12. Farther Along ★★ The sounds of a band giving up. 11. Ballad of Easy Rider ★★ ½ It’s sad this record charted as well as it did as it gave them the idea they were on to something here. They weren’t. It’s All Over Now Baby Blue it’s one of the greatest songs of the 60’s but you wouldn’t know it from this version. 10. Byrdmaniax ★★ ½ The album so bad they apparently felt the need to rush out another record to apologize. And while this record is a bit of a mess, it’s also the bands last attempt at expanding their sound and taking risks. Like everything else on this album the gospely, Stonesy influence is hit or miss, but some of it works and could have been expanded upon. My biggest gripe with the concept of the ‘apology record’ is they didn’t try to go back to some jangly, dreamy folk pop nor take another dip into the psychedelic waters. Instead they turned back to churning out more snooze fest country tunes. 9. Sweetheart of the Rodeo ★★★ For my personal taste and what I’m looking for in The Byrds, this is a massive step down from the previous couple records. The album is bookended by it’s best two songs, which helps it out quite a bit. But the rest of the album doesn’t do much for me and feels longer than it’s runtime of 32 minutes. The Christian Life I find particularly grating. One of the worst songs in their catalogue. 8. Byrds ★★★ Better than it’s reputation. A pleasant, if unremarkable listen. Sadly this version of Laughing is not very good at all. You’ll want to check out If I Could Only Remember My Name instead. 7. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde ★★★ 6. (Untitled) ★★★ ½ A false dawn in their discography, this is a good record that with better songwriting could have been killer. I really dig the mood they are going for. 5. The Fifth Dimension ★★★ ½ Of their five first (and best) records, this is the one I can’t really get a grasp on. I like it but it serves more as a transitional record than a great listen. 4. Mr. Tambourine Man ★★★★ A very good record, you could argue Dylan is more important to the success of the album than the Byrds themselves which might put some people off. For me I can never get enough Dylan in my life so I don’t mind. 3. Turn! Turn! Turn! ★★★★ Some real highlights on this, the title track is a classic and Lay Down Your Weary Tune would get my vote for their best Dylan cover. 2. The Notorious Byrd Brothers ★★★★ ½ Even though a couple things are still in flux with my feelings on the Byrds, it seems clear to me the period after working out some kinks with the psychedelic sounds on The Fifth Dimension, and before taking a hard turn into country on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, is the Byrds at their peak. And while it was brief, they managed to put out two great albums in that timespan. Roger McGuinn really comes into his own as a songwriter here and there’s not a weak song to be found. 1. Younger Than Yesterday ★★★★ ½ While The Notorious Byrd Brothers was immediate, this didn’t do much for me on first listen. Second time around it revealed itself to be the most ambitious and most complete work they put to tape. Unlike some of their earlier works this is definitely an album, not a collection of songs. The balance between the poppy melodies and the psychedelia is struck beautifully. This one has a chance to be a five star album with more listens. Apart from their biggest hits and most of the Dylan covers I knew very little of The Byrds. This is all done in a week so some star ratings and placements are subject to change, but this will give you an idea how I feel about them.
Nice material from the Moodies. But after "The Days of Future Passed" there are about 6 albums that contain tracks that are virtually interchangeable amongst those albums.
Sweetheart of the Rodeo is what turned me on to a genre that I didn't like in my teens and twenties so it is my favorite Byrds record. I've dug Untitled and 5D for some time. I need to give Notorious and Younger... more spins. Great show guys. Jason's aversion to Eight Miles High and I See You is baffling. It was funny watching Kram and Joe's reaction as the air got sucked out of the room for a moment
I don’t dislike all psychedelic rock. The Beatles are my favorite band of all time. I also don’t dislike all blues or like all country. Too many, oversimplified generalizations about my taste by the other 2 in this video. -Jason
The Byrds are my Beatles. You guys pretty much nailed it. Younger Than Yesterday, Sweetheart, and Notorious are my top 3. Constantly changing. Another great show guys!
i've been waiting for this one a long time lol The Byrds are my favorite American band from the 60s hands down, The Beatles have a stronger catalogue but as an American who lives on the West Coast there's something about the Byrds that's easier for me to relate to at times. Clarence White absolutely shreds but I've never really enjoyed the second part of their discography. The performances (apart from White) are often really sloppy, the songs are usually mid-tier at best, and as much as I love McGuinn, he really works at his best when he's surrounded by other people who can match his creativity. Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, and Sweetheart of the Rodeo are 5 star records for me and are the only 3 albums of theirs where the song sequence works perfectly. The Byrds are one of the first bands that got me into music, I loved the Beatles and Bob Dylan and discovering the Byrds was like finding the missing link between them. Anyways, loved the video, very thoughtful analysis of a wonderfully creative band
As I was already 16 when Mr. Tambourine Man came out, its impact was seismic. Everybody was talking about that song and the debut album. That sound. Those harmonies. Their look. Those capes! I am not surprised that these three young guys didn’t rate it higher, but it was a beautiful unicorn in its day, the unforgettable debut of a visionary band.
Yeah there has to be a few songs on one of the Psychedelic Nuggets that Jason could like too. Could he like a song from Love's Forever Changes? Quicksilver Happy Trails? The Who Sell Out? Do you have a favorite drop acid album? I only did acid once and sort of have this conservative streak in me so I did half a tab and 4 hours later did the other half; cause I was cautious and scared.
I really enjoyed this video. It was interesting to see your order. My order is quite a bit different but it is all a matter of taste. The Byrds are in my top 5 bands of the 60's. I will do a Byrds ranking video one of these days. I don't have Younger Than Yesterday on vinyl. When I get it I will do a ranking. The Byrds almost always do Dylan songs better than Dylan.
@@vinylrichie007 not sure the gram parsons hate. I believe he is the best talent ever in the byrds. and what amazing music parsons went on to do is simply amazing Cheers
@@bengalgangster I don’t hate Gram Parsons but I don’t think he is the most talented to come out of the Byrds. The Byrds were my second favorite band when Sweetheart came out. I bought Notorious Byrd Brothers when it came out and loved it. Sweetheart not so much. The album was a bomb and the Byrds never recovered. So am I a fan of Gram Parsons? No. Do I dislike the album now as much as I did then? No. People call it Country Rock but it is a Country record. And kind of a generic one. I’m a Rock person but I don’t hate Country. In my Ten Best Albums 1965 a Country album makes the list.
Thanks for this discussion. I was hooked from Mr Tambourine Man and bought all the albums over the years. YTY showed they were moving from Dylan songs and Hillman was emerging as a songwriter. The first chords of Artificial Energy introduced me to amazing production and songwriting, and Notorious remains the best album I have ever heard. Nothing comes close. I was disappointed when Sweetheart was released, now I can see where they were going at the time. Amazing that the first 5 albums were released in such quick time with such strong songs and changes of style. The biggest disappointment was Byrds. Mostly covers and they sound as if they are just going through the motions. A group that were a huge part of my early life and continue to be my alltime favourite band.
Joe is right, the Byrds are overlooked. Other than the three massive hits, I knew next to nada about the Byrds, so I learned a lot. Enjoyed hearing your comments very much. The interplay between you three is one of the best parts of the channel.
Well done you guys-- fascinating take. I heard a lot of The Byrds when I was growing up in the 1970s. I was too young to take much of it in, so I find it interesting to reconsider them from this new perspective (i.e. yours). Best channel on the internet for popular music!!!
Damn Joe, the love for Sweetheart at the end there was heart-warming. I've got to mention Gary Usher, who produced those great albums, Notorious, Younger Than Yesterday and Sweetheart. The Byrds gave birth to so much cool music, and other great bands, what a legacy to have.
Have listen to The Byrds nearly my whole life. Today I think that Notorious Byrd Brothers are by far their best album, agree with every word Kramzer said about it. Timeless album. Some of their albums not so good but I like Younger than yesterday and Untitled a lot and Clarence White is one of the best guitarplayers ever. Lover of the bayou in a studio version can be heard on Untitled CD as a bonustrack. Some of my favouritetracks with the Byrds are My Back Pages, Chestnut Mare, Time of a season, Going back and I´ll feel a lot better and Ballad of easy rider.
This really was a great show. What a fascinating band! Some of their contemporaries may have been more talented, but few were more interesting. I appreciated all of the insights; they provoke thought and add more enjoyment to the music going forward. All of the closing comments were especially good. I really liked Joe's anecdote about True Detective; that is very relatable as a music geek.
Loved The Byrds, at 72, I got into them at first hearing in real time when I was 14. One of my very favorite top of the line bands through the first few albums, but after Sweetheart Of The Rodeo days, they fell off their cliff and in addition had lost so many members that it wasn’t The Byrds anymore anyway. The only outstanding highlight of the later Byrds was the outstanding Clarence White.
Thanks guys. Nice show, very interesting and educational. The Byrds, great cover band, particularly with Dylan songs (my going in naive view), now I know better. Cheers guys 😊
My Top Five: 1. Younger Than Yesterday 2. Notorious Byrd Brothers (very close second) 3. Mr. Tambourine Man 4. Fifth Dimension 5. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Glad you guys did this one finally. Been waiting for it. I love the Byrds. You guys hit on it several times, but they had such uniquely talented people come and go through their ranks and what is cool is that their music allows those personalities to shine through. Gene Clark...so great. I suggest everyone go explore his solo work (like Joe has). You talked about Clark's songwriting, but that voice! There is something so melancholy and beautiful about his voice. And good to see the Clarence White love. Sadly, Clarence was killed by a drunk driver way too early in his career. Imagine more decades of Clarence. I have never gotten onboard with the Gram Parsons worship, though. The first Burritos album is brilliant, no question, though. I go... 12. Farther Along: 2 stars (agree, it sounds tired. But "Bugler" is gorgeous) 11. Byrdmaniax: 2 stars (totally agree on your takes, the production they hated is actually interesting) 10. Byrds: 3 stars (not as bad as its reputation. Gene Clark brings the best stuff) 9. Untitled: 3 stars ("Chestnut Mare" is gorgeous) 8. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde: 3 and a half stars (agree, this one has a cool, creepy vibe. and Clarence White) 7. Sweetheart of the Rodeo: 4 stars (I do not see how this is an innovation in country/rock. It sounds straight country) 6. Ballad of Easy Rider: 4 stars (I think you guys underestimate this one) 5. Turn! Turn! Turn!: 4 stars (Great, but kind of a retread of the debut) 4. Younger Than Yesterday: 4 stars (if not for "Mind Gardens," this could have been a *****) 3. Mr. Tambourine Man: 5 stars (one of the great debuts of all time. One of the few records that changed music) 2. Fifth Dimension: 5 stars (There are some missteps, but the great outweighs them. I think "Eight Miles High" is the greatest single of the 60's. Sorry Jason.) 1. The Notorious Byrd Brothers: 5 stars (There is no record that sounds like this record. It is brilliant. Would have been even better if they had let Crosby's "Triad" on)
Your argument for the Mr. Tambourine Man album is spot on. There aren't too many records you can point to that are true game changers, sonically... but the Byrds' debut album is one of them.
