Customer Reviews

The Byrds - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This collection of greatest hits certainly lives up to its title. There are 14 (counting the three bonus tracks) fine slices of pure rock and roll from the 60s which still sounds life-affirming even to this day. From the well known classics "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" to lesser-known (but still equally impressive) gems like "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom," this CD shows proves that the Byrds not only defined the sound and spirit of the West Coast '60s, but for a brief time were hugely influential in shaping rock and roll as a genre. The Byrds evolved considerably during the two years that these songs were recorded, and it is evident from the straight forward Dylan-meets-Beatles folk-rock of "Mr. Tambourine Man" to the pioneering psychedelic freak out "Eight Miles High" to the instrumentation in "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star." Every song on here is gorgeous, and each one deserves several listens.

This newly remastered version is truly a standout because it adds three additional bonus tracks, "It Won't Be Wrong," "Set You Free This Time," and "Have You Seen Her Face." I have to admit, "Set You Free," though a pleasant effort by Gene Clark, is a bit too country-ish for my liking and I don't care much for it. However, the other two bonus tracks are KILLER, and I am so glad that these were included. They may not have been hits like the rest of the songs (I believe they were released as singles, but sadly recieved little attention commercially), but "It Won't Be Wrong" and "Have You Seen Her Face" both contain some of the best melodies I have ever heard from this group or anyone else, and I always enjoy listening to them. Pity these weren't hits, they sure deserved to be. As it is, they remain supreme album cuts that make this great collection even greater.

This is a MUST have for any seroius rock fan. Don't let this pass you by. If you are a casual fan, definitely pick this one up and prepare to get hooked. After listening to their classic hits, go back and pickup the remastered versions of the "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Fifth Dimension" albums (both of which feature phoenomenal album cuts) to see what a truly inventive band the Byrds really were during this era.

Of course there's a bunch of songs "missing" from here, but if you're looking for a PERFECT Byrds compilation containing most of their biggest and best, this is it; there's not a weak track in the bunch! You'd probably want to get "Best Of/Vol. II" as well for, if nothing else, "Chestnut Mare" and "The Ballad of Easy Rider", but for now let's focus on this one here...

From "Mr.Tambourine Man" to "My Back Pages" (incidentally, the two best Dylan covers of all time AND in -at least- my Top 10 of best pop songs ever), this one's just a pure joy anyway, anyhow and anywhere you look at it. More of Dylan's best is flawlessly interpreted in an immaculately Byrdy fashion via both "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom", with a bit of Pete Seeger thrown into the mix thru "The Bells of Rhymney" and the literally heavenly "Turn! Turn! Turn!" -- the latter of which could make a dead man weep.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Byrds themselves were (and, indeed, are) no slouches in the songwriting department; at least "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" and "Eight Miles High" are ample proofs of that.

The rest of this disc is just as uninterruptedly glorious and mighty; the Byrds were arguably one of the very best and most important bands of its era -- fourth only to the Beatles, Stones and the Beach Boys, and if that's not a testament to the utter brilliance of this collection, I just don't know what is.

"...and I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."

Yep, even 30-plus years later,the early Byrds have proven their high standing in 60's pop-rock. Where else can you get their unique chimelike 12-string,matched by some superb harmonies,even if the songs don't always stand up quite as well? TURN,TURN,TURN,right out of Eccliasiates, always sounds just fine. "Bells of Rhymney" , Pete Seeger's ballad about a coal mining disaster, has not lost it's sadness. EIGHT MILES HIGH still flies with perfect harmony,even if the guitars get a little too noisy."5 D" and "My Back Pages" fill the package perfectly, the latter a less known example of making a Dylan tune enjoyable. Still, a couple of these don't hold their own ("Spaceman" and "Rock and Roll Star"), and could have been replaced by a couple less known numbers from YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY. Still, the best one CD Byrds' package. They went off later to do some "country/cowboy" things,etc. but none of that has the uniqueness of this, their earliest and best.

This CD could be more accurately called "Greatest Hits Through the 'Younger Than Yesterday' Album." When this compilation was first issued in 1967, that made sense. At the time, "Younger Than Yesterday" was their most recent LP. While 1967 marked the end of their commercial success (never again were they to have a big Top 40 hit), they did continue to make critically acclaimed music, so this 1999 reissue could have been better by being a true "Greatest Hits" CD. Clocking in at around 40 minutes, there was plenty of room left for more songs.

To their credit, Sony did a first-rate job of packaging this CD by including faithful reproductions of the original front and back covers. They also included three bonus tracks. Particularly welcome are "It Won't Be Wrong" and "Have You Seen Her Face," which feature harmony vocals as good as any the Byrds recorded. The placement of the bonus tracks at the end of the CD is puzzling though. They would have been better integrated with tracks from the same time period. This is a greatest hits compilation after all. It's not like you are going to mess up the artistic integrity of the original LP.

This is a five-star CD for great songs and packaging and good overall sound, minus one star for the shortsighted exclusion of songs from the rest of The Byrds catalog. If you are a casual Byrds fan, this CD has most of the songs you want. Or you could wait a few years for further inevitable reissues, one of which may do the job that this CD should have.

My favorite rock band and also the favorite songs our band played in the 60's. This captures there style, soaring 12 strings undergirded by moving bass lines, with just the right mix of cymbals and not overpowering drums.

Has my all-time favorite "I'll feel a whole lot better" and those ones everybody liked "tambourine man" and "turn! turn! turn!"

Maybe it's just nostalgia, but The Byrds have never sounded better to me! Yes, these recordings are pre-digital, pre-Eno recording techniques and it shows. But I found them well worth the re-purchase price, especially with bonus tracks, art/photos and notes. After taking a break from sixties listening for a while, The Byrds sound fresh to my ears - as well as waking something up in the back of my head.

If you want the hits, this collection is perfect for you. All the band's major hits are represented although they had some minor ones that deserve attention as well. The three bonus tracks expand on the original and give much needed space to founding members Gene Clark and Chris Hillman. If you'd like a better representation of the band's output check out "The Essential Byrds" which features twice as many songs.