The Byrds - Greatest Hits [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

The Byrds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 30, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1967
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000ICO0
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,214 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > Classic Rock > Psychedelic Rock
  • #25 in Music > Rock > Country Rock
  • #61 in Music > Rock > Folk Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The 12-string electric guitar may never recover. As long as there are baby boomers roaming the earth, its airy jangle will signify psychedelic innocence and optimism refracted through the peculiar light of mid-'60s Los Angeles. With Roger McGuinn leading, the Byrds kicked off American rock history with a merger of Bob Dylan's words and the Beatles' melodic energy. The results are here: "Mr. Tambourine Man," "The Bells of Rhymney," and "Eight Miles High" still jump off the airwaves. The midpoint between Dylan and the Beatles is a one-of-a-kind place, where optimism and innocence still sound smart. --Steve Tignor

Product Description

Originally released in 1967, this landmark greatest hits collection includes "Mr. Tambourine Man," "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better," "Turn! Turn! Turn!", "All I Really Want To Do," "Eight Miles High," "So You Want To Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" and "My Back Pages," as well as the bonus songs "It Won't Be Wrong," "Set You Free This Time" and "Have You Seen Her Face."
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BYRDS
Title: GREATEST HITS
Street Release Date: 03/30/1999
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Won't Be Wrong if they'd packed this CD to the hilt, January 19, 2000

By 

Brian O'Marra (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Byrds - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I have always been curious as to why this CD always garners five star reviews. True, the music that is on it is supreme Byrds, the ultimate in twelve string sound. All are essential classics in their own right.

However, In its original 11 song configuration, in addition to being rated for what's on it, it should be rated for what isn't on it.

This remaster does boast superb 20 bit sound, and three bonus tracks: Set You Free This Time, It Won't Be Wrong, and Have You Seen Her Face (giving Chris Hillman a needed representation).

However, the CD still clocks at around 39 minutes, meaning half the disc is not utilized. Why not pack this CD to the gills and make it one definitive overview of the Byrds prime period? What about The World Turns All Around Her, Everybody's Been Burned, Renaissance Fair, the b-sides: She Don't Care About Time, Why, and Lady Friend. Hence, this CD comes up way short.

One hopes that a volume two Greatest Hits is given similar treatment. Maybe then they might offer us the mono version of Goin' Back. This is a different take than the stereo and wasn't included (for some odd reason) as a bonus track on The Notorious Byrd Brothers CD.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal clear "Super Bit Map" recording of EARLY Byrds hits!, February 21, 2005

By 

Volkert Volkersz (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Byrds - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I happened to be visiting relatives in LA in 1964 or '65 when I had the good fortune of catching the Byrds television debut on the Lloyd Thaxton Show. I was struck as much by what I heard as what I saw: America's first answer to the Beatles.

At one time I owned all the Byrds albums on vinyl up to "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and "Easy Rider." Later I created my own "greatest hits" cassette, a full 90 minutes worth.

This "Greatest Hits" album falls far short of all the wonderful music produced by Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons and others, but for someone wanting to have a prime sample of early Byrds, heavy on the trademark Rickenbacker 12 string fingerpicking sound, this is a great place to start.

This "Super Bit Mapping" recording is superior to other recordings I have heard of the Byrds and manages to bring out subtleties in the early recording process that were the subject of many rumors. Most notable is that it's much easier to pick out the various layers of overdubbing (both the Rickenbacker 12 string and McGuinn's vocals).

True fans of the founders of folk-rock will want to supplement this album others. Be sure to get your hands on tunes like "He Was a Friend of Mine" and "Lay Down Your Weary Tune."

Incidentally, Roger McGuinn has an interesting web site with free downloads available of a lot of folk songs, many of which were staples of the 50s and 60s coffeehouse folk scene. Most of those recordings feature an acoustic Martin 12 string guitar, as well as some banjo picking.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Complilation Of The Byrds Greatest Hits!, April 8, 2001

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Byrds - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

Anyone alive and kicking in the early 1960s remembers the Byrds fondly. Who but this unlikely group of very talented but inherently quirky young musicians could have made such an instant splash as they did with a quick succession of chart busters such as "All I Really Want To Do", Mr. Tambourine Man", and "Turn, Turn, Turn"? They had tyhe audacity and courage to assaultwhat was then the British-dominated pop charts and in the process became a wildly successful group, one who wound up pioneering the realities of the American rock star phenomenon. As they describe in "So You Want to Be A Rock & Roll Star", the chance to do so was real, at least for them. And they succeeded far beyond their wildest expectations!

All of their best efforts are here, and although it was true that the tender ages and very high level of talent and abilities of each of the members led to their relatively quick demise as a group, it is also true that the abilities of each as musicians and songwriters and performers is evident here. Who can resist the magic of a song like "Eight Miles High" or "My Back Pages"? They had an obvious sense of humor, as is evident in "Mr Spaceman", and also had a social conscience, as they proved with "Chimes OF Freedom". In fact, they helped enormously to establish Bob Dylan's music in the hearts and minds of the sixties generation, and from "Mr Tambourine Man" to "My Back Pages" to "All I Really Want To Do" , they popularized the themes of intelligent questioning of social issues with their music. No one has a complete sixties music collection without this album. Buy it and enjoy!