Love the Byrds. Clarence was such a great player. I loved his contribution on the albums after Crosby left.The ultimate hippie band in my opinion. Great episode guys. ✌️🇨🇦❤️ Ps Can you do Little Feat? Great band.
12 Byrdmaniax 11 Byrds 10 Father Along 9 Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde 8 Ballad of Easy Rider 7 Fifth Dimension 6 Sweetheart of the Rodeo 5 Turn Turn Turn 4 Untitled (1970) 3 Younger Than Yesterday 2 Mr Tambourine Man NUMBER ONE: (by some distance) NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS
Great episode. I only really listened to their greatest hits (I own one such on CD... somewhere), but I've always loved their sound. What holds them back for be is the number of cover songs. Due to that, they will never be a band that I rank at the very top, but the sound is still great and they were very capable of performing Dylan songs. Like Jason, "My Back Pages" is my favorite Dylan cover by them - excellent version.
Feel A Whole Lot Better, Change Is Now, The World Turns All Around Her, Time Between, It Happens Each Day, Mr Spaceman, So You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star, Fifth Dimension, Renaissance Fair, It Won't Be Wrong, Set You Free This Time, Eight Miles High...they wrote a LOT of their best songs
Love The Byrds! Though my time digging into them was kinda short, a couple years 15 years ago, but they left their mark on my taste and I always smile when I randomly hear them. Definitely underrated, even their biggest hits like Rock and Roll Star barely get played on any radio anymore. Alas. My top 5: 5. Sweethearts of the Rodeo 4. Turn Turn Turn 3. Fifth Dimension 2. Younger Than Yesterday 1. Notorious Byrds Brothers.
As someone who’s recently become a huge Byrds fan (I completed their discography a couple of weeks ago) I was really looking forward to this video!! Aside from one big, glaring difference - Fifth Dimension being my personal favourite - I found myself very in tune with Jason’s picks. He’s the one who spoke more highly of Easy Rider and Dr Byrds (both albums I really like and find very underrated), I almost 100% agree on his assessment of the Mr Tambourine Man/Turn Turn Turn comparison and I also believe Sweetheart of the Rodeo and Younger Than Yesterday are their absolute best, most perfect albums (although my personal 2 and 3).
Byrds are one of those bands I have known all my life, I was six when their first hits were played. My first LP of them was the 1967 Greatest Hits, a flawless compilation at that time. I had all their LPs since 1968 as they were released and collected the earlier ones over time, means I know their whole discography since 1973. Still occasionally play them. They were rather a song band than a album band, and even if they were unique and undoubted influential, they were never a top favourite - just a pretty good band most of the time with their occasional flaws. The good thing about their records is that they remained pretty fresh and listenable. 12. Byrdmaniax 3,0 11. Ballad of Easy Rider 3,0 10. Byrds 1973 3,0 9. Dr. Byrds and Mr Hide 3,5 8. Farther Along 3,5 7. Untitled 3,5 6. Turn Turn Turn 3,5 5. Sweetheart of the Rodeo 3,5 4. Fifth Dimension 3,5 3. Younger Than Yesterday 4,0 2. The Notorious Byrd Brothers 4,0 1. Mr Tambourine Man 4,5
Very interesting to check the Byrds family tree albums (NO, not that Crosby, the least talented band member they ever had, I mean the real ones...). Some top choices for me are Roger McGuinn's self titled debut from 1973 and his Cardiff Rose (with Mick Ronson as they were both members of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. His version of Dreamland is a candidate for "Best Joni Mitchell Cover")
Lol, love the dinner comments after Jason’s slamming of 5th Dimension!! Actually, all I’m familiar with is the great Essentials From The Box-compilation, but this convinces me to get the Complete albums set. Thanks, guys! 👍 After the upcoming batch, how about… Manfred Mann’s Earth Band Gentle Giant Van Der Graaf Generator P-Funk (Funkadelic/Parliament) Tori Amos?
Nope cannot agree with that. McGuinn's solo career was a downhill run . The first album was i give you the best ,but songs like ;draggin' bag full of money etc are second rate-and there the ones i remember, i dont even know if i still own the album !!! , Peace on You was even worse and Cardiff Rose has to be one of the worst albums ever released.I;ve never bought anything by Roger since. I love the Byrds, but McGuinn unlike ex band mates Chris, Gene, David and Gram who all made great records outside of the band but Roger seemed to need them to bring out his best work.
@@archieleechjb Hey, John, it's ex-edmontonian here. Yes, very weird to think Dylan would just hand over the words like that. I remember an interview where the journalist asked a long, involved question about "Joey" only for Bob to say something like "I don't know. I didn't write that song."
Heh, I had to look up to make sure the correct pronunciation of McGuinn wasn’t actually McGinn. BTW, when you get to The Kinks, the correct pronunciation of Davies is actually Davis, which *really* blew my mind when I heard about that.
@@Ianmackable On a Discord & Rhyme podcast episode a couple years ago about Christmas songs where “Father Christmas” was discussed. I forget what their source was for the pronunciation, but apparently the Wikipedia article for Ray has it pronounced as such.
Really nice to read all this. Since most Byrds fans seems to prefer the 3 Gary Usher albums I would really recommend that you check out the 2 "Unique Gary Usher Byrds Interviews" on RUclips. Fantastic stuff revealed ! Gary Usher was a great guy, incredible talented and a BIG part of the final results. When they changed producer it wasn´t the same anymore.
1-Notorious Byrd Brothers 2-Sweetheart of the Rodeo 3-Younger Than Yesterday 4-Fifth Dimension 5-Mr. Tambourine Man 6-Turn! Turn! Turn 7-Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde 8-Untitled 9-Ballad of Easy Rider 10-The Byrds 11-Byrdmaniax 12-Farther Along
For as much as I love GP and Americana and Alt-Country, I don’t love Sweetheart of the Rodeo as much as most others. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really great. I think just knowing all the history behind the album really sours my experience of it. Great band, though. And I still don’t feel as confidently familiar with their output as I should be. Notorious Byrd Brothers is probably my favorite. Younger Than Yesterday is fantastic, too. Tons of shots fired in this video, boys. One of these days Joe or Kram are gonna pull a Jim Everett… haha ✌🏻
Another good one fellas! I’m a huge Sweetheart of the Rodeo fan, so it’s my #1. Top 5 is probably: Sweetheart > Younger > Notorious > Tambourine > 5D . . . etc.
I did a deep dive on the Byrds a few years back. My recollection is that "Notorious Byrd Brothers" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" were the real discoveries. "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" were really good, but not as good as I thought they would be. I quite like "Younger Than Yesterday" and "Fifth Dimension," but none of those first 4 Byrds albums were any more than 4 stars. I think I liked Untitled, but not much of the rest of them. "Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde" was also surprisingly good.
Good call by Joe…great band, one of my favs. Top 5 are the first five released. Number 1 is Younger followed by Notorious, 5th Dimension, Tambourine, Turn. Those top three albums are all in my top 20 of all time. Just phenomenal. Agree with Kram, Sweetheart is way too country and lives in their bottom half of the catalogue.
Great show!!! I had heard the Byrds all of my listening life, but only took a deep dive about 10 years ago. I knew Sweethearts since I was already a Gram Parsons fan, but found myself loving the psych stuff and have no problem with McGuinn trying to emulate Coltrane; after all who wouldn't want to emulate a God. Sweethearts, while a great record, has been usurped by the three that proceeded it. Maybe your Side three should be bands influenced by The Byrds: Tom Petty, REM, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub (their latest album has quite a bit of jangle), Robyn Hitchcock/Soft Boys all come to mind.
Great video. Always wanted to do a deep dive into The Byrds discography. Curious if you guys ever considered doing a listography for Belle & Sebastian?
Hey guys! It was only the Mr Tambourine Man single on which the band, apart from Mcguinn, didn't play. After the success of the single the band petitioned to be allowed to play on the album, and after an audition they were allowed. The mix up comes because the album shares the same title as the song. A mix up which has long been perpetuated. Cheers - Hedley
Nice choice Joe! Love The Byrds. Well thought out and fair rankings. Gene Clark was their secret weapon on the first records. His best song was You Won't Have To Cry. Surprised it did not make any lists. Had an interesting career after leaving with some awesome albums that couldn't get any play. For me Sweetheart was a grower. Took a while to get used to the stone country sound. In my opinion it is the best Parsons ever(yes better than any FBB). I also enjoy McGuin's solo LPs. Similar to later Byrds but more consistent. Nothing great but all are very enjoyable and worth a listen. Lastly, drummer Gene Parsons put out 2 low key albums in the 70's that are awesome.
Hey guys. Really enjoy your show. It would be nice if you could put how many stars you've given each album in the listography text with the album title and year. Just a suggestion. Enjoyed you lists of the year as well. *******
What a fantastic band! Their first 6 records (released within 3 years!) are incredibly solid, filled with wonderful songs and so inventive. It's amazing how quickly they evolved and constantly came up with a new sound that single-handedly created a new genre one after the other. This is my list: 1. Younger Than Yesterday (1967). 9 2.Fifth Dimension (1966).8.75 3.Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965). 8.5 4.Mr. Tambourine Man (1965). 8.5 5.Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968). 8.25 6.The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). 8 7.Untitled (1970). 7.75 8.Ballad Of Easy Rider (1969).7.5 9.Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (1969). 7.25 10.Farther Along (1971). 6.75 11.The Byrds (1973). 6 12.Byrdmaniax (1971). 5
12. Birdmaniax 11. 5th Dimension 10. Farther Along 9. The Notorious Byrd Brothers 8. Ballad of Easy Rider 7. Byrds 6. Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde 5. Untitled 4. Younger Than Yesterday 3. Mr Tambourine Man 2. Turn Turn Turn 1. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
I really really wanted to do a full proper ranking of The Byrds this week but my week went awry this weekend and I wasn't able to find the time or focus to finish. I listened to everything up to The Ballad of Easy Rider, although sounds like I didn't miss too much with those last few albums. I own their first 6 albums and was familiar with them before this but really hadn't heard anything after Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I've always been familiar with The Byrds to some degree as my dad is a fan so I heard them growing up. The first album of theirs that I really got into on my own though was Sweetheart of the Rodeo in the later 00s. I discovered it around the same time as The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons solo albums and Gene Clark's White Light. I think what brought me to all of that was Raising Sand by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. I fell in love with their cover of "Through the Morning, Through the Night" and looked into the original by Dillard and Clark which lead me to everything else. So yes, my number one is definitely Sweetheart of the Rodeo but I really love the first 5 albums too. I really enjoy the different directions they went into in such a short time, it makes for an interesting listen. Great episode and discussion, it's always interesting when all three of you have different number ones.
