Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Byrds Original Singles Vol. 1
Posted by dai on 15 August 2011 - 8:14pm.
I remember when this compilation came out (early 80s?), an NME review at the time said something like "this is the greatest music ever made". Maybe he had a point...
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Yup
It's great isn't it. Vol 2 is OK too.
Ah, the rib-cage of rock that
set my heart in a spin. Just needs this slab of heaven:
to be absolutely perfect.
Hard to believe they only had two UK hits mind. Two!
Hard to believe
because they had 5.
Mr Tambourine Man # 1 - 1965
All I Really Want To Do # 4 - 1965
Turn! Turn! Turn - # 26 - 1965
Eight Miles High - # 24 - 1966
Chestnut Mare - # 19 - 1971
Oops. Very lazy of me
not to check that out before! I suppose I must have been thinking about top ten hits somewhere in the back of my addled mind.
Still, in a perfect world they'd have had a Westliffian 15 straight number ones or whatever.
15 straight number 1s
would have been some just recognition for their achievment.
There appears to me to be some contradiction in that they are cited as such a huge influence on so many bands, especially those of indie origin, yet so many people are apparently completely ignorant of their music.
Is this perhaps because a few bands like Teenage Fanclub listened to The Byrds and all the other bands derive any Byrds type sound (ie someone has a Rickenbacker 12 string) at one remove from the glorious source?
In my parallel world
Eight Miles High was no. 1 for 10 weeks.
Lady Friend
One of the greatest records ever made, is on Volume 2.
Great Band
But they never made a really great album. Some very good ones but no classic.
-
'Sweetheart of the Rodeo''s a classic.
Beg to differ
(and that's putting it very politely!)
- 5th Dimension
- Younger than Yesterday
- The Notorious Byrd Brothers
All classics.
Love them all
But there is some less than great stuff (IMHO) on all of them.
True enough
But also true of every Beatles album. The "classics" are the sum of all their parts. Personally, I'm a big fan of the "crap bits" on all the Byrds albums. Except maybe "Mind Gardens" (see below)!
They're the enigma that keeps on giving.
Somehow they make their best album without their best singer or songwriter (Younger Than Yesterday).
Somehow they're really kinda geeky (especially Roger) but are in other ways the epitome of cool.
Somehow DC is extremely irritating yet has a stack of friends and ultimately generous with his help, talent and praise.
What a group! Reminds me I must reread Rogan Josh's book for the tenth time and buy that one on Gene Clark.
Too right
The Beatles never made a completely satisfying album. There's always some cod music hall, comedy or brass bands popping up to spoili things. A friend of mine, after a few beers, makes a powerful argument that George Harrison invented the Byrds.
I'm sure I once read
that there's direct evidence of that. Not rocket science really - they loved the Fabs, they wanted to be them, they took that rickenbacker chime and pretty much ran with it! One of the rare cases of copying and coming up with something original. Bit like the Fabs and Buddy H/Chuck B I suppose.
Dare is say
Copying something and coming up with something better? To these ears anyway. NB both had unswinging clunky drummers (this is not a troll, mop top fans).
I wouldn't disagree with that.
..even your drummer comment, though neither Ringo or Michael annoys me, they're not quite as groovy as Charlie Watts or Keith Moon - if that's what you mean? In some ways it could be where you imagine yourself in a perfect musical moment: LA or Liverpool? Nah, maybe that's nonsense. Love both bands either way. The very thought of trying to decide who's better between The Byrds and The Beatles makes my mind ache. Can't imagine a world without either.
Actually ...
... George copied the Byrds with (the wonderful) If I needed Someone (from Bells of Rhymney). I don't think The Byrds copied the Beatles, they just got the idea that being a rock band rather than a folk band would be more fun after seeing A Hard Day's Night. The 12 string was part of that. McGuinn's playing is pretty original and much more jazz influenced than Harrison.
The whole
Beatles/Byrds/Dylan triangle is just fantastic beyond words. Sitars/raga/harmonies/12 strings/nasal vocals...it's all fab to me!
