Post-Sweetheart Era Byrds: S/D

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The records we're talking about:

Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde
Ballad of Easy Rider
Untitled
Byrdmaniax
Farther Along

Of those records, I mostly know what's on the third and fourth discs of the box and not the albums per se. Most of these records were produced by Terry Melcher, who helmed their first two releases and was booted after Byrdmaniax, on which he supposedly overdubbed a bunch of strings and shouty choruses to the music's detriment.

But of the songs I know, there are some definite, er, chestnuts. "Just A Season" and "Kathleen's Song" (both by McGuinn w/ Levy) is gorgeous, "This Wheel's On Fire" is fuzzy and strange. "Ballad of Easy Rider" (with the Dylan cocktail napkin lyric) is fantastic. "Chestnut Mare" has a great chorus and bridge, but I've always been put off by the spoken verses. I recall the "Jesus Is Just Alright" as being really out there.

What am I missing?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 18:56 (7 years ago) Permalink

I'm in the same boat- I've got that time period covered with Greatest Hits: Vol. 2 or whatever it's called.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde--Uneven, but Good
Ballad of Easy Rider--Pretty Good
Untitled--Great
Byrdmaniax--Decent, but the production is too glossy. Probably worst Byrds LP to that point

Haven't heard Farther Along

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:07 (7 years ago) Permalink

Part of me actually wants to hear that glossy Melcher production — if just to hear them overproduced.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

The live half of Untitled is terrific, from what I remember, but I haven't listened to it in awhile.

"Drug Store, Truck Driving Man" is rather meanspirited, but funny, and worth a listen. Legend has it that McGuinn and Parsons wrote it after the Byrds' disasterous gig at the Grand Ol' Opry.

― James, Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

Yeah I like that one. Also, "I Wanna Grow Up To Be A Politician," although not as much as Cream's "Politician."

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:27 (7 years ago) Permalink

Back cover of Dr Byrds Mr Hyde is v classic!

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:35 (7 years ago) Permalink

And I like the record alright, too, I guess.

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 19:35 (7 years ago) Permalink

Dr Byrds is v. underrated, not great compared to what came before, but better than most of what came after. John York sang nice harmonies with McGuinn. Remastering cleaned up some of the murk of Johnston's production.

― anna graham, Wednesday, 1 February 2006 21:01 (7 years ago) Permalink

I think edd s hurt was recently seen running down Bob Johnston on a Bob Dylan thread, as not being the best the South had to offer, production-wise, or something like that.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 21:05 (7 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

I just pulled down Byrdmaniax — there's def. a bunch of really good stuff on there, as I'd hoped, most of it's McGuinn, and it's in no way as badly produced as is written. "I Trust" has terrific tension, with the gospel chorus really shouty and loud. "Pale Blue" is really purty, with a much more tasteful orchestral arrangement than I'd expected. I've always liked "Kathleen's Song", which also sounds nice orchestrated, and "I Wanna Grow Up To Be A Politician"'s been stuck in my head all day. By no means "Melcher's Folly".

Other assorted thoughts: "Bad Night at the Whiskey" off Dr. Byrds... is an outstandingly creepy fuzz tone drone. And who sings Farther Along's "Bugler"?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 16 March 2006 23:13 (7 years ago) Permalink

Bad Night rules! Byrds do acid funk rock, or something.....
McGuinn singing "bringing my soul brothers down" LOL!

Clarence White sings Bugler

― timmy tannin (pompous), Friday, 17 March 2006 03:28 (7 years ago) Permalink

It should also be reiterated that "Jesus Is Just Alright" is a gospel, fuzztoned mess -- and pretty awesome. I'm beginning to believe that with Terry Melcher at the helm, this is a profoundly underrated era for them.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 17 March 2006 22:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

"Pale Blue" = gorgeous. Also dig "Kathleen's Song" and their version of "Glory Glory" on that album.

― Joe (Joe), Saturday, 18 March 2006 17:57 (7 years ago) Permalink

Clarence White's guitar work on "Untitled" is pretty great.

― Keith C (lync0), Saturday, 18 March 2006 19:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

Also, his solo on "Ballad of Easy Rider" (I think it's the alternate version of the song) is excellent. I saw a Martin -Clarence White commemorative edition acoustic guitar in a music store the other day (only like 195 of 'em). Wish I could get it, if I only had some $2500 to spare...

