Customer Reviews

Boxed Set

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4 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

When the Boxed Set first appeared in 1990 its 90 tracks offered a wealth of treasures to Byrds fans. Almost all the traditonal classics were here, with sound quality upgraded over previous CDs. There were also a surprising number of previously unheard songs which had failed to make the original albums, including some first-rate material. Alternate takes of previously released songs were also here, either for the first time or rarities previously available only on obscure albums like "Never Before" (e.g., 'Baby Blue' '65 in monaurel is followed by an early version of 'She Don't Care About Time'; this is the unreleased single aborted in favor of 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' b/w the familiar take of 'Time'). There were also a significant number of the original album cuts presented in entirely new 2-track to 8-track remixes of the separated master tracks. Finally, McGuinn/Crosby/Hillman recorded four entirely new tracks in 1990 exclusively for the Boxed Set. A completely remastered equalization of this entire package presented all tracks at about the same volume with new bass/trebel balances.

The subsequent Legacy release of all original Columbia albums (except "Greatest Hits Vol. II" and "The Singles") in Expanded Editions, with sound quality upgraded to 20-bit, has stolen much of the thunder from the Boxed Set. Most of its treasures have been swept into the appropriate Expanded Edition albums, often along with even a few more previously unreleased surprises.
But despite the unrivaled excellence of the Expanded Edition reissues, there are still things unique to the Boxed Set.

The following are not on the Expanded Editions, nor the "Never Before" and "20 Essential Tracks" albums, nor (to my knowledge) anywhere else:


I. TRACKS (TAKES) UNIQUE TO THE BOXED SET

'Roll Over Beethoven' (live Swedish radio broadcast, Feb 1967);
'Lover of the Bayou', 'Willin'', and 'Black Mountain Rag' (all live at Queens College, NY, 1970); 'Kathleen's Song'; 'Just Like A Woman'; 'White's Lightning'; 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' and 'Mr. Tambourine Man' (with Bob Dylan), both live at Roy Orbison Tribute, 1990.

(Gram Parsons' vocal on "You Don't Miss Your Water" was also on the above list because it is omitted on "Expanded Sweetheart". However, it is now available on the double disk "Legacy Edition Sweetheart".)

COMMENTS: 'Lover of the Bayou' is dramatically different from both the live and studeo cuts on Expanded "(Untitled)" and almost as good as the live "(Untitled)" cut. 'Kathleen's Song' is the "Byrdmaniax" take stripped of overdubs; the stripped verision on Expanded "(Untitled)" is an alternate take. 'Just Like A Woman' is slightly less polished but far more interesting musically (I think) than the take on Expanded "Byrdmaniax" and "Byrds Play Dylan". 'White's Lightning' is a different segment of the 15 Minute Jam excerpted on expanded "(Untitled)". Bob Dylan joining the Byrds on stage for a lyrically near complete version of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' is just too good to not have in your collection.



II. REMIXES UNIQUE TO THE BOXED SET

COMMENTS: The Expanded series, though remastered with superior sound quality, are to my ear rightfully faithful to both the mix and equalization of the original albums. This leaves the Boxed Set remixes/remaster unique. Generally, to my ear, the Boxed Set remasters bring the vocals forward slightly and make them more distinct (e.g., Crosby's vocal is more intelligible on 'Psychodrama City'). Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you, but they are alternatives.

Of the 90 Boxed Set tracks, about 38 (depending on how you count in a few places) are listed as remixes of the original separated tracks. Here are some of the more interesting not available elsewhere:

(1) From "Turn! Turn! Turn!": The title track and 'He Was A Friend of Mine' appeared in true stereo for the first time here.
The first is on "20 Essential Tracks" but 'He Was A friend of Mine' is in stereo only here. These masters have only two tracks, so they are presented with instruments slightly to one speaker and vocals to the other. NOTE: Expanded "Turn!" album doesn't note 'Friend' as a mono track, but if you listen with headphones it's clearly monoaurel. "Essential Byrds" lists it as mono.