The Birds = The Byrds
Remember a David Crosby interview where he gleefully describes having seen AHDN with McGuinn etc and leaving the cinema with some kind of collective flash of inspiration as to how they could make their previous relatively orthodox folk stylings legitimately poptastic, and the hair, suits and even the idiosyncratically-misspelt name all sprang from that. You can imagine RCA (or whoever label was) shrewdly egging this new strategy on in the wake of the HJH "invasion". But as poster below says, the Dylan=HJH=Byrds triad was definitely a rich and fertile one - for a few years around 64 - 66, all three were vying to outdo eachother, scaling uncharted heights. Eight miles high indeed!
Four B's
I use to tell the offspring "all you need to know is the 4 B's - Beatles, Byrds, Bob and Brian (Wilson)". Get these guys into your life and all else will follow.
Two Bs (plus a dollop of Loving Spoonful)
Get a load of this: "There Is No Greater Sin" by The Boys Next Door, who were a midwest Beach Boys-copyist act. Until they discovered The Byrds.
Two Bs (plus a dollop of Loving Spoonful)
Get a load of this: "There Is No Greater Sin" by The Boys Next Door, who were a midwest Beach Boys-copyist act. Until they discovered The Byrds.
Listen to the guitar outro of 'A Hard Day's Night'...
...and tell me the Byrds didn't copy the Beatles...
Quite
Quite. Ringo and Michael have that stiff jerky 60s feel that sounds naff to me now. Superbly sent up in Spinal Tap too. Laurel Canyon for me!
"The greatest music ever made"?
No argument from me. It baffles me why everyone else doesn't agree. Ah well....
Classic Byrds albums
The Byrds did make a few great albums, but I think the Crosby solo writing contribution jars with people, diluting the quality of the rest of the material.
Renaissance Fair or What's Happening?!?! anyone?
Love 'em
both. And what about "Lady Friend"? The greatest pop record ever made. You may have a point about "Mind Gardens", though...
Help Me Out
Never 'got'The Byrds. Tried to get into them but ....nothing! Find them a little boring ( eek! ). Same goes for Dylan ( too wordy!!! ) and Pink Floyd ( dull, dull, dull!! ). Now, I imagine the majority of the massive will be shaking their heads in dismay at my lack of appreciation bit I can't help it!!! I just need to get it off my chest. My name is Gordon, I am 46 and I dont like Dylan, The Floyd and The Byrds...I feel a great weight has lifted from my shoulders.
Dear boy
If you don't "get" the Byrds, even God herself cannot help you (;-)
Is it that bad that I'm even
Is it that bad that I'm even beyond divine intervention. I guess I just find the Byrds sound a little 'bland'..no grit to it?! Mybe it's their association with Dylan songs that blinkers me. Whatever it is I just dont 'get'them.
Takes deep breath......I don't like Neil Young much either!
Departs to buy a one way ticket to Coventry!!!
Out of interest
Who do you like?
DISCLOSURE OF CRIMINAL RECORD TASTES!!
Seeing as you ask....my enduring favourites would be ( in no particular order ) The Beatles, Stones ( up to a point! ), John Martyn, XTC, The Blue Nile, Motown, Fountains Of Wayne, Nick Drake, 60's Kinks and Who, Tom Waits,R.E.M, Gilian Welch, Kate Bush, Fleet wood Mac ( especially Peter Green line up ), Paul Simon, SRV, Dexy's, ....other fancies have come and gone but these guys have been my constant companions through lifes ups and downs.
Stands back and awaits ridicule!!
No ridicule from me
That's fine line up
Phew!
Breaths sigh of relief! It's a bit like getting your willy out in public when you admit to your musical tastes. You await scorn and ridicule and your peers telling you there's is much better than yours. Or is that just me? It's late. I've had a few!!!
Pas de tout
Pretty close correlation with my own actually. Except I like the Byrds. :-)
I admire your honesty.
I share your feelings concerning Pink Floyd.
Thank you for making this easier for me.
My name is David, i am forty in two weeks. I like neither The Beatles, Stones or Zeppelin.
I even tried to. But i can't.
I'd love to get my copy of History of The Byrds back!
