Favorite albums by the Byrds

[TimmyB]

A guy on another board asked me what were my favorite Byrds albums so I started writing and a couple of hours later I had my list in order and why I thought the albums should be where they are. I decided to make this a new thread so others can make their own list and we can compare. I almost want to make a poll out of it, I guess we'll see what kind of interest it has.

I love the Byrds so much. This is partly because it wasn't ever just one or two people in the Byrds that made them great, it was the whole band. This to me continued with all the line up changes that occured throughout reign of the Byrds.

I would have to say that the debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965) was their most important record. Though it doesn't necessarily make it my favorite (actually it does today). It was America's answer to the Beatles whether David Crosby would like to admit it or not. And it helped to convince the greatest songwriter of all time, Bob Dylan go electric. Also it was the original Byrds which was the quintessential group even if they didn't last long.

Gene Clark was to the Byrds as Brian Jones was to the Rolling Stones. Clark pushed the band hardest at the beginning just like Jones did. Though the difference is that Clark quite on his own accord, which allowed for the others in the Byrds to blossom, specifically Roger McGuinn. While Jones was pushed out by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

That being said Roger McGuinn is my favorite Byrd. As Crosby said "McGuinn is the Byrds."

Another thing about the Byrds is how their albums progressed. From folk rock, to psychedelic rock, to country rock, back to all three combined. In all there styles it was always the Byrds. And in many ways the Byrds helped to create these genres within the realm of popular music.

Here's a list of my favorite Byrds albums in order of my personal favorites (not including compilations or live albums), though the order could change on any given day.

1. Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) (If you don't believe me it made rollingstone [RS] The 500 Greatest Albums off All Time list at #232. Also charted in the US #6 UK #7) The album that started it all off with the original line up. It was America's answer to the British invasion, more specifically the Beatles. Much like the albums the Beatles were releasing (actually every Beatles album released) there was little or no filler. The Dylan tracks, including the title track (RS The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #79, US #1 UK #1), "Spanish Harlem Incident," "All I Really Want to Do" (US #40 UK #4) and "Chimes of Freedom" are all great. The Clark original "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" (RS 500 Songs #234) was a great break up song. And in the soon to be tradition of interesting closers for the Byrds picked the Ross Parker/Hugh Charles song "We'll Meet Again."

2. Younger Than Yesterday (1967) (RS 500 Albums #124, US #24 UK #37) As they were moving from folk to psychedelic rock, which started with "Fifth Dimension" they perfected the flaws that were on 5D on "Younger Than Yesterday." The McGuinn/Chris Hillman song written in response to the Monkees "So You Want to be a Rock 'N' Roll Star"(US #29) was a classic opener and should have been a bigger hit. As the Song notes on the album written by Johnny Rogan states "Chris Hillman's emergance as a singer/songwriter was one of the surprise highlights on this album." Seen on tracks like "Have You Seen Her Face" (US #74, Crosby's had a good B side on this song with "Lady Friend" US #82) and "Time Between." One of my favorite songs by David Crosby is found on this record as well "Everybody's Been Burned." The Byrds version of "My Back Pages" (US #30) is brilliant as well.

3. Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) (RS 500 Albums #117 US #77) It must not be forgotten that if it weren't for Chris Hillman's influence as an original member of the Byrds and Roger McGuinn's lack of ego, Gram Parsons would have never had the opportunity to make this country rock masterpiece with the Byrds. Hillman (as well as Gene Clark's post Byrds material) does not get enough credit for helping to create country rock. Hillman on "Turn!Turn!Turn!" chose the Port Wagoner country hit "Satisfied Mind" in 1965, way before Gram Parsons started his thing with the International Submarine Band with Lee Hazelwood in 1967. I'm not trying to diminish Parsons contributions to the genre of country rock, I just want to lift Hillman's (and Clark's) contributions to where they should be. That being said it doesn't get much better than Parson's "Hickory Wind." Other highlights are the Dylan opener "You Ain't Going Nowhere" (US #74 UK #45) and closer "Nothing Was Delivered." As well as "You Don't Miss the Water," the Byrds first cover of Woody Guthrie with "Pretty Boy Floyd" and Parsons "One Hundred Years From Now."