'It Won't Be Wrong' and 'Lay Down Your Weary Tune' are remixed from 3 track masters; 'The World Turns All Around Her' (with bongo track) and 'Times They Are A-Changin'' are 8 track remixes.
While not dramatically different, the equalization on these is slightly brighter (to my ear) than the original album, with vocals more distinct. Whether this is an improvement or detracts from the dramatic mystery of the original is a subjective call, but is probably too subtle to be more than an interesting alternative.

('World' is a bit of a mystery to me. The Boxed Set booklet says: "Remixed from the original eight-track master, this cut includes a bongo track which was used in the earliest mixes, but deleted on the released version." However, except for equalization it sounds the same to me as both the album cut and bonus track versions on "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (i.e., all 3 sound the same). I no longer have the original vinyl so can't check whether the bongos, if that's what they are, are deleted there, or if I'm just missing something .)


(2) From "5D": Of special interest are 8 Track remixes of 'I See You' and 'Hey Joe' and a rebalanced 'John Riley'

'I See You' was always my second favorite song on "5D" after 'Eight Miles High'. This remix is to my ear superior to the original. The rhythm guitar has been brought forward and equalization shifted more towards the bass, which for me makes the song surprisingly more dramatic and powerful. It also has a fuller, richer sound. The tempo sounds slightly slower, but it's not.

'John Riley' corrects the extreme separation of the original stereo album, in which vocals are on one speaker and instruments on the other. Here, the two tracks are moved closer together, somewhat like the stereo versions of 'Turn!' and 'Friend'.

'Hey Joe' is much less polished here, with opening countdown and a cold ending that falls apart, but I've come to prefer it to the album mix. Both Crosby's vocal and the bass have been brought forward; this reduces the excessive treble of the album cut, giving the song a more simple, dangerous blues feel. The album cut now sounds to me by comparison a little too slick and frantic.

(3) "Younger Than Yesterday": 'Have You Seen Her Face,' (with longer ending), 'Time Between,' 'Renaissance Fair,' Everybody's Been Burned,' and 'The Girl With No Name' are original album tracks remixed from the 8 track masters, though they sound pretty faithful to the originals mixes.

(4) "(Untitled)": 'Just A Season' is an alternate mix of the album track, which the booklet suggests was done at that time but not used.

(5) Two Boxed Set remixes originally appeared on "Never Before" but I think deserve mention here:

The classic 'Why' track on the the flip of 'Eight Miles High' (not the remake on "Younger Than Yesterday") is best enjoyed on Expanded "5D". The "Never Before" remix brings the drums forward so prominently as to distort the song beyond recognition. Fortunately it eventually settles into the familiar classic, but for me the damage is done. And incidently, "The Byrds: The Singles" album mistakenly uses the 'Why' mono mix from "Younger Than Yesterday".

'Mr. Tambourine Man' is apparently a stereo remix of the single; it runs 2:16 compared to the album track's 2:29. There is an artificial echo and the vocals have that thin angelic sound of "Notorious Byrds Brothers". Again the drums have been brought forward, but this time it works very well "with" the song so you can actually dance to it. It's pretty enough, in some ways almost a Beatles song, and I like having it. Still, when money is on the table I much prefer the full artistic richness of the standard album cut. I believe these are all the same take -- the 2:16 version may simply fade sooner and has dramatically different equalization. "20 Essential Tracks" (a Boxed Set sample album) does not use this Boxed Set version, substituting "a full stereo remix of the original eight track master". That's cheating, but I'm fine with it, as that's my personal favorite master of this defining classic performance. (If interested, see "20 Essential Tracks" reviews for my take on the stereo version of 'Turn!' and the 4 "new" 1990 songs.)


III. OTHER REASONS TO OWN THE BOXED SET

If you are a true Byrds fan with a complete Expanded Edition set,
you'll probably want the Boxed Set and booklet to complete your collection. The booklet (5 1/4" x 11", 56 pages) has a multi-page line chart that traces the Byrds' evolving line-up and shows what became of the many shedded "Byrd feathers". There is also a complete listing of album and single releases, where you can find such embedded tid-bits as (e.g.) that "Sweetheart" was the first Byrds album to be released only in stereo.

