Thats interesting. I thought he had said before that he was best in DRB or that he learned to sing well in DRB for the first time or something. Good to see he recognizes the Byrds that way though.
Lou Reed calls Christigau an ******* at the 7-minute mark: “I do Lou Reed better than anybody” - Rock and Roll Globe
In the Three Byrds Land In London show (1978?), if they wouldn't have deleted the between-song banter, Hillman says that 1978 band (Richard Marx, Merel Bregante, etc....) was the best he had been in so far. I believe he has said the same thing about Manassas and Desert Rose. He says it a lot, just changes the band to suit his mood that day.
A question about the famous Byrds Winterland concert. Was this a power trio performance (as some have claimed), or were they (as others have said) performing as quartet with Carlos Bernal replacing a fired Croz?
Not sure if this has been discussed here before - but.......... ARE THE MCGUINN, CLARK, HILLMAN RECORDING SESSIONS WORTHY OF A REVAMP, RE-ASSEMBLING, RECONSTRUCTION AND UN-RELEASED BOX- SET? .............and if so, who would do it? If legal and business aspects of those sessions are cleared - could McGuinn, Hillman and representatives/family/those musically connected to Gene get together to re- do the sessions they recorded for the series of Mcguinn, Clark and Hillman albums? I would love that, since the final product was too slick, too produced, too “contemporary “ of its time - which did not serve the music or songs well. There were reports of much conflict with Capital Records and their producing directions, personal squabbles amongst the musicians and generally a chaotic atmosphere, all resulting in disappointment all around. I have even seen reports that Capital rejected many songs written by the band and ordering them to record songs written from outside of the band. So what do we know to be true? Is it possible to revisit this project and produce a box set of revamped, unreleased and alternative versions more in line with these artists’ original vision? Do we want such a box? Any way to get this spark lit? Thanks
I'd be interested, but I would be utterly shocked to see this come to fruition. Honestly, I'd be shocked to see much of anything interesting come from the Byrds for a long time.
Why not? I like the albums as they are so wouldn't be desperately interested in any sort of aural revamp but throw in a disc of previously unreleased new songs and I'd be ready to part with a few quid.
Bernal replaced Gram Parsons on their 1968 South Africa tour, because they apparently were contractually obligated to have four members, and Parsons’ last-minute decision to quit left them no other options. I’ve never heard anything about them using Bernal as a fill-in on any earlier occasion, and it seems unlikely they would have.
Thanks. I didn't think that was the case, but one online source seemed to think so, so I thought I'd ask. Certainly didn't sound like there was an extra guitar or voice anywhere in the mix.
I for one, certainly hope not. I’m all in when it comes to releasing pretty much any unreleased material recorded in its original era. I’m all out with trying to redo, add to or much else with old recordings, especially when the surviving members are well into their 70’s and a key member is dead . A remix probably wouldn’t make much difference and that’s about the only thing that would not be troubling, to me anyway .
Random comment: I love MHfC’s “Won’t Let You Down” off the City album, but the guitar always makes me think of fellow Canuck Ken Tobias’ hit, “I Just Want to Make Music.” Huh...apparently I made the same comment in a Gene Clark album-by-album thread in 2013.
The two MCH albums consist almost entirely of songs written by the band... there is only one non-band composition. It's only the McGuinn Hillman album that has songs by others which were (according to McGuinn) suggested/imposed upon them by the producer and label. The first album is the one with slick, contemporary production. It's hard to imagine how one might "fix" that, without literally re-recording the entire album. McGuinn doesn't play any electric 12-string on the entire record, and the arrangements are substantially different than the way they played the songs live in 1978, before recording the album. So you couldn't just remix, you'd have to re-arrange and re-record. It's hard to imagine they'd want to do that, or that anyone would give them a budget to do that. A better option might be to compile a "live" version of the album, as the 1978 live versions I've heard of the album's songs are MUCH better than the studio versions. I don't think there's anything wrong with the production of the City album. McGuinn's guitar is back, and it's got a pretty basic rock sound. Any flaws in that album have to do with not all the material being up to par. But it's not a bad record... I rank it as the best of the various Byrds reunion projects.
IIRC the label was pushing them to record Graham Parker songs on McGuinn-Hillman because they thought he was the next big thing or something.
Thanks. Good thoughts. I am imagining that maybe the 12-string was stripped from the final versions - -or recorded - but not used. Was hoping if they were not used, they are somewhere. Also, am hoping the slick, “contemporary “ sound elements could be reduced or stripped - ala Lennon’s Double Fantasy - Stripped. Love your idea of a live version of the albums songs. From what I have heard on YouTube , etc. I agree with that strongly. The following Wiki entry at bottom is intriguing - if true. The last part brings up some important questions: Where are those songs, now? A concept album was planned and rejected - the mind boggles. More thoughts, info - most welcome. Although now reduced to a duo, City had been successful enough to justify a third album release with Capitol.[1] McGuinn and Hillman were assigned to the renowned R&Bproducers Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, in the hope that they would be able to provide a fluke hit for the pair.[45] The producers fashioned a sound that Eder has described as "more soulful and harder-edged" than the duo's previous output,[48] but neither McGuinn or Hillman were happy with the results.[1] They had intended to record a concept album on the theme of entertainment and had written twelve songs with that concept in mind; they were dismayed when Wexler and Beckett rejected all but three of their compositions in favor of material from outside writers
My guess is that (aside from Making Movies, a track that turned up on a b-side and has subsequently been released on compilations) none of the other rejected songs got past the demo stage. So again, it would be a case of largely starting from scratch rather than redoing the album. And I myself am skeptical the rejected songs were particularly good, given the fact that what did make the album is mediocre at best. And yeah, McGuinn was sidelined on that first album. It wasn't a case of his guitar being mixed out. He was not allowed to play, because the producers didn't want it to sound like the Byrds. That's also why he was limited to two lead vocals when the other guys got four apiece. Paradoxically though, it was his song that became the hit.
And of course the 2 CD Capitol Collection from 2007 has all the recorded output from that “group” AFAIK.
Like the 1973 Byrds reunion, I think the MCH albums are worthy on their own terms, removed from “Byrds” expectations. I only heard bad things about those albums, and then I was pleasantly surprised. The production was slick, but I like the Criteria/Albert Brothers sound, so that was no objection for me. I thought City was weaker, then McGuinn-Hillman so anonymous that it made Hillman’s Morning Sky seems like revelation, as if Hillman decided to junk trying to be a star and settled into what he did best. That said, I think a remaster that gathered demos and/or stray tracks if they exist would be nice. It’s not like these guys are nobodies. Their work together is notable, if no other reason, for who they are.
There’s quite a few unauthorized/grey-area releases of live shows, sourced from radio broadcasts. I don’t recommend purchasing them because the artists won’t see the cash, but they’ve done the rounds for decades. I know of at least one in which they perform the entire LP.