10) Farther Along 9) Ballad of Easy Rider 8) Byrds 7) Untitled 6) The fifth dimension 5) Mr Tambourine man 4) Sweetheart of the Rodeo 3) Turn, Turn, Turn 2) Younger than Yesterday 1) The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Notorious is a country album at its heart drenched in psychedelia. I think if Jason listens to the album again and focuses on the country maybe the rest will begin to make sense. I do agree that "Mind Gardens" is the clunker on the otherwise perfect "Younger Than Yesterday". Great comments by Joe and Kramzer on "Sweetheart.."...Beautiful record!
I've always been a fan of the Byrds, especially since my college days in the late 80's. I recently did a fresh deep dive when youtuber Shannon Talks Music did a video about them, and so I've been looking forward to your takes. All your lists are good, and unpredictable. 1. Younger than yesterday 2. Fifth dimension 3. Mr. Tambourine man 4. Notorious byrd brothers 5. Sweetheart of the rodeo 6. Turn turn turn 7. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde 8. Ballad of Easy Rider 9. (Untitled) 10. Farther along 11. Byrds 12. Byrdmaniax
Excellent in depth discussion of a sometimes great, sometimes not influential band from the 60's. As someone who listened to this band from the beginning I too have rediscovered and changed my assessment of some of the albums over the years. I especially like how you all deviate from conventional wisdom on some of the albums; i.e., Byrdmaniax has always been criticized for overproduction that drowned out the songs, but as you rightly point out the songs basically suck and the production somewhat salvaged the end result.
@Joe The Byrds/Hugh Masakela collaboration comes from the Monterey festival in 1967 where they both played. Masakela jammed with them and they asked him to the album sessions. Those were the times...
My rating of the first six albums (before I watch): The Notorious Byrd Brothers Turn! Turn! Turn! Mr. Tambourine Man Younger than Yesterday Sweetheart of the Rodeo Fifth Dimension
I was a teenager when the Byrds LP's were originally released. I was an avid fan right from the get-go. I looked forward to a new Byrds LP as much as I looked forward to a new Beatles LP or a new Rolling Stones LP. Their music has definitely stood the test of time.
Thankfully, the Legacy Edition of "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" features the Gram Parsons vocal takes on the songs that wound up being being overdubbed by McGuinn. McGuinn admitted he was basically imitating Parsons who was the more natural country singer.
Good show! The Notorious Byrd Brothers is criminally underrated. Change is Now is such a good song. Giant Sand does a decent cover of it. The cover of the record is funny since Crosby left before the photo shoot, thus, the horse.
My review of the reviews. Much better this week. Loved the details and enthusiasm. 1. Joe - 5* - Great list and love the commentary about Sweetheart 2. Kranz - 3.5* - Good smarmy comments but the stars are too low. 3. Jason - 2.5* - Album order is out of whack, but we love you man.
I'm gonna go Kram 5* (we clicked on many points ....our no.1s and Mr Tambourine and fair comments throughout) Joe 4* (undoubted love for the Byrds but some oversights typical of personal attachments...Im often just as guilty) Jason 3* ( a couple of really wild rankings a bit ott....but that's ok.....it's Jason🤠)
I bought a 25 song compilation CD called "Full Flyte" on Raven records many years ago. I listen to it from time to time and like it. Don't have any of the individual LPs but would pick up anything up to Sweetheart if I saw it at a record fair or in a charity shop. I have Gene Clark's No Other CD which is one of a kind and really worth getting, along with Burrito Deluxe by the Flying Burrito Brothers. Surprised that Eight Miles High didn't feature on the guys' songs of the year picks.
McGuinn is credited on four songs on Younger Than Yesterday: "So You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star", "CTA 102", "Renaissance Fair" and "Why". Lead vocal on "My Back Pages". I do feel he stepped back a bit, and almost effaced himself on this album.
Geez, interesting run-down. I'm a long-term Byrds fan who remembers when Mr Tambourine Man was the hit of the day. Few things you've missed - they were the "American Beatles" because they traded albums and sounds with the Beatles for a few years (and they had the same publicist, Derek Taylor). The Beatles did a few songs imitating the Byrds sound as a tribute, and they used to send each other tapes/messages. Every Byrds album represents a step in their musical evolution, and in the evolution of pop/rock: Mr Tambourine Man was a revolutionary album sonically, but still rooted in the folk songs they had all been playing up until then. Turn Turn Turn and 5D moved gradually away from folk/Dylan roots, but introduced jazz/raga and psychedelic influences (8MH), and by this stage they were being exposed to drugs and the West Coast acid scene (especially Crosby). Younger than Yesterday moved right into this new area, without Clark, and with Hillman taking a front stage role for the first time and writing songs as well, and Crosby's songs starting to go off onto the Jefferson Airplane psychedelic road (Mind Garden, Triad, and Wooden Ships which the band didn't want to do, so he left). What you've missed here is that Clarence White turns up on several of these songs, and really introduces the "Bakersfield sound" that shifts the Byrds across a few lanes musically (e.g. on Time Between). Notorious is indeed a masterpiece - stripped back group, but again, Clarence White is right at the centre of much of it musically, especially the amazing "Wasn't Born to Follow". Clarence was a legendary guitarist already, already considered one of the top bluegrass guitarists, inspiring followers like Jerry Garcia, and he switched to electric when the bluegrass circuit dried up. So the Byrds were already going down a country/trad music road with Clarence being used in the studio when Gram Parsons showed up, and they were all ready to go the next step. Sweetheart included session musicians like John Hartford, who was a master of old-timey sound, and when you added in Clarence White you got an authentic re-interpretation of rural music for a modern audience - Gram's "Cosmic American Music". Gram and Hillman took off to keep this strand going in the Burritos, but it is worth noting the Gene Clark had already got there with his first album (again with Clarence), and The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark, and this engendered a whole slab of 70's and subsequent music (Eagles, Ronstadt, Denver,,,,). There were contractual issues with Gram's vocals, but you can now hear his original vocals on the expanded versions of the album. McGuinn tried to copy his styling with his re-recorded vocals, so I don't place a lot of credit on it being malicious. Following the departure of Hillman and Parsons, McGuinn turned to Clarence, who had really been with him on the journey for several years already, and added in his pal Gene Parsons. The subsequent albums are quite different, but really are perhaps best seen as showcasing Clarence's guitar melded with McGuinn's Byrds heritage. Clarence went from being one of the clearest and most precise of acoustic guitarists to a fuzz-heavy electrified guitar sound that was the structure that carried songs along without being showy or obvious. (an anti-guitar hero guitar hero). Guitarists (including Jimi Hendrix) used to line up on the left side of venues to watch Clarence play live because he was doing amazing things that blew their minds. After Dr Byrds, they spent a lot of time playing live, and kept a bluegrass streak in their show. Some of the recordings from these shows are phenomenal. Personally, I love "Ballad of Easy Rider," which is a further evolution of their "mountain stream meets electric guitar" journey. Dylan actually said that their version of Baby Blue was much better than his own. Untitled/Unissued has great live cuts, which show what the band was mostly doing with their time. The studio sides, though, stand as fairly perfect examples of Clarence's construction of acoustic/electric soundscapes, with intricate picking and soaring steel sounds disappearing behind the lyrics and harmonies. Gram came back for this album, and played piano and sang harmony on "All the Things", and he and Clarence actually planned to start playing together later, when Clarence was killed. Byrdmaniax and Farther Along are two albums sadly in search of inspiration and song-writing, but both have their moments, and Bugler is still one of the saddest songs you'll ever want to hear. McGuinn was a phenomenal and ground-breaking guitarist, and the original Byrds (Clark, Crosby, Hillman) spawned so many different offshoots and imitators around the globe that their legacy can't be underestimated. Clarence took guitar to a whole new place, and there is a dedicated crew of guitarists who are still trying to pin down what he did and how. Each of their records belong in their respective times, but were almost always ahead of the wave, with others trying to catch up. Byrds was a mistake, apparently engendered by Crosby, but I saw McGuinn Clark and Hillman, and McGuinn and Hillman solo a few times, and they were/are still amazing. It is worth listening to "Silver Meteor" and "the New Kentucky Colonels live" in Sweden or Holland to hear where Clarence was going before he was killed. He probably would have been a massive icon like Ry Cooder or Jerry Douglas if someone arsehole hadn't got drink and decided to drive.
12. Byrds In theory, a reunion album should have been a surefire win, but it’s clear that no one’s heart was really in this, particularly Crosby and Hillman. Roger McGuinn’s “Sweet Mary” is haunting and beautiful, and Clark’s “Full Circle” is fine. The rest are tuneless and forgettable without any of the Byrds’ signature harmonies. 11. Turn! Turn! Turn! The first three tracks are nice enough, but this mostly feels like leftovers from the Mr. Tambourine Man sessions, with tepid Dylan covers and uninspired originals. Why was “She Don’t Care About Time” left off the album? It’s better than any of these. 10. Farther Along A somewhat tired final album for this lineup, but it has its moments. Clarence White’s “Bugler” is beautiful, “Antique Sandy” has a nice sound to it, and the title track is a good cover. It also features "America’s Great National Pastime,” which is far and away the worst song in their whole discography. 9. Byrdmaniax Yes, this features two terrible Skip Battin songs (“Tunnel of Love,” “Citizen Kane”), and yes Terry Melcher took a big Spector all over the productions. However, the gospel stuff works pretty well, and “Jamaica Say You Will” and “Pale Blue” are really nice tunes. 8. Fifth Dimension As with a lot of Byrds’ albums, it starts off strong and kind of peters out at the end. “Eight Miles High” is the only memorable track on side two, but I love the title track and the cover of “Wild Mountain Thyme.” 7. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde A bit of a transitional album as McGuinn had all new bandmates here, but the first half is really nice. As for the second side, “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man” is as great of a country rock song as anything the Flying Burrito Brothers ever put out, but the last few tracks are pretty bland. 6. Younger Than Yesterday Chris Hillman really starts showing off here, as he contributes some great country rock, as well as some amazing bass playing. “Renaissance Faire” is a perfect slice of baroque pop, but I find “C.T.A.-102” and “Mind Gardens” to be quite annoying. 5. (Untitled) Some of McGuinn’s absolute best songwriting, complemented by Clarence White’s lovely guitar work. “Just a Season” feels like his spin on “My Back Pages,” and “Chestnut Mare” is a beautiful ballad. It’s not a perfect album, but it’s pretty great. 4. Ballad of Easy Rider It might be mostly a covers album, but so is Sweetheart of the Rodeo. In spite of a few tracks that don’t quite work (“Oil in My Lamp,” ”Fido”), there’s a wistful, late-night reflective quality to this album that I’ve always loved. Gene Parsons has a great, straightforward country voice that really makes his songs shine, and the title track is perfection in two minutes. 3. Mr. Tambourine Man Still one of the greatest debuts of all time. That jangly 12-string guitar creates some beautiful sounds right out of the gate, and it doesn’t let up until the end. McGuinn’s has one of my favorite voices of all time, and the harmonies are gorgeous. 2. Sweetheart of the Rodeo It invented country rock, but despite my love of country and rock, this one didn’t click for me at first. I love it now though, as the covers and the Gram Parsons originals are all great. Subtle, understated, and brilliant. 1. The Notorious Byrd Brothers No contest, one of the greatest albums of all time. A folk/psychedelic rock symphony in under 30 minutes, as each song carries over into the next a year before the Abbey Road medley. It’s hard to even pick out favorite songs, because you have to listen to it as one package. Brilliant from start to finish.