4. The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968) (RS 500 Albums #171 US #47 UK #12) Way into psychedelic rock now and it was the last record with Crosby as the Byrds had already fired him before the albums release. It is also the second Byrds record in five to not have a Bob Dylan cover on it. Instead they use two Goffin/King songs to great effect "Goin' Back" (US #89 UK #12) and the anthem like "Wasn't Born to Follow." The writing of McGuinn, Hillman, Crosby and Clarke really blossom on this album with songs like "Artifical Energy," "Natural Harmony," "Draft Morning," "Old John Robertson," "Tribal Gathering" and "Dolphin's Smile."

5. Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965) (US #17 UK #11) This album I would like to put higher, but since it doesn't cover any new ground that isn't already captured on "Mr. Tambourine Man" it is a bit further back. That being said I love this album as it is the last one with the great Gene Clark. The title track with the words from the Book of Ecclesiastes adapted by Pete Seeger is their second chart topper (US #1 UK #24). Clark again dominates this album with songs like "Set You Free This Time" (US #79), "The World Turns All Around Her" and "If You're Gone." McGuinn is no slouch either with his own "It Won't Be Wrong" (US #63), his lead vocals on one of my favorite Byrds Dylan song "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" his adaption of "He Was A Friend of Mine" with additional lyrics about the assasination of John F Kennedy and the first Byrds cowritten song with Crosby "Wait and See". Also it has Hillman's verison of one of my all time favorite songs the country classic "Satisfied Mind" which seems to have been covered by everybody. And the closer the traditional "Oh! Susannah" makes me smile everytime I hear it.

6. (Untitled)/(Unissued) (1970) (US #40 UK #11) The classic double live/studio album. This is definitely the best of the Roger McGuinn as the only original member of the Byrds albums. The McGuinn/Jacques Levy song "Chestnut Mare" (UK #19 fails in US) is one of his best songs, also other McGuinn/Levy songs like "All the Things" and especially "Just a Season" are great as well. Also on the studio side I love the prophetic take that Clarence White does with the Lowell George song "Truck Stop Girl" (as White would die in a car related accident years later). On the live side I love the sixteen minute take on "Eight Miles High" as well as the Gene Parsons/Clarence White instrumental "Nashville West" named after their previous band and not found on any other Byrd release.

7. Fifth Dimension (1966) (US #24 UK #27) This is their first venture into psychedelic rock. It does have their greatest psychedelic song, if not the greatest psychedelic song of all time in the McGuinn/Crosby/Clark song about flying, that was mistaken as a song about drugs, the great "Eight Miles High" (RS 500 Songs #150 US #14 UK #24 It's amazing it charted this high as it was banned on many radio stations through out the US). It also has McGuinn's first venture into country rock in "Mr Spaceman" (US #36). the title track "5D (Fifth Dimension)" also written by McGuinn charted (US #44). This album might be the beginning of their commercial decline only a little more then a year in, but they were definitely going to release better albums.

8. Ballad of Easy Rider (1969) (US #36 UK #41) McGuinn with the new Byrds has the original producer Terry Melcher return for this effort, which was a smart move. Also having the title track on the antiestablishment hit cult fim "Easy Rider" doesn't hurt either. The title track charts (US #65) as does "Jesus is Just Alright" (US #97). Highlights for me are John York's "Fido" the Clarence White/Gene Parsons "Oil In My Lamp," the superior version of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (which the Byrds recorded with the originial line up, but this one captures the essence of the song better), Parsons "Gunga Din" and the version of Guthrie's "Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)." Also the return of Melcher had the return of funny closing tracks this time the spacey "Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins" (Which continured the theme of space songs of the past such as "Mr. Spaceman," "CTA -102" and "Space Odyssey.").

9. Dr. Byrd & Mr. Hyde (1969) (US #153 UK #15) The first full album with Clarence White the greatest country rock guitarist of all time should be higher on the list but the Byrds had a lot of great albums. I love the Byrds takes on Dylan's "The Wheels On Fire" and "Lay Lady Lay" here. Also "Old Blue" is a great track as well. The highlight is the McGuinn/ Gram Parsons (not Gene) song "Drug Store Truck Driving Man" which was a B-side to "Bad Night At the Whiskey" which failed to hit the top 100. "Drug Store Truck Driving Man" surely would have cracked it.

