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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
To quote the original liner notes of The Byrds' second album, "Protests growled briefly and died in great, wheezing gasps. The Byrds, unfettered, looked the other way and sang love songs." In 1965, America was beginning to enter a time of vehement political and social division and if anyone was looking for a song that flawlessly described the time, the title track of this album was a Godsend...literally. Originally taken by Pete Seeger from the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' was such a powerful anthem for all involved in the social unrest--both weary politicians and youths burning their draft cards--that the other songs on the album did not need to consist of other political messages. The Byrds decided one anthem was enough, and filled "Turn! Turn! Turn!" with great songs about love and searches for personal enlightenment.
The group's debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" had been largely carried by vocalist Gene Clark's creative originals, and four Bob Dylan covers among others. Clark's songs also carry "Turn! Turn! Turn!" when it comes to the creative output of the bandmembers, but Roger (Jim) McGuinn was establishing himself as the counterpart to Clark's work. The love songs he co-wrote, 'It Won't Be Wrong' and 'Wait and See' (co-authored by budding Byrd David Crosby) were not up to the standards of those set by Gene Clark, but his arranging of folk standards and 12-string Rickenbacker playing show his influence. McGuinn brilliantly turns an old folk song 'He Was A Friend Of Mine' into a beautiful lament for John F. Kennedy, the additional lyrics McGuinn added delicately describing the tragic assassination of a president. Also a nice move is the jangle of 'Oh Susannah,' which features great interplay between McGuinn's Rickenbacker and Michael Clarke's drum kit. 'Satisfied Mind' is one of the best covers the Byrds ever did, sincere and simple, and covers of 'The Times They Are-A Changing' and 'Lay Down Your Weary Tune' helped convince Dylan himself that the group was a solid talent. He told McGuinn "Up until I heard this ['Lay Down Your Weary Tune'] I thought you were just another immitator."
But Gene Clark again eclipses with his love songs; one of the most creative ballad writers of all time, Clark's songs were never cliched or tongue-in-cheek, and always down-to-Earth. 'If You're Gone' has to be one of his most moving vocal performances ever. 'Set You Free This Time' and 'The World Turns All Around Her' display the kind of songwriting the pop world needs today. His 'She Don't Care About Time' single is fortunately included as a bonus track on this remaster, along with another Clark masterpiece 'The Day Walk,' better known as 'Never Before.'
The "Turn! Turn! Turn!" album was a make it or break it for the Byrds; during this short time they rivalled the Beatles, and the massive success of the title track solidified their stance, if only for a brief time. But the other ten songs were what proved the group's talent, avoiding sophomore slumps and delivering some of the 60s greatest music.
The group's debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" had been largely carried by vocalist Gene Clark's creative originals, and four Bob Dylan covers among others. Clark's songs also carry "Turn! Turn! Turn!" when it comes to the creative output of the bandmembers, but Roger (Jim) McGuinn was establishing himself as the counterpart to Clark's work. The love songs he co-wrote, 'It Won't Be Wrong' and 'Wait and See' (co-authored by budding Byrd David Crosby) were not up to the standards of those set by Gene Clark, but his arranging of folk standards and 12-string Rickenbacker playing show his influence. McGuinn brilliantly turns an old folk song 'He Was A Friend Of Mine' into a beautiful lament for John F. Kennedy, the additional lyrics McGuinn added delicately describing the tragic assassination of a president. Also a nice move is the jangle of 'Oh Susannah,' which features great interplay between McGuinn's Rickenbacker and Michael Clarke's drum kit. 'Satisfied Mind' is one of the best covers the Byrds ever did, sincere and simple, and covers of 'The Times They Are-A Changing' and 'Lay Down Your Weary Tune' helped convince Dylan himself that the group was a solid talent. He told McGuinn "Up until I heard this ['Lay Down Your Weary Tune'] I thought you were just another immitator."
