I still think the reunion is a fine album. Could've been better. The Byrds' "Laughing" I heard before Crosby's. I prefer the looser, soggier Byrds version. First heard "Things Will Get Better" on the radio back in the day, loved it then and still do. Chunky. "For Free" is a beautiful track. "Long live the king" is a dark little curio. Gene's tracks are all stunners. I also like the way it's almost a concept album with all those veiled references to the music biz. I'd rather listen to Byrds than anything by CSNY! But none of the Byrds' albums is perfect, although "Notorious " comes close.
Anyone listen much to Roger's 70s solo albums these days? My personal fave is Thunderbyrd. I think Cardiff is stodgy and overrated . Half of Peace is magnificent, the rest is dire. And Band is not as bad as it's made out to be. The first s/t is okay apart from "M'Linda".
I put them on occasionally. Pleasant to listen to but a lot of the material is not all that memorable.
I think you have that wrong, it was Gene and David that tried a version each, no Roger version to my knowledge (which is perplexing). The people who have heard it tell me it's pretty much complete save for a minor fix required on Gene's vocal. Not sure how David's version holds up.
I do think that, although I like it, the song doesn't quite live up to it's potential. It seems like it's gonna go somewhere interesting and that little jazzy section after the first verse is one of the most musically interesting moments of the whole album for me, but yeah then it feels like they don't know where to go with the song and it sorta fizzles out.
I think Roger was on the road a lot during the making of this album so maybe that explains why he didn't do a vocal on it. It probably explains a lot, actually.
Looking at the tape box, Roger definitely did vocals on the "early version" of the track. It's not indicated which vocal is the lead vocal, but he's definitely on there. The fact that he's listed on three tracks is what made me presume that he was the lead vocal on the early version, but apparently Whin Oppice has said he believes the early version features Crosby on lead vocal.
My knowledge of Crosby's post-Byrds output is pretty limited, and I'd never heard his solo version of that song until last night when I checked it out on youtube. Wow, the solo version is MUCH better. The Byrds version seems both forced and sluggish at the same time. "Soggy" may be a good word for it, as the band sounds like they are immersed in jello as they perform. There's a palpable lack of energy. By contrast, the solo version is quite nice. I've also always preferred Gene's Roadmaster version of "Full Circle" to the Byrds version. Again, more energy. I will give the Byrds credit though that their version of "Born to RnR" is the least noxious of the three versions available, so that's something.
Gene's version of Full Circle sounds more Byrds-like, but Crosby's harmony on the Byrds version makes it the keeper for me. Laughing is an odd one - the Byrds version is pretty good and I like the sludgy sound (one man's sludge is another's soggy, I guess) but I do wonder what the point of it is as the solo version is just about perfection. Not sure how anyone thought they could improve on it.
By the way, if anyone is interested I put a stereo downmix of the Quad version of I Want to Grow Up to Be a Politician on youtube. Producing a stereo downmix wasn't entirely successful as you lose certain elements, but one thing that stands out is a guitar part from Clarence that's totally missing from the standard stereo mix - have absolutely no idea why, as it makes the song way more Byrdsy sounding. Might be of interest if you haven't heard the quad mix.
Yeah, he apparently wrote it in 1967, shortly before being fired. Would have been interesting to hear what the 1967 Byrds might have done with the song, but the 1972 version is just a meandering, dismal mess to me.
It would be worth your time to check out Crosby’s solo album If Only I Could Rememebr My Name. Good stuff within.
Agree with some of this but.... one of the dictums a friend one said to me often rings true which is, the original version of a song by a particular artist is the one you always love the best. Crosby’s solo version of ‘Laughing’ is enchanting. Maybe if I’d heard the Byrds’ version first I might have felt more conflicted but after hearing Crosby’s ‘Laughing’ no version will ever equal it.
Quite amazed you didn't know Crosby's 'Laughing'. Assumed you'd regard If I Could Only Remember My Name as one of the greatest albums of all time, which it surely is. This is really, really strange as you speak so authoritatively on the Byrds, often with great insight, and yet missed one of Crosby's greatest moments. Just odd. Amazed you lived without it all these years. Isn't Crosby wonderful?
