The Best of the Byrds Greatest Hits, Volume II

The Byrds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000024ZS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,448 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

1987 Columbia Records CD release of 1972 LP material, also originally released on Columbia Records. This collection perfectly fit the times of the early 1970s' youth subculture, merging rock, pop and country, with a liberal dose of goodhearted rebellion thrown in. Track listing: 1. Ballad of Easy Rider; 2. Wasn't Born to Follow; 3. Jesus Is Just Alright; 4. He Was a Friend of Mine; 5. Chestnut Mare; 6. Tiffany Queen; 7. Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man; 8. You Ain't Going Nowhere; 9. Citizen Kane; 10. I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician; and 11. America's Great National Pastime.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not As Good As It Could Have Been, January 26, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of the Byrds Greatest Hits, Volume II (Audio CD)

When this album originally came out in 1972 (a year before the reunion album--the band's last), this Greatest Hits II made a lot of sense. The Byrds previous two albums especially (Byrdmaniax and Farther Along) contained some fairly weak tracks. So compiling a "greatest hits" album (though none of these even cracked the Top 40) was a golden opportunity to compile all the best tracks between 1968's The Notorious Byrd Brothers (not Sweetheart of the Rodeo as the previous reviewer indicated) through 1971's Farther Along.

This collection fails on several accounts:

1) In the CD age a 30-minute CD (actually 30:29) isn't giving you much bang for your buck. The length could eadily have been doubled and still fit on a single disc.

2) Too much attention was paid to the last two studio albums--arguably the weakest of their career. Of the eleven tracks on this disc, these two albums are represented by four songs, including the slight "America's Great National Pastime" and the equally goofy "I Wanna Grow Up To Be a Politician."

3.) Too many great songs were overlooked. Where's David Crosby's "Lady Friend," which was only available as a single (peaked at #82) until it was released on The Byrds Boxed Set? Why only one track from the landmark Sweetheart of the Rodeo? "I Am a Pilgrim" was also released as a single from the album. The Byrds' cover of the Dylan-penned "Lay Lady Lay" was another single-only release until the Boxed Set.

The truth is all of these songs (except "Citizen Kane") are on The Byrds Boxed Set--90 songs of prime Byrds material. If your budget can afford it, get the box. Otherwise, ten bucks will get you some of the great late-period Byrds like "Chestnut Mare," "Ballad of Easy Rider," "Wasn't Born to Follow" and "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man," which belong in any serious Byrds fan's collection. RECOMMENDED (for the budget-minded)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Music in a Slight Package, August 25, 2002

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of the Byrds Greatest Hits, Volume II (Audio CD)

The first thing you'll notice when looking at the track listing for "The Best of the Byrds" is that it contains none of their mid-60s mega-hits (all of which are on the first Greatest Hits album). Like The Beatles, who they were often compared to, The Byrds shifted gears around 1967 and began concentrating on recording great albums. But while The Beatles continued to enjoy singles chart success, The Byrds took their music in a more decidedly anti-commercial direction. Namely, in the wake of Gram Parsons's brief membership in the band, they began incorporating elements of traditional country music into their sound.

What's most noticable on this album is that nearly every song has a strong country flavor. The best tracks are the story song "The Ballad of Easy Rider," one of their best Bob Dylan covers, "You Ain't Going Nowhere," "Jesus is Just Alright" (later made into a hit by The Doobie Brothers in a less country sounding version), "He Was a Friend of Mine," and the political commentary of "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician." While the music is strong, however, this collection is pretty slight at only 11 songs. Additionally, the CD booklet contains only a track listing and a few perfunctory liner notes. A band with a legacy as large as The Byrds should have a more representative anthology album, not to mention CD bonus tracks.

Overall, a short collection of classic material from a band whose stature deserves much more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of The Byrds Volume 2 is loaded with creativity., December 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best of the Byrds Greatest Hits, Volume II (Audio CD)

Some of these other reviewers just didn't get it. These songs are gems, they are adventurous sonic masterpieces that are in some ways reminiscent of some of the songs on the Beatles White Album.
Not that the Byrds' style is the same, but certain of these songs display such wit and humor that the listener is not sure if a song is a complete parody or partially serious. Yet at the same time the originality of the musical arrangements shine through. If you like some of the White album songs such as Rocky Raccoon, Honey Pie, Back In The U.S.S.R., and Bungalow Bill, then you should like this album. Many of the songs have a countrified sound, like McCartney's Rocky Raccoon, but distinctly Byrds. The Byrds infuse influences from older musical traditions, such as the 1930s tinge on Citizen Kane. The Beatles had done this on Honey Pie, but it was more of a 1920s sound. And the subtle parody of Back In The U.S.S.R. is mirrored by I Wanna Grow Up To Be A Politician.
The songs: Citizen Kane is about ultra-wealthy publisher William Randolph Hearst, who back in the 1930s owned a castle and 40 miles of prime California coastline. The castle was called Xanadu. The major Hollywood movie stars would drop by for wild parties, and the song is a slightly exaggerated account of their escapades.
Tiffany Queen is another song about people who might be having too much fun at parties. Chestnut Mare is the wild horse the narrator is intent on catching, but its not really a wild horse anymore if he catches it, is it?
I wasn't Born To Follow and Easy Rider romanticize the freedom of the individual and the lure of the American Road, pre-sport-utes. Jesus Is Just Alright With Me was paid a tribute when the Doobie Brothers' later version cloned the Byrds' sound almost exactly, and become a hit.
He Was A Friend Of Mine is a folk rock tune expressing the nation's emotions after President Kennedy's assassination.
This eclectic batch of songs somehow fits together as a whole. If you are open to the idea of music combining brilliant electric guitar work and country music influences, along with intelligent lyrics, and some humor, then this could be your CD.