― Joe (Joe), Saturday, 18 March 2006 20:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

Bought Ballad of Easy Rider a couple days ago and am pleasantly surprised at how much I want to keep putting it on. It's terrific.

― scott pgwp (pgwp), Tuesday, 7 July 2009 00:10 (3 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

― Professor Giff (NickB), Saturday, 13 October 2012 22:45 (8 months ago) Permalink

I last posted here in 2009 about just purchasing Ballad of Easy Rider. It has since become my most-listened-to Byrds album. There are a lot of classic songs on other Byrds albums but for some reason I find this record to be the most pleasurable listening experience from beginning to end. That is, after I tweaked the track listing a little. The overall order of songs is generally in tact but I've subbed in some alternate takes that I think are superior, and added two outtakes while deleting two album cuts. All of these songs were on the expanded edition I bought in 09, so it was just a little re-tagging in iTunes to make this work. I find this version vastly superior so thought I'd share:

Ballad of Easy Rider
Fido
Oil in My Lamp [alternate take]
Tulsa County [alternate take]
Mae Jean Goes to Hollywood [bonus track]
~~Jack Tarr the Sailor~~
Jesus is Just Alright
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
There Must Be Someone I Can Turn To
Gunga Din
Way Behind the Sun [bonus track]
Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)
~~Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins~~

― scott pgwp (pgwp), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 20:52 (8 months ago) Permalink

no jack tarr, no credibility.
[jk that song is pretty bad, you're right]

― tylerw, Wednesday, 17 October 2012 20:54 (8 months ago) Permalink

I actually have probably not even heard it since 09. It's de-selected in my iTunes so it never comes on. I can't even remember what it sounds like. At any rate it's usually safe to say there is at least one truly awful song on every Byrds album.

― scott pgwp (pgwp), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 20:57 (8 months ago) Permalink

your version is well chosen although I prefer mcguinn's vocal on Tulsa county

― buzza, Thursday, 18 October 2012 00:45 (8 months ago) Permalink

For some reason, Ballad of Easy Rider seems like the only Byrds record not on Spotify.

― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 18 October 2012 15:05 (8 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Has anyone ever heard any of the later collaborations the original members did, though not under the Byrds name? Two albums by McGuinn, Hillman & Clark in 1979-80, then McGuinn/Hillman in 1981. Then McGuinn, Clark, & Hillman returned again in the 90s. I've never heard any mention of these albums, good or bad. Wikipedia used the word "disco" at one point.

― scott pgwp (pgwp), Sunday, 9 December 2012 05:46 (6 months ago) Permalink

Also six new recordings on the 1990 box set by McGuinn/Crosby/Hillman, four studio recordings and two live. McGuinn's "Love That Never Dies" is decent, as is their take on Julie Gold's "From a Distance". I haven't heard the '79-'81 albums.

― Lee626, Sunday, 9 December 2012 10:12 (6 months ago) Permalink

What I've heard of those MC&H records is putrid. A bootleg I have of Clark and McGuinn doing "Release Me, Girl" is unbelievably beautiful, but the production on that first album is virtually unrecognizable.

― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 9 December 2012 13:03 (6 months ago) Permalink

yes, seek out the mcguinn/clark duo boots, really beautiful stuff

― buzza, Sunday, 9 December 2012 18:45 (6 months ago) Permalink

Good to see these threads pop up again. . .

I thought 'Don't Write Her Off' (off the first MCH album) was a great single, but there wasn't anything particularly 'Byrds-y' about it; could have been made by any number of late '70s West Coast CHR bands. There was a live CD of a MCH gig called _3 Byrds Land in London_ which came out a few years ago, but I never heard it.

Best review of _McGuinn/Hillman_ ('81): 'The producer tried to make it sound funky. . .if you look in the dictionary under 'suburban white guys', there's a picture of me and McGuinn.' - CH

― Jeff Wright, Monday, 10 December 2012 03:09 (6 months ago) Permalink

I don't think I can state enough how un-Clark-ish "Release Me Girl" sounds on that first album. It's an absolutely stunning song on that MC bootleg at the Bottom Line --
I was dying to find out if he ever recorded it. Unfortunately, it was this treacly, "funky" nightmare on the album.

Just discovered this pretty good studio version on YouTube however:

― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 10 December 2012 03:54 (6 months ago) Permalink

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