Customer Reviews

Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For 37 years now the only official document of The Byrds live has been the 1970 recording: "Untitled", {recently expanded to: Untitled/Unissued}. As "Untitled" only hints at the might & majesty that surrounds this version of musicians called: The Byrds, many of us have emptied our wallets on high-priced bootlegs such as: "Live In Amsterdam 1970" and "Two Tea For Two" {"Boston Tea Party, Feb 1969"}. The reason that poor-quality recordings of this edition of The Byrds have been so popular for close to 40 years now, is simple...This band was known around the world as one of the greatest live bands of their time {1969-1972}. Now, because of nothing more than a: "Chance-in-a-Million" and 37 years on, we can Listen and judge for ourselves.

Sound quality is not stellar here, and some postings are on the attack over that issue. But, by the cold hard digital standards of 2008, this tape of variable quality improves as the show unfolds and the mix is corrected in the concert hall on the soundboard by the only way possible in 1971, with the soundman's own two hands. Sundazed Records, must really worked on this tape to get it to sound this good, {they are known as true Byrds fans there} and I thank them for their work on this recording.

What about the music? Well, this track listing looks like all the usual suspects are present: "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Eight Miles High" & "My Back Pages", but be prepared to be a little surprised with a fresh acoustic take on "Tambourine Man" and the longest and finest captured version of: "Eight Miles High", where it all sounds 'On' at long last! {sorry "Untitled" fans, this one has a better flow and soars above the Felt Forum version from 1970}.

Why is this considered the best live bunch of: "Byrdmen"? Well, Roger McGuinn and Clarence White get much {and they have earned it!}praise for the meshing of their guitar playing styles{Folk-Rock meets Bluegrass-Country}, but the real secret weapons of this CD are found in the bass playing of Skip Batton and the percussion of Gene Parsons. This is a tight rhythm section that holds this all together and always plays interesting passages that entertain but never bore. The jam on "Eight Miles High is focused and stands the test of mulitple plays because these guys know WHAT to play and they know WHAT NOT to play. Like the best jazz musicians these Byrds can Fly, and they Fly high on this night in London.

There is a lot of musical history covered here in these 19 Songs. From the traditional a cappella rendition of: "Amazing Grace", just like it would have sounded in a small church 150 Years ago, on to the space/country of: "Mr. Spaceman" that takes such an refreshing take on this 1966 hit that it's almost like a brand new tune. The album tracks: "I Trust" and "Truck Stop Girl" blow their studio cousins right outta the water and sound so good here. It has been a while since a live album has been this great from start to finish {with the exception of the live CD by Gene Clark: "Silverado 75", released in May of this year}.

The Byrds were amazing to me when I was listening to: "Younger Than Yesterday" way back in 1968, and now in 2008 they are amazing once more.
You can live with the sound quality, this is a fantastic CD...
FIVE STARS !!!

A fine compare and contrast to the live sides on Untitled. There are song duplications between that set and this, but the arrangements are by no means static. A nice little acoustic set in the middle, tunes from MTM through Byrdmaniax, and another opportunity to hear the stellar Clarence White work out.
The Battin/Parsons rhythm section propel the two guitarists in a fine manner; Gene Parsons has long been an underrated drummer. For a recording that was originally meant just as a band reference tape, the sound is fine; many live recordings from this era sound no better than this. I saw the Byrds live around the time of Untitled, and the sound was no more or less clear inside the concert hall itself.
A great addition to this band's catalog; buy without reservations.

I'm a bit confused by the comments of the two reviewers so far. Yes, Clarence White's guitar IS down in the mix of the first song, "Lover of the Bayou," but it's not inaudible, and this minor problem vanishes for the rest of the CD and Mr. White's liquid fingers remain in your face throughout.

