Byrds Nyrds: Talk about anything Byrds related here (Part 03)

I have conflicting thoughts about The Notorious Byrd Brothers. It's my favorite Byrds album (with Younger Than Yesterday coming in a close second), but since it clocks in at less than 29 minutes, it's over too soon. On the other hand, maybe its brevity is part of its charm (As Elton John wrote in his intro to Rolling Stone's latest edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, "Great albums ought to be short. The shorter the better. When I see a CD with 17 tracks, I groan." Not that I completely agree with him, but it's better to have a shorter album that's solid from beginning to end than a "generous" one that's loaded up with filler.). I don't think Crosby's "Triad" or "Lady Friend" would have fit the overall vibe of the album, but Crosby did make some brilliant contributions to the finished album (enough to warrant putting his picture on the cover). Should the guitar solos on "Change is Now" and "Tribal Gathering" have been longer or was it just enough without wearing out its welcome? I guess I love the album just the way it is.

 

If Chris and Roger had not kicked David out of the band,we would never have gotten If I Could Only Remember My Name.

 

That raises an interesting question. One of the beefs the other Byrds had with Crosby was his performing with Buffalo Springfield at Monterey. At the time Crosby was given the boot, the notion of a member of a band being a solo artist in any meaningful way didn't exist. When Crosby joined Stills and then Nash, the idea of being both a group and solo was baked into the cake, as evidenced by the name they chose for their new group. This concept was the product of the three of those guys' experiences in their former groups.

If Crosby had not been kicked out, how likely is it that the Byrds would have embraced the idea of being both a solo artist and in a group? It doesn't seem likely given that future and current members left the group to never return. And how would Hillman and McGuinn have ever tolerated that from Crosby? This was arguably the only time in Crosby's career during which he was even remotely prolific. He needed to find a different outlet for his work. The only way to get to something like If I Could Only Remember My Name was to not be in the Byrds. What are the chances that any of Crosby's 1968 songs would have been welcomed by the group? "Guinnevere", "Long Time Gone", "Almost Cut My Hair", "Laughing", "Games", "Kids And Dogs", "The Wall Song"? There could have been potential objections to any of those songs on either musical or conceptual grounds.

I really can't see how there was any viable alternative than for Crosby to be out of the Byrds.

 

Aside from Traction and Laughing I really don't get the love for that album.

 

There's another quote from VDP... out there... that he essentially had no clue what he was doing when he showed up at the Byrds session and just winged it-- the very definition of a happy accident. He was very young at the time, but clearly nailed it and went on to write some proto-Springfield songs with Steve Stills like "Hello, I've Returned". This is all pre-Smile.

Anyone have that VDP quote?

 

It's my favorite Byrds album too. I own two copies - the '97 remaster (stereo) and the MFSL (mono). Unlike YTY where I prefer the mono mix of the album, I strongly prefer the stereo mix of Notorious. Because of that, I find myself listening to the '97 remaster most of the time and it has the bonus tracks with Triad, etc. So, I never really find myself listening to the album proper. Those bonus tracks really add length to the experience. I've probably listened to the guys fighting in the studio hundreds of times by now! Ha!

 

Or ' The Name Above The Title.

(C) F Capra

 

So having recently acquired the whole Desert Rose Band catalog, I divided my favorite songs from it into 2 CDRs. I had trouble enjoying the original albums because about half of the tracks had closer to a traditional country sound and about half of them (including most of the hits) had these in your face 80s drums and production style. I can enjoy either when I am in the mood for it, but when regularly switching from one to the other (as the albums were originally sequenced), the 80s sound tunes bugged me. So I now have 2 CDRs of DRB to listen to, one with their older school country sound and one with their 80s sound. Great tracks on each, and now I can stay in the mood I choose for 80 minutes.

 

What are their best country tracks? Not investigated them yet.

 

I think Crosby's "Triad" or "Lady Friend" would have fit the overall vibe of the album. They are two great tracks.

 

It's the whole loose stoned vibe of the album..that works for me. It reminds me of McCartney's 1st record...loose, half baked fun.

 

I will have to refer to my comps and get back to you. Desert Rose itself is one example.

Oddly, the songs with the strongest country pedigree are often done more in the 80s style. Ashes of Love for example has a great country pedigree, but they do that one with the in your face 80s drums. Probably a good call as it was a big hit for them and is a lot of fun if you are in the mood for it.

 

I've been exploring the solo careers of The Byrds original members and have been working on making some fantasy albums. Imagine the 1973 reunion album had of been a success and had spawned a world tour, they would probably have gone on to make many more albums in the 1970's.

I'm gonna start here though with the year 1977 in which all four songwriters from the original band had records out:

Roger - Thunderbyrd

Gene - Two Sides To Every Story

Chris - Clear Sailin'

David - CSN

So what to include on a 45 min album?

Let's start with Roger and his Thunderbyrd album... I really like a couple of is originals on this record. It's Gone and I'm Not Lonely Anymore are suitably Byrdsy, lots of 12 string. Russian Hill is good, I appreciate it a lot more now I have been to San Francisco - it's like he is describing my trip! Dixie Highway is not going to make the cut, it's just not Byrdsy enough for me and not a great song. Covers wise I really like Why Baby Why, it's like a Sweetheart outtake and one of my favourites here. Golden Loom is Dylan so should be included on that basis alone, it's a little mediocre though. So here's my Roger selections to frame the album around...

It's Gone 3.59

Why Baby Why 3.52

I'm Not Lonely Anymore 3.12

Golden Loom 4.10

Russian Hill 5.09

Next up is Gene's Two Sides album. I have a crackly copy of this album but I do have the three tracks included on Flying High which are all great (and for me the albums highlights) so I'm going with those...

Past Addresses 5.39

Silent Crusade 4.15

Hear The Wind 3.07

I recently got Chris' Clear Sailin' album. It's a very polished record but much of the material is not really my cup of tea, but it has a few choice Byrdsy numbers... Fallen Favourite is really quite good and has a great 12 string sound to it that could almost be Roger - I'm going for that one. Quits is great but not so Byrds like, Rollin and Tumblin has Byrdsy 12 string but the song is lacking for me and Clear Sailin is more CSN to me although it has Michael Clarke on tambourine - so nearly included it for that!

Fallen Favourite 3.32

Lastly we have David's contributions to the 1977 CSN album... Shadow Captain is just too much an ensemble performance so that's out. Anything At All is ok, but I'm going to include In My Dreams, one of my favourite Crosby songs of this era.

In My Dreams 5.12

So I'm going with this tracklisting for now...


The Byrds | Thunder Byrds | 1977

It's Gone - Roger

Fallen Favourite - Chris

Why Baby Why - Roger

Silent Crusade - Gene

Russian Hill - Roger

Hear The Wind - Gene

I’m Not Lonely Anymore - Roger

In My Dreams - David

Golden Loom - Roger

Past Addresses - Gene

Expanded Re-issue CD would add - Quits, Rollin and Tumblin, Clear Sailin and Anything At All...

Anyone agree or disagree with my inclusions/omissions?

 

I think Chris' "Clear Sailing" with Roger's 12 string and Gene and Croz harmonizing would have been a stellar Byrds track. Not to mention the thematic resonance of Crosby's love for sailing (boats and pharmaceuticals)

 

I doubt the Byrds would have been able to stand it for David Crosby, but this really did happen with Gene Clark. He left/was forced out of the group in early 1966, released a solo single ("Echoes") and album, played shows with his own Gene Clark Group, and then rejoined the Byrds in 1968. It wasn't to be, but he did make small contributions to Notorious to compensate for Crosby's absence. And all this happened before CSN.

I say it wouldn't have happened for Crosby simply because Gene always saw himself as a team player, while Crosby always saw groups as a vehicle for his own personality.

 

Do any of you know if the 1990 Byrds reunion with McGuinn, Crosby & Hillman yielded any other recording sessions aside from the 4 new studio songs and 2 live songs from the Roy Orbison tribute show they recorded specifically for The Byrds box set? I would be delighted to hear more recordings from that session, or at least some unreleased live recordings from their reunion gigs.

I had read that those Byrds sessions grew into a last-minute gathering where Roger and David joined Chris in the Nashville studio to be backed by The Desert Rose Band, who were working on their next album.