10. Byrdmaniax (1971) (US #46 fails in UK) The beginning of the end, the Byrds couldn't sustain the momentum they regained with "The Ballad of Easy Rider" and "(Untitled)." But it's definitely better than their last effort with this line up ("Farther Along"). I feel this album has one of the best songs that McGuinn ever wrote found in the song "I Trust" (released as a single but failed to chart) brings me to tears with the use of the gospel choir. The gospel inspired "Glory, Glory" is a great opener. Also the McGuinn/Parsons "Pale Blue" is a good track as are the McGunn/Levy songs "I Want To Grow Up To Be A Politician" and "Kathleen's Song." The rest of the album falls a bit short.

11. The Byrds (1973) (US #20 UK #31) This should have been better than what it was. I don't want to pick on David Crosby but this album should have had someone other than him producing it. If it was the original band they should have brough back Terry Melcher the original producer. The second problem which also occured often with people that worked with Crosby was that original line up here didn't bring their best material forward (Crosby and Nash used to complain about Neil Young not bringing his best stuff to the table in the seventies). Everybody either had a solo or another group album they had just recently released or were about to when this came out. Also songs on here had been released before on other albums like McGuinn's "Born To Rock 'N' Roll" and Crosby's "Laughing." And these versions fell short of their originial counterparts. That being said it's still the Byrds and no matter what they sing they sound like angels. The Gene Clark classic "Full Circle" opens the album and the first time you hear it you think it's going to be the best Byrds album ever. Also I'm not going to complain with original Byrds replacing Bob Dylan as their main songwriter with my other favorite songwriter, Neil Young. They perform both Young's "Cowgirl In the Sand" and "(See the Sky) About to Rain." Also using a track by Crosby favorite and mine Joni Mitchel's "For Free" was a good idea as well. Also the single the Chris Hillman/Dallas Taylor (drummer for CSNY) "Things Will Be Better" (fails to chart) is good. The album just could have been so much better but wasn't.

12. Farther Along (1971) (US #152) The Byrds last album on Columbia though maybe an album or two before should have been the last. It still has some moments the McGuinn opener "Tiffany Queen" is quite the good rocker. The next track by Gene Parsons "Get Down the Line" has some great string bending by Clarence White. The title track (also recorded by another band Flying Burrito Brothers which was full of former Byrds, Chris Hillman, Gene Clarke and Gram Parsons) was arranged nicely by White. Plus the single "America's Great National Pastime" by Skip Battin/Kim Fowley was funny. I love the harmony vocals on the Bob Rafkin song "Lazy Waters" which has a nice feel to it. Essentially this album has the feel of McGuinn fulfilling his obligations to Columbia for the Byrds before venturing out on his own a solo artist.

What are your favorite Byrds albums? Give me your list and let us compare. I'd like to make this a poll. You obviously don't have to go into this kind of detail, the album titles and order will do.

[Rob Not Bob]

Notorious Byrd Brothers gets the most play around here. I am a big Clarence White fan, so naturally I love Untitled. Younger Than Yesterday has a lot of wonderful songs on it. I worship Gene Clark, so Mr. Tambourine Man gives me my best fix for the Byrds and there are some itches that only Sweetheart Of The Rodeo will scratch.

RnB

[hamilton]

Sweetheart of the Rodeo

[StoneMtn]

I think the only one I have is Younger Than Yesterday, and I really like it. When I was in school I always listened to it when I was doing some serious studying.

Otherwise, I really just know random songs by the Byrds. I'm not so familiar with all their albums.

