimension was recorded after Gene Clark left the band (his fear of flying is something I can identify with). That meant Jim McGuinn and David Crosby had to step up and step up they did. 

The big hit from the album was Eight Miles High, backed up by Mr. Spaceman (McGuinn's fascination with space and flight would become a rich source of material). Overall, though, it's a bit of a hodge podge of an album - the weird Lear Jet song, Crosby's cover of Hey Joe and an instrumental flesh out 5D.

The foursome continued for their fourth album - Younger Than Yesterday, in the year of Sgt. Pepper. Chris Hillman had been taking a bit of a back seat until this album. Now he emerged as a song-writer and vocalist in his own right. He now contributes four songs and a co-write on So You Want To Be a Rock and Roll Star.

This is a mighty fine album - some country rock moves, some folk rock, some bizarro 1967 weirdities (Thoughts and Words, Mind Gardens). Everything seems to work on Younger Than Yesterday, even David Crosby's experimental songs have their place. 

However, the tensions between him and the others over the material they wanted to do (My Back Pages) and his (Mind Gardens) meant his days were numbered. His beautiful vocals and questing soul were going to be missed - Everybody's Been Burned is a superb example.

The Notorious Byrd Brothers signals David Crosby's departure on the cover (he's replaced by a horse's head). The three remaining brothers (Roger McGuinn*, Hillman and, for a while - Michael Clarke) continue to expand upon the experimental song structures and musical palette that they used on Younger Than Yesterday - even without Crosby. 

*His name changed from Jim to Roger in 1967. The new name came about through his association with the  Subud spiritual association.

Clarke would leave during the album sessions - so now The Byrds were down to two members, although Gene Clark did come back into the fold briefly during the making of the album (his fear of flying persisted).

Meanwhile, it's a very eclectic palette with the band blending together elements of psychedelia, folk rock, country (there's pedal steel guitar), electronic music (moog synthesizer), pop, and jazz. Ironic given everyone else was going back to basics thanks to The Band.

Two of my all time favourite Byrds songs are on this album - the majestic Goin' Back (written by Goffin-King) and Wasn't Born to Follow (also Goffin-King). In hindsight, their country rock song Old John Robertson was a sign of where McGuinn and Hillman were headed next.

The destination was firmly set towards country rock with the introduction of new member Gram Parsons (and Kevin Kelley on drums). Parsons only lasted for one album - Sweetheart of the Rodeo, but what an album! Suddenly country music and country rock was cool! I for one would probably not have bought this album without The Byrds name on it.

After Gram and Chris Hillman departed, The Byrds returned to a hybrid psychedelic rock and country rock approach for Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, but without the pure country of Sweethearts. Roger McGuinn was joined by Clarence White – guitar, John York - bass, Gene Parsons – drums.

It's not one of my favourite Byrds' albums. I miss Hillman and Crosby and Clarke, and although there are some fab songs on it (Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man, This Wheel's on Fire), it's uneven, and too much of a transitional album. Clarence White was a real find though - he adds some superb guitar to the songs.

Their eighth studio album, and second by this line-up, is Ballad of Easy Rider in 1969 (the last of the sixties albums). It's a more relaxed, lighter album (even though death is often a direct or indirect theme), and much more confident than Dr. Byrd - which seems to have a claustrophobic feel and a palpable darkness about it (maybe just my subjective feel given the cover).

Ballad of Easy Rider maybe cashed in a bit on the successful movie (both came out in 1969) but none of the other songs reference the film. Whatever, I love that song, plus Jesus Is Just Alright, Gunga Din and their version of Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos).

 

Where do they all belong? Into the seventies albums next.