But Gene Clark again eclipses with his love songs; one of the most creative ballad writers of all time, Clark's songs were never cliched or tongue-in-cheek, and always down-to-Earth. 'If You're Gone' has to be one of his most moving vocal performances ever. 'Set You Free This Time' and 'The World Turns All Around Her' display the kind of songwriting the pop world needs today. His 'She Don't Care About Time' single is fortunately included as a bonus track on this remaster, along with another Clark masterpiece 'The Day Walk,' better known as 'Never Before.'
The "Turn! Turn! Turn!" album was a make it or break it for the Byrds; during this short time they rivalled the Beatles, and the massive success of the title track solidified their stance, if only for a brief time. But the other ten songs were what proved the group's talent, avoiding sophomore slumps and delivering some of the 60s greatest music.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
'Turn! Turn! Turn!' is the Byrds' second album, & featured the title track, their second & last US #1 single. The rest of the album follows the formula laid down the same year by their debut album, 'Mr. Tambourine Man', though somewhere, this second album is a bit more flawed, which is only understandable due to the hectic conditions under which it was created.
The title track is as wonderful a Byrdesque folk-rock song as any, fully reprising the glory of 'Mr. Tambourine Man', not only commercially, but also artistically.
'It Won't Be Wrong' is another folk-rock classic, whose intro sounds anticipate the coming of psychedelia a few years later. Later the song changes pace & returns to the original speed again later. All in all as great a Byrd song as any on their debut album.
'Set You Free This Time' sets their strongest lyric so far (those covered from Dylan not included), to a tune that marks a slight step down from the previous two songs, but not enough to prevent this from being one of their most underrated gems.
'Lay Down Your Weary Tune' is one of the group's best Dylan-interpretations, and, like all of those, it is hard not to think of it as a Byrds-original. An already strong song loses nothing of its beauty, but is presented in the full grace of folk-rock.
The traditional 'He Was A Friend Of Mine' is buoyed by a great, twangling acoustic guitar, but otherwise the song becomes somewhat tedious in the long run, though it isn't at all bad, and doesn't seem out of place on the album.
'The World Turns All Around Her' is a pure Byrds-classic, complete with the title, a perfect blend of tortured romanticism & mind-altering psychedelia.
'Satisfied Mind' is here transformed into a great Byrds song, but it pales next to the classic 'If You're Gone', an immortal folk-rock jewel.
It is followed by the biggest flaw of the album, the Byrds' cover of Dylan's more-than-immortal classic 'The Times They Are A-Changing'. The band simply betrays the rebellion & protest of the original & try to make it another tender tune, which just doesn't work. For the original is as angry as Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy In The U.K.', and nobody would ever make a serious folk-rock version of that track, well?
'Wait And See' is a suave little love song quite well played, & though it doesn't compensate for the previous track, it is strong enough to overshadow the flaws of the ending track, so it doesn't feel like the last fourth of the album is crap. The cover of 'Oh! Susannah' is indeed an idea spawned of genius, & a great song it is. But it irritates me the way it returns to a single guitar playing the main riff after each verse. This way, an otherwise great, rollin' song, that could have been a Byrds' classic & an album peak, is cut into small pieces, that seriously disturbs your heartbeat ;)... you get up, fall down, get up, and in the end, it gets really annoying. Hard to imagine, but easy to hear.
But except the full-scale flaw of 'The Times They Are A-Changing' & the much better 'Oh! Sussannah', which is anyway mostly a joke, the album is about as great as 'Mr. Tambourine Man'. As for the bonus tracks; 'The Day Walk (Never Before)' has a riff that sounds like 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' some years too early - but otherwise that song is pretty inessential.
But on the other hand, 'She Don't Care About Time' is a timeless Byrds classic, & their cover 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' actually surpasses Dylan's original (the only time the Byrds inarguably did that). Those two songs are so great that it seems complete foolish they were left off the album for the sake of the Byrds' greatest flaw, 'The Times' cover.
As for the alternate versions, they are really not essential, but they don't hrt anybody with their presence, and the instrumental 'Stranger In A Strange Land' is also fine enough, though one can only imagine how the Byrdesque voices entwined in each other would have transformed it...