[Palms]

Notorious Byrd Brothers is my #1, then in order of preference:

Younger Than Yesterday

Sweethearts Of the Rodeo - would be higher if all of Gram Parsons vocals weren't wiped

5th Dimension

Untitled

Dr. Byrd & Mr Hyde

Mr. Tambourine Man

Byrdmaniax

Turn Turn Turn

Ballad of Easy Rider

Live at the Fillmore 1968

Farther Along

The Byrds (1973) - this one stinks

Best solo album by Byrds Members:

Gene Clark - No Other (just listened to it today while driving the tyke to daycare. A fu©king classic that doesn't get enough props)

David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (just as great as No Other)

Gene Clark - White Light (great bonus tracks on the Universal 2002 remaster, what a shame that he was never got his just dues as a solo performer)

[dave-O]

I know we're just arguing favourites here, but I don't see how anything can touch Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

[TimmyB]

Best solo album by Byrds Members:

Gene Clark - No Other (just listened to it today while driving the tyke to daycare. A fu©king classic that doesn't get enough props)

David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (just as great as No Other)

Gene Clark - White Light (great bonus tracks on the Universal 2002 remaster, what a shame that he was never got his just dues as a solo performer)

I completely agree Gene Clark has really not gotten his due as a solo performer, in Dillard & Clark or in McGuinn, Clark & Hillman.

I also feel that Chris Hillman has not gotten his due either as a performer with Gram Parsons in the Byrds (It was Hillman that convinced McGuinn to do "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"), in the Flying Burrito Brothers (Hillman cowrote nearly ever song with Parsons on their debut "Guilded Palace of Sin" and continued the group after Parsons quit), Manassas (with Stephen Stills), solo, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman the Desert Rose Band or with Herb Pedersen.

Both Gene Clark and Chris Hillman are as important to the development of country rock as Gram Parsons. They actually preceeded Parsons in the origins of the genre Parsons called "Cosmic American Music."

[CyberHippie]

I've never heard any Byrds albums. Thanks for your list Tim, I'll have to check some of them out.

[AdamH]

Same here. I really am not that familiar with them but will keep my eye out.

[MarcO]

Well, I only own one Byrds CD - "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" - and I concur that is indeed most excellent!

[TimmyB]

I forgot about,

Pre Flyte (1969) (US #84) Which really shouldn't be regarded as a compilation as there are songs on the album that don't appear on any other Byrds album, also the versions of songs that do appear on their Columbia debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965) are different here.

Also I should count their live album,

Live at the Filmore- February 1969 (2000) As their this material is all previously unreleased also songs appear on this album that don't appear on any other Byrd album, like Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home."

Here's my revised list:

1. Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)

2. Younger Than Yesterday (1967)

3. Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)

4. The Notorius Byrd Brothers (1968)

5. Turn!Turn!Turn! (1965)

6. (Untitled)/(Unissued) (1970)

7. Fifth Dimension (1966)

8. Ballad of Easy Rider (1969)

9. Dr. Byrd & Mr. Hyde (1969)

10. Byrdmaniax (1971)

11. The Byrds (1973)

12. Live at the Fillmore- February 1969 (2000)

13. Pre Flyte (1969)

14. Farther Along (1971)

Please write down the order you feel these albums should go in (try and write them all down in order of favorite to least), I've got this going on a few sites and I want to compile a poll to see what everybody thinks.

[hamilton]

Sweethearts Of the Rodeo - would be higher if all of Gram Parsons vocals weren't wiped

If you buy the Legacy reissue, it has all of the Gram Parsons tracks as bonuses, so you can re-program the disc and listen to it the way that it would have come out... or you can play it as is, and listen to it the way it did come out.

[CatPhish]

Sweethearts Of the Rodeo for sure ::

[Palms]

I'm not talking about Legacy versions or reissues, I am talking about the original albums.

Sweethears has now been released three times on disc. The original 80s issue, the Columbia legacy version of the late 90s and the double disc reissue from last year.

To rate the album higher because of the bonus material would be like saying that Shakedown Street by the Dead, which would undoubtedly be my least favourite Dead album, is no longer my least fave because the bonus take of Good Lovin' with Lowell George singing is so amazing that suddenly that record is now better than Go To Heaven and Built To Last (the other Dead albums at the bottom of the barrel). See what I mean?

If we're including the Preflyte album, make it my 2nd least favourite Byrds album.

[hamilton]

I wasn't trying to get you to change your ranking, nor was I attempting to make a comparison between the original and the re-release - just pointing out that the album can be listened to in exactly the way that you previously said that you would have preferred it to have been released, if you so desire.