Apparently, The Byrds reunion was prompted by a lawsuit which Roger, David and Chris filed in 1989, against former drummer Michael Clarke for touring with Skip Battin in his own version of The Byrds. Michael Clarke had previously been part of Gene Clark's "20th Anniversary Celebration of the Byrds," in the mid 1980s. There was similar controversy surrounding that tour, since Gene was directly or indirectly allowing venues to book this band's shows as "The Byrds," or other similar billings.

The only Way McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman could safely claim"The Byrds" legal trademark was to reunite and record new material. The reunion consisted of select tour dates in 1989, followed by the new recordings.

 

It is true that the live shows they did starting in 1988 and early 1989 were an attempt to establish claim on the "Byrds" trademark. But by the time they did those new recordings (in August 1990) they had already dropped their lawsuit, after a judge had ruled against their request for a preliminary injunction against Clarke's use of the name. The judge's ruling (in May 1989) led them to conclude it was likely they would lose their case and it wasn't worth the expense to go forward. So the motivation for the reunion tracks was not to reclaim the trademark.

 

I have also been trying to make Byrds albums from the 1970s and onward. I recently acquired Gene's Two Sides and McGuinn's albums. I still need to buy Hillman's two albums from 1976 and 1977. I would probably keep Crosby two songs that he sings lead on from CSN. I like to have at least two songs from each member. I need to listen more to McGuinn albums to get a better feel for them. 5 songs may be too many for him during this period. I will need to investigate him more. Gene's album is pretty good. I will try and listen specifically for Byrds style songs from him. Still I like the idea of keeping The Byrds going throughout the 1970s. Keep up the good work.

 

Plus these others...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOQKghkyIvA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6frt9QKIT_s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6frt9QKIT_s

 

Here's more...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02mW2pg3xNE&index=3&list=PLeebKpjlczJ5hAJB56gy748OKN7Am8G2k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksIxcwEWHM0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA2IYnGRYac

 

Wayne - a kindred spirit! I agree Crosby should have 2 songs, but I guess I'm making these albums for my own pleasure and Anything At All is not as good as the other songs I included. I could bump off Golden Loom I guess... Would love to know what you think of McGuinn's output, I explored his stuff first and was pretty underwhelmed but some of it has grown on me.

Those Hillman albums are hard to find on CD but are both on Spotify and iTunes, I was lucky enough to get Clear Sailin on CD from eBay, still looking for Slippin Away.

 

Presumably a soundboard exists of this stuff? Would make an amazing live CD - they sound really good!

 

Just listened back to part of my Desert Rose Band compilation on the ride in this morning. A few I would list are:

Time Between (bluegrass style);
Once More
Hard Times (both a bluegrass country synthesis)
Hello Trouble (Bakersfield sound)
Homeless (straight country but with lyrics a bit more socially conscious)

I'll drop back in with some more examples after I listen to more of the disc on my commute home

 

Somewhere over the rainbow there is a recording of the electric set from 5th January 1989 at Bacchanal, San Diego, Ca.. In a similar location there's a recording of the solo acoustic preamble from the previous night at the Coach House, San Juan Capistrano.

 

Probably not going to get any argument on this page, but it recently occurred to me that if you take the Byrds and all the subsequent acts featuring former members of the Byrds you have a more impressive musical output than for any other American band:

Not even counting pre-Byrds activities (Les Baxter's Balladeers, New Christy Minstrels, The Hillman, Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, International Submarine Band, accompanying Bobby Darin and Judy Collins), from the original 5 you have:

The Byrds
McGuinn Clark & Hillman
Roger McGuinn solo career
Thunderbyrd
Rolling Thunder Revue
Gene Clark solo career
Gene Clark & The Group
GC & the Godsin Bros
Dillard and Clark Expedition
Silverado
Firebyrd
Gene Clark & Carla Olson
Firebyrd
20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds
David Crosby solo career
C&N
CSN
CSNY
CPR
Flying Burrito Brothers
Souther Hillman Furay
Manassas
Chris Hillman solo career
Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen
Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen
Desert Rose Band

Then from subsequent Byrds you have:
Gram Parsons' solo career
The White Brothers
Muleskinner
Gene Parsons' solo career
Skip Battin's solo career

That, my friends, is a treasure trove Americana that cannot be beat. And I'm probably missing half a dozen that you can fill in for me.
OK maybe the many activities of Jerry Garcia and other members of the GD come close artistically, but not commercially.