The Byrds album by album

(Work jangling along in the sunshine....)

The Byrds were a popular and successful American pop band during the Sixties, picking up on the music which in America they called the British Invasion, involving The Kinks, The Beatles, etc, and also on the music of Bob Dylan. In the UK they are largely seen as a Sixties pop band who covered some Dylan songs and wrote some pleasant jangly pop songs of their own. In America they are seen as significant because they were the leading American counterpart to the British Invasion bands, and were at the forefront of American counter-culture pop music.

While they are seen as significant for their part in the development/spread of country-rock and American folk-rock, and for their influence on British folk-rock, there are also repeated claims that the band actually invented folk-rock, country-rock, and psychedelic-rock. I am curious as to how true that is, as those are significant claims individually - collectively they would make The Byrds one of the most important bands in 20th century music.

So, here is my attempt to study The Byrds more closely, album by album....


Wikipedia:

The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964.^[1] The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member, until the group disbanded in 1973.^[2] Although they only managed to attain the huge commercial success of contemporaries like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones for a short period in the mid-60s, the Byrds are today considered by critics to be nearly as influential as those bands.^[1] Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar was immediately absorbed into the vocabulary of popular music and has continued to be influential up to the present day.^[1][3]

The band significantly established the musical genre of folk rock as a popular format on their debut album Mr. Tambourine Man (1965), by melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music.^[4][5] As the 1960s progressed, the band was influential in originating psychedelic rock and raga rock, with their song "Eight Miles High" and the albums Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967) and The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968).^[1][6][7] They also played a pioneering role in the development of country rock,^[1] with the 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo representing their fullest immersion into the genre.^[8]

The original five-piece lineup of the Byrds consisted of Jim McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), and Michael Clarke (drums).^[9] However, this version of the band was relatively short-lived and by early 1966, Clark had left due to problems associated with anxiety and his increasing isolation within the group.^[10] The Byrds continued as a quartet until late 1967, when Crosby and Clarke also departed the band.^[11] McGuinn and Hillman decided to recruit new members, including country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, but by late 1968, Hillman and Parsons had also exited the band.^[1] McGuinn elected to rebuild the band's membership and, between 1968 and 1973, he helmed a new incarnation of the Byrds, featuring guitarist Clarence White among others.^[1] McGuinn disbanded the then current lineup in early 1973, to make way for a reunion of the original quintet.^[12] The Byrds' final album was released in March 1973, with the reunited group disbanding soon afterwards.^[13]

Several former members of the band went on to successful careers of their own, either as solo artists or as members of such groups as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band.^[1] In the late 1980s, Gene and Michael both began touring as the Byrds, prompting a legal challenge from McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman over the rights to the band's name.^[14] As a result of this, McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman performed a series of reunion concerts as the Byrds in 1989 and 1990, and also recorded four new Byrds' songs.^[15][16] In 1991, the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an occasion that saw the five original members performing together for the last time.^[17][18] Gene Clark died of a heart attack later that year, while Michael Clarke died of liver failure in 1993.^[19][20] McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman remain active.

AllMusic:

Although they only attained the huge success of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys for a short time in the mid-'60s, time has judged the Byrds to be nearly as influential as those groups in the long run. They were not solely responsible for devising folk-rock, but they were certainly more responsible than any other single act (Dylan included) for melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music. The jangling, 12-string guitar sound of leader Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker was permanently absorbed into the vocabulary of rock. They also played a vital role in pioneering psychedelic rock and country-rock, the unifying element being their angelic harmonies and restless eclecticism.

Often described in their early days as a hybrid of Dylan and the Beatles, the Byrds in turn influenced Dylan and the Beatles almost as much as Bob and the Fab Four had influenced the Byrds. The Byrds' innovations have echoed nearly as strongly through subsequent generations, in the work of Tom Petty, R.E.M., and innumerable alternative bands of the post-punk era that feature those jangling guitars and dense harmonies.

Although the Byrds had perfected their blend of folk and rock when their debut single, "Mr. Tambourine Man," topped the charts in mid-1965, it was something of a miracle that the group had managed to coalesce in the first place. Not a single member of the original quintet had extensive experience on electric instruments. Jim McGuinn (he'd change his first name to Roger a few years later), David Crosby, and Gene Clark were all young veterans of both commercial folk-pop troupes and the acoustic coffeehouse scene. They were inspired by the success of the Beatles to mix folk and rock; McGuinnhad already been playing Beatles songs acoustically in Los Angeles folk clubs when Clark approached him to form an act, according to subsequent recollections, in the Peter & Gordon style. David Crosbysoon joined to make them a trio, and they made a primitive demo as the Jet Set that was nonetheless bursting with promise. With the help of session musicians, they released a single on Elektra as the Beefeaters that, while a flop, showed them getting quite close to the folk-rock sound that would electrify the pop scene in a few months.

The Beefeaters, soon renamed the Byrds, were fleshed out to a quintet with the addition of drummer Michael Clarke and bluegrass mandolinist Chris Hillman, who was enlisted to play electric bass, although he had never played the instrument before. The band was so lacking in equipment in their early stages that Clarke played on cardboard boxes during their first rehearsals, but they determined to master their instruments and become a full-fledged rock band (many demos from this period would later surface for official release). They managed to procure a demo of a new Dylan song, "Mr. Tambourine Man"; by eliminating some verses and adding instantly memorable 12-string guitar leads and Beatlesque harmonies, they came up with the first big folk-rock smash (though the Beau Brummelsand others had begun exploring similar territory as well). For the "Mr. Tambourine Man" single, the band's vocals and McGuinn's inimitable Rickenbacker were backed by session musicians, although the band themselves (contrary to some widely circulated rumors) performed on their subsequent recordings.

The first long-haired American group to compete with the British Invasion bands visually as well as musically, the Byrdswere soon anointed as the American counterpart to the Beatles by the press, legions of fans, and George Harrisonhimself. Their 1965 debut LP, Mr. Tambourine Man, was a fabulous album that mixed stellar interpretations of Dylan and Pete Seeger tunes with strong, more romantic and pop-based originals, usually written by Gene Clark in the band's early days. A few months later, their version of Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!" became another number-one hit and instant classic, featuring more great chiming guitar lines and ethereal, interweaving harmonies. While their second LP (Turn! Turn! Turn!) wasn't as strong as their debut full-length, the band continued to move forward at a dizzying pace. In early 1966, the "Eight Miles High" single heralded the birth of psychedelia, with its drug-like (intentionally or otherwise) lyrical imagery, rumbling bassline, and a frenzied McGuinn guitar solo that took its inspiration from John Coltrane and Indian music.

Pre- Byrds

The Jet Set - "The Only Girl I Adore"  (1964)

The Beefeaters "Please Let Me Love You"  (1964)  "Don't Be Long" (1964)

The albums

Mr Tambourine Man (June 1965)

The opening track, "Mr. Tambourine Man", is a great Dylan song, and the session musicians, known  as  The Wrecking Crew, do it attractively. It is widely acknowledged as one of the best songs under the band's name, even though it's not their song, and - other than Roger McQuin, they don't play on it. It is their arrangement though, and they sing on it, and the keys are the vocal harmonies and the use of the 12 string electric Rickenbacker guitar (first used by the Beatles and the Searchers) which gives the song that jangly sound, so reminiscent of the Sixties, and so copied by other bands. The combination of a great Dylan song and that Beatleseque jangly guitar was very influential, similar to The Kingsmen doing "Louie Louie".  There is nothing else on the album quite like it (though "All I Really Want To Do" - another Dylan song - comes close) - the rest of the album is pleasant enough Beatleseque material, and more covers, some more successful than others. Due to the interest in beat music, led by The Beatles, and folk music, led by Bob Dylan, there were a number of artists releasing folky Dylan/Beatlesque material in 1965:

Los Shakers - Los Shakers  (July)
We Five "You Were On My Mind" (August)
Pinkerton's Assorted Colours - "Mirror Mirror"
The Rockin' Berries - "He's In Town" / They're In Town (1964)

The Zombies - Begin Here (April 1965) -  "She's Not There" (1964) is awesome. 

Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch   Contains "Needle of Death" and "Angie". 

Them - Angry Young Them  Contains "Mystic Eyes" and "Gloria"

The Yardbirds - "For Your Love"
The Impressions - People Get Ready  This is not folky Dylan/Beatlesque material, but this album is awesome and the title track, "People Get Ready", is simply mind-blowing.

Released	June 21, 1965
Recorded	January – April 1965
Studio	Columbia Studios, Hollywood
Genre	Folk rock
Length	31:35
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terry Melcher

Jim McGuinn – lead guitar, vocals
Gene Clark – rhythm guitar, tambourine, vocals
David Crosby – rhythm guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman – electric bass
Michael Clarke – drums

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mr. Tambourine Man"	Bob Dylan	2:29
2.	"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"	Gene Clark	2:32
3.	"Spanish Harlem Incident"	Dylan	1:57
4.	"You Won't Have to Cry"	Clark, Jim McGuinn[b]	2:08
5.	"Here Without You"	Clark	2:36
6.	"The Bells of Rhymney"	Idris Davies, Pete Seeger	3:30

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All I Really Want to Do"	Dylan	2:04
2.	"I Knew I'd Want You"	Clark	2:14
3.	"It's No Use"	Clark, McGuinn[b]	2:23
4.	"Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"	Jackie DeShannon	2:54
5.	"Chimes of Freedom"	Dylan	3:51
6.	"We'll Meet Again"	Ross Parker, Hughie Charles	2:07
Total length:			31:35

Wikipedia    

AllMusic: 10
Score:  

Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965)

Not getting into this.

Released	December 6, 1965
Recorded	June 28 – November 1, 1965, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Folk rock /  pop /  jangle pop
Length	30:24
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terry Melcher

Jim McGuinn – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Gene Clark – rhythm guitar, harmonica, tambourine, vocals
David Crosby – rhythm guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman – electric bass
Michael Clarke – drums

Side one

1. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
2. "It Won't Be Wrong" (Jim McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 1:58
3. "Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:49
4. "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" (Bob Dylan) – 3:30
5. "He Was a Friend of Mine" (traditional, new words and arrangement Jim McGuinn) – 2:30

Side two

1. "The World Turns All Around Her" (Gene Clark) – 2:13
2. "Satisfied Mind" (Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes) – 2:26
3. "If You're Gone" (Gene Clark) – 2:45
4. "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) – 2:18
5. "Wait and See" (Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:19
6. "Oh! Susannah" (Stephen Foster) – 3:03 

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score:

Fifth Dimension (1966)

There's some proper folk-rock on this and hints of country. It carries its Dylan, Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel influences like a burden, but breaks out now and again with a spark of psychedelic guitar and an original song like "Eight Miles High". Listenable if mostly modest.

5D - A Bob Dylanesque number.


Released July 1966
Recorded January 24 – May 25, 1966 at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Produced by  Allen Stanton

Jim McGuinn – lead guitar, vocals
David Crosby – rhythm guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman – electric bass, vocals
Michael Clarke – drums

Side one

1. "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:33
2. "Wild Mountain Thyme" (traditional, arranged Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, David Crosby) – 2:30
3. "Mr. Spaceman" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:09
4. "I See You" (Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:38
5. "What's Happening?!?!" (David Crosby) – 2:35
6. "I Come and Stand at Every Door" (Nâzım Hikmet) – 3:03

Side two

1. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 3:34
2. "Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)" (Billy Roberts) – 2:17
3. "Captain Soul" (Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, David Crosby) – 2:53
4. "John Riley" (traditional, arranged Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, David Crosby) – 2:57
5. "2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song)" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:12 

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4 1/2

Younger Than Yesterday (1967)

This album is impressing me - good British style folk-rock melded with psychedelic music and sharp song-writing. Best so far. I am kinda now "getting" the Byrds.

Released	February 6, 1967
Recorded	November 28 – December 8, 1966
Studio	Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA[1]
Genre	Rock folk rock psychedelic rock country rock raga rock
Length	29:11
Label	Columbia
Producer	Gary Usher

Jim McGuinn – lead guitar, vocals
David Crosby – rhythm guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman – electric bass, vocals (acoustic guitar on "It Happens Each Day")
Michael Clarke – drums

Side one

1. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 2:05
2. "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) – 2:25
3. "C.T.A.-102" (Jim McGuinn, Robert J. Hippard) – 2:28
4. "Renaissance Fair" (David Crosby, Jim McGuinn) – 1:51
5. "Time Between" (Chris Hillman) – 1:53
6. "Everybody's Been Burned" (David Crosby) – 3:05

Side two

1. "Thoughts and Words" (Chris Hillman) – 2:56
2. "Mind Gardens" (David Crosby) – 3:28
3. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08
4. "The Girl with No Name" (Chris Hillman) – 1:50
5. "Why" (Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:45

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 5

Greatest Hits (1967)

Useful. And their best selling album.

Side one

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:29
2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) – 2:32
3. "The Bells of Rhymney" (Idris Davies, Pete Seeger) – 3:30
4. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
5. "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04
6. "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51

Side two

1. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 3:34
2. "Mr. Spaceman" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:09
3. "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:33
4. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 1:50
5. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score:

The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)

Somewhat quieter and more sedate version of  Younger Than Yesterday.

Released	January 15, 1968
Recorded	June 21 – December 6, 1967
Studio	Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock /  psychedelic rock
Length	28:28
Label	Columbia
Producer	Gary Usher

Roger McGuinn – vocals, lead guitar, Moog synthesizer
Chris Hillman – vocals; electric bass all tracks except "Old John Robertson"; guitar on "Old John Robertson"; mandolin on "Draft Morning"

The following Byrds members played on parts of the album due to them either leaving or (re-)joining or both during the recording of the album:

David Crosby – vocals, rhythm guitar on "Change is Now", "Tribal Gathering", "Dolphin's Smile", "Triad", and "Goin' Back" (alternate); rhythm guitar on "Draft Morning", "Bound to Fall" and "Universal Mind Decoder"; vocals, electric bass on "Old John Robertson"
Michael Clarke – drums on "Artificial Energy", "Draft Morning", "Old John Robertson", "Tribal Gathering", "Dolphin's Smile", and "Universal Mind Decoder"
Gene Clark – possible backing vocal on "Goin' Back" (master) and "Space Odyssey"
Clarence White – guitars (not yet an official member)

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Artificial Energy"	McGuinn, Hillman, Clarke	2:18
2.	"Goin' Back"	Carole King, Gerry Goffin	3:26
3.	"Natural Harmony"	Chris Hillman	2:11
4.	"Draft Morning"	Crosby, Hillman,McGuinn	2:42
5.	"Wasn't Born to Follow"	Carole King, Gerry Goffin	2:04
6.	"Get to You"	Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn	2:39

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Change Is Now"	Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn	3:21
2.	"Old John Robertson"	Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn	1:49
3.	"Tribal Gathering"	David Crosby, Chris Hillman	2:03
4.	"Dolphin's Smile"	Crosby, Hillman, McGuinn	2:00
5.	"Space Odyssey"	Roger McGuinn, Robert J. Hippard	3:52

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4

Sweetheart of the Rodeo  (1968)

This is the band's famous country-rock album. The remains of the band were joined by Gram Parsons who effectively hijacked the band in order to develop his own obsession with the idea of making country music more popular. For many folks this is the most important Byrds album - but effectively it is not a Byrds album, but a Gram Parsons album. I'm not a huge fan of country. I can tolerate it at times, and sometimes, in the hands of someone sublime like Johhny Cash or Kris Kristoferson, I can enjoy it. Cash had been doing his version of country-rock pretty much since he started, but this sort of country-rock has a more poppier feel that neither Cash or Kristoferson would ever do, and proved to be popular. This sound can be heard on The Basement Tapes which had been recorded a year earlier, and though not officially released until 1975, the tracks were widely available on bootlegs, so claims that popular country-rock was developed here by Gram Parsons are erroneous. The Byrds even bookend the album with"You Aint Going Nowhere" and "Nothing Was Delivered" two songs that Dylan recorded for the Tapes ("You Aint Going Nowhere" - "Nothing Was Delivered"). And Dylan had released John Wesley Harding in 1967, an album recorded in Nashville.  And The Band's Music From Big Pink was released in  July 1968, a month before Sweetheart, and which contains "The Weight" and "I Shall Be Released", two truly superb tracks, so claims of  Sweetheart's importance are rather overstated. File under typical Byrds "exaggerated hype" and ignore.

Released	August 30, 1968
Recorded	March 9–15, 1968 April 4–May 27, 1968
Studio	Columbia, Nashville, Tennessee Columbia, Hollywood, California
Genre	Country rock /  country
Length	32:35
Label	Columbia
Producer	Gary Usher

Roger McGuinn - acoustic guitar, banjo, vocals
Chris Hillman - electric bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocals
Gram Parsons - acoustic guitar, piano, organ, vocals
Kevin Kelley - drums
Clarence White - electric guitar (not yet an officialmember)

Side 1

1. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Bob Dylan) – 2:33
2. "I Am a Pilgrim" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 3:39
3. "The Christian Life" (Louvin brothers) – 2:30
4. "You Don't Miss Your Water" (William Bell) – 3:48
5. "You're Still on My Mind" (Luke McDaniel) – 2:25
6. "Pretty Boy Floyd" (Woody Guthrie) – 2:34

Side 2

1. "Hickory Wind" (Gram Parsons, Bob Buchanan) – 3:31
2. "One Hundred Years from Now" (Gram Parsons) – 2:40
3. "Blue Canadian Rockies" (Cindy Walker) – 2:02
4. "Life in Prison" (Merle Haggard, Jelly Sanders) – 2:46
5. "Nothing Was Delivered" (Bob Dylan) – 3:24

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 3 1/2

Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (1969)

Oh dear..... Most commentators and listeners rate this album deservedly quite low. But there are, of course, those who like it. Each to their own.

Released	March 5, 1969
Recorded	October 7 – October 16, December 4, 1968, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA October 21, 1968, Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN
Genre	Rock, country rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock
Length	34:25
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston

Roger McGuinn – guitar, lead vocals
Clarence White – guitar, backing vocals
John York – electric bass, backing vocals
Gene Parsons – drums, harmonica, banjo, backing vocals

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"This Wheel's on Fire"	Bob Dylan, Rick Danko	4:44
2.	"Old Blue"	traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn	3:21
3.	"Your Gentle Way of Loving Me"	Gib Guilbeau, Gary Paxton	2:35
4.	"Child of the Universe"	Dave Grusin, Roger McGuinn	3:15
5.	"Nashville West"	Gene Parsons, Clarence White	2:29

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man"	McGuinn, Parsons	3:53
2.	"King Apathy III"	McGuinn	3:00
3.	"Candy"	McGuinn,  York	3:01
4.	"Bad Night at the Whiskey"	McGuinn,Richards	3:23
5.	"MedleyMy Back Pages/B.J. Blues/Baby What You Want Me to Do"	Dylan, McGuinn,York,Parsons, White, Reed	4:08

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 5
Score:

Preflyte (1969)

Some pre-Byrds material. This is for fans and students of the band only.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"You Showed Me"	Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark	2:05
2.	"Here Without You"		2:30
3.	"She Has a Way"		2:34
4.	"The Reason Why"		2:34
5.	"For Me Again"		2:32
6.	"Boston"		2:07

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"You Movin'"		2:10
2.	"The Airport Song"	Jim McGuinn, David Crosby	2:03
3.	"You Won't Have to Cry"	Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark	2:17
4.	"I Knew I'd Want You"		2:19
5.	"Mr. Tambourine Man"	Bob Dylan	2:20

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score:

Ballad of Easy Rider (1969)

This is a mature country-rock album. Quite pleasant with some decent enough songs. There's nothing special about it, but it's an OK listen.

Released	November 10, 1969
Recorded	June 17 – August 26, 1969
Studio	Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock, country rock
Length	33:55
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terry Melcher

Roger McGuinn – guitar, vocals
Clarence White – lead guitar, vocals
John York – electric bass, vocals
Gene Parsons – drums, guitar, banjo, vocals

Side one

1. "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) – 2:01
2. "Fido" (John York) – 2:40
3. "Oil in My Lamp" (traditional, arranged Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 3:13
4. "Tulsa County Blue" [aka "Tulsa County"] (Pamela Polland) – 2:49
5. "Jack Tarr the Sailor" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn) – 3:31

Side two

1. "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:10
2. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan) – 4:53
3. "There Must Be Someone" (Vern Gosdin, Cathy Gosdin, Rex Gosdin) – 3:29
4. "Gunga Din" (Gene Parsons) – 3:03
5. "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" (Woody Guthrie, Martin Hoffman) – 3:50
6. "Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins" (Zeke Manners, Scott Seely) – 1:41

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score:

(Untitled) (1970)

Packaging their latest album with a free live album helped sales, so more people bought this album from the Byrds later period than any other, as a consequence it is generally held in higher regard than other later Byrds records. But the live album is for fans only - turgid, unimaginative plodding through some of their best known songs, and an embarrassing attempt at extended jamming on "Eight Miles High". The studio album doesn't have the ease and confidence of Easy Rider. The big hit in the UK was "Chestnut Mare", which for us in the UK put the band into the same category as Bread ("Make It With You", "Everything I Own") and America ("Horse With No Name"). And in general there isn't much to separate the band from other country-rock bands of the era, such as Poco.

Released	September 14, 1970
Recorded	Live album: February 28, 1970, Colden Center Auditorium, Queens College, New York City, NY March 1, 1970, Felt Forum, New York City, NY Studio album: May 26 – June 11, 1970, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock, country rock
Length	71:27
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terry Melcher, Jim Dickson

Roger McGuinn – guitar, Moog synthesizer, vocals
Clarence White – guitar, mandolin, vocals
Skip Battin – electric bass, vocals
Gene Parsons – drums, guitar, harmonica, vocals

Side one (live)

1. "Lover of the Bayou" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:39
2. "Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan) – 3:03
3. "Nashville West" (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 2:07
4. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 2:38
5. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:14
6. "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:07

Side two (live)

1. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 16:03

Side three (studio)

1. "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:08
2. "Truck Stop Girl" (Lowell George, Bill Payne) – 3:20
3. "All the Things" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:03
4. "Yesterday's Train" (Gene Parsons, Skip Battin) – 3:31
5. "Hungry Planet" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley, Roger McGuinn) – 4:50

Side four (studio)

1. "Just a Season" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:50
2. "Take a Whiff on Me" (Huddie Ledbetter, John Lomax, Alan Lomax) – 3:24
3. "You All Look Alike" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 3:03
4. "Well Come Back Home" (Skip Battin) – 7:40

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score:

Byrdmaniax (1971)

Widely regarded as the worse Byrds album (apparently due to over production). Move along....

Released	June 23, 1971
Recorded	June 2, October 6, 1970, January 9–26, March 1–6, 1971, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA Orchestral overdubs: mid–March – early April 1971, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock, country rock
Length	34:06
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terry Melcher, Chris Hinshaw

Roger McGuinn - guitar, vocals
Clarence White - guitar, mandolin, vocals
Skip Battin - electric bass, vocals
Gene Parsons - drums, harmonica, banjo, vocals

Side 1

1. "Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:03
2. "Pale Blue" (Roger McGuinn, Gene Parsons) – 2:22
3. "I Trust" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:19
4. "Tunnel of Love" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 4:59
5. "Citizen Kane" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 2:36

Side 2

1. "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:03
2. "Absolute Happiness" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 2:38
3. "Green Apple Quick Step" (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 1:49
4. "My Destiny" (Helen Carter) – 3:38
5. "Kathleen's Song" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:40
6. "Jamaica Say You Will" (Jackson Browne) – 3:27

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score:

Farther Along (1971)

This was the band's hasty attempt to undo the damage done by the release of Byrdmaniax. It only made things worse. The end is nigh....

Released	November 17, 1971
Recorded	July 22–28, 1971, CBS Studios, London, England August 1971, Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock, country rock
Length	32:02
Label	Columbia
Producer	The Byrds

Roger McGuinn – guitar, vocals
Clarence White – guitar, mandolin, vocals
Skip Battin – electric bass, piano, vocals
Gene Parsons – drums, guitar, harmonica, pedal steel guitar, banjo, vocals

Side 1

1. "Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:40
2. "Get Down Your Line" (Gene Parsons) – 3:26
3. "Farther Along" (traditional, arranged Clarence White) – 2:57
4. "B.B. Class Road" (Gene Parsons, Stuart Dawson) – 2:16
5. "Bugler" (Larry Murray) – 3:06

Side 2

1. "America's Great National Pastime" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 2:57
2. "Antique Sandy" (Roger McGuinn, Skip Battin, Gene Parsons, Clarence White, Jimmi Seiter) – 2:13
3. "Precious Kate" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 2:59
4. "So Fine" (Johnny Otis) – 2:36
5. "Lazy Waters" (Bob Rafkin) – 3:32
6. "Bristol Steam Convention Blues" (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 2:39

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 6
Score:

Byrds (1973)

And this is the end. The band sort of breaks up to be reformed with all the original members who produce this lacklustre affair which is simply the nail in the coffin.  The Byrds have ended their erratic flight, and are now laid to rest.

Released	March 7, 1973
Recorded	October 16 – November 15, 1972
Studio	Wally Heider's Studio 3, Los Angeles, CA
Genre	Rock, country rock
Length	34:54
Label	Asylum
Producer	David Crosby

Roger McGuinn – guitar, banjo, Moog synthesizer, vocals
Gene Clark – guitar, harmonica, tambourine, vocals
David Crosby – guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman – electric bass, guitar, mandolin, vocals
Michael Clarke – drums, congas, percussion

Side one

1. "Full Circle" (Gene Clark) – 2:43
2. "Sweet Mary" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:55
3. "Changing Heart" (Gene Clark) – 2:42
4. "For Free" (Joni Mitchell) – 3:50
5. "Born to Rock 'n' Roll" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:12

Side two

1. "Things Will Be Better" (Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor) – 2:13
2. "Cowgirl in the Sand" (Neil Young) – 3:24
3. "Long Live the King" (David Crosby) – 2:17
4. "Borrowing Time" (Chris Hillman, Joe Lala) – 2:00
5. "Laughing" (David Crosby) – 5:38
6. "(See the Sky) About to Rain" (Neil Young) – 3:49

Rolling Stone
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 5
Score:

The Essential Byrds (2009)

Career summary that is probably a disc too many for the general public, and includes too much from the later period.

Disc one

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:31
2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) – 2:32
3. "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04
4. "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51
5. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:51
6. "She Don't Care About Time"  (Gene Clark) – 2:30
7. "It Won't Be Wrong" (Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 1:59
8. "Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:50
9. "He Was a Friend of Mine" (traditional, new words and arrangement Roger McGuinn) – 2:31
10. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) – 3:36
11. "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:34
12. "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:10
13. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 2:06
14. "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) – 2:41
15. "Renaissance Fair" (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) – 1:52
16. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08

Disc two

1. "Lady Friend" (David Crosby) – 2:31
2. "Old John Robertson [Single Version]" (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 1:54
3. "Goin' Back" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 3:27
4. "Natural Harmony" (Chris Hillman) – 2:12
5. "Wasn't Born to Follow" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 2:03
6. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Bob Dylan) – 2:35
7. "Hickory Wind" (Gram Parsons, Bob Buchanan) – 3:32
8. "This Wheel's on Fire" (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) – 4:45
9. "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" (Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons) – 3:54
10. "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) – 2:04
11. "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:10
12. "Lover of the Bayou" [Live] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:40
13. "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:08
14. "Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:01
15. "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:02
16. "Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:41
17. "Farther Along" (traditional, arranged Clarence White) – 2:57

Pitchfork
Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score:

Links

Adrian Denning
RateYourMusic
BestEverAlbums
SteveHoffman - album poll
SteveHoffman - album by album thread
Ranker
Starling
Oocities
AlbumReviews
ByrdWatcher (archived fan site)
The Byrds - a fan site
RogerMcGuinblog
Lyon.edu - ByrdsHomepage


902 April 2019