a Byrds Copanion

July's COVERMOUNT CD is Jingle Jangle Mornings: A Byrds Companion. Folk, rock, country, psych (and raga!) from Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Clarence White, The Louvin Brothers, Pete Seeger, International Submarine Band, Ravi Shankar and more!

July's COVERMOUNT CD is Jingle Jangle Mornings: A Byrds Companion. Folk, rock, country, psych (and raga!) from Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Clarence White, The Louvin Brothers, Pete Seeger, International Submarine Band, Ravi Shankar and more!

Although they only attained the huge success of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys for a short time in the mid-'60s, time has judged the Byrds to be nearly as influential as those groups in the long run. They were not solely responsible for devising folk-rock, but they were certainly more responsible than any other single act (Dylan included) for melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music. The jangling, 12-string guitar sound of leader Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker was permanently absorbed into the vocabulary of rock. They also played a vital role in pioneering psychedelic rock and country-rock, the unifying element being their angelic harmonies and restless eclecticism…

Before turning rock ‘n’ roll on its ear in the spring of ‘65, the Byrds spent countless hours creating and refining their unique sound at LA’s World Pacific Studios. Hear history literally in the making as McGuinn, Crosby, Clark, Hillman and Clarke record newborn, spine-tingling versions of classics-to-be like “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “You Won’t Have To Cry,” “I Knew I'd Want You” and “Here Without You” as well as lost gems such as “The Reason Why,” “Tomorrow Is A Long Ways Away” and “You Showed Me” (later a smash for the Turtles). This is the most comprehensive collection of the Byrds' pre-Columbia recordings ever assembled. The 2-CD (and double High-Definition Vinyl gatefold LP set) Preflyte Sessions set is filled with 40 World Pacific Studio recordings circa 1964 and '65; tracks include all cuts found on the original Together-label Preflyte album, plus unissued and alternate versions from both the acoustic and electric Byrds' sessions, early David Crosby demo recordings, and the rare pre-Byrds Jet Set recording of "The Only Girl I Adore."