'Classic Track' for discussion: 'Mr. Tambourine Man' - The Byrds

Friends,

It is Sunday again and time for in-depth discussion of another classic track. I know that this historic recording has been discussed here before but, perhaps we can shed some new light on it's recording and history.

In preparation for this thread, I pulled all the versions of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' that I have in the archives (7). I will center my discussion on three (3) versions - (2) Stereo mixes and (1) Mono mix:

1) Taken from the Razor & Tie CD "Changing Times" - Stereo mix mastered by Steve Hoffman. This version is mastered to sound very clean, dynamic and yet warm. The bass line is dry. When I play this track at higher volume it sounds most compelling. I believe that this version is a very credible rendering of the sound of the master tape.

2) Taken from "The Bryds Greatest Hits" - Stereo mix mastered by Vic Anesini. The differences between this version and the SH mastered version are, at best, subtle but, upon close listening, there are differences in the sound. Vic has mastered the bass to sound slightly less dry with just a tad less dynamics. As stated, these differences are very subtle and only recognizable upon a close A/B listening session.

3) Taken from the Ace UK "Chartbusters, Vol. # 2" - Mono mix mastered by Duncan Cowell. The Mono mix is the sound of the original hit 45 and the track has a very different sound as a result. This version is much more compressed than the Stereo mix. The Guitar is mixed higher in the mix while the vocals are more buried. The bass line is more prominent and I can distinctly hear the kick drum on the beat. Because of the mix differences and the original compression, the Mono mix has more in your face impact.

I like both the Stereo mix and the Mono mix but, for different reasons. The 'audiophile' mastering by Steve is sheer listening delight while the Mono mix has that historic nostalgia hearkening back to the days I listened to this hit in 1965 on a tube AM Radio.

Here is the story of 'Mr. Tambourine Man':

Originally, The Bryds were a half-formed notion, an idea waiting to happen. David Crosby, Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn were three ex-folkies with a strong grasp of harmony who together wished to form a rock band in the image of The Beatles. They cut a record for Elektra as the Beefeaters on which session men were used to cut the backing track. In late 1964, their manager, Jim Dickson got them a record deal with Columbia. They were teamed with producer Terry Melcher. Bass player Chris Hillman and untried drummer, Michael Clarke, were added to the group.

McGuinn had adapted a version of Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' to fit the Bryds style. However, Melcher felt the Bryds were not sufficiently cohesive for studio work and he brought in (3) proven session players for the historic recording date of January 20, 1965 - Larry Knechtel on bass, Jerry Cole on guitar and Hal Blaine on drums. Leon Russell, keyboards, was present but not used on the session. Only the title track and the flip, 'I Knew I'd Want You' were cut that day. The vocals were overdubbed after the backing tracks were laid down.

David Crosby knew disc jockey Tom Donahue at KYA in San Francisco and he supplied Tom with an acetate of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' to play on the air. The track was then picked up in Sacramento, Fresno and then L.A. From there, the Byrds had an international smash hit reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Please share your thoughts, observations and insights!

Bob

 

Bob, you've chosen another winner.

In addition to Roger McGuinn's signature 12-string intro, this record features one of rock's most distinctive bass lines. Who played tambourine on this track? Not Gene Clark? I recall a David Crosby radio interview: The Byrds are struggling to get by, making just enough gig money to pay the rent and put some cheeseburgers on the table. He and McGuinn are cruising in their car, one fine spring day in Hollywood. Suddenly, out of the blue, they hear on the radio the inmistakable jangle of McGuinn's Rickenbacker. At that point, they knew that they had "made it'.

Jim W.

 

Jim,

Thanks for your comments. None of my notes and publications indicate who played tambourine on the recording and considering the track's namesake, this is relevant! Good question!

Bob

 

Excerpt of author/critic Dave Marsh's write-up of Mr. Tambourine Man, which he placed at #207 of his 1001 greatest pop, rock, and soul singles:

"Anyway, even if nobody sings Dylan like Dylan, the Byrds at least came close . Their folkie vocals are too sweet to convey the lyric's pungency as well as Dylan's own wracked version - here, the song might as well really be a dopester reverie, rather than its author's more universally troubled vision. (Dylan has properly disavowed the drug connection but he's also lately tried to reduce the song to its trivial source of inspiration, a huge tambourine carried into the session by guitarist Bruce Langhorne. Which only proves that he's the worse judge of his own creations, no big surprise.)