It is odd, isn't it? I am a huge Byrds fan, but my knowledge of and experience with Crosby's post-Byrds work is extremely limited. Obviously, I'm aware of all CSN's hit singles, but of course he did not write or sing any of the hits. As far as Crosby's non-Byrds work itself, all I've heard is the Woodstock soundtrack album, the first CSN album, and "Drive My Car" from 1989. And now "Laughing, of course. Why haven't I gone deeper? I love a lot of Crosby's stuff with the Byrds, but I think that a big part of it is the band and what they add to his work. I like the first CSN album, but I do not love it. There's something that seems plastic or sterile about it. Christgau's review says "this is a perfect album, but that is not necessarily a compliment" and I can see where he's coming from. There's no mistakes, no rawness, no sense of spontaneity, and those are the qualities that seem to always be in the music I love best. Those are the qualities I seek out. I remember reading in Jimmy McDonough's Shakey about how Crosby held Crazy Horse in disdain, and could not understand why Neil Young would ever choose to work with musicians who were so "bad" from a technical standpoint. I get the sense that Crosby has an aesthetic that's vastly different than mine, and that he's enamored of perfection at the expense of idiosyncratic style and feel. The Byrds obviously reined in those tendencies (I mean, how perfect could they get with Mike on drums) but I get the sense that post-Byrds he's striven for that sort of technical perfection. I think also that Crosby's three tracks on the reunion album really turned me off wanting to seek out his other work from that time period, since I really find virtually no redeeming qualities in them. So perhaps I've had a bit of a blind spot towards Croz, because of all these factors. I guess I should check out If I Could Only Remember My Name, if the rest of it is comparable to "Laughing" though, since that is a nice piece of work.
I fully agree with your CSN(Y)-sentiments (and most of your Byrds assessments). There is something sterile about the work of CSN(Y), but If I Could Only Remember My name is the exception to the rule. Greil Marcus once said about ZZ Top's Eliminator that "all the songs seem to be caught in the middle of some greater song, as if it was playing before the guys showed up to tinker with it and kept playing after they left." The same can be said about If I Could Only Remember My Name. Brilliant work and in some way the end game of what began with Stranger In a Strange Land, I See You, What's Happening?!?!
Well, okay, you guys have persuaded me. I've got IICORMN on reserve at the library. I'll listen and get back to the group.
Very interesting, hadn't studied this but looks like you have a point there. Looks like David tried a vocal version on track 16 on the early version at least which is what Whin has said. The later version has a whole lot of Banjo going on! This is the holy grail for me right here, although looks like Michael Clarke isn't on either version so not the original 5 entirely. Hope I live long enough to hear these eventually... Is there anything we can do as fans to get a record company (Warners?) interested in releasing this stuff? Whin has tried and had no interest. David Crosby said on Twitter he would love to remix this record!
Ok so speaking as someone who has explored a fair bit of Crosby's work here's my recommendations for the songs no Byrds fan should be without. I've not truly delved into anything post 1970's btw....there's quite a few other songs that are good but this is my essential list... 1968 Gunnevere Demo (on the CSN Boxset) - check out the demo version David made before CSN, it's not as syrupy vocally and sounds a lot more like The Byrds. 1969 The Lee Shore (on the CSN Boxset) - ok so David added his vocal to this Deja Vu outtake in 1991 but it's a beautiful song. Wish he had added vocals in this way to Stranger In A Strange Land. 1970 Almost Cut My Hair (on Deja Vu) - big stupid song but very Crosby 1971 Laughing (on If Only I Could) - solo version is breathakingly beautiful. Traction In The Rain - possibly my favourite post-Byrds Crosby song 1972 Where Will I Be? (on Graham Nash/David Crosby) - this is a showstopper, would have been a great closing track on a Byrds album Page 43- nice Byrdsy song Games - written whilst in The Byrds The Wall Song - sounds like The Byrds 1975 Carry Me (on Wind on the Water) - this is a great song, maybe one of his best about his mother dying, wish there was a version without Nash on BV's. 1978 Drive My Car early version - this is produced by same team as made the MCH album so you could add this to that album to get an idea of what Crosby would have contributed to that album
FWIW I pretty much hate CS&N(&Y) and that whole San Fransisco Jefferson Airplane / Grateful Dead stuff, so on paper I should hate IICORMN too - but nope, it really is good.
If I Could Only Remember My Name is my favorite album Crosby sings on (followed by YTY) and among my 25 favorite albums period. I have it on LP, CD and 5.1 DVD-A. Oddly, the first time I heard the album I did not care for it at all. So give it some time.
The album has a handful of songs on the same theme--rise and fall--like "Long Live the King," "Changing Heart," "Full Circle," and "Things Will Be Better." Kind of a rock opera about the transient nature of success.
