Customer Reviews

The Byrds Untitled

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As a long-time admirer of the Byrds' Untitled, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when I heard that another CD was being added to the re-release, with studio and concert outtakes. Forgive me for doubting. The added studio tracks are a revelation. "All the Things" seems like a completely different song, with a brilliant arrangement that features complex vocal harmonies and a prominent McGuinn guitar--one of his most heavenly 12-string riffs. "Lover of the Bayou" features a heavily echoed McGuinn vocal and a strong harmonica backing, plus great guitar interplay between McGuinn and Clarence White--ferocious! Then there are two quiet, acoustic songs with Gene Parsons's vocals that are the real sleepers here--"Willin'" and "Yesterday's Train." The latter has an understated vocal so achingly beautiful that all the song's wistful longing comes through. And the acoustic version of "Kathleen's Song" has a similar fragile beauty. All in all, 22 minutes of unreleased studio cuts than are as strong as anything on the original album. As for the live performances, a great "Jesus is Just Alright"--it's about time a live version is now available. And the arrangement of "Ballad of Easy Rider" is far superior to the studio version, with lovely bitter-sweet harmonies at the end. From a double album to a double CD--and every bit worthy of the name. One of the greatest Byrds albums, now even more awe-inspiring.

"Untitled" is by far my favorite Byrds lp, regardless of what era of the band it was. There are many reasons for this- mainly being that the countrified Byrds of McGuinn/White/Battin/Parsons was the most stable lineup of the band, and with it produced numbers that ROCKED harder than anything they had ever done.

Disc one opens with live material, with obligitory Dylan numbers, the country/rocked out glory of "Nashville West," showcasing the late Clarence White's amazing guitar work, and the blissful 16 minute workout of "Eight Miles High"- proving that when they were inspired, the Byrds could flex their solo muscles and go with it. The studio material offer many wonderful nuggets, such as the McGuinn classic "Chestnut Mare," the Parsons/Battin's religiously based "Yesterday's Train," Leadbelly's "Take a Whiff on Me," sung by White, and White's wonderful take on Lowell George's beautiful "Truck Stop Girl."

The beauty of a whole cd worth of unissued material is more than enough reason to get this gem of a re-release. It showcases the wonderful democracy (or as close as McGuinn would allow it to be) of the band at this point, and with it, the immense talents of all 4 members. Highlights include the studio version of McGuinn's "Lover of the Bayou," Parson's cover of Lowell George's "Willin," and White's "White's Lightning Pt.2," part of a studio jam. Also included are more live tracks including "Jesus Is Just Alright," soon to be the Doobie Brothers' breakout hit.

Many people regard this lp as the last great Byrds lp. This is debatable, of course (I feel "Last Time Around" is a brilliant, if tired, effort), but what is clear is the absolute brillaince of this lineup. Their chops are in top form, and it shows throughout the 2 cds. they never sounded tighter and more at ease with themselves.

This re-issue is absolutly indispensible listening and a gem of the highest calibre.

Turmoil. It ain't easy when you're band breaks up one-by-one. First the band's best songwriter Gene Clark left during the recording of the third album (leaving behind his classic "Eight Miles High" which McGuinn modified for his spectacular guitar parts). Then David Crosby left amid hard feelings even (at the time) accusing McGuinn & Hillman of taking his name off the credits of some of the songs. Finally, after the band made the transition to country rock (and had just added the hedonistic Gram Parsons to their line up)Hillman left with Parsons to found The Flying Burrito Brothers. Thank God for Clarence White and his spectacular playing as White's brilliant playing (Hendrix was among his admirers)nicely compliments McGuinn's and the duo bring many of the classic Byrds tunes to life on teh live album. His playing is a highlight here as well. White had appeared as a session musician on "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and also appeared on a Gene Clark's early country-rock solo albums. He had been a bluegrass star from his early teens and his playing is truly amazing comparable to other icons of the time (Hendrix, Beck, Clapton) in its complexity but also in its creativity.

"(Untitled/Unissued)" is the last complete masterpiece from The Byrds. The first half of the expanded CD (which was the first album when it was released on vinyl in 1970)featured a stunning live set from the band including the new McGuinn-Levy classic "Lover of the Bayou" and concluding with a stunning, rambling jam that filled up an entire LP side with "Eight Miles High". In between the new line up more than distinguishes itself as a powerful live band. The studio album jumps off with McGuinn & Levy's "Chestnut Mare" another of McGuinn's collaborations for the failed Broadway musical version of Peer Gynt (to be called Gene Typ). Lowell George's "Truck Stop Girl" receives a nice vocal performance by Clarence White (the incredible guitarist is in evidence throughout the rest of the release making his guitar sing). The other outstanding tracks include McGuinn and Levy's brilliant "Just a Season" (easily along with "Chestnut Mare" one of the best things McGuinn ever wrote)and Skip Battin's "Well Come Back Home" (the song's original title on the LP sleeve)a powerful anti-war song about Vientnam.