That's a massive underrating of Turn, Turn, Turn and overrating of Easy Rider. Otherwise I'm pretty much with you, especially regarding #1, my favourite album of all time.
Im still getting into The Byrds but I absolutely love Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde! Its probably the most country like music Ive enjoyed yet, and I really love that hint of psychedelia thats within the jamming. My favorites songs have to be Wheels on Fire, Candy, and Drug Store Truck Drivin Man.
They improved most of the Dylan songs they covered, IMO. Their versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Spanish Harlem Incident," "All I Really Want to Do," "Chimes of Freedom," "My Back Pages," and "This Wheel's on Fire" all improved on his original recordings.
Hopefully the panel is already aware that later editions of Sweetheart include bonus tracks that restore more of Gram’s lead vocals. It’s now possible to assemble a version of Sweetheart that has Gram as the dominant lead singer. If this version were the original it might be my favorite Byrds album. As it was originally, it’s my third-favorite, after Notorious and Younger.
I find The Byrds a bit strange in that while I always quite enjoy their records, most of their songs and track lists don't stick in my mind. Even though I've owned all their records for years, I couldn't tell you which song is on which record, and I probably wouldn't be able to write down a list of even 10 self-penned Byrds songs without having immediately just heard them. Having said all that, 'Eight Miles High' and 'Feel A Lot Better' are two of my favourite songs of all time.
Love the Byrds and agree largely with the grouping of the later albums as the weakest. Their constant line up changes make it tricky to get a grip on their sound, I think. I'd probably go for Notorious Byrd Bros as my favourite, just for the warm sound of it and some very strong songs. Ballad of Easy Rider is underrated- love their cover of It's All Over Now. Worst moment? Probably their cover of Hey Joe on 5th Dimension, really awful! Great vid.
12. Byrdmaniax 11. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde (in one ear, out the other, even though it rocks harder) 10. Byrds 9. Farther Along 8. Easy Rider 7. Turn, Turn, Turn 6. Sweetheart of the Rodeo (drastic change. I prefer Gram Parsons on his own and with the Burrito Brothers. The first two tracks are incredible though) 5. Untitled 4. 5th Dimension (One of the strongest first halves, drops off a cliff in quality on the second half) 3. Mr. Tambourine Man (most consistent work, very pleasing to the ear) 2. The Notorious Byrd Brothers 1. Younger than Yesterday (The psychedelia was a little less on the nose than on Notorious. Its more tasteful and just so effortlessly great)
I agree with Jason on the top pick being Younger than Yesterday even on the only drawback being Mind Gardens. though I am willing to overlook this one transgression for the rest of the albums excellence and give it 5 stars. I think it is their most complete and emotionally resonant album that encompasses all their finest qualities and greatest range of styles with the big exception of the exit of Gene Clark. For me, it is the masterpiece for those with a short attention span because of the exceedingly short running times that still manage to expand the mind within a contracted format. The experience is simultaneously claustrophobic and kaleidoscopic, spaced out and down to earth, like the tunnel vision of mushrooms creating the mirage of a surrealistic collage. One quality that distinguishes Younger than Yesterday from their other releases are genuine dance tracks done with excellent rhythmic precision, namely the salsa tinged satiric smile and bite of So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star, which seems tailor made lyrically for the later likes of influencing Tom Petty, and Time Between which is a harmonically rich hippy two step with a tasty guitar break to add to the ho down hallucination. Then, there is Crosby's psychedelic simmering in Everyone Has Been Burned anticipating a break up with a purgatory sense of dense smoky atmosphere that simultaneously suffocates and liberates the mind as the singer resigns himself to the consequences of intimacy. And then there are the jagged edges that shine like Have You Seen Her Face which combines a dreamy and danceable harmony with a shattered glass sounding guitar solo as if the mirror of her reflection is being smashed in his mind. But the peak for me and their psychedelic masterpiece is Thoughts and Words a nightmare journey into a spaced out recounting of the destruction of a romantic ideal that may or may not have been consummated in real life. The ambiguity makes it even more disturbing yet enticing. The highlights are the deep thumping of the foreboding bass, the twangy and spacy sounding guitar that seems to combine the mysticism of the Indian sound with a homegrown back woods mushroom induced sensation and the reverb and phase shifting buzzing sound giving a sense of being trapped in a tunnel visioned delusion. And finally there is the beautifully disturbing duality of the harmonies one grounded in a lower more monotone key that picks up into a higher and more hysterically tinged chorus and the lush layering and building with the high pitched accompaniment added to "One day you came into my life" when it is repeated." Renaissance Fair is a quick recounting of a time trip to the a 16th century open air market with the guitar licks taking a detour to Japan and India with some bizarre but enticing instrumental spice that always makes my eye brows rise when listening as if visualizing a hysterical scene in Kabuki theater.
A great song to consider for best song is the unknown flip side on the Old John Robertson 45 single and it's called Lady Friend. It might not quite make it in some top 10 song lists, but it's a great song and could have been a radio hit. One of my top Byrds songs.
Clarence White was absolutely brilliant. My favorite song on Sweetheart of the Rodeo is One Hundred Years From Now. The combination of steel guitar and Clarence chiming in, basically playing his Tele with a banjo technique. That stuff, along with those timeless all things fade lyrics just gets me everytime. I always wish the ride-out lasted longer. It fades too quick. I can listen to Clarence do that all day. What he did with The Byrds was nice but he and his brother Roland were the real deal. An amazing acoustic guitar player, he had the admiration of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and many other great bluegrass pickers. Marty Stewart owns that famous Telecaster played by Clarence now. A worthy player and performer in his own right. I like a bunch of songs by the Byrds. A list of 10 would be tough to settle on. I'll refrain for now. I'd say that about 20 songs from their first four albums are stone-cold classics.
Nice call, Neil Young's cover of Oh Susannah is great. Also I do like the Byrds (Crosby) cover of For Free. Even though that reunion album does not sound like the Byrds
Nice show guys, but you´re missing the main factor here: GARY USHER, who produced their 3 best and most creative / innovative albums. A safe statement would be that he was responsible for at least 50 % of the outcome. Be sure to listen to the 2 fantastic GARY USHER BYRDS INTERVIEWS on RUclips where he´s telling the whole story. You will be amazed !!!
Got into the Byrds as a senior in HS in 1972 so my choices reflect how I felt at the time. Became one of my top 5 bands along with Beatles, Beach Boys, Moody Blues, and The Who. Their country stuff never appealed to me in the slightest. Besides I was a huge Gene Clark fan. Saw him play live in LA just before he died in 1991. I sat about 15 feet from where he was playing. He looked terrible and you could tell something was wrong. But he sounded great. 12. Farther Along 11. Byrdmaniax 10. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde 9. Sweetheart of the Rodeo 8. Easy Rider 7. Untitled 6. Byrds 5. Younger than Yesterday 4. The Notorious Byrd Brothers 3. Mr. Tambourine Man 2. Turn, Turn, Turn 1. 5th Dimension
Their first 5 albums are wonderful. Notorious Byrd Brothers is absolutely one of the most underrated albums of the 60's
I'd say overlooked as many clearly and correctly rate Notorious highly...but maybe not enough people know it. Very good album for sure.
hell yes!!!
12. Farther Along ★★
The sounds of a band giving up.
11. Ballad of Easy Rider ★★ ½
It’s sad this record charted as well as it did as it gave them the idea they were on to something here. They weren’t. It’s All Over Now Baby Blue it’s one of the greatest songs of the 60’s but you wouldn’t know it from this version.
10. Byrdmaniax ★★ ½
The album so bad they apparently felt the need to rush out another record to apologize. And while this record is a bit of a mess, it’s also the bands last attempt at expanding their sound and taking risks. Like everything else on this album the gospely, Stonesy influence is hit or miss, but some of it works and could have been expanded upon. My biggest gripe with the concept of the ‘apology record’ is they didn’t try to go back to some jangly, dreamy folk pop nor take another dip into the psychedelic waters. Instead they turned back to churning out more snooze fest country tunes.
9. Sweetheart of the Rodeo ★★★
For my personal taste and what I’m looking for in The Byrds, this is a massive step down from the previous couple records. The album is bookended by it’s best two songs, which helps it out quite a bit. But the rest of the album doesn’t do much for me and feels longer than it’s runtime of 32 minutes. The Christian Life I find particularly grating. One of the worst songs in their catalogue.
8. Byrds ★★★
Better than it’s reputation. A pleasant, if unremarkable listen. Sadly this version of Laughing is not very good at all. You’ll want to check out If I Could Only Remember My Name instead.
7. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde ★★★
6. (Untitled) ★★★ ½
A false dawn in their discography, this is a good record that with better songwriting could have been killer. I really dig the mood they are going for.
5. The Fifth Dimension ★★★ ½
Of their five first (and best) records, this is the one I can’t really get a grasp on. I like it but it serves more as a transitional record than a great listen.
4. Mr. Tambourine Man ★★★★
A very good record, you could argue Dylan is more important to the success of the album than the Byrds themselves which might put some people off. For me I can never get enough Dylan in my life so I don’t mind.
3. Turn! Turn! Turn! ★★★★
Some real highlights on this, the title track is a classic and Lay Down Your Weary Tune would get my vote for their best Dylan cover.
2. The Notorious Byrd Brothers ★★★★ ½
Even though a couple things are still in flux with my feelings on the Byrds, it seems clear to me the period after working out some kinks with the psychedelic sounds on The Fifth Dimension, and before taking a hard turn into country on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, is the Byrds at their peak. And while it was brief, they managed to put out two great albums in that timespan. Roger McGuinn really comes into his own as a songwriter here and there’s not a weak song to be found.
1. Younger Than Yesterday ★★★★ ½
While The Notorious Byrd Brothers was immediate, this didn’t do much for me on first listen. Second time around it revealed itself to be the most ambitious and most complete work they put to tape. Unlike some of their earlier works this is definitely an album, not a collection of songs. The balance between the poppy melodies and the psychedelia is struck beautifully. This one has a chance to be a five star album with more listens.
Apart from their biggest hits and most of the Dylan covers I knew very little of The Byrds. This is all done in a week so some star ratings and placements are subject to change, but this will give you an idea how I feel about them.