The title track is as wonderful a Byrdesque folk-rock song as any, fully reprising the glory of 'Mr. Tambourine Man', not only commercially, but also artistically.
'It Won't Be Wrong' is another folk-rock classic, whose intro sounds anticipate the coming of psychedelia a few years later. Later the song changes pace & returns to the original speed again later. All in all as great a Byrd song as any on their debut album.
'Set You Free This Time' sets their strongest lyric so far (those covered from Dylan not included), to a tune that marks a slight step down from the previous two songs, but not enough to prevent this from being one of their most underrated gems.
'Lay Down Your Weary Tune' is one of the group's best Dylan-interpretations, and, like all of those, it is hard not to think of it as a Byrds-original. An already strong song loses nothing of its beauty, but is presented in the full grace of folk-rock.
The traditional 'He Was A Friend Of Mine' is buoyed by a great, twangling acoustic guitar, but otherwise the song becomes somewhat tedious in the long run, though it isn't at all bad, and doesn't seem out of place on the album.
'The World Turns All Around Her' is a pure Byrds-classic, complete with the title, a perfect blend of tortured romanticism & mind-altering psychedelia.
'Satisfied Mind' is here transformed into a great Byrds song, but it pales next to the classic 'If You're Gone', an immortal folk-rock jewel.
It is followed by the biggest flaw of the album, the Byrds' cover of Dylan's more-than-immortal classic 'The Times They Are A-Changing'. The band simply betrays the rebellion & protest of the original & try to make it another tender tune, which just doesn't work. For the original is as angry as Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy In The U.K.', and nobody would ever make a serious folk-rock version of that track, well?
'Wait And See' is a suave little love song quite well played, & though it doesn't compensate for the previous track, it is strong enough to overshadow the flaws of the ending track, so it doesn't feel like the last fourth of the album is crap. The cover of 'Oh! Susannah' is indeed an idea spawned of genius, & a great song it is. But it irritates me the way it returns to a single guitar playing the main riff after each verse. This way, an otherwise great, rollin' song, that could have been a Byrds' classic & an album peak, is cut into small pieces, that seriously disturbs your heartbeat ;)... you get up, fall down, get up, and in the end, it gets really annoying. Hard to imagine, but easy to hear.
But except the full-scale flaw of 'The Times They Are A-Changing' & the much better 'Oh! Sussannah', which is anyway mostly a joke, the album is about as great as 'Mr. Tambourine Man'. As for the bonus tracks; 'The Day Walk (Never Before)' has a riff that sounds like 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' some years too early - but otherwise that song is pretty inessential.
But on the other hand, 'She Don't Care About Time' is a timeless Byrds classic, & their cover 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' actually surpasses Dylan's original (the only time the Byrds inarguably did that). Those two songs are so great that it seems complete foolish they were left off the album for the sake of the Byrds' greatest flaw, 'The Times' cover.
As for the alternate versions, they are really not essential, but they don't hrt anybody with their presence, and the instrumental 'Stranger In A Strange Land' is also fine enough, though one can only imagine how the Byrdesque voices entwined in each other would have transformed it...