The 4 CDs have beautiful cover art to illustrate their title themes: "We Have Ignition," "Cruising Altitude," "Full Throttle," and "Final Approach". They are a nice way to listen to a range of Byrds performances and styles across several albums per CD.

Though others have griped, I like the fact that this is an obviously highly subjective collection of often arbitrary choices and omissions. There's something very personal about that, sort of like a peek into Roger McGuinn's family scrapbook of fond memories.


IV. UPDATE: THE NEW BOXED SET (10/3/06)

With the release of a new boxed set ("There Is A Season") in October 2006, many will wonder how many of the above tracks have been folded into the new box.

Surprisingly, so far I've found only two -- 'Willin'' and 'Black Mountain Rag' live at Queens College.

'Roll Over Beethoven' on the new box is a live track from 1973, along with a new live performance of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' (without Dylan). 'Lover of the Bayou' is the "(Untitled)" live track, not Queens College. And so it goes...

Nor do any of the 1990 box's remixes appear to have been used. 'He Is A Friend if Mine' is live from that 1967 Swedish radio broadcast, and 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' is the standard monaurel track.

I like the new box quite a bit, especially the many live performances on Disks 3 and 4 -- but you can set it alongside the old box. Each has unique takes and mixes.

One of the few box sets to fully accomplish what box sets are expected to...

This Byrds box has almost every essential track the Byrds released in their career.

Also, there are numerous unreleased tracks that enhance and add value to the box. Among them: the lost Gram Parsons vocals on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the alternate Oil In My Lamp from Ballad Of Easy Rider, the live tracks recorded around the Untitled Sessions, etc.

One can quibble with the song selection, but there are only a few glaring omissions: King Apathy III, Gunga Din (can't figure that out, it is considered a minor classic), and Set You Free This Time.

One note of caution: Since the Byrds catalog has been remastered, one gets the impression that these are supplanting the box. The tracks were remixed from the multitracks creating a fresh stereo master whereas on the box the original stereo 2-tracks were used (Eight Miles High on 5D now outclasses the worn out version on the box). Stereo versions (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue) replaced the mono versions that were used on the box. Tambourine Man is now mixed in wide stereo finally, whereas on the box it is featured in narrow stereo.

That is until we get to the Sweetheart of the Rodeo outtakes. The Gram Parsons vocals are only found on the box.

In other words, where fans want to upgrade the box through the catalog, you are going to have to keep the box for only a half dozen songs. That is unfortunate!

What should be done is to give the box a sonic facelift to compete with the 20 bit mastering.

Oh...good news! The rest of their catalog (Untitled, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along) will get the remastering treatment early next year (around February).

To the contrary, the original Byrds albums definitely ARE worth owning--specifically the first six: "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn! Turn! Turn!," "Fifth Dimension," "Younger Than Yesterday," "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." All of the above titles have been reissued by Columbia/Legacy with great booklet essays, photos, etc.; best of all, a generous number of bonus tracks (some of them utterly brilliant) have been appended to each CD. Moreover, many of the group's most enduring numbers have been left off the box set: the Gene Clark classics "Here Without You" and "Set You Free This Time"; their treatments of "Wild Mountain Thyme" and "Satisfied Mind"; "Change Is Now," etc. (Some of its inclusions are rather questionable too, specifically the later ones.) I highly recommended the original albums, especially in their expanded versions; they are essential listening.

The best sales strategy for box sets is to offer what the hard-core fans crave, but have never had. The Beach Boys offered tracks from the legendary, unreleased SMILE; the Byrds give us the Gram Parsons lead vocals that Lee Hazelwood succeeded in getting wiped off the original SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO. Very hard to resist at the time. (Are these the same tracks included on the later issued single CD?)

Besides providing a complete, idealized version of the beloved country-rock classic, this box well programs the the output of the original line-up, though a couple of more tracks from NOTORIOUS would have been appreciated. Fans of the 70's material may feel a little slighted, but this terrific collection does sort of peter out by the end. Still, a pretty terrific purchase.