The Notorious Byrd Brothers is my favorite. Ballad Of Easy Rider isn't #2 but I have it very high on my list.
Giving up ? The first couple songs on farther along are pretty great -
Nice work there.
The Byrds are one of my favourite bands, love Gene Clark songwriting.
The Moody Blues are another overlooked 60’s group. I would say their 60’s albums are proto-prog rock for sure. Some beautiful stuff.
Absolutely....I've been into the Moody's a few weeks now instead of doing discographies on here....loved it. Great band.😎👍
Nice material from the Moodies. But after "The Days of Future Passed" there are about 6 albums that contain tracks that are virtually interchangeable amongst those albums.
Symphonic rock is not progressive rock. Also, just because a song is long doesn’t make it progressive.
@@ArmandoMPRthere is a fine line between symphonic and early progressive rock. But i agree that they are more symphonic than progressive.
Sweetheart of the Rodeo is what turned me on to a genre that I didn't like in my teens and twenties so it is my favorite Byrds record. I've dug Untitled and 5D for some time. I need to give Notorious and Younger... more spins. Great show guys.
Jason's aversion to Eight Miles High and I See You is baffling. It was funny watching Kram and Joe's reaction as the air got sucked out of the room for a moment
Jason's aversion to Psychedelic Rock might be more egregious than Joe not liking Remain in Light.
I don’t dislike all psychedelic rock. The Beatles are my favorite band of all time. I also don’t dislike all blues or like all country. Too many, oversimplified generalizations about my taste by the other 2 in this video. -Jason
The Byrds are my Beatles. You guys pretty much nailed it. Younger Than Yesterday, Sweetheart, and Notorious are my top 3. Constantly changing. Another great show guys!
The Byrds first two albums, Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn! Are really good and worth collecting.
i've been waiting for this one a long time lol The Byrds are my favorite American band from the 60s hands down, The Beatles have a stronger catalogue but as an American who lives on the West Coast there's something about the Byrds that's easier for me to relate to at times. Clarence White absolutely shreds but I've never really enjoyed the second part of their discography. The performances (apart from White) are often really sloppy, the songs are usually mid-tier at best, and as much as I love McGuinn, he really works at his best when he's surrounded by other people who can match his creativity. Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, and Sweetheart of the Rodeo are 5 star records for me and are the only 3 albums of theirs where the song sequence works perfectly. The Byrds are one of the first bands that got me into music, I loved the Beatles and Bob Dylan and discovering the Byrds was like finding the missing link between them. Anyways, loved the video, very thoughtful analysis of a wonderfully creative band
As I was already 16 when Mr. Tambourine Man came out, its impact was seismic. Everybody was talking about that song and the debut album. That sound. Those harmonies. Their look. Those capes! I am not surprised that these three young guys didn’t rate it higher, but it was a beautiful unicorn in its day, the unforgettable debut of a visionary band.
It’s the whole covers thing. But I did give it 5 stars. - Joe
Jason needs to "Drop Acid" and listen all day long to all the classic 60s Psychedelic albums! Maybe, then he'll get it?
Yeah there has to be a few songs on one of the Psychedelic Nuggets that Jason could like too. Could he like a song from Love's Forever Changes? Quicksilver Happy Trails? The Who Sell Out? Do you have a favorite drop acid album? I only did acid once and sort of have this conservative streak in me so I did half a tab and 4 hours later did the other half; cause I was cautious and scared.
I really enjoyed this video. It was interesting to see your order. My order is quite a bit different but it is all a matter of taste. The Byrds are in my top 5 bands of the 60's. I will do a Byrds ranking video one of these days. I don't have Younger Than Yesterday on vinyl. When I get it I will do a ranking. The Byrds almost always do Dylan songs better than Dylan.
Agree with Krammer, Notorious Byrd Brothers is my favorite.
Poison Parsons. lol
@@vinylrichie007 not sure the gram parsons hate. I believe he is the best talent ever in the byrds. and what amazing music parsons went on to do is simply amazing Cheers
@@bengalgangster I don’t hate Gram Parsons but I don’t think he is the most talented to come out of the Byrds. The Byrds were my second favorite band when Sweetheart came out. I bought Notorious Byrd Brothers when it came out and loved it. Sweetheart not so much. The album was a bomb and the Byrds never recovered. So am I a fan of Gram Parsons? No. Do I dislike the album now as much as I did then? No. People call it Country Rock but it is a Country record. And kind of a generic one. I’m a Rock person but I don’t hate Country. In my Ten Best Albums 1965 a Country album makes the list.
Yes its Notorious Byrd Brothers for me. No filler just brilliant
The first 4 to 5 albums were beyond excellent. They've been UNDERATED for years.
Thanks for this discussion. I was hooked from Mr Tambourine Man and bought all the albums over the years. YTY showed they were moving from Dylan songs and Hillman was emerging as a songwriter. The first chords of Artificial Energy introduced me to amazing production and songwriting, and Notorious remains the best album I have ever heard. Nothing comes close. I was disappointed when Sweetheart was released, now I can see where they were going at the time. Amazing that the first 5 albums were released in such quick time with such strong songs and changes of style. The biggest disappointment was Byrds. Mostly covers and they sound as if they are just going through the motions. A group that were a huge part of my early life and continue to be my alltime favourite band.
Joe is right, the Byrds are overlooked. Other than the three massive hits, I knew next to nada about the Byrds, so I learned a lot. Enjoyed hearing your comments very much. The interplay between you three is one of the best parts of the channel.
Well done you guys-- fascinating take. I heard a lot of The Byrds when I was growing up in the 1970s. I was too young to take much of it in, so I find it interesting to reconsider them from this new perspective (i.e. yours). Best channel on the internet for popular music!!!
Thanks!
Damn Joe, the love for Sweetheart at the end there was heart-warming. I've got to mention Gary Usher, who produced those great albums, Notorious, Younger Than Yesterday and Sweetheart. The Byrds gave birth to so much cool music, and other great bands, what a legacy to have.
thx great review as always, guys. jason only got one chair roll, exciting stuff
Have listen to The Byrds nearly my whole life. Today I think that Notorious Byrd Brothers are by far their best album, agree with every word Kramzer said about it. Timeless album. Some of their albums not so good but I like Younger than yesterday and Untitled a lot and Clarence White is one of the best guitarplayers ever. Lover of the bayou in a studio version can be heard on Untitled CD as a bonustrack. Some of my favouritetracks with the Byrds are My Back Pages, Chestnut Mare, Time of a season, Going back and I´ll feel a lot better and Ballad of easy rider.
This really was a great show. What a fascinating band! Some of their contemporaries may have been more talented, but few were more interesting. I appreciated all of the insights; they provoke thought and add more enjoyment to the music going forward. All of the closing comments were especially good. I really liked Joe's anecdote about True Detective; that is very relatable as a music geek.
Wow. Fantastic timing, I've just been researching the Byrds.
Loved The Byrds, at 72, I got into them at first hearing in real time when I was 14. One of my very favorite top of the line bands through the first few albums, but after Sweetheart Of The Rodeo days, they fell off their cliff and in addition had lost so many members that it wasn’t The Byrds anymore anyway. The only outstanding highlight of the later Byrds was the outstanding Clarence White.
Thanks guys. Nice show, very interesting and educational. The Byrds, great cover band, particularly with Dylan songs (my going in naive view), now I know better. Cheers guys 😊
My Top Five:
1. Younger Than Yesterday
2. Notorious Byrd Brothers (very close second)
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
4. Fifth Dimension
5. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Glad you guys did this one finally. Been waiting for it. I love the Byrds. You guys hit on it several times, but they had such uniquely talented people come and go through their ranks and what is cool is that their music allows those personalities to shine through. Gene Clark...so great. I suggest everyone go explore his solo work (like Joe has). You talked about Clark's songwriting, but that voice! There is something so melancholy and beautiful about his voice. And good to see the Clarence White love. Sadly, Clarence was killed by a drunk driver way too early in his career. Imagine more decades of Clarence. I have never gotten onboard with the Gram Parsons worship, though. The first Burritos album is brilliant, no question, though.
I go...
12. Farther Along: 2 stars (agree, it sounds tired. But "Bugler" is gorgeous)
11. Byrdmaniax: 2 stars (totally agree on your takes, the production they hated is actually interesting)
10. Byrds: 3 stars (not as bad as its reputation. Gene Clark brings the best stuff)
9. Untitled: 3 stars ("Chestnut Mare" is gorgeous)
8. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde: 3 and a half stars (agree, this one has a cool, creepy vibe. and Clarence White)
7. Sweetheart of the Rodeo: 4 stars (I do not see how this is an innovation in country/rock. It sounds straight country)
6. Ballad of Easy Rider: 4 stars (I think you guys underestimate this one)
5. Turn! Turn! Turn!: 4 stars (Great, but kind of a retread of the debut)
4. Younger Than Yesterday: 4 stars (if not for "Mind Gardens," this could have been a *****)
3. Mr. Tambourine Man: 5 stars (one of the great debuts of all time. One of the few records that changed music)
2. Fifth Dimension: 5 stars (There are some missteps, but the great outweighs them. I think "Eight Miles High" is the greatest single of the 60's. Sorry Jason.)
1. The Notorious Byrd Brothers: 5 stars (There is no record that sounds like this record. It is brilliant. Would have been even better if they had let Crosby's "Triad" on)
Yep, Sweetheart is far more country than rock.
Your argument for the Mr. Tambourine Man album is spot on. There aren't too many records you can point to that are true game changers, sonically... but the Byrds' debut album is one of them.
Kram… you can’t get mad at Jason for ranking Fifth Dimension at 9 when you turn around and rank their debut at 8
The debut had the great "Feel a Whole lot Better" and other fine songs.
Love the Byrds. Clarence was such a great player. I loved his contribution on the albums after Crosby left.The ultimate hippie band in my opinion. Great episode guys. ✌️🇨🇦❤️
Ps Can you do Little Feat? Great band.
12 Byrdmaniax
11 Byrds
10 Father Along
9 Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde
8 Ballad of Easy Rider
7 Fifth Dimension
6 Sweetheart of the Rodeo
5 Turn Turn Turn
4 Untitled (1970)
3 Younger Than Yesterday
2 Mr Tambourine Man
NUMBER ONE: (by some distance) NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS
Great episode. I only really listened to their greatest hits (I own one such on CD... somewhere), but I've always loved their sound. What holds them back for be is the number of cover songs. Due to that, they will never be a band that I rank at the very top, but the sound is still great and they were very capable of performing Dylan songs. Like Jason, "My Back Pages" is my favorite Dylan cover by them - excellent version.