Way back in the way, way back, I must have seen this particular incarnation of the Byrds (give or take a John York or Skip Battin) at least ten times, and I have to say that this performance, even with a ragged corner or two, captures the energy and pizzazz of the band as I remember it live better than any other released live versions. If anything, the occasional lack of audio polish reflects wonderfully the rough 'n' ready glory of the band.

Another fine feature is having live versions of "Lover of the Bayou," "Truck Stop Girl," and Chestnut Mare" with background vocals (which were inexplicably absent from previous studio or live versions). In fact, the Byrds are in fine vocal mettle throughout this concert, particularly in the the songs just mentioned as well as the lovely "I Trust" and a red-hot "Jesus is Just Alright."

When I first heard of this CD, I'd initially sighed, thinking, Yet another scraping from the lower levels of the barrel? even as I knew that I would of course have to order it. Well, I couldn't be more pleased (it's playing a second time as I write this) that finally a record of the autumnal Byrds at their live and lively best is finally available for all--this will add to their reputation.

After a long wait of about 3 weeks from placing my order, my new live Byrds CD arrived. I hurried to unwrap it and put it on my CD player. WOW! I was really impressed with it. As soon as I saw the ad for the pre-orders on this, I knew I had to order it. And I am glad I did. The songs are great, quality is just fine given it is a live show from 37 years ago. In comparison to UNTITLED, very similar but a more indepth concert. Eight Miles High starts off with their jamming thru more than half way, then they break into the actual song. Sounds great! Anyone who was a Byrds fan from days-gone-by, will love this CD....I know I do!
Nice addition to my collection of Byrds music.
Peace!

This is one of those innocent pleasures that one can afford to consume in one's later years without any guilt whatsoever while ruing the years that the subject has been under wraps in Roger McGuinn's archives.

I will leave others to discuss individual tracks while I make the claim to how like the Grateful Dead the Byrds really were on this showing. The differences are clear, whilst the Dead gre from their blues based background the Byrds arose from the folk tradition but here, in this fines concert marred only by a minor sound glitch in the first track, the similarities are there for all to see and hear.

Marvel how America has produced two bands who outgrew their simple origins to become the greatest evangelists for the broad spectrum of music that has emerged from the United States in it's brief history. Marvel at their adaptions and restorations of folk and country and bluegrass while having the talent and capability to perform outside of the boundaries of the simple folk song.

Of course both bands look to Bob Dylan at various times in their careers to provide the vivid lyrics which capture so much and evoke much more but which they in turn reflect and refract back out to the broader audiences.

This album spans many decades in it's short span and presents them afresh. Whilst I mourn the space between the recording and it's eventual release it reminds me of much that has been lost in the intervening years and how we will probably never see the likes of the Byrds and the Dead again in their ability to transcend styles and forms and bring into the fold many from differing subclasses of the popular idiom together.

I commend this album to the pantheon of excellent albums.

"Everything is already out there," one reviewer complained when the second boxed set was released.

Well, it wasn't and isn't.

Seemingly out of nowhere here is lots lots more. The post-Sweetheart Byrds red hot and live at Albert Hall, seriously tearing into one great performance after another on a night when everything seems to have gone right.

This band is on fire with no time for dead air. One great performance follows quickly on the heels of the last, as if they can't wait to nail the next one.

And the sound quality... Okay, not perfect but consistently solid and better than anyone had a right to expect. When it really gets right it threads the eye of a needle and, whoa, you're in the front row.

The 1969-72 Byrds have been described as a "solid rock and roll band with an honest country heart" -- they were, and their sound is timeless.

Happily so is the material....

Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do", Jackson Browne's "Jamaica Say You Will," Lowell George's "Truck Stop Girl", Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd," Ledbelly's "Take A Whiff on Me," Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven..."

Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages," "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," and an almost bluegrass performance of "Mr. Tambourine Man."

McGuinn's finest post-Sweetheart compositions are here - "Lover Over the Bayou" and "Chestnut Mare", along with his earlier hits and a lovely delivery of "I Trust."