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What a follow-up! The Byrds only released two albums and a handful of singles with Gene Clark--until a rather abysmal reunion in the early 1970's--but what a couple of albums they are! "Mr. Tambourine Man," their first release, would of course be hailed as one of the penultimate folk-rock records, with the group so aptly adapting the songs of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger to a radio-friendly audience. Yet, for me, it's not how the group performs the title track or selected covers on that LP, or how they equally master "Lay Down Your Weary Tune," "The Times They Are A-Changin" or Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susannah" on this its sequel, but the quality of their original material, the bulk of which was penned by Gene Clark! Clark's amazing "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" has become a rock and roll classic, and "Here Without You" beautifully exemplifies its composer's darker, poetic side on The Byrds' debut recording. With the success of that LP under their belts, the group would appear to offer more of the same with "Turn! Turn! Turn!" but Clark would emerge as an even more powerful force with compositions "Set You Free This Time," "She Don't Care About Time" and the hauntingly brilliant "The World Turns All Around Her!" Lesser known track "If You're Gone" would precede Clark's last songwriting credit on a Byrds recording with "Eight Miles High" on their "Fifth Dimension" LP. With Clark's departure, group members David Crosby and Roger McGuinn would be allowed to spread their wings and soar as celebrities and songwriters in their own right, and Crosby's ultimate departure would likewise permit bassist Chris Hillman to step forward before leaving to form The Flying Burrito Brothers, Souther, Hillman and Furay and the Desert Rose Band, then completing a musical full-circle by again reuniting with Clark and McGuinn for two releases and a brief tour. It having been common practice in the early to mid 1960's for session musicians to play on the company predicted hits, such would be the case with much of "Mr. Tambourine Man," but The Byrds would prove themselves to be competent enough musicians and capable performers that this would not be the case with subsequent releases. I love every line-up that's existed of The Byrds, from Gene Clark to Gram Parsons and John York to Clarence White and Skip Battin, with drummer Gene Parsons himself providing exceptional all-around musicianship and serving as a steadying force while the group forged its way into country-rock after a brief dalliance with psychedlic music. But again coming full-circle, it would be their first two LPs from the folk-rock years that hold the dearest place in my heart and serve as the best starting points for future Byrds fans.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great Byrds album
Turn turn turn is one of the finest albums from the Byrds which contains some of the finest songs from the awesome title track. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rohit R
The Byrds Continue Folk-Rock Formula
Following the dramatic success of their debut album, "Mr. Tambourine Man," the Byrds returned to Columbia's Studio A on June 28, 1965 to begin work on their next single and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tom
The Seasoning of The Byrds
The Byrds/ Turn! Turn! Turn! (bonus tracks version): The title track (from Pete Seeger's reworking of the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes) has become a true classic song of the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Bynum
Solid follow up to a great beginning
As others have remarked, any follow up to Mr. Tambourine Man would have been hard-pressed to live up to the debut. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Philip Bradshaw
Don't Turn Down The Chance To Own This Classic.
1965 saw the birth of The Byrds with Mr Tambourine Man and quickly followed by Turn, Turn Turn.
The Byrds, Bob Dylan and others ushered in folk/rock which has had a massive... Read more
The Byrds, Bob Dylan and others ushered in folk/rock which has had a massive... Read more
Published on February 22, 2010 by J. Thompson
A time to be good, a time to be better...
Once again I find myself re-assessing a Byrds album (see my lengthy review of "Fifth Dimension"). This review will be a little shorter, but just as necessary. Read more
Published on August 17, 2008 by Steven Haarala
overshadowed by their classic debut
if this album were a one shot deal by an obscure band, it would seem excellent. problem is, the byrds made many albums, several great ones: so we know they can do better than this. Read more
Published on March 23, 2007 by fluffy, the human being.
all dressed up with somewhere to go
Between the twenty-third of August and the first of November of 1965, 'The Byrds' recorded the 18 tracks that make up this 1996 reissue of their second album. Read more
Published on November 13, 2005 by Don Schmittdiel
The Byrds' Second Album Is Great
TURN! TURN! TURN!, the second album by the Byrds, is a classic. There are many great songs here, with the best being the title track and "It Won't Be Wrong. Read more
Published on August 30, 2005 by The Footpath Cowboy
Still vital...even if you didn't grow up with it
I grew up with oldies radio because my parents were fans, but being born in 1970 I was much too young to have heard this album when it was new. Read more
Published on May 5, 2005 by Greg Brady
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Turn! Turn! Turn! is The Byrds' second studio release.
David Crosby, David Crosby, Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, Gene Clark and 17 other artists have been a member of The Byrds.
David Crosby, David Crosby, Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, Gene Clark and 17 other artists have been a member of The Byrds.
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