Feel A Whole Lot Better, Change Is Now, The World Turns All Around Her, Time Between, It Happens Each Day, Mr Spaceman, So You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star, Fifth Dimension, Renaissance Fair, It Won't Be Wrong, Set You Free This Time, Eight Miles High...they wrote a LOT of their best songs
Love The Byrds! Though my time digging into them was kinda short, a couple years 15 years ago, but they left their mark on my taste and I always smile when I randomly hear them. Definitely underrated, even their biggest hits like Rock and Roll Star barely get played on any radio anymore. Alas. My top 5: 5. Sweethearts of the Rodeo 4. Turn Turn Turn 3. Fifth Dimension 2. Younger Than Yesterday 1. Notorious Byrds Brothers.
As someone who’s recently become a huge Byrds fan (I completed their discography a couple of weeks ago) I was really looking forward to this video!! Aside from one big, glaring difference - Fifth Dimension being my personal favourite - I found myself very in tune with Jason’s picks. He’s the one who spoke more highly of Easy Rider and Dr Byrds (both albums I really like and find very underrated), I almost 100% agree on his assessment of the Mr Tambourine Man/Turn Turn Turn comparison and I also believe Sweetheart of the Rodeo and Younger Than Yesterday are their absolute best, most perfect albums (although my personal 2 and 3).
AHHHH!!! Gotta pause for work but I'm lovin this.
Byrds are one of those bands I have known all my life, I was six when their first hits were played. My first LP of them was the 1967 Greatest Hits, a flawless compilation at that time. I had all their LPs since 1968 as they were released and collected the earlier ones over time, means I know their whole discography since 1973. Still occasionally play them. They were rather a song band than a album band, and even if they were unique and undoubted influential, they were never a top favourite - just a pretty good band most of the time with their occasional flaws.
The good thing about their records is that they remained pretty fresh and listenable.
12. Byrdmaniax 3,0
11. Ballad of Easy Rider 3,0
10. Byrds 1973 3,0
9. Dr. Byrds and Mr Hide 3,5
8. Farther Along 3,5
7. Untitled 3,5
6. Turn Turn Turn 3,5
5. Sweetheart of the Rodeo 3,5
4. Fifth Dimension 3,5
3. Younger Than Yesterday 4,0
2. The Notorious Byrd Brothers 4,0
1. Mr Tambourine Man 4,5
Very interesting to check the Byrds family tree albums (NO, not that Crosby, the least talented band member they ever had, I mean the real ones...). Some top choices for me are Roger McGuinn's self titled debut from 1973 and his Cardiff Rose (with Mick Ronson as they were both members of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. His version of Dreamland is a candidate for "Best Joni Mitchell Cover")
@@roxannewalsh
Agree. I love Cardiff Rose!
I don't love country, but Sweetheart of the Rodeo fuckin rocks. You Ain't Goin Nowhere is a Top 50 song of all time for me.
Love that song!
Thanks for the love shown for Younger Than Yesterday and for Notorious Byrd Brothers. My two favorites
Great Show
Lol, love the dinner comments after Jason’s slamming of 5th Dimension!!
Actually, all I’m familiar with is the great Essentials From The Box-compilation, but this convinces me to get the Complete albums set.
Thanks, guys! 👍
After the upcoming batch, how about…
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Gentle Giant
Van Der Graaf Generator
P-Funk (Funkadelic/Parliament)
Tori Amos?
1-Sweetheart of the Rodeo
2-Younger than Yesterday
3-Notorious Byrd Brothers
4-Mr Tambourine Man
5-Byrds
Roger McGuinn's first solo studio album may be one of the most underrated albums of all time. banger after banger
Nope cannot agree with that. McGuinn's solo career was a downhill run . The first album was i give you the best ,but songs like ;draggin' bag full of money etc are second rate-and there the ones i remember, i dont even know if i still own the album !!! , Peace on You was even worse and Cardiff Rose has to be one of the worst albums ever released.I;ve never bought anything by Roger since. I love the Byrds, but McGuinn unlike ex band mates Chris, Gene, David and Gram who all made great records outside of the band but Roger seemed to need them to bring out his best work.
Jacques Levy cowrote most of the songs on Dylan's Desire album.
Oh i think Desire maybe my joint no.1 Dylan...didn't know that 👍
It's weird to think Levy wrote most of the lyrics on the album while Dylan wrote the music.
@@archieleechjb Hey, John, it's ex-edmontonian here. Yes, very weird to think Dylan would just hand over the words like that. I remember an interview where the journalist asked a long, involved question about "Joey" only for Bob to say something like "I don't know. I didn't write that song."
The Notorious Byrd Brothers has always been my favourite, very consistent while also having standouts.
Heh, I had to look up to make sure the correct pronunciation of McGuinn wasn’t actually McGinn. BTW, when you get to The Kinks, the correct pronunciation of Davies is actually Davis, which *really* blew my mind when I heard about that.
Where did you hear that? Just curious.
@@Ianmackable On a Discord & Rhyme podcast episode a couple years ago about Christmas songs where “Father Christmas” was discussed. I forget what their source was for the pronunciation, but apparently the Wikipedia article for Ray has it pronounced as such.
@@Ianmackable
It's the British pronunciation. Therefore, Rick Davies of Supertramp is pronounced "Davis," too.
5. Younger than Yesterday
4. 5D
3. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
2. Mr. Tambourine Man
1. Notorious Byrd Brothers
Really nice to read all this. Since most Byrds fans seems to prefer the 3 Gary Usher albums I would really recommend that you check out the 2 "Unique Gary Usher Byrds Interviews" on RUclips. Fantastic stuff revealed ! Gary Usher was a great guy, incredible talented and a BIG part of the final results. When they changed producer it wasn´t the same anymore.
1-Notorious Byrd Brothers
2-Sweetheart of the Rodeo
3-Younger Than Yesterday
4-Fifth Dimension
5-Mr. Tambourine Man
6-Turn! Turn! Turn
7-Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde
8-Untitled
9-Ballad of Easy Rider
10-The Byrds
11-Byrdmaniax
12-Farther Along
For as much as I love GP and Americana and Alt-Country, I don’t love Sweetheart of the Rodeo as much as most others. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really great. I think just knowing all the history behind the album really sours my experience of it. Great band, though. And I still don’t feel as confidently familiar with their output as I should be. Notorious Byrd Brothers is probably my favorite. Younger Than Yesterday is fantastic, too. Tons of shots fired in this video, boys. One of these days Joe or Kram are gonna pull a Jim Everett… haha ✌🏻
Sweetheart is a turd.
Hahah. Maybe if we were all in the same room. - Joe
Another good one fellas! I’m a huge Sweetheart of the Rodeo fan, so it’s my #1. Top 5 is probably: Sweetheart > Younger > Notorious > Tambourine > 5D . . . etc.
I love hippy nonsense.
I did a deep dive on the Byrds a few years back. My recollection is that "Notorious Byrd Brothers" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" were the real discoveries. "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" were really good, but not as good as I thought they would be. I quite like "Younger Than Yesterday" and "Fifth Dimension," but none of those first 4 Byrds albums were any more than 4 stars. I think I liked Untitled, but not much of the rest of them. "Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde" was also surprisingly good.
That's not a "deep dive", that's just listening to the Byrd's albums.
Good call by Joe…great band, one of my favs. Top 5 are the first five released. Number 1 is Younger followed by Notorious, 5th Dimension, Tambourine, Turn. Those top three albums are all in my top 20 of all time. Just phenomenal. Agree with Kram, Sweetheart is way too country and lives in their bottom half of the catalogue.
Great show!!! I had heard the Byrds all of my listening life, but only took a deep dive about 10 years ago. I knew Sweethearts since I was already a Gram Parsons fan, but found myself loving the psych stuff and have no problem with McGuinn trying to emulate Coltrane; after all who wouldn't want to emulate a God. Sweethearts, while a great record, has been usurped by the three that proceeded it. Maybe your Side three should be bands influenced by The Byrds: Tom Petty, REM, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub (their latest album has quite a bit of jangle), Robyn Hitchcock/Soft Boys all come to mind.
Great video. Always wanted to do a deep dive into The Byrds discography. Curious if you guys ever considered doing a listography for Belle & Sebastian?
It’s definitely a future possibility. - Joe
Hey guys! It was only the Mr Tambourine Man single on which the band, apart from Mcguinn, didn't play. After the success of the single the band petitioned to be allowed to play on the album, and after an audition they were allowed. The mix up comes because the album shares the same title as the song. A mix up which has long been perpetuated.
Cheers - Hedley
Nice choice Joe! Love The Byrds. Well thought out and fair rankings. Gene Clark was their secret weapon on the first records. His best song was You Won't Have To Cry. Surprised it did not make any lists. Had an interesting career after leaving with some awesome albums that couldn't get any play. For me Sweetheart was a grower. Took a while to get used to the stone country sound. In my opinion it is the best Parsons ever(yes better than any FBB). I also enjoy McGuin's solo LPs. Similar to later Byrds but more consistent. Nothing great but all are very enjoyable and worth a listen. Lastly, drummer Gene Parsons put out 2 low key albums in the 70's that are awesome.
Yay thumbs up spot on same score and position on Tambourine Kramzer🤠🤠🤠...not sure why so many rate it highly but agreed with your points too. Nice one
Hey guys. Really enjoy your show. It would be nice if you could put how many stars you've given each album in the listography text with the album title and year. Just a suggestion. Enjoyed you lists of the year as well. *******
McGuinn has a great 12 string solo on Tiffany Queen and there is some pretty rocking live footage of the McGuinn-White-Battin-Parsons lineup.
What a fantastic band!
Their first 6 records (released within 3 years!) are incredibly solid, filled with wonderful songs and so inventive.
It's amazing how quickly they evolved and constantly came up with a new sound that single-handedly created a new genre one after the other.
This is my list:
1. Younger Than Yesterday (1967). 9
2.Fifth Dimension (1966).8.75
3.Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965). 8.5
4.Mr. Tambourine Man (1965). 8.5
5.Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968). 8.25
6.The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). 8
7.Untitled (1970). 7.75
8.Ballad Of Easy Rider (1969).7.5
9.Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (1969). 7.25
10.Farther Along (1971). 6.75
11.The Byrds (1973). 6
12.Byrdmaniax (1971). 5
12. Birdmaniax
11. 5th Dimension
10. Farther Along
9. The Notorious Byrd Brothers
8. Ballad of Easy Rider
7. Byrds
6. Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde
5. Untitled
4. Younger Than Yesterday
3. Mr Tambourine Man
2. Turn Turn Turn
1. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
I really really wanted to do a full proper ranking of The Byrds this week but my week went awry this weekend and I wasn't able to find the time or focus to finish. I listened to everything up to The Ballad of Easy Rider, although sounds like I didn't miss too much with those last few albums. I own their first 6 albums and was familiar with them before this but really hadn't heard anything after Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I've always been familiar with The Byrds to some degree as my dad is a fan so I heard them growing up. The first album of theirs that I really got into on my own though was Sweetheart of the Rodeo in the later 00s. I discovered it around the same time as The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons solo albums and Gene Clark's White Light. I think what brought me to all of that was Raising Sand by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. I fell in love with their cover of "Through the Morning, Through the Night" and looked into the original by Dillard and Clark which lead me to everything else. So yes, my number one is definitely Sweetheart of the Rodeo but I really love the first 5 albums too. I really enjoy the different directions they went into in such a short time, it makes for an interesting listen. Great episode and discussion, it's always interesting when all three of you have different number ones.