A great double album of all their greatest stuff and came with Pete Frame's Byrds Family Tree, worth the price of the album by itself! Nicked about 25 years ago, deleted by CBS/Sony and never released on CD! Although I'd be happy with a Vinyl Reissue!
I could sell you my copy
... I never play it and without looking expect it is in near mint nick. PM me if interested.
Cheers for that
PM gone!
Just found my
copy. Don't have a disc player to check out how scratched it might be sadly, though I think it's in fair enough nick!
I'm keeping mine
Bought it when it came out and it was my teenage introduction to all things Byrds. Much loved and I have all the stuff on it in other formats but I still love that gatefold family tree and it sits nicely with all the other Byrds albums on vinyl.
My one regret is not having it with me when I met Roger McGuinn. This was a rather odd event at a gig in Glasgow. I had caught up with an old chum I hadn't seen for years and had definitely had a sufficiency of drink. While waiting for my pal to return from the Gents at the end of the gig, someone came up to me and asked if I was ready to meet Roger Mcguinn. Somewhat surprised I said yes and was taken off to meet the great man. I'm not sure what led to this but although somewhat bemused Roger was kind enough to be nice to his enthusiastic probably incomprehensible Scottish fan. He signed the only paper I had to hand, Bugs Bunny wrappping paper from the Warner Brothers store with a much treasured "This one's for you Ralph".
I got this album at the time
I wore it out. As to Crosby, I'll forgive Mind Gardens anytime as he wrote Everybody's Been Burnt in the same era.
Not to mention ...
Triad
Triad
I like the Airplane version but the Byrds version released on the Legacy version of Notorious Byrd Brothers shows that McGuinn was absolutely right in preferring to have Going Back on the album.
However, as in the debate elsewhere on this blog, I embrace the opportunity to hear it as a bonus track. Hell I even embrace the godawful Psychodrama City bonus track, just for the opportunity to listen to it once.
I was going to mention Triad
But, like you Carl, I only really like the Airplane version. Grace nicely subverts Crosby's Sid the Sexist sentiments and her vocal on it is just...scary. In a good way.
I really love The Byrds
Glad to see so many people hold The Byrds in such high regard, imagine my surprise when I discovered 3 boxes of vinyl in the attic I thought were long gone, including Original Singles Vol. 1 & 2 and several other vinyl albums of a Byrdsian nature!
Eight Miles High has to be one of the greatest tracks of...
I have that comp on vinyl
Reminds me of my sixth form college days (late '80s)... reading the NME/Melody Maker in the library and perusing the endless Ricks-for-sale guitar listings at the back, utterly Byrds-struck.
Have to agree with man.of.soup up there - they made some of the greatest music ever. This, for example:
Time Between - Byrds
Have an up from me
Probably my favourite Byrds tune at the moment. Just sublime.
Love the Byrds
I love the hit singles but the one I play most is Untitled, the live album with Clarence White. I got it in a 2 CD twofer with a CD of rarities which are also excellent including a version of Willin' which I didn't know they'd recorded.
You should also check out the
live at the Fillmore East set from the same era. Great album. Clarence White was a freak.
David Crosby
He almost cut his hair, you know.
It happened just the other day.
I had this on LP
mono iirc, possibly still do-have to check-senior moment. Also the excellent ... Play Dylan LP of about the same time.
Greatest music ever made --- might need to insert folk-rock in that sentence but would have no trouble with the word great ;-);-)
jingle jangle
the solo on Feel A Whole Lot Better is about as good as music gets, I reckon - uplifting, exciting, joyous, thrilling, and very, very jangly.
On the other hand, the solo on 8 Miles High is rubbish.
I agree, and feel the same about this
On a given day, this might be the greatest record ever made...
The Bells of Rhymney (truncated version from 'Shindig!' - off the 'coolness' scale)
not miming!
This is great, they're not playing to a backing track.
Crosby looks like he's tripping off his tits...his eyes are all dilated pupil.
'Sorry girls...
...he's on acid'
hilarious
I haven't stopped laughing about this line all day...I was brushing my teeth this morning and I had to stop; I was on the train and I burst out laughing; and I was eating my lunch and tears sprang to my eyes...thanks! Dead funny.