Yesterday's train (The Byrds) (LP 4235 - 4238)

The Byrds  (Untitled) (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1970) **** 

The Byrds  Byrdmaniax (CD, Columbia Records, 1971) ****  

The Byrds  Farther Along (CD, Columbia Records, 1971) ****  

The Byrds  Byrds (Vinyl, Asylum Records, 1973) ***  

Genre: Folk rock, country rock 

Places I remember: Spellbound Wax Company, HMV,

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Chestnut Mare (Untitled)

Gear costume: Just a Season (Untitled)

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: The seventies Byrds kicked off with the third album of their post Sweethearts of the Rodeo band (aside from Skip Battin joining on bass). Only Roger McGuinn remains of the original band remember and he's clearly in charge.

(Untitled) is a double album - half concert and half studio. The concert section is heavy on energetic hits from the sixties - most notably a stretched out/ sped up 15minute long version of Eight Miles High. It's a terrific jam song now.

Of the studio sides, Chestnut Mare is the clear standout, but the rest of the songs are also of top Byrd quality. Another highlight is McGuinn's Just a Season.

Unfortunately, a heavy touring schedule meant that Byrdmaniax is slightly underdone. I do like their version of Jamaica Say You Will and McGuinn's Pale Blue but the rest is a bit uninspired. 

The weird cover with death masks used for each member may not have been a smart move from the art department (strange because John Berg is usually superb), but it's certainly a distinctive image.

Farther Along was their second album of 1971 and their last as this formation. It reacts to the over-production of Byrdmaniax appropriately (the title track is great) and overall it sounds good but it is generally unloved like that preceding album and Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. I think it's under-appreciated.

The final Byrds album (so far) was their 1973 reunion of the five original Byrds: Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke. All were at loose ends and they received a lucrative offer from David Geffen to reform. What? You thought there were some artistic imperatives at work?

The choice of songs is a tad weird - some Neil Youngs, a Joni Mitchell and 2 songs apiece from each member (not sure why Crosby redoes Laughing - the original is miles better). Again the recording was a bit rushed and met with criticism when released, which is unjust I think. It's quite a good album overall and certainly contains nothing that tarnishes the band's legacy.

Where do they all belong? Next up - Byrds live and compiled.