And the "Eight Miles High" jam. I swear that's "Old Blue" in the opening, but it quickly takes off to places unknown. Happily, this time McGuinn and Clarence don't take such a long cigarette break and leave Skip and Gene hanging...

Since this arrived I've either been listening to it or wishing I was...

Thank you, Jim Roger McGuinn, and Camilla too.

This is a keeper, and a nicely packaged one too.

The Byrds were the first great American rock band of the sixties, and almost certainly the most influential American rock band ever. They redefined rock music with their debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" in early 1965, and again with "Eight Miles High" in 1966, but by 1969, Roger McGuinn was the only original Byrd remaining in the group. McGuinn recruited bluegrass and session guitar wizard Clarence White to join the group full time and carried on under the Byrds name. Having lost three tremendously talented singer/songwriters in Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman (as well as short-time Byrd Gram Parsons), the five studio albums recorded between 1969 and 1972 by the McGuinn/White version of the Byrds tended to be inconsistent (despite some definite high points).

However, these latter day Byrds, especially White, were no less than terrific when performing live and this album may be the definitive document of those performances.

White's guitar playing is absolutely terrific. Although White's guitar mastery has always been well known by both bluegrass and rock insiders, he has never seemed to achieve the public acclaim of Hendrix, Clapton, or Page. Maybe that's because those Byrd albums were inconsistent, or because he approached the guitar from a bluegrass, rather than blues, perspective. But White was at least as technically proficient as any rock guitarist, and this album proves that he was also tremendously inventive.

Although McGuinn's guitar playing doesn't display the kind of warm individuality of his "classic" Byrds period, his singing and guitar playing is certainly complementary to White's. Indeed, McGuinn's performance is smart and inventive, and highly enjoyable throughout.

And the rhythm section of Skip Battin (bass) and Gene Parsons (drums) work beautifully with the two guitarists.

Although this album bears a number of similarities to the live portion of Untitled, there are actually a number of subtle and not so subtle differences. The most obvious difference is that this is presented as a complete (or near complete) show, whereas Untitled is presented as "highlights" from two or three shows. Because of that, and perhaps because this wasn't recorded specifically for release, this performance has a much warmer, more spontaneous feel to it. The song performances themselves seem to be more relaxed, personal, and inventive than those on Untitled. The (short) acoustic set is surprisingly enjoyable. And, on at least few songs, the vocal harmonies, while certainly not reminicient of "classic" Byrd harmonies, are excellent.

On the bad side, the sound quality on the first track does seem to be less than ideal. And "Eight Miles High", similar to on Untitled, is about eight miles (minutes) longer than ideal. But these are minor quibles.

This is a great live album from a great live band.

Hopefully, McGuinn will continue to release more great live material from throughout his career.

This recorded document of The Byrds' performance at The Royal Albert Hall in 1971 is better than anticipated. It is a soundboard recording which is beneficial because it allows a live event to be mixed with clear separation of the instruments and vocals. Unfortunately, the mix was done live--as it happened. For this CD release on the Sundazed label, the sound, about which some reviewers have complained, actually improves during the course of the complete 77-minute show and is more than reasonable for an archival, originally-unintended release.

Clarence White's guitar work on track #1, "Lover of the Bayou", is way down in the mix but is restored front and center after that point. The rhythm section of Gene Parsons and Skip Battin is well mixed throughout, demonstrating what a formidable presence they were and how crucial it was to the excitement of The Byrds live. Unfortunately, Roger McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker is mixed way too low until about two thirds of the way through the concert. His vocals are prominent and clear, however; it is also refreshing to hear the fine harmony work of White, Battin and Parsons where it had been buried on the live portion of "Untitled".

As for the show itself, the song selection is generous and qualifies nearly as a "best of the country Byrds", with some notable exceptions, of course. There are newer numbers such as "Roll Over,Beethoven", "Jamaica, Say You Will" and "I Trust" interwoven with classic cuts making it a good alternative to the familiar "Untitled" show.

