Customer Reviews

Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A lot of the time spent discussing these Byrds versus the original Byrds is just wasted air / wasted space. This is one of my favorite albums by the Byrds, along with Notorious Byrd Brothers. Greatest Hits and 5D. Its doggone easy to listen to and has great songs and great licks by Clarence White.

Since I saw the band touring behind this album in Moline, Illinois I have to report that they were one magical assemblage. I was indeed glad I had gone 200 miles out of my way without a ride home to see them.

So back to the music: This Wheels on Fire is here in a version I prefer to both Julie Driscoll and to the Band. Child of the Universe and Candy are interesting cinematic tie-ins and good tunes, while Bad Night and King Apathy III are terrific, as is Nashville West and Drugstore Truck Driving Man. Its hard to fault anything here, all of which I have listened to many, many times over. In fact, its hard to aurally picture my life without this disc. I prefer it to the simulataneous release, The Gilded Palace of Sin by the Flying Burrito Brothers, which is pretty good in and of itself. (This is the band and album that three Byrds left to found and record).

Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde is one of the finest albums from the Byrds which is more of a rock album as compared to the other albums from this great band.All the songs on this album are good and this album is highly recommended.

The magic between McGuinn's vocals/ guitar and Clarence White's lead guitar stylings make this a great Byrds album. Wheel of Fire, Gentle Way and Candy all are great tracks that didn't garner a ton of radio back in the day, but Legacy was smart enough to keep this print, now with some very cool bonus tracks.

...but's it's got some killer tracks. I've been in a Byrds mood lately, and the bonus tracks offer a different perspective on some of the music McGuinn and Co were involved in at the time. Looking back from 40 years ago, this sounds more country than alot of country tunes on that format today. Follow the Byrds from Sweetheats of the Rodeo onward and you will discover the pioneering effort and the various intrests that helped shape the jingle jangle sound of the band and it's metamorphosis into a bona fide country band, that's not afraid to rock and roll! Hear that Ralph?

Dr Byrds And Mr Hyde delivered a harder rock sound, although still influenced by country music.
Some of it does not work for me, for example old Blue, Bad Night At The Whiskey and Medley: My Back Pages/BJ Blues/Baby Waht Do you want Me To Do.
This Wheels On Fire is an excellent Bob Dylan cover and I also enjoy Your Gentle Way Of Loving Me, the instrumental Nashville West, Child Of The Universe and Candy.
Drug Store Truck Driving Man is a humorous dig at a local disc jockey who refused to play their records !
Of the bonus tracks only Lay Lady Lay, a slowish version of the Bob Dylan classic, really adds the the original LP.
So there it is, by no means their best, but with enough to earn 4 stars.

Does anyone know what this is? Is this the same as the 1996 reissue, without the liner notes? I've seen several other Byrds releases at this price, as well as some Dylan releases. What's going on here?

Most of what I'm purchasing I used to have the LP albums which I've sold. Now I'm rebuilding that old library with CD's.