Ok, this is done finally!
Around 3-4 months ago, one of my Facebook friends, Deb Scott, alerted me to the fact that the entire collection (Sans 5 issues from 1964, before the fact) of the KRLA Beat Newspaper (1964-68) is available for free download:
http://krlabeat.sakionline.net/
So, a few days ago, I went and downloaded every single issue that had Byrd content. I then dragged all of it into my Photoshop, chopped out all the Byrds material, restored the ads, getting rid of all the grungy brown, deepened the contrast, fixed blemishes, and then installed them all into individual folders that are dated, and just like my Byrds You Tube channel, numbered & organised in chronologiocal order.
Every picture, every article, every paragraph, every WORD written about this band from the newspaper's entire run is included.
You'll find some rare pics that many of you may not have seen before...Roger McGuinn & Terry Melcher sitting at the mixing console listening to the playback of "Turn! Turn! Turn!"...a half page article dedicated to The Gene Clark Group from 1966...ads for The "Byrds Official Fan Club"...ads for "Bird" sunglasses..."The Byrds vs. Cher"...columns from Derek Taylor...coverage of the 1965 Rolling Stones concert at Long Beach, CA with The Byrds opening!!
Everything from Crosby's cape, to Chris Hillman not smiling.
Granted, most of this is "Teen stuff", which will appeal to some, but not others, but I think everyone will enjoy this stuff, and if you read between the lines, there is alot of good "Real time" information...you know, "From the era".
Please bear in mind that the scans originally offered from the KRLA site are not the highest resolution, and as a result, some of the text may be slightly blurry after the clean-up, but still more than legible. Checking out all the articles in order of chronological appearance, really gives you a nice overview, and is fascinating to see it all unfold, flourish, and eventually crash and burn of course...
Get all of it here:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8tb6zs
For anyone who is willing to help me (Which in turn, helps ALL of us), I'm always after 300 dpi scans of ANY & ALL Byrds, and related articles, especially from the early days; Hit Parader, 16, Tiger Beat, Datebook, etc. I already have a few in this category, they are now restored to like new condition, and I will be sharing those with ya'll shortly.
In particlular, I'd like scans of the March 1966 issue of Tiger Beat (McGuinn on the cover, and article inside).
I'm also after scans of the sheet music books...."The Byrds Bag", etc. Just the cover, back cover, and any pics or articles, don't need any of the actual sheet music, which is always bogus anyway.
There is one that has some RARE shots of the fellas in concert from '65....complete with basketball hoop, and kids leaning on the stage, plus a double page bio within...I think this is called "Turn! Turn! Turn! & Other Folk Songs"...So, if you enjoy this download I'm offering today, and have more of the same in you're personal collection, please consider, at you're leisure, scanning these over to me. I will then email the person in question a restored image in return that they can frame, store on their computer, whatever.
I was only 4 years old in 1965, missed it all, but I UNDERSTAND this band on an intuitive level...I really do. I know what they were trying to put across, I know what they were getting at...
I'll be 50 in a few months, and I actually love & cherish their music more now, than when I discovered them as a teenager.
Enjoy!
Christian
