The Byrds

In early 1978, three of the founding members of the Byrds—Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman—were touring the West Coast with a show in which they each played short solo sets before concluding the show as a trio, performing a handful of Byrds classics. The shows were so well received that the trio would later land a record deal and record a pair of new albums, but on February 9, 1978, fans who came to see McGuinn, Clark & Hillman at the Boarding House in San Francisco got a special surpris…

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…

The Byrds - The Byrds Play Dylan (2002) {Columbia CK 85430 rec 1965-1970}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 393 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 145 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965-70, 2002 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | CK 85430
Rock / Folk Rock / Country Rock / Psychedelic Rock

I'm glad this CD shows the true vitality of rock's true legends. Bob Dylan wrote quite a few songs that gave The Byrds it's amazing grace, on top of McGuinn and Hillman's own songwriting The Byrds helped bring folk/rock and country/rock into the music world. ANY fan (and I mean) any fan of The Byrds MUST add this to their Byrds collection. Everytime I play "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" or "Bells of Rhymney" my fur just curls. Get it - don't waste any more time reading this, GET IT!!!…

Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, and Kevin Kelley all left the Byrds in wake of the release of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, leaving Roger McGuinn to assemble a new band from scratch. Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde…

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."

Mr. Tambourine Man is the greatest hits album by the American rock band The Byrds, originally released as The Byrds' Greatest Hits. It is the first greatest hits album by the Byrds and was released in August 1967 on Columbia Records. It is the top-selling album in the Byrds' catalogue and reached number 6 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, but failed to chart in the UK. The album provides a summary of the Byrds' history during Gene Clark and David Crosby's tenure with the band and also functions as a survey of the group's hit singles from 1965 to 1967, a period when the band had its greatest amount of success on the singles chart.

While the all-killer no-filler single-disc The Byrds' Greatest Hits remains the best distillation of their classic songs, The Essential Byrds is a smartly assembled double dose, including all 14 of the 1965-1967 tracks on Greatest Hits, but expanding its reach into their entire Columbia output, going as far as the early '70s. Inevitably, that means that disc two – which goes, roughly, from mid-1967 to 1971 – isn't as good as the first half, and that the last four tracks in particular are by far the least impressive, tagged on mostly so that the release spans the Byrds' entire Columbia catalog. That's a small reservation considering that the two-fer adds many first-rate songs not on Greatest Hits, from non-hit singles like "Lady Friend" and "Goin' Back" to standout album cuts like "Renaissance Fair," "Natural Harmony," "Jesus Is Just Alright," and "Chestnut Mare." There are no surprises here; even the songs that eluded inclusion on albums for many years, like the early B-side "She Don't Care About Time" and "Lady Friend," have been commonly available in the CD era. And it's true that this misses some other fine album tracks that could have stood with pride alongside those selected, like "I Knew I'd Want You," "John Riley," and "Dolphin's Smile." Within the confines of the two-CD format, though, it's a very well-chosen career overview.