On the other hand, the vocals don't need to be much, because they're set against the greatest electric twelve-string guitar riff ever created. Jim (later Roger) McGuinn got his start backing up pop-folkies like Judy Collins and he played a lot of Greenwich Village banjo to boot. But you'd never know it here, where playing alongside the great Los Angeles session group led by drummer Hal Blaine, he plays hot enough to make the likes of James Burton and Mickey Baker drool. That guitar lick has the guts the vocals lack and it stiffens up whatever's saccharine in the lyric. Maybe this actually is what the Beatles would have sounded like if they'd done a Dylan song."

 

Steve,

Leon Russell did play on the session. The sources that I sited said he did not. Looks like I better get that CD out right now and closely listen for Leon!

Here goes...

Bob

 

Bob, every note of the Mr Tambourine Session is available (30+ takes IIRC) and you can hear Terry Melcher specifically address Leon Russell during one of the takes.

mud-

 

Still remember hearing that song for the first time on a hot summer day back in '65, being an eight year old kid at time at the swimming pool of a freind's house during summer vacation.

Hard to believe that's close to 40 years ago now.

 

I cannot imagine what it was like to witness Beatlemania in early '64 and then only a year later get the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man".

Jim W.

 

OK! - I hear it very buried in the left channel with the bass.....hard to separate but, there it is!

I think that 'weird organ thingie' is a very accurate description. I cannot hear it on the Mono mix, BTW....

Thanks,

Steve

 

Mud,

Thanks - we have corrected some recorded history here today!

Bob

 

Bob, good. I will tell you that whatever that weird organ thingy is it is very difficult to hear. Now who played the tambourine?

mud-

 

Do you know?

Bob

 

Nope! Maybe I'll listen to those takes again. It could be an overdub? It's been awhile and listening to that stuff the first time is exciting. After that, it's kinda tedious!

mud-

 

Let's test those old Mudbone ears!

Bob

 

Maybe I'll let you test your ears!




mud-

 

Since you guys are dissecting the various instruments on this song, let me ask you something that has been a mystery to me over the years. I can't identify the instrument on the right channel mixed in with the 12 string. It has a squeeky type of sound that could be a guitar? I just can't tell. Sometimes it sounds as if it is and then it doesn't. It's a nice sound. I'm not complaining.

 

Rhythm Guitar part to my ears - like a tight bar chord?

Anyone else?

Bob

 

Hi Guys, this is very interesting stuff. I think the guitar intro was incredible and it made me save my change so I could finally buy a real cheap KENT 12 String that was reduced in price. Little did I know why at the time. It had a bolt on neck and nobody told me that you shouldn't try to tune it up to A440 pitch. HA!!! Needless to say it was no Rickenbacher, had to buy a capo and tune it done a whole step.

Being only used to the 45 mono hit mix I too have never really paid attention to the fact that there is an organ on the track. I guess I will have to find a stereo mix of this somewhere now.

Also it's cool that Terry Melcher's name was brought up. I mean it seemed to me that a lot of Columbia Recording artist's that I had records of had his name attached to it. Being my name is Terry I guess I liked seeing that on a record at such a young age.

In my mentioning this, I wanted to find out WHO this Terry was that his name attached to all these recordings on Columbia. So would I be correct to say that when I had been told that he is Doris Day's SON did I get that information right?? It's been so long ago when I found out, but who knows I could be wrong. So I'm asking if this is true or not?

 

Terry Melcher is Doris Day's son, yes!

He also produced recordings by his mother, The Rip Chords and Frankie Laine prior to his work with The Byrds according to my sources.

Bob

 

I always felt that The Beatles answer to Dylan in an Electric guitar version an vocal style was "RAIN". Basically because of John's nasal sounding vocals too. It's even him singing the the Background Harmony on "RAIN I DON'T MIND". Until very recently I always thought it was Paul, but after quite a few listens and versions I am surely positive it's John.

I seem to feel that this was a turning point in John's vocal style after RAIN came out. He would tend to sound like this more often after in later recordings.

Again one other thing that comes to mind is the recent thread about TEMPO = HIT Records. I had made a statement that a good tune is just that and that it has to have a hook. While Dylan's version of Mr Tambourine Man might not be Top 40 material the fact remains the song still had that hook. The Byrds version can hook you in just with the electric 12 string riff in the song, just as well as the nice vocal harmony for the chorus of the tune.

 

Sounds like rhythm guitar to my ears, too.

What a record! A distillation of Dylan and the Beatles, with a measure of Bach and the Beach Boys ("Don't Worry Baby") thrown in.

Jim W.