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63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
BOXED SET REVISITED: [updated October 2006], September 5, 2004
When the Boxed Set first appeared in 1990 its 90 tracks offered a wealth of treasures to Byrds fans. Almost all the traditonal classics were here, with sound quality upgraded over previous CDs. There were also a surprising number of previously unheard songs which had failed to make the original albums, including some first-rate material. Alternate takes of previously released songs were also here, either for the first time or rarities previously available only on obscure albums like "Never Before" (e.g., 'Baby Blue' '65 in monaurel is followed by an early version of 'She Don't Care About Time'; this is the unreleased single aborted in favor of 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' b/w the familiar take of 'Time'). There were also a significant number of the original album cuts presented in entirely new 2-track to 8-track remixes of the separated master tracks. Finally, McGuinn/Crosby/Hillman recorded four entirely new tracks in 1990 exclusively for the Boxed Set. A completely remastered equalization of this entire package presented all tracks at about the same volume with new bass/trebel balances.
The subsequent Legacy release of all original Columbia albums (except "Greatest Hits Vol. II" and "The Singles") in Expanded Editions, with sound quality upgraded to 20-bit, has stolen much of the thunder from the Boxed Set. Most of its treasures have been swept into the appropriate Expanded Edition albums, often along with even a few more previously unreleased surprises.
But despite the unrivaled excellence of the Expanded Edition reissues, there are still things unique to the Boxed Set.
The following are not on the Expanded Editions, nor the "Never Before" and "20 Essential Tracks" albums, nor (to my knowledge) anywhere else:
I. TRACKS (TAKES) UNIQUE TO THE BOXED SET
'Roll Over Beethoven' (live Swedish radio broadcast, Feb 1967);
'Lover of the Bayou', 'Willin'', and 'Black Mountain Rag' (all live at Queens College, NY, 1970); 'Kathleen's Song'; 'Just Like A Woman'; 'White's Lightning'; 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' and 'Mr. Tambourine Man' (with Bob Dylan), both live at Roy Orbison Tribute, 1990.
(Gram Parsons' vocal on "You Don't Miss Your Water" was also on the above list because it is omitted on "Expanded Sweetheart". However, it is now available on the double disk "Legacy Edition Sweetheart".)
COMMENTS: 'Lover of the Bayou' is dramatically different from both the live and studeo cuts on Expanded "(Untitled)" and almost as good as the live "(Untitled)" cut. 'Kathleen's Song' is the "Byrdmaniax" take stripped of overdubs; the stripped verision on Expanded "(Untitled)" is an alternate take. 'Just Like A Woman' is slightly less polished but far more interesting musically (I think) than the take on Expanded "Byrdmaniax" and "Byrds Play Dylan". 'White's Lightning' is a different segment of the 15 Minute Jam excerpted on expanded "(Untitled)". Bob Dylan joining the Byrds on stage for a lyrically near complete version of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' is just too good to not have in your collection.
II. REMIXES UNIQUE TO THE BOXED SET
COMMENTS: The Expanded series, though remastered with superior sound quality, are to my ear rightfully faithful to both the mix and equalization of the original albums. This leaves the Boxed Set remixes/remaster unique. Generally, to my ear, the Boxed Set remasters bring the vocals forward slightly and make them more distinct (e.g., Crosby's vocal is more intelligible on 'Psychodrama City'). Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you, but they are alternatives.
Of the 90 Boxed Set tracks, about 38 (depending on how you count in a few places) are listed as remixes of the original separated tracks. Here are some of the more interesting not available elsewhere:
(1) From "Turn! Turn! Turn!": The title track and 'He Was A Friend of Mine' appeared in true stereo for the first time here.
The first is on "20 Essential Tracks" but 'He Was A friend of Mine' is in stereo only here. These masters have only two tracks, so they are presented with instruments slightly to one speaker and vocals to the other. NOTE: Expanded "Turn!" album doesn't note 'Friend' as a mono track, but if you listen with headphones it's clearly monoaurel. "Essential Byrds" lists it as mono.
'It Won't Be Wrong' and 'Lay Down Your Weary Tune' are remixed from 3 track masters; 'The World Turns All Around Her' (with bongo track) and 'Times They Are A-Changin'' are 8 track remixes.
While not dramatically different, the equalization on these is slightly brighter (to my ear) than the original album, with vocals more distinct. Whether this is an improvement or detracts from the dramatic mystery of the original is a subjective call, but is probably too subtle to be more than an interesting alternative.
('World' is a bit of a mystery to me. The Boxed Set booklet says: "Remixed from the original eight-track master, this cut includes a bongo track which was used in the earliest mixes, but deleted on the released version." However, except for equalization it sounds the same to me as both the album cut and bonus track versions on "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (i.e., all 3 sound the same). I no longer have the original vinyl so can't check whether the bongos, if that's what they are, are deleted there, or if I'm just missing something .)
(2) From "5D": Of special interest are 8 Track remixes of 'I See You' and 'Hey Joe' and a rebalanced 'John Riley'
'I See You' was always my second favorite song on "5D" after 'Eight Miles High'. This remix is to my ear superior to the original. The rhythm guitar has been brought forward and equalization shifted more towards the bass, which for me makes the song surprisingly more dramatic and powerful. It also has a fuller, richer sound. The tempo sounds slightly slower, but it's not.
'John Riley' corrects the extreme separation of the original stereo album, in which vocals are on one speaker and instruments on the other. Here, the two tracks are moved closer together, somewhat like the stereo versions of 'Turn!' and 'Friend'.