The live arrangements of songs differ from the more-famous studio versions, in many cases, notably the acoustic "Mr. Tambourine Man" and medley of "Black Mountain Rag/Soldier's Joy". However, others such as "Rock n' Roll Star", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Jesus Is Just Alright" and "Nashville West" are not altogether different from the famous "Unititled/Unissued" versions recorded a year earlier. In my opinion, they are generally of the same calibre as that previous show and it would be "cherry picking" to say one performance is superior to another. I must admit that, for me, however, the more-conventional, hard-rock version of "Eight Miles High" here is not very interesting throughout its duration as the solos seem uninspired and messy. The jazzier and more exploratory version on "Untitled" has yet to be eclipsed, to my mind, for its inventiveness, virtuosity and also faithfulness to the spirit of the original.

The performances on all cuts are vigorous and very definitely in a "hard rock" mode. The acoustic numbers are warm and charming. It is The Byrds at their instrumental peak and a CD must-have for Byrds fanatics. It isn't superior to the justly-celebrated "Untitled" performances, but I would recommend it without reservation and, also, to classic rock and alt-country fans.

I highly recommend this CD for fans of the "cosmic American music" that McGuinn and company created by moving through several styles in one concert -- country-rock, bluegrass, folk-rock, rock-and-roll, blues, and even what we'd now call jam-band music.

They play some of the Byrds' hits, like "Mr. Tambourine Man," "My Back Pages," "You Ain't Going Nowhere," "Eight Miles High," "Mr. Spaceman," "So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star," and "Chestnut Mare," but they don't just give you a re-hash of the studio records. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is done as part of an acoustic set, "Eight Miles High" is played as a lengthy jam, and the others are supplemented by guitar interplay between Roger McGuinn and virtuoso Clarence White that often goes way beyond the studio versions.

As mentioned, there's an acoustic set in the middle of the proceedings, which provides nice variety to the flow of the show. McGuinn and White play stellar acoustic bluegrass on "Black Mountain Rag/Soldier's Pay," and they also perform Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd" (featuring Roger on banjo), as well as another song associated with Guthrie, "Take a Whiff on Me." During the electric portion, they play bluesman Jimmy Reed's "Baby, What You Want Me To Do" and the Chuck Berry classic "Roll Over Beethoven," so this is clearly not a band that's limiting itself to the "folk-rock" or "country-rock" labels often applied to it. The show is wrapped up with an a capella "Amazing Grace." Quite a performance.

Sundazed has done its usual superb job of finding great material for us to hear, and the sound quality here, while not perfect, is very good -- much, much better than you might expect from a tape that sat in Roger McGuinn's garage for over 35 years.

Highly recommended -- five stars.

(Note: I retracted an earlier review that mentioned a technical problem with the first copies of this CD that I obtained. Apparently, the problem with them was just bad luck, because I now have a copy of this excellent disc that plays perfectly.)

I have loved the Byrds since the days of Turn Turn Turn and Mr. Tamborine Man, but the early band was better as a vocal group than as instrumentalists. After Sweethearts of the Rodeo, the band added Clarence White, who had been a sessions musician on several of the previous albums, as a band member. During the time that he was with the band, Clarence made it one of the best live acts going. Only the Grateful Dead had a guitar player as innovative. This album shows the band live in 1971 and highlights both Clarence's pedalsteel-like Telecaster playing and his awsome acoustic bluegrass skills. Clarence had been one of the people who created newgrass with his band Kentucky Colonels and with Muleskinner, which had many of the same musicians as Old and In the Way. His death at the hands of a drunk driver was a major loss to music. This album has the best version I've heard of Clarence's showstopper, Black Mountain Rag/Soldier's Joy. My only problem with the album is that the mix seems off on the first couple of tunes -- a problem with live recordings. After that the album is pure gold.