Good to see The Notorious Byrd Brothers getting some love 👍
10) Farther Along
9) Ballad of Easy Rider
8) Byrds
7) Untitled
6) The fifth dimension
5) Mr Tambourine man
4) Sweetheart of the Rodeo
3) Turn, Turn, Turn
2) Younger than Yesterday
1) The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Notorious is a country album at its heart drenched in psychedelia. I think if Jason listens to the album again and focuses on the country maybe the rest will begin to make sense. I do agree that "Mind Gardens" is the clunker on the otherwise perfect "Younger Than Yesterday". Great comments by Joe and Kramzer on "Sweetheart.."...Beautiful record!
As a Byrds fan since the beginning, yours is one of the only comments worth reading on here, so i thankyou for that .
Very influential band. My favorite genre of music "jangle pop" started here.
Love this band so much too five will tell me how I rank you guys
I've always been a fan of the Byrds, especially since my college days in the late 80's. I recently did a fresh deep dive when youtuber Shannon Talks Music did a video about them, and so I've been looking forward to your takes. All your lists are good, and unpredictable.
1. Younger than yesterday
2. Fifth dimension
3. Mr. Tambourine man
4. Notorious byrd brothers
5. Sweetheart of the rodeo
6. Turn turn turn
7. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde
8. Ballad of Easy Rider
9. (Untitled)
10. Farther along
11. Byrds
12. Byrdmaniax
Excellent in depth discussion of a sometimes great, sometimes not influential band from the 60's. As someone who listened to this band from the beginning I too have rediscovered and changed my assessment of some of the albums over the years. I especially like how you all deviate from conventional wisdom on some of the albums; i.e., Byrdmaniax has always been criticized for overproduction that drowned out the songs, but as you rightly point out the songs basically suck and the production somewhat salvaged the end result.
My top five best to worse
1. Notorious
2. Younger than yesterday
3. Mr trombrone man
4. 5d
5. Sweetheart
@Joe The Byrds/Hugh Masakela collaboration comes from the Monterey festival in 1967 where they both played. Masakela jammed with them and they asked him to the album sessions. Those were the times...
My rating of the first six albums (before I watch):
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Turn! Turn! Turn!
Mr. Tambourine Man
Younger than Yesterday
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Fifth Dimension
I was a teenager when the Byrds LP's were originally released. I was an avid fan right from the get-go. I looked forward to a new Byrds LP as much as I looked forward to a new Beatles LP or a new Rolling Stones LP. Their music has definitely stood the test of time.
Thankfully, the Legacy Edition of "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" features the Gram Parsons vocal takes on the songs that wound up being being overdubbed by McGuinn. McGuinn admitted he was basically imitating Parsons who was the more natural country singer.
Good show! The Notorious Byrd Brothers is criminally underrated. Change is Now is such a good song. Giant Sand does a decent cover of it. The cover of the record is funny since Crosby left before the photo shoot, thus, the horse.
My review of the reviews. Much better this week. Loved the details and enthusiasm.
1. Joe - 5* - Great list and love the commentary about Sweetheart
2. Kranz - 3.5* - Good smarmy comments but the stars are too low.
3. Jason - 2.5* - Album order is out of whack, but we love you man.
Joe earned a 5* in my book simply for his flabbergastedness over Jason’s gem find in the Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde album.
@@josejones Lol, yeah, that was a definite highlight.
I'm gonna go Kram 5* (we clicked on many points ....our no.1s and Mr Tambourine and fair comments throughout)
Joe 4* (undoubted love for the Byrds but some oversights typical of personal attachments...Im often just as guilty)
Jason 3* ( a couple of really wild rankings a bit ott....but that's ok.....it's Jason🤠)
So for my listening suggestions I should go with Joe I guess. Got it.
I bought a 25 song compilation CD called "Full Flyte" on Raven records many years ago. I listen to it from time to time and like it. Don't have any of the individual LPs but would pick up anything up to Sweetheart if I saw it at a record fair or in a charity shop. I have Gene Clark's No Other CD which is one of a kind and really worth getting, along with Burrito Deluxe by the Flying Burrito Brothers. Surprised that Eight Miles High didn't feature on the guys' songs of the year picks.
It just missed mine. - Joe
McGuinn is credited on four songs on Younger Than Yesterday: "So You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star", "CTA 102", "Renaissance Fair" and "Why". Lead vocal on "My Back Pages". I do feel he stepped back a bit, and almost effaced himself on this album.
If he did it made for a well rounded album with strong contributions from Crosby and especially Hillman.
Great video. Always great to hear some Gene Clarke love.
Joe - have you heard his track Hear the Wind? It's a beauty.
Not sure if I have … is it on one of his solo albums? - Joe
Yessir, it's on Two Sides to Every Story, the one he did after the mighty No Other.
I’ve definitely heard it then. But I’ve only listened to that album once or twice because I can’t stop listening to No Other. - Joe
No Other is incredible. Very addictive for an album apparently recorded on cocaine...
Geez, interesting run-down. I'm a long-term Byrds fan who remembers when Mr Tambourine Man was the hit of the day. Few things you've missed - they were the "American Beatles" because they traded albums and sounds with the Beatles for a few years (and they had the same publicist, Derek Taylor). The Beatles did a few songs imitating the Byrds sound as a tribute, and they used to send each other tapes/messages.
Every Byrds album represents a step in their musical evolution, and in the evolution of pop/rock: Mr Tambourine Man was a revolutionary album sonically, but still rooted in the folk songs they had all been playing up until then. Turn Turn Turn and 5D moved gradually away from folk/Dylan roots, but introduced jazz/raga and psychedelic influences (8MH), and by this stage they were being exposed to drugs and the West Coast acid scene (especially Crosby). Younger than Yesterday moved right into this new area, without Clark, and with Hillman taking a front stage role for the first time and writing songs as well, and Crosby's songs starting to go off onto the Jefferson Airplane psychedelic road (Mind Garden, Triad, and Wooden Ships which the band didn't want to do, so he left). What you've missed here is that Clarence White turns up on several of these songs, and really introduces the "Bakersfield sound" that shifts the Byrds across a few lanes musically (e.g. on Time Between). Notorious is indeed a masterpiece - stripped back group, but again, Clarence White is right at the centre of much of it musically, especially the amazing "Wasn't Born to Follow".
Clarence was a legendary guitarist already, already considered one of the top bluegrass guitarists, inspiring followers like Jerry Garcia, and he switched to electric when the bluegrass circuit dried up. So the Byrds were already going down a country/trad music road with Clarence being used in the studio when Gram Parsons showed up, and they were all ready to go the next step.
Sweetheart included session musicians like John Hartford, who was a master of old-timey sound, and when you added in Clarence White you got an authentic re-interpretation of rural music for a modern audience - Gram's "Cosmic American Music". Gram and Hillman took off to keep this strand going in the Burritos, but it is worth noting the Gene Clark had already got there with his first album (again with Clarence), and The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark, and this engendered a whole slab of 70's and subsequent music (Eagles, Ronstadt, Denver,,,,). There were contractual issues with Gram's vocals, but you can now hear his original vocals on the expanded versions of the album. McGuinn tried to copy his styling with his re-recorded vocals, so I don't place a lot of credit on it being malicious.
Following the departure of Hillman and Parsons, McGuinn turned to Clarence, who had really been with him on the journey for several years already, and added in his pal Gene Parsons. The subsequent albums are quite different, but really are perhaps best seen as showcasing Clarence's guitar melded with McGuinn's Byrds heritage. Clarence went from being one of the clearest and most precise of acoustic guitarists to a fuzz-heavy electrified guitar sound that was the structure that carried songs along without being showy or obvious. (an anti-guitar hero guitar hero). Guitarists (including Jimi Hendrix) used to line up on the left side of venues to watch Clarence play live because he was doing amazing things that blew their minds. After Dr Byrds, they spent a lot of time playing live, and kept a bluegrass streak in their show. Some of the recordings from these shows are phenomenal. Personally, I love "Ballad of Easy Rider," which is a further evolution of their "mountain stream meets electric guitar" journey. Dylan actually said that their version of Baby Blue was much better than his own.
Untitled/Unissued has great live cuts, which show what the band was mostly doing with their time. The studio sides, though, stand as fairly perfect examples of Clarence's construction of acoustic/electric soundscapes, with intricate picking and soaring steel sounds disappearing behind the lyrics and harmonies. Gram came back for this album, and played piano and sang harmony on "All the Things", and he and Clarence actually planned to start playing together later, when Clarence was killed. Byrdmaniax and Farther Along are two albums sadly in search of inspiration and song-writing, but both have their moments, and Bugler is still one of the saddest songs you'll ever want to hear.
McGuinn was a phenomenal and ground-breaking guitarist, and the original Byrds (Clark, Crosby, Hillman) spawned so many different offshoots and imitators around the globe that their legacy can't be underestimated. Clarence took guitar to a whole new place, and there is a dedicated crew of guitarists who are still trying to pin down what he did and how. Each of their records belong in their respective times, but were almost always ahead of the wave, with others trying to catch up. Byrds was a mistake, apparently engendered by Crosby, but I saw McGuinn Clark and Hillman, and McGuinn and Hillman solo a few times, and they were/are still amazing.
It is worth listening to "Silver Meteor" and "the New Kentucky Colonels live" in Sweden or Holland to hear where Clarence was going before he was killed. He probably would have been a massive icon like Ry Cooder or Jerry Douglas if someone arsehole hadn't got drink and decided to drive.
Farther Along is underrated
12. Byrds
In theory, a reunion album should have been a surefire win, but it’s clear that no one’s heart was really in this, particularly Crosby and Hillman. Roger McGuinn’s “Sweet Mary” is haunting and beautiful, and Clark’s “Full Circle” is fine. The rest are tuneless and forgettable without any of the Byrds’ signature harmonies.
11. Turn! Turn! Turn!
The first three tracks are nice enough, but this mostly feels like leftovers from the Mr. Tambourine Man sessions, with tepid Dylan covers and uninspired originals. Why was “She Don’t Care About Time” left off the album? It’s better than any of these.
10. Farther Along
A somewhat tired final album for this lineup, but it has its moments. Clarence White’s “Bugler” is beautiful, “Antique Sandy” has a nice sound to it, and the title track is a good cover. It also features "America’s Great National Pastime,” which is far and away the worst song in their whole discography.
9. Byrdmaniax
Yes, this features two terrible Skip Battin songs (“Tunnel of Love,” “Citizen Kane”), and yes Terry Melcher took a big Spector all over the productions. However, the gospel stuff works pretty well, and “Jamaica Say You Will” and “Pale Blue” are really nice tunes.
