I am currently re-evaluating my various Byrds playlists and have been reminded of the instrumental tune "Flight 713". Great little track. Is it still only included on the Never Before CD, or has it made another appearance recently? I have the Never Before track, but I am just curious to know if it has been reissued at all. Listening to it, I notice it's in mono and very heavily reverbed - more than any other Byrds tracks from that time. Wonder if the reverb was added in the preparation for the Never Before CD. Also, the other day I picked up the Mono/Stereo Blue-Spec CDs of YTY, 5D and NBB. Am I right in thinking this is the first time we have had mono versions of "Why", "Psychodrama", "I Know My Rider", "Lady Friend" and "Old John Robertson" (single version) on CD?
I have the dubious honour of having started the only thread dedicated to this song. I’m not sure why I thought a two-minute instrumental would get much traction, but was heartened to see that others enjoy it as much as I.
Yes, thanks, I've already seen it! I'm sure there will be a deluxe Notorious one day and our patience will be rewarded.
The Younger than Yesterday version of "Why" was on CD for the first time in 2009 as an Audio Fidelity release. (The single version was, of course, included in mono on the Original Singles CD). I believe you're right about the rest and they are indeed exclusive to the Japanese series. They are included on the Japanese Original Singles A's and B's set as well -- even "Psychodrama" and "Rider."
"(The single version was, of course, included in mono on the Original Singles CD)" I might be mistaken, but wasn't the LP version of "Why" mistakenly present on the Original Singles CD instead of the single version?
Sorry , I was referring to the single B-side version of "Why" in mono on the 5D mono/stereo blue spec CD. The version on the Legacy remaster is stereo, and the old Original Singles cd mistakenly used the YTY version. As for Rider and Psychodrama, are these mono mixes from 1966 or recent or fold downs? Just curious.
The mono version of "I Know You Rider" is different from all stereo mixes IINM, and has an extra vocal part (Crosby singing along with the post-chorus guitar riff). It could well be a vintage mix. "Psychodrama City" I'm less sure of. I think the most likely situation is that all of the "Canceled Flytes" mono mixes and their Japanese re-releases on CD are modern.
Yes, I noticed Crosby's bit of vocal there. Reminds me of the intro in the alternate mix of "One in a Hundred". It's slightly buried - like he's trying to sneak in a little extra something without the others noticing. "Cancelled Flytes" is the missing link here for me. I somehow missed out on that, so I don't know what was on it. But I'm surprised that anyone would be doing modern (i.e. recent) mixes in mono... Though I guess we've proved there's a market for it!
I'm looking forward to going through this thread more thoroughly. Being a life-long fan and having spent many hours of days soaking in these guys, my favorite period is after Clarence White came in probably; although, there is constant phase-rotation. So for now I'll post a note on one that I like a lot... ballad up.
What one is better "The Preflyte Sessions": Byrds, The - The Preflyte Sessions 2-CD Set or "Preflyte Plus": Preflyte I know Preflyte plus has 8 bonus tracks but are they worth it? and what the sound quality between the two cds? Thanks
I can’t speak to sound quality with any level of credibility, but in terms of the content and presentation, I think the Sundazed 2-CD set is the way to go. Floating World made the odd decision to include Gene Clark’s acoustic demo of ‘She’s The Kind of Girl’ even though it was recorded in 1970, a full six years after the Preflyte era! They either didn’t know what it was after licensing the tapes, or did know and went ahead with it anyway—and simply didn’t bother to inform unsuspecting customers in the woefully uninformative notes. Elsewhere the track order doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. In fact it seems fairly random in places, with little or no thought. In short, I don’t think Plus treats the material with the respect it deserves.
Go with the Sundazed. One of the best archival releases ever, IMO. I find it mind-boggling that the other set has 8 more tracks. Honestly, you don't need them. e.g. the Sundazed gives you 3 versions of "You Movin'" and 4 of "She Has a Way". And they all have their moments!
I have just been listening to the "alternate" take of "Pretty Polly", the one included on Disc 2 of the deluxe Sweetheart. What on earth is McGuinn singing about here? It's no murder ballad. Sounds like a malaprop-style mash-up of the original - in fact, probably the most psychedelic lyric ever recorded by the Byrds. Makes "Mind Gardens" sound prosaic.
I may have asked this before in another thread and never saw an answer: Is there anything in Rogan's original Timeless Flight book that is not in Timeless Flight Revisited or Requiem For The Timeless Vol.1&2?
It is definitely one of the most quietly bizarre moments in Byrds history. It sounds like a parody, but of what I'm not sure.
Well, my interest is piqued. You’re forcing me to reacquaint myself with this; been a while since I played it.
The last few days I've made the effort of listening to all those Sweetheart bonus tracks - previously I was happy with the original album, with the Parsons vocals of "Christian Life" and "One Hundred Years" slotted in. I've played the bonuses before but never really listened to them, and only now I'm astonished by the purity of those early versions, especially Gram's various renditions of "One Hundred Years From Now" Each one is subtly different and you can tell how important the song is to him. The lyric has always intrigued me. The Hillman-McGuinn "official" version is bland - it's Gram's song. I suspect it has some connection with his family situation, but he makes it just enigmatic enough to keep us guessing. Sheer quantity sometimes prevents you from diving in, but I'm glad I did. The same with all those Preflyte sessions alternate takes. If you were to ask me which is my favourite version of "You Movin'", I'd be struggling to come up with an answer. They are all so similar yet different, and equally great. Selecting tracks for the original Preflyte album must have been a real headache.
Aw, that one's easy -- the one with the bitchin' McGuinn guitar solo! Although you're right, that's a weaker take vocally than the other one.
May be hard to answer that since all of those books are NOT in digital form making it easier to compare. Perhaps a Byrds scholar here has made notes between the three. Or perhaps you can contact Rogan himself and see what he says.
