Byrd Parts: Oddities, Curios, Rarities & Essentials by Members of the Byrds, Alone and Together 1964-1980

The Byrds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RAEN
• ASIN: B00000AEX9
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,905 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Over three years in the making, BYRD PARTS is a CD compilation which picks up and stitches together some of the threads of one of the most beloved and influential American bands. For collectors and enthusiasts it is the most important release since the Byrds boxed set. BYRD PARTS brings together 24 tracks recorded before during and after the Byrds lifespan by 10 members of the group: Jim/Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, Gene Parsons, Skip Battin and Doug Dillard. It is a collection of musically engaging moments, some of which are elusive and some of which are essential. Kicking off with two early David Crosby solo recordings captured by original Byrds producer Jim Dickson and first made available on the long-deleted EARLY L.A. album, as well as a 1962/3 Bob Dylan cover by Chris Hillman's Hillmen (also produced by

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Parts is Parts!, January 20, 2001

By 

Wileytown "wileytown" (Morristown, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Byrd Parts: Oddities, Curios, Rarities & Essentials by Members of the Byrds, Alone and Together 1964-1980 (Audio CD)

This collection is primarily comprised of rare recordings by various combinations of Byrd members, or by various performers with the Byrds as session performers. The most valuable cuts are three outtakes from the Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark, presented in digital format for the first time. Aside from a couple of ISB cuts and some Clarence White stuff, there is very little to salvage here......unless you have a sense of humour.

Terry Melcher's version of Just a Season might be the funniest performance since William Shatner's interpretation of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds! Its painfully obvious that he has neither the singing nor timing skills of his mother, Doris Day. He should have stayed where he belonged, on the other side of the sound wall.

Jackie DeShannon's Splendour in the Grass, while having all the original members playing on it, does not have a particularly Byrdsy sound to it. The David Hemming's tracks are very commercial sounding, like the stuff you might have heard on a Dean Martin TV special during the period.

If you care, there's some pre-Byrds Crosby tracks as well as a track each from the Hillmen, Jet Set, and Beefeaters.

If you really care, there's a Skip Batin track, and a couple of Gene Parsons tunes.

And, if you'll listen to just about any damn thing, there's three tracks from the dreadful McGuinn, Clark and Hillman days.

It's a weird brew, but not a ripoff. I would only recommend it to dangerously fanatical Byrds enthusiaist........like myself.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Patchy, but interesting, February 11, 2003

By 

Robert Keith "Baskervilles" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Byrd Parts: Oddities, Curios, Rarities & Essentials by Members of the Byrds, Alone and Together 1964-1980 (Audio CD)

There is some interesting stuff here. One day this CD will be out of print and go for big money. You'll wish you'd scored a copy! Is it stunning? no. I was pretty underwhelmed when I first heard it, but some of the tracks have grown on me. The David Hemmings (yes, David Hemmings - the star of Blow Up) tracks are decent . I don't really agree with the previous reviewer's opinion. They are lavishly produced, but don't have the screechy horn and string arrangements that some sixties recordings are ruined by. The Dillard and Clark tracks are available elsewhere, but are still excellent. The International Submarine Band really rock! If you are dying for more Byrds, this is worth picking up for it's oddness. Next, seek out comps by the Nightcrawlers and Birdwatchers.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, November 23, 2009

By 

R. C. Butts (Livingston ,Mt.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Byrd Parts: Oddities, Curios, Rarities & Essentials by Members of the Byrds, Alone and Together 1964-1980 (Audio CD)

Nice stuff but some not so nice could of put parts 1&2 on a single c.d.