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46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Second Box Set Is Indispensable, January 21, 2007
During the Byrds' all too brief career (less than 10 years in all it's various incarnations through their 1973 reunion), they didn't enjoy the kind of commercial success of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, or even the Kinks or the Who for that matter. (Even Chad & Jeremy had as many Top 40 singles as the Byrds!) But history has rightly bestowed the status of legends on one of America's most influential bands. Does this justify a second box set? The answer is an unqualified, yes. While the 1990 BYRDS box set is an equally essential collection, THERE IS A SEASON includes 37 songs not on the first box set and an additional 15 songs presented in different versions (alternate takes, mono, or live). So nearly half the tracks here are new to this box set. And the bonus DVD (although brief at under 30 minutes) is a treasure trove of full song performances--all lip-synched--from a variety of TV sources.
Here's the complete rundown on what's new to the THERE IS A SEASON box set:
Disc One (64:51) - Where THE BYRDS box set began with "Mr. Tambourine Man," this set begins with six tracks from 1964. The first track is the folky "The Only Girl I know," written by McGuinn and Clark and recorded as The Jet Set. The next two tracks, "Please Let Me Love You" and "Don't Be Long," were recorded as The Beefeaters. The next three tracks, "The Airport Song," "You Movin'" and "You Showed Me," still showed the Byrds still looking for their own distinct voice, experimenting with blending folