Byrds, "Milestones."

[(drumbob)]

Does anyone know whatever happened to the tapes of The Byrds playing "MIlestones," that Mile Davis song that has never been released. There's a short snippet of it in a video or two on You Tube, but that's all.

[(admin)]

Does anyone know whatever happened to the tapes of The Byrds playing "MIlestones," that Mile Davis song that has never been released. There's a short snippet of it in a video or two on You Tube, but that's all.

A quote from Gary Lee Usher

However, MIlestones was a song Crosby was really behind. We worked on that for a couple of days, but the group never felt it came out 100%. There were timing difficulties, as well as a number of other problems associated with it. As I remember, it was Crosby's idea to finally shelve it; probably because he got tired of working with it. I really wanted to finish it and take it to the next level, because I felt it was a good departure for them. I tried, but I could never get them to finish it. The unfinished cut (from memory) is about five or six minutes long. (22) Usher.

Source Byrds- Nyrds
https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ ... t-24878598
Original post September 5, 2020

[(admin)]

The Byrds - December 9, 1967
San Francisco
Milestones live from about 4:00 to 6:00 min.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... e=emb_logo

Miles Davis

[(admin)]

After listening to Milestones, you have to imagine that McGuinn was influenced by Miles Davis and members of his circle in his Eight Miles High guitar work. Not the first time I have been off base but there is a similarity to me between the two.

[(admin)]

My search with regard to Eight Miles High continues and I found this quote from David Crosby on Jazz Times. Apparently it was Coltrane that influenced McGuinn.

A band is a chemistry, and everybody affects the chemistry. Roger [McGuinn, guitarist and lead vocalist] affected the chemistry of the Byrds more than the rest of us did. The Byrds went pretty much where Roger was, at first. All I contributed was some interesting harmonies; I didn’t really affect the direction of the group very much. But I did play Coltrane to Roger and the guys in the motorhome we traveled in. We had a reel-to-reel player in the back, playing through a Fender Bassman amp. I kept playing Africa/Brass. Roger is a very talented guy, and he’s very good at being affected by another kind of music and taking it into his stream. He would never have thought of the solo he played on “Eight Miles High” if he hadn’t listened to Coltrane.

Source: https://jazztimes.com/features/intervie ... ane-miles/

[(admin)]

For those who wish to follow Roger McGuinn and his efforts to play Milestones, this may get you started.

[(admin)]

McGuinn says Jazz not Psychedelia

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/01 ... periments/

[(pathelms)]

Wellllll.......they might have thought they were making jazz......but what came out was psychedelia. Which after all (IMO) psychedelia, more or less, is nothing but punk hard bop anyway.

And I don’t know why McGuinn is so fussy about it, since EMH practically sprang the genre. It was a drug song because they were doing a heap of them when they wrote it. In other words, they reaped what they toked! (I think that’s sorta Crosby’s take on it)

Nevertheless, I would have been proud to have authored that masterpiece even if it had been accused of referencing dead rats!

Cheers!