8. Fifth Dimension
As with a lot of Byrds’ albums, it starts off strong and kind of peters out at the end. “Eight Miles High” is the only memorable track on side two, but I love the title track and the cover of “Wild Mountain Thyme.”
7. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde
A bit of a transitional album as McGuinn had all new bandmates here, but the first half is really nice. As for the second side, “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man” is as great of a country rock song as anything the Flying Burrito Brothers ever put out, but the last few tracks are pretty bland.
6. Younger Than Yesterday
Chris Hillman really starts showing off here, as he contributes some great country rock, as well as some amazing bass playing. “Renaissance Faire” is a perfect slice of baroque pop, but I find “C.T.A.-102” and “Mind Gardens” to be quite annoying.
5. (Untitled)
Some of McGuinn’s absolute best songwriting, complemented by Clarence White’s lovely guitar work. “Just a Season” feels like his spin on “My Back Pages,” and “Chestnut Mare” is a beautiful ballad. It’s not a perfect album, but it’s pretty great.
4. Ballad of Easy Rider
It might be mostly a covers album, but so is Sweetheart of the Rodeo. In spite of a few tracks that don’t quite work (“Oil in My Lamp,” ”Fido”), there’s a wistful, late-night reflective quality to this album that I’ve always loved. Gene Parsons has a great, straightforward country voice that really makes his songs shine, and the title track is perfection in two minutes.
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
Still one of the greatest debuts of all time. That jangly 12-string guitar creates some beautiful sounds right out of the gate, and it doesn’t let up until the end. McGuinn’s has one of my favorite voices of all time, and the harmonies are gorgeous.
2. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
It invented country rock, but despite my love of country and rock, this one didn’t click for me at first. I love it now though, as the covers and the Gram Parsons originals are all great. Subtle, understated, and brilliant.
1. The Notorious Byrd Brothers
No contest, one of the greatest albums of all time. A folk/psychedelic rock symphony in under 30 minutes, as each song carries over into the next a year before the Abbey Road medley. It’s hard to even pick out favorite songs, because you have to listen to it as one package. Brilliant from start to finish.
That's a massive underrating of Turn, Turn, Turn and overrating of Easy Rider. Otherwise I'm pretty much with you, especially regarding #1, my favourite album of all time.
I think you are spot on with Ballad 👍👍 I love it....but I'm where you started with Rodeo....was a honky tonky chore....
@@Ianmackable Oh yeah, I'm totally aware I'm in the minority in regards to both of those haha.
It was Nashville session players, Earl Ball, on piano and Lloyd Green on steel guitar that gave Sweetheart it's nostalgic feel.
My favourite Byrds' is The Notorious Byrd Brothers. All the previous albums are great. I never listened to what came after.
Im still getting into The Byrds but I absolutely love Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde! Its probably the most country like music Ive enjoyed yet, and I really love that hint of psychedelia thats within the jamming. My favorites songs have to be Wheels on Fire, Candy, and Drug Store Truck Drivin Man.
dr byrds and mr hyde is my #1 album , on my list !! Cheers!!!
I'm with you Joe the Byrds we're a great band. Love them
Dylan's original of My Back Pages was released two years before the Byrds cover. But I agree that the Byrds improved it.
They improved most of the Dylan songs they covered, IMO. Their versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Spanish Harlem Incident," "All I Really Want to Do," "Chimes of Freedom," "My Back Pages," and "This Wheel's on Fire" all improved on his original recordings.
Hopefully the panel is already aware that later editions of Sweetheart include bonus tracks that restore more of Gram’s lead vocals. It’s now possible to assemble a version of Sweetheart that has Gram as the dominant lead singer. If this version were the original it might be my favorite Byrds album. As it was originally, it’s my third-favorite, after Notorious and Younger.
I find The Byrds a bit strange in that while I always quite enjoy their records, most of their songs and track lists don't stick in my mind. Even though I've owned all their records for years, I couldn't tell you which song is on which record, and I probably wouldn't be able to write down a list of even 10 self-penned Byrds songs without having immediately just heard them. Having said all that, 'Eight Miles High' and 'Feel A Lot Better' are two of my favourite songs of all time.
Love the Byrds and agree largely with the grouping of the later albums as the weakest. Their constant line up changes make it tricky to get a grip on their sound, I think. I'd probably go for Notorious Byrd Bros as my favourite, just for the warm sound of it and some very strong songs. Ballad of Easy Rider is underrated- love their cover of It's All Over Now. Worst moment? Probably their cover of Hey Joe on 5th Dimension, really awful! Great vid.
poco and dan hicks both worth a deep dive
12. Byrdmaniax
11. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde (in one ear, out the other, even though it rocks harder)
10. Byrds
9. Farther Along
8. Easy Rider
7. Turn, Turn, Turn
6. Sweetheart of the Rodeo (drastic change. I prefer Gram Parsons on his own and with the Burrito Brothers. The first two tracks are incredible though)
5. Untitled
4. 5th Dimension (One of the strongest first halves, drops off a cliff in quality on the second half)
3. Mr. Tambourine Man (most consistent work, very pleasing to the ear)
2. The Notorious Byrd Brothers
1. Younger than Yesterday (The psychedelia was a little less on the nose than on Notorious. Its more tasteful and just so effortlessly great)
I pretty much agree. As a long time Byrds fan I think I would swap 6 and 7 and also 11 and 12. Dr Byrds vinyl recording is bad.
I agree with Jason on the top pick being Younger than Yesterday even on the only drawback being Mind Gardens. though I am willing to overlook this one transgression for the rest of the albums excellence and give it 5 stars. I think it is their most complete and emotionally resonant album that encompasses all their finest qualities and greatest range of styles with the big exception of the exit of Gene Clark. For me, it is the masterpiece for those with a short attention span because of the exceedingly short running times that still manage to expand the mind within a contracted format. The experience is simultaneously claustrophobic and kaleidoscopic, spaced out and down to earth, like the tunnel vision of mushrooms creating the mirage of a surrealistic collage. One quality that distinguishes Younger than Yesterday from their other releases are genuine dance tracks done with excellent rhythmic precision, namely the salsa tinged satiric smile and bite of So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star, which seems tailor made lyrically for the later likes of influencing Tom Petty, and Time Between which is a harmonically rich hippy two step with a tasty guitar break to add to the ho down hallucination. Then, there is Crosby's psychedelic simmering in Everyone Has Been Burned anticipating a break up with a purgatory sense of dense smoky atmosphere that simultaneously suffocates and liberates the mind as the singer resigns himself to the consequences of intimacy. And then there are the jagged edges that shine like Have You Seen Her Face which combines a dreamy and danceable harmony with a shattered glass sounding guitar solo as if the mirror of her reflection is being smashed in his mind. But the peak for me and their psychedelic masterpiece is Thoughts and Words a nightmare journey into a spaced out recounting of the destruction of a romantic ideal that may or may not have been consummated in real life. The ambiguity makes it even more disturbing yet enticing. The highlights are the deep thumping of the foreboding bass, the twangy and spacy sounding guitar that seems to combine the mysticism of the Indian sound with a homegrown back woods mushroom induced sensation and the reverb and phase shifting buzzing sound giving a sense of being trapped in a tunnel visioned delusion. And finally there is the beautifully disturbing duality of the harmonies one grounded in a lower more monotone key that picks up into a higher and more hysterically tinged chorus and the lush layering and building with the high pitched accompaniment added to "One day you came into my life" when it is repeated."
Renaissance Fair is a quick recounting of a time trip to the a 16th century open air market with the guitar licks taking a detour to Japan and India with some bizarre but enticing instrumental spice that always makes my eye brows rise when listening as if visualizing a hysterical scene in Kabuki theater.
A great song to consider for best song is the unknown flip side on the Old John Robertson 45 single and it's called Lady Friend. It might not quite make it in some top 10 song lists, but it's a great song and could have been a radio hit. One of my top Byrds songs.
Notorious at 7???🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 Jason....cmon man....😂 Now you are pushing it...I love dolphin smile 🐬🐬🐬😀♥️
1) Tambourine Man - 5*
2) Sweetheart of the Rodeo - 4.5*
3) Fifth Dimension - 4.5*
4) Turn! Turn! Turn! - 4*
5) The Notorious Byrd Brothers - 4*
6) Younger Than Yesterday - 3.5*
7) Untitled - 3*
8) Byrdmaniax - 3*
9) Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde - 2.5*
10) Ballad of Easy Rider - 2.5*
11) Byrds - 2*
Clarence White was absolutely brilliant. My favorite song on Sweetheart of the Rodeo is One Hundred Years From Now. The combination of steel guitar and Clarence chiming in, basically playing his Tele with a banjo technique. That stuff, along with those timeless all things fade lyrics just gets me everytime. I always wish the ride-out lasted longer. It fades too quick. I can listen to Clarence do that all day. What he did with The Byrds was nice but he and his brother Roland were the real deal. An amazing acoustic guitar player, he had the admiration of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and many other great bluegrass pickers. Marty Stewart owns that famous Telecaster played by Clarence now. A worthy player and performer in his own right.
I like a bunch of songs by the Byrds. A list of 10 would be tough to settle on. I'll refrain for now. I'd say that about 20 songs from their first four albums are stone-cold classics.
Then again, I loved the comment that Younger Than Yesterday had been called “the west coast Revolver”. Perfect.
Nice call, Neil Young's cover of Oh Susannah is great. Also I do like the Byrds (Crosby) cover of For Free. Even though that reunion album does not sound like the Byrds
Joe love your story about sweetheart , I was that way with flying burrito brothers , it let me expand more
Nice show guys, but you´re missing the main factor here: GARY USHER, who produced their 3 best and most creative / innovative albums. A safe statement would be that he was responsible for at least 50 % of the outcome. Be sure to listen to the 2 fantastic GARY USHER BYRDS INTERVIEWS on RUclips where he´s telling the whole story. You will be amazed !!!
Nice channel guys! How about ranking Thin Lizzy albums at some point? 🙂
They’re on our very long to-do list. We’ll get to them eventually. -Jason
Got into the Byrds as a senior in HS in 1972 so my choices reflect how I felt at the time. Became one of my top 5 bands along with Beatles, Beach Boys, Moody Blues, and The Who. Their country stuff never appealed to me in the slightest. Besides I was a huge Gene Clark fan. Saw him play live in LA just before he died in 1991. I sat about 15 feet from where he was playing. He looked terrible and you could tell something was wrong. But he sounded great.
12. Farther Along
11. Byrdmaniax
10. Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde
9. Sweetheart of the Rodeo
8. Easy Rider
7. Untitled
6. Byrds
5. Younger than Yesterday
4. The Notorious Byrd Brothers
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
2. Turn, Turn, Turn
1. 5th Dimension