'Hey Joe' is much less polished here, with opening countdown and a cold ending that falls apart, but I've come to prefer it to the album mix. Both Crosby's vocal and the bass have been brought forward; this reduces the excessive treble of the album cut, giving the song a more simple, dangerous blues feel. The album cut now sounds to me by comparison a little too slick and frantic.
(3) "Younger Than Yesterday": 'Have You Seen Her Face,' (with longer ending), 'Time Between,' 'Renaissance Fair,' Everybody's Been Burned,' and 'The Girl With No Name' are original album tracks remixed from the 8 track masters, though they sound pretty faithful to the originals mixes.
(4) "(Untitled)": 'Just A Season' is an alternate mix of the album track, which the booklet suggests was done at that time but not used.
(5) Two Boxed Set remixes originally appeared on "Never Before" but I think deserve mention here:
The classic 'Why' track on the the flip of 'Eight Miles High' (not the remake on "Younger Than Yesterday") is best enjoyed on Expanded "5D". The "Never Before" remix brings the drums forward so prominently as to distort the song beyond recognition. Fortunately it eventually settles into the familiar classic, but for me the damage is done. And incidently, "The Byrds: The Singles" album mistakenly uses the 'Why' mono mix from "Younger Than Yesterday".
'Mr. Tambourine Man' is apparently a stereo remix of the single; it runs 2:16 compared to the album track's 2:29. There is an artificial echo and the vocals have that thin angelic sound of "Notorious Byrds Brothers". Again the drums have been brought forward, but this time it works very well "with" the song so you can actually dance to it. It's pretty enough, in some ways almost a Beatles song, and I like having it. Still, when money is on the table I much prefer the full artistic richness of the standard album cut. I believe these are all the same take -- the 2:16 version may simply fade sooner and has dramatically different equalization. "20 Essential Tracks" (a Boxed Set sample album) does not use this Boxed Set version, substituting "a full stereo remix of the original eight track master". That's cheating, but I'm fine with it, as that's my personal favorite master of this defining classic performance. (If interested, see "20 Essential Tracks" reviews for my take on the stereo version of 'Turn!' and the 4 "new" 1990 songs.)
III. OTHER REASONS TO OWN THE BOXED SET
If you are a true Byrds fan with a complete Expanded Edition set,
you'll probably want the Boxed Set and booklet to complete your collection. The booklet (5 1/4" x 11", 56 pages) has a multi-page line chart that traces the Byrds' evolving line-up and shows what became of the many shedded "Byrd feathers". There is also a complete listing of album and single releases, where you can find such embedded tid-bits as (e.g.) that "Sweetheart" was the first Byrds album to be released only in stereo.
The 4 CDs have beautiful cover art to illustrate their title themes: "We Have Ignition," "Cruising Altitude," "Full Throttle," and "Final Approach". They are a nice way to listen to a range of Byrds performances and styles across several albums per CD.
Though others have griped, I like the fact that this is an obviously highly subjective collection of often arbitrary choices and omissions. There's something very personal about that, sort of like a peek into Roger McGuinn's family scrapbook of fond memories.
IV. UPDATE: THE NEW BOXED SET (10/3/06)
With the release of...
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll Feel a Whole Lot Better after buying this, December 3, 1999
One of the few box sets to fully accomplish what box sets are expected to...This Byrds box has almost every essential track the Byrds released in their career. Also, there are numerous unreleased tracks that enhance and add value to the box. Among them: the lost Gram Parsons vocals on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the alternate Oil In My Lamp from Ballad Of Easy Rider, the live tracks recorded around the Untitled Sessions, etc. One can quibble with the song selection, but there are only a few glaring omissions: King Apathy III, Gunga Din (can't figure that out, it is considered a minor classic), and Set You Free This Time. One note of caution: Since the Byrds catalog has been remastered, one gets the impression that these are supplanting the box. The tracks were remixed from the multitracks creating a fresh stereo master whereas on the box the original stereo 2-tracks were used (Eight Miles High on 5D now outclasses the worn out version on the box). Stereo versions (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue) replaced the mono versions that were used on the box. Tambourine Man is now mixed in wide stereo finally, whereas on the box it is featured in narrow stereo. That is until we get to the Sweetheart of the Rodeo outtakes. The Gram Parsons vocals are only found on the box. In other words, where fans want to upgrade the box through the catalog, you are going to have to keep the box for only a half dozen songs. That is unfortunate! What should be done is to give the box a sonic facelift to compete with the 20 bit mastering. Oh...good news! The rest of their catalog (Untitled, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along) will get the remastering treatment early next year (around February).
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In response to calliaume@aol.com, September 25, 1999
By A Customer
To the contrary, the original Byrds albums definitely ARE worth owning--specifically the first six: "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn! Turn! Turn!," "Fifth Dimension," "Younger Than Yesterday," "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." All of the above titles have been reissued by Columbia/Legacy with great booklet essays, photos, etc.; best of all, a generous number of bonus tracks (some of them utterly brilliant) have been appended to each CD. Moreover, many of the group's most enduring numbers have been left off the box set: the Gene Clark classics "Here Without You" and "Set You Free This Time"; their treatments of "Wild Mountain Thyme" and "Satisfied Mind"; "Change Is Now," etc. (Some of its inclusions are rather questionable too, specifically the later ones.) I highly recommended the original albums, especially in their expanded versions; they are essential listening.
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