I am a record retailer and collector. I own a lot of the box sets and most are sitting and collecting dust on my shelves. This Byrds box is the best of the bunch...I've played it over and over. The Byrds are one of the elite bands that could fill a 4 C.D. set without resorting to embarrassing outtakes or mediocre filler songs. The C.D.s are in chronological order and few stones are left unturned. If you're a David Crosby fan, a Clarence White fan or a Graham Parsons fan, you will not feel shortchanged. Each edition of the Byrds is showcased with loving care. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of David Crosby's "Triad". There will always be complaints about what was left out. I was miffed that Gene Clark's incredible "Set You Free This Time" didn't make the cut. I think that a fifth C.D. could have been added, without diluting the quality of this remarkable package.

One final note... this box is officially out of print and it is no longer available as a new product. I noticed many of the used dealers are asking a pittance for this box (around 20 bucks). It will be the best 20 bucks you ever spent.

In 1990, when this box-set was originally released, it was really a goldmine of rarities, great out-takes and new recordings - obviously alongside of the hits and the majority of the best tracks of their 11 Columbia studio albums.

Now with the re-release of all the Byrds originals ( remastered and all with great bonus-tracks ) the box will be less attractive for collectors who just love Byrds music and who do not necessarily want everything released by the Band. Still for completists and people who want to own the very best of band, flavoured with rarities and lesser known tracks, this is still a very good buy.

I'll comment a little on the songs not included on the re-issue series. The four "new" 1990 recordings with 3 original members ( Crosby, Hillman and McGuinn ) all sound appealing and inspired - two of them are really great. The re-recording of "Here Was a Friend of Mine" is vocally outstanding and at least just as strong as the original. Their version of "From a Distance", with Hilmann vocally up front, is terrific. Often this fine song has been ruined by overdone arrangements and sentimental vocals. The Byrds gives a pure version with their well-known instrumentation ( most important their fine harmonies and McGuinns 12 string Rickenbacker ) - for me one of the greatest surprises. The other two new songs are good though no more.

Another song that deserves to be brought out is the live-version of "Lover of the Bayou" ( not the Untitled track ) - to my knowledge this the only place this recording can be found. From the same live-appearance Clarence White's guitar-performance on "Black Mountain Rag" is simply breat-taking.

"Mr Tambourine Man" with Bob Dylan from the Roy Orbison tribute concert is another highlight.

From "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" ( my least favourite Byrds-album ) there is a re-found Gram Parsons vocal on "One Hundred Years From Now".

Some songs are in slightly different mixes, which may be detected by the trained ear.

It may be worth noting that the rarities and outtakes sound as clear and clean as the original songs ( only exception is the 1967 live version of "Roll Over Beethoven" )

Otherwise there are hours of fine music by one of the greatest and most influental bands in American rock-music.

Moreover there is a fine biography ( by David Fricke ), rare photos, family tree, detailed information about the songs, notes from Crosby, McGuinn and Hillman - and more.

Highly recommended!

This is the box set I would have gotten if I hadn't started going through their Legacy/sony reissues later period discs one at a time becoming entranced with the sound quality, stirring musicianship, and excellent (sound/quality/selection) outtakes.
If you are a fan of the byrds earlier psycho jang harmonies, it is all here. If you are more of a fan of their later period country/folk/rock (as I am), it is pretty much all here as well. For 45 dollars, this is a bargain! You get the byrds with their choices cuts, great outtakes, essential songs that were not hits all forming a beautiful collection that represents the bands work wonderfully. Whichever way you choose to pursue the byrds (this excellent collection or album by reissued album) you can not go wrong. This was an american band. A must have in any collection. Don't just stop at the greatest hits collections. Excellence awaits the explorer. (Hey Wayne, get these discs!)

The Byrds Box Set is essential for any lover of rock music, and ranks up there with any Beatles or Bob Dylan Anthology. The set covers the Byrds remarkable, critically acclaimed, and groundbreaking career. The Byrds started out as jingle-jangle folk-rockers, backed by Gene Clark's excellent songwriting, Chris Hillman and David Crosby's harmonies, and Roger McGuinn's 12-string guitar. Then, thanks in part to Gram Parsons joining the band (and Chris Hillman wishing to record his true love-country music), the Byrds pioneered the country-rock genre, paving the way for later groups like the Eagles. Finally, they cooled off a bit for their final albums, which masterfully blended country, blues, folk, and rock. Their changing sound is one reason why the Byrds have been in my CD player for over 7 years now. The first disc sounds almost nothing like the final one, but both are filled with excellent material. The minor classics "Just A Season" and "I Trust" are perfect when I am in a low-key sentimental mood, while "Feel a Whole Lot Better" fits the bill when I am feeling more upbeat.

This set is a generally excellent sampling of what the Byrds produced. Their early albums, which most fans will eat up, are represented nicely here. Although I would have liked to have seen "Satisfied Mind" from the Turn, Turn, Turn album and the "My Back Pages" alternate take from Younger Than Yesterday, the Box set is complete on their early albums. The beautiful proto-country rock album Notorious Byrd Brothers is sadly underrepresented, but the classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo is almost completely there, with Gram Parsons vocals intact. After that, the albums are not represented very well. The Byrds produced some very good, although often uneven, material after Gram Parsons left. While the best material off their final albums made the Box Set, other fine songs such as "Gunga Din," "Well Come Back Home," and "Pale Blue" are absent. The Box Set includes no song that Skip Battin wrote. Although Skip's songs are often novelties or rather weak, he did write some good material, and for the sake of completeness some of his songs should have been included. Perhaps band politics kept his songs off.

The final CD ends with some good new originals (although minus original member Gene Clark, probably the most talented), and some live material with Bob Dylan. Overall the set is worth buying for the alternate takes, rare live tracks, and excellent song selections. However, the sound is weak compared to the newer 24-bit mastered album reissues. Unfortunately the Box Set is slipping out of print, and is being replaced by the individual albums with bonus tracks. Overall, this set should fit the bill for fans.

Not given their due by the trendy record buying audience or narrow-sighted critics of their time, The Byrds have since emerged as not only one of the finest 1960s American rock bands, but perhaps one of the most influential musical collectives in popular music history. It is only fitting that after twenty years of neglect that Sony had the wisdom to restore The Byrds' entire catalogue and preview it with this remarkable assemblage of classic recordings. Spread over four CDs, one is given the full range of The Byrds' considerable legacy and artistic vision. The sound is excellent throughout, carefully remastered, and for the most part, the song selection is not only generous, but very judiciously chosen. Practically every essential recording and Top 40 hit is represented here in roughly chronological order (which serves to illustrate the tremendous growth this group achieved in such short time). With the availability of the entire Byrds catalogue, remastered impeccably, four CDs is perhaps too generous for fanatics who own all of this anyway, and is too weighty for the casual listener or curious. The omission of classic songs such as"Here Without You", "Set You Free This Time", "Change Is Now", "King Apathy III", "Gunga Din" and "All the Things" in favour of obsucre, even lesser material such as "Hey Joe", "Lazy Waters", "Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Girl With No Name" shows that some of the selections may have been politically motivated to punish (Gene Clark) or flatter (Crosby, Hillman). Also, one wonders how many albums are almost presented in their entirety, such as "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Younger Than Yesterday" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", when acknowledged classics of equal stature, such as "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" and "Untitled", are given as few cuts to represent them as the group's weakest albums? The fourth CD is the least interesting and probably poorest chosen which is to its detriment as it documents the period of their artistic decline, post-"Untitled". Still, I'm being churlish. This is a tremendous package with high quality audio and a fine booklet with an essay by David Fricke and many terrific photographs. Also, the many bonus items such as alternate takes, live cuts, and works-in-progress (now available on the individual CDs) make this worthwhile for the Byrds fanatic. There can be no better introduction to this timeless musical group.

This box set is my favourite of all my CD's;it is simply magnificent.I am still amazed at the array of talent that played for this band.It was wonderful to hear Gram Parson's 'lost' vocals,the virtuoso skills of Clarence White and the brilliant writing talents of Gene Clark (why was set you free this time not included?)The collection flags slightly on CD 4,but overall this collection demonstrates that for innovation,creativity and sheer talent the Byrds had no equal(in the US)