Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Late last month, four years after buying Mr Tambourine Man and three after buying The Essential Byrds, I finally bought a copy of Turn! Turn! Turn!. It is the 1996 stereo remaster, but apparently they aren't making it anymore. Maybe we'll finally see these albums released on CD in mono?

Either way, the album was very, very good, better than MTM, which is a great album in itself. The best song was "Lay Down Your Weary Tune". I also enjoyed, from the bonus tracks, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", man, they know how to do Dylan.

I hope to next get at the same time, 5D and Younger Than Yesterday. All Byrds fans, such as Pat Hayes or Jim K, what are your thoughts on Turn! Turn! Turn! and are 5D and Younger Than Yesterday worth it?

JakeK wrote: I hope to next get at the same time, 5D and Younger Than Yesterday

those are The Byrds at their top in my opinion...their Rubber Soul-Revolver, just to give you an idea

Hi Jake, Make sure you pick up a copy of Notorious Byrd Brothers, too. The first 5 albums are essentials. After that, the Byrds change quickly into the Roger McGuinn and sidemen band. Some Byrds fans will probably call me a heretic for saying that...... Tom

JakeK wrote:
IAll Byrds fans, such as Pat Hayes or Jim K, what are your thoughts on Turn! Turn! Turn! and are 5D and Younger Than Yesterday worth it?

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that the only Byrds recordings I have are contained in the boxed set "There Is a Season." There is a lot of stuff that wasn't included on those four discs, such as "Lay Down Your Weary Tune."

Well......that isn't strictly true. I do have Byrdmaniax and Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde on vinyl. But my stereo amp is hors de combat for the moment.
JimK

Jake, although some folks may not give the 70s era Byrds authenticity in their own right as the Byrds, since you are rediscovering their works in the vault, I'll make a suggestion that another album you might like is the studio-live combo that was once known as "Untitled" when originally rleased on vinyl. And a few years ago Columbia re-released it as a double CD now called "Untitled/Unreleased" with a whole second CD included now of more live cuts of new and old Byrds material as well as studio cuts and some unreleased takes of some of the songs on the first disc. They are not the same as the original Byrds, and they are definitely "countrified" .... but I also think there is a lot to enjoy with the dual guitar work of McGuinn and Clarence White.

Check it out some time.

Rather than try to figure out which albums to buy and which not to--jump in with both feet and get all of the original releases.Some are better than others, but all of them are worth a listen.

fatcat wrote:Rather than try to figure out which albums to buy and which not to--jump in with both feet and get all of the original releases.Some are better than others, but all of them are worth a listen.

I couldn't agree more. Turn! Turn! Turn! is probably my favorite album too as it represents The Byrds at their "jangle peak". They developed a far broader musical palette after that. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is astounding as it's so different from the previous five albums they had released, but it's great all the same. I don't have the albums after Sweetheart, so I can't comment on them. (BTW, these albums should be part of every school curriculum. )

stsang wrote:BTW, these albums should be part of every school curriculum.

Unfortunately, the Music Appreciation class I took barely touches rock, and the Beatles are the only band discussed. Mostly classical is represented, with a little jazz thrown in for good measures.

I know before the year's over I will have 5D and Younger Than Yesterday, especially if they are the Byrds' Rubber Soul and Revolver

Jake,

"Turn! Turn! Turn!" is my favorite of the early Byrds records. There are a few clunkers: the electrified version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'" falls flat, and "Oh! Susannah" is really a throwaway. But "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" is a lovely reading of the Dylan classic, "He Was a Friend of Mine" stands as a moving tribute to JFK, and there are several more obscure songs of note ("The World Turns All Around Her" and "If You're Gone" really stand out.) Plus some great bonus tracks that deserve greater recognition, among them "The Day Walk (Never Before)" and "She Don't Care About Time."

"Fifth Dimension" is an uneven record, but boasts the essential tracks "Eight Miles High," "John Riley," and "Mr. Spaceman." And, in my opinion, the bonus track, "I Know My Rider (I Know You Rider)" is indispensable.

"Younger Than Yesterday" was the last of the great early Byrds records, and is packed with essential material, not just "So You Want to be a Rock 'N' Roll Star," but also "Have You Seen Her Face?" "Renaissance Fair," "Time Between," "My Back Pages," "Why," and "Lady Friend."

You should probably own all four CD's, at least: MTM, TTT, FD, and YTY. I prefer the stereo versions, but the monos may be available soon.

This is not to suggest that the records after YTY were any lesser achievements, only that I prefer the four early records.

Robert

rickinroma wrote:

JakeK wrote: I hope to next get at the same time, 5D and Younger Than Yesterday

those are The Byrds at their top in my opinion...their Rubber Soul-Revolver, just to give you an idea

Wholeheartedly agree!!!

The Byrds have been part of my musical life since Mr.Tambourine Man or MTM as I believe it's called here. Sorry, new around here.

Think they just got better as their career progressed until Dave Crosby left leaving an obvious void and reckon Notorious Byrds Brothers album was their last proper album before jumping on their horses and riding off into the "Rodeo Sunset" ( er maybe a good title for a song, will work on that )

Younger Than Yesterday

I bought the vinyl when in middle school. This was, and is a great album. "My Back Pages" was a top 40 hit on AM radio (no FM yet). I hope that you like it.

Craig

beatbyrd wrote:Hi Jake, Make sure you pick up a copy of Notorious Byrd Brothers, too. The first 5 albums are essentials. After that, the Byrds change quickly into the Roger McGuinn and sidemen band.

Agreed. In fact my new Byrds tribute band, The Earlybyrds, only play tunes from the first 5.

I started to "re-obtain" my Byrds CD's with the 4-CD box set. This was after owning the Younger Than Yesterday vinyl when it was published new in 1966. Then I got The Notorious Byrd Brothers CD. This album seemed to be too much of a veer for me as a 14 year old in 1967, so I didn't buy it back then.

Aside from having 100 songs on the 4 CD box set I may begin to methodically get the rest of the "first five", but really the original appeal of the Byrds tended to diminish for me after they played at Monterey with a different look on stage, and with a slightly different sound (with no Gene Clark).

You might think it is a sacrilege to say so, but the latter state of the Byrds after late 1968 was a departure for me from the original excitement and innovation that they generated for so many years prior.

Then there is the added benefit of a few Roger McGuinn solo albums, including Back From Rio, which I do recommend (as a return to the original Byrds roots). Does anyone have any comments about other Roger McGuinn solo albums?

Thank you,
Craig

idealassets wrote:Then there is the added benefit of a few Roger McGuinn solo albums, including Back From Rio, which I do recommend (as a return to the original Byrds roots). Does anyone have any comments about other Roger McGuinn solo albums?

Thank you,
Craig

The only one (aside from Rio, which is great) that I care for is Limited Edition. He does a respectable Byrdsy cover of "If I Needed Someone" and the CD includes "Echoes - Live", which he has melded with 8MH when he currently plays live shows. There are 3 other songs of minor interest on the CD. The album Cardiff Rose has the Joni Mitchell penned "Dreamland", which I also really like.
Aside from the Rio album, I'd recommend just picking through song by song via ITunes (or similar). He's got a lot of 'filler' tunes. Everything above is just my opinion.

Jake:

I believe "Turn, turn, turn" to most critics-- and McGuinn himself-- have felt that TTT wan not as good an album as MTM. Often, side 2 of "Turn, Turn, turn" is taken as the weakest.

I like TTT,but feel that MTM is more consistently excellent