The second consists of previously unreleased studio recordings and live tracks from the same concerts that provided the basis for the first LP of the original album. We get a number of memorable alternate versions of studio tracks that appeared on the original album including "All the Things" and the studio version of "Lover of the Bayou". There's also Ledbelly's "Take a Wiff on Me" recorded live. Most intersting is the Gospel tune "Jesus is Just Alright" which would become a minor hit for The Doobie Brothers a couple of years down the line (with a similar arrangement). The second disc closes out with a cover of the band's "This Wheel's on Fire".

The extensive liner notes by Byrds biographer Johnny Rogan discusses the original album track by track. Rogan also discusses the second disc and interviews various band members about the recording of the album.

Sadly, White was killed by a drug driver while unloading his equpiment at a solo show. He had been in talks with McGuinn to team up again. McGuinn went on to make some very good and very bad solo albums and, later, ill advised (but still fascinating)reunion of the original line up (undermined because of the lack of strong original material from the original line up of the Byrds)of the band.

New note: Fans may want to consider the newly remastered/reassmelbed Byrds box set which features a DVD of TV appearances as well.

There Is A Season

The original "Untitled" was a landmark album, showcasing the latter-era Byrds at their best; although some of the studio tracks were less than stunning, the live tracks reaffirmed McGuinn's assertion that the Clarence White-era Byrds were the best live Byrds lineup. With the addition of a disc full of previously unreleased material, a great album has become even better. The studio version of "Lover of the Bayou" is superb, although it is vastly different from the live version, as is the excellent studio rendition of "Willin'", a staple in the band's live repertoire. The added live tracks are also great, with the legendary Clarence White in fine form throughout. The hidden track is a stunning a cappella version of "Amazing Grace", which confirms that this lineup was capable of stunning vocal harmonies. In all, this set is a bargain, and will please old and new fans alike.

1970's "Untitled" album by The Byrds came at a crucial point in their career. Having gained wide exposure due to the inclusion of some of their songs in the extremely successful film "Easy Rider", it was incumbent upon them to capitalize on it with a new album that would demonstrate not only their relevance to the Woodstock Nation, but also their significance in shaping the music scene from the beginning. It worked. The Byrds became a popular live act on campuses all over the U.S.A. and a viable commercial entity again. The gorgeously-remastered "Untitled/Unissued" CD capably demonstrates why. The live portion of Disc #1 is a raw, exciting mini-concert from New York that mixes classic Byrds hits ("Mr. Tambourine Man", "So You Want To Be A Rock n' Roll Star" and "Mr. Spaceman) with newer material ("Lover of the Bayou", "Nashville West" and Dylan's "Positively 4th Steet"). The playing is superb, especially Clarence White's Telecaster pyrotechnics, and it's good to hear McGuinn's chimey Rickenbacker up in the sound mix. The live "Eight Miles High" is a tour-de-force and possibly the best extended version of a song (16 minutes!) by ANY 1960s rock group. The interaction between McGuinn and White is bracing and imaginative, and the rhythm section of Battin and Parsons is relentlessly propulsive, culminating in an almost jazz-like dialogue in the middle of the song. It will keep your attention throughout and is a noticeable improvement sound-wise as Sony has corrected sonic imbalances that marred the original recording. The studio portion of Disc #2 is almost as good because it contains three of the finest Byrds songs ever: "Chestnut Mare", "All the Things" and "Just A Season", all written by McGuinn and featuring his signature 12-string sound. Also notable are Parsons' and Battin's "Yesterday's Train", which is quite poignant, and White's elegiac version of Little Feat's "Truck Stop Girl". As if hearing this wonderful late era Byrds album with pristine sound isn't enough, Sony has included a second disc entitled "Unissued". They have generously given us some fine studio items recorded for "Untitled" in alternate take form (a lovely rearrangement of "All the Things") or unfinished ("Kathleen's Song", "Lover of the Bayou"). There is also a sampling of the other cuts recorded for the live portion of Disc #1 that are good, if not as crisp and vigorous as the ones finally chosen ("You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Jesus Is Just Alright", "This Wheel's On Fire"). The best of these live cuts have to be Dylan's "It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding" and a moving version of "The Ballad of Easy Rider". The disc concludes with an unlisted accappella version of the traditional "Amazing Grace", the standard closing number of The Byrds during their creative renaissance. "Untitled/Unissued" is a must-have purchase for Byrds fanatics and anyone interested in the roots of the "new country" movement. It is also one of the few essential live rock albums. Even a beginning Byrds fan would do well to investigate this, their finest, if not most influential album since 1968's "The Notorious Byrd Brothers".

This album holds a special place in my collection that's not entirely related to the sometimes excellent music it contains. Untitled was originally released by Columbia on Sept. 16, 1970. At the time I was a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and on Sept. 24, I attended my first concert--a double bill featuring the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. [I still have the ticket stub taped inside my vinyl copy of the album--tickets were three bucks! ]

Of course, the Byrds performed much of the material on Untitled. I have to admit, however, that my feelings about their live interpretations of their old material with the new band hasn't changed much. Songs like "So You Want To Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and even their signature song "Mr. Tambourine Man" have a much tougher edge than the studio versions. The Byrds were trying to sound too much like a rock 'n' roll band and that's something they never were. Their country, folk and bluegrass influences were completely absent this time out. The hard-edged sound worked on songs like "Lover of the Bayou," but I prefer the studio version included here with its haunting harmonica work. The 16-minute version of "Eight Miles High" features some amazing guitar work from Roger McGuinn (the only surviving member from the band's hit-making days).

Of course the standout track from among the original studio tracks was McGuinn's "Chestnut Mare." This track alone made the album indispensible. Equally charming is another McGuinn-Levy song, "Just a Season." These two songs stand tall among any songs in the Byrds' canon.

By this time in the Byrds' career, the group was becoming less a vehicle for McGuinn and more of a group project. Skip Battin and Gene Parsons contributed several worthy songs, including "Yesterday's Train," "You All Look Alike" and the album-closing "Welcome Back Home." Another terrific song is Clarence White's cover of Leadbelly's "Take a Whiff on Me."

Sony/Legacy did themselves proud with this re-issue. The original release was a double vinyl album. Now we get a two-disc set with one disc devoted to previously unissued tracks. Highlights among the studio tracks are the alternate take of "Yesterday's Train," the gentle "Kathleen's Song" (which would later appear in a different take on Byrdmaniax), the aforementioned "Lover of the Bayou" and Parsons' wonderful take on the Lowell George chestnut "Willin'."

The live tracks on the unissued disc show the Byrds' country roots with heartfelt renditions of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," "Old Blue" and "Ballad of Easy Rider." They also serve up stirring versions of "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," "Jesus Is Just Alright" and "This Wheel's on Fire." Overall, the live tracks on the "Unissued" disc outshine the "Untitled" ones simply because the band isn't so self-consciously trying to be a hard rock band, but instead being one of the great country/folk-rock bands of the Sixties. There is much here for the avid Byrds fan to enjoy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is what we like, a healthy dollop of bonus cuts (actually an entire bonus disc) to beef up an already admirable album. Most of the extra cuts are live, and I'm surprised at the omission of "Amazing Grace" which was definitely recorded at these sessions, but what we do get is mouth-watering enough: studio versions of "Lover of the Bayou" and "Willin'" included ("Just Like a Woman" has been added to BYRDMANIAX instead).

Regarding the original album, "Chestnut Mare" was the hit (is it about horses or sex? - you decide!), but "Just a Season" is possibly even better. Honorable mentions must also go to "All the Things" (featuring ex-Byrd Gram Parsons), "Yesterday's Train" and the storming live version of "Lover of the Bayou" - all 4 of these songs were originally conceived for a rock musical by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy!

It all adds up to the pick of the post-Crosby Byrds - go buy!

The Byrds 9th album "Untitled" with a new disc on top of it "Unissued" is classic Byrds. We all know "Untitled", but the "Unissued" is a hodpodge of great Byrds live and alternate studio recordings. The first 6 songs are from the studio. Lowell Georges' "Willin'" is done greatly by Gene Parson's. "White's Lightning Pt. 2" is Clarence White at his best. "Kathleen's Song" is done with out the overdubs on "Brydmaniax" and sounds the better for it. Roger McGuinn's "Lover on the Bayou" is still great, sounds like something C.C.R. would of done. "All Things", and "Yesterday's Train" sound fresh in the studio. The last eight songs our done live. March 1st at the Felt Forum and September 23rd 1970 at the Fillmore East. Also as the last reviewer said an excellent version of "Amazing Grace" is the hidden track. In my mind there's not one weak track on this CD. Every Byrd fan should get this disc!

As I have already written a full review of the first disc in this two CD set (the first disc encompassing the original double vinyl album released as 'Untitled' in 1970), this review will primarily be devoted to the 14 track second disc, titled 'Unissued', consisting entirely of previously unreleased studio and live tracks. It should be stated however, since I have lived a period of time with both recordings, that the remastered version of 'Untitled' stands in bold contrast to the original CD version. There are moments where the superior fidelity of the remastering becomes clear, such as in the opening bars of 'Nashville West', which on the original CD sounded as though a mixing problem had completely skewed and lost most everything save the bass and drums. A similar observation can be made in comparing Clarence White's innovative guitar lines on 'Mr. Tambourine Man', which sounded muddled on the original CD, but sound fully integrated into the mix on the remaster.

As if these improvements were not reason enough to invest in the remastered version, a full complement of studio and live recordings have been added to the package on a bonus disc. This second disc reverses the sequence of 'Untitled', first offering alternate and unreleased studio tracks, and then a series of live recordings drawn from the same concerts that provided the live tracks for 'Untitled'. While 'Untitled' failed to reveal the source of these live recordings, thanks to the extensive liner notes offered in 'Unissued' we now know they were made in early 1970 at the Felt Forum in New York, and at the Fillmore East.

The second disc opens with four alternate versions of three songs found on 'Untitled', and they are worthy of inclusion. 'All the Things' and 'Yesterday's Train' are also found on 'Untitled', but I actually find the alternate takes to be superior, sounding more genuine and accessible. 'Lover of the Bayou' appears on 'Untitled' as a live track, so the studio version, with it's echo-chambered vocal and harmonica is a completely different experience. The final alternate is a version of 'Kathleen's Song', a worthy ballad that made its first debut on 'Byrdmaniax', released as the follow-up to 'Untitled' in 1971. Two previously unreleased recordings follow, an energized instrumental titled 'White's Lightning Pt. 2', and a faithful and sincere version of George Lowell's 'Willin', which along with the two opening live tracks form the sequence most devoted to The Byrds version of country music.

To my ear the real treats are yet to come in the form of the live tracks, which open with a version of the finest number from 1968's 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' disc, 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere', followed by 'Old Blue' from 1969's 'Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde', and completing the country segment of the show. The final segment, consisting of more pop and rock oriented fare, leads off with a cover of Bob Dylan's 'It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding') from 1965's 'Bringing It All Back Home', although a Roger McGuinn studio version also appears on the 1969 soundtrack of the 'Ballad of Easy Rider' flick. 'Ballad of Easy Rider' follows, also from the flick, and from The Byrds 1969 disc entitled 'Easy Rider'. The opening bars to this memorable song are deservedly well-received by the audience.

The remaining tracks are collected from diverse sources. 'My Back Pages' is of course a throwback to the original Byrds last studio album, 'Younger Than Yesterday', from 1967. Many believe this to be one of their finest recordings, and the live version here certainly does it justice. A live version of 'Take a Whiff' is next, the original appearing on 'Untitled'. McGuinn himself once stated that there were a few too many whiffs in the song for himself, so offering two versions of the same track in this package probably overdoes it. The last two recordings are gems, however. 'Jesus Is Just Alright' appeared first on 1969's 'Easy Rider', and although the song was immortalized by The Doobie Brothers, The Byrds take on it is thoroughly enjoyable as well. The closing track, 'This Wheel's On Fire', was offered by The Byrds as a studio track on 'Dr. Byrds...', and this fleet version provides a crescendo, and lends an exclamation point to the live set. As if all of this were not enough, there is a 'hidden track' offered on disc two, a brief and vibrant a capella version of 'Amazing Grace'.

This double-disc set serves as the textbook on how to expand and repackage decades old material. 'Untitled' was a fine double disc in its first manifestation, but the inclusion of additional live and studio tracks, as well as detailed liner notes, really gives the work a sense of completeness, even if more material may lie in the vault. The only noticable way this could have been expanded further would have been through inclusion of printed lyrics, but given the number of tracks offered here, that may have proved too cumbersome. Columbia is to be commended for it's efforts, and rewarded by fans of The Byrds through their purchase of this outstanding production.

This record was great when it was originally issued because you could begin to hear how great this band was live. With the "unissued" disc, you can really hear how great this band was, period. The studio stuff is just excellent, esp. "All the Things" and "Lover of the Bayou", which should both have been on the album. But it's the live set from NYC in 1970 that is just stunning. There was no better guitar player, after Hendrix, than Clarence White. His chops were jaw dropping, his style unique, his timing was astounding and his sound was soulful - listening to him play is like seeing someone cut with a razor after watching them try to cut with a butter knife - SHARP! The truly cool thing about him was that he played with the other guys, not on top of/over them. And Gene Parsons was a great drummer - for instance, listen to "My Back Pages" and hear how he and Clarence double time their way through the song without in any way distracting from the elegaic/caustic (simultaneously!) feeling of Dylan's lyrics, or listen to "Ballad of Easy Rider" and hear how Clarence's single guitar is more effective than the entire string section on the studio version.

Along with the Burritos, this band had the truly great long-haired California country sound - laid back, irreverent and virtuosic. And from one who saw both the Byrds and the Burritos live in their primes - these guys rocked the house more. The Burritos had Gram but they didn't have Clarence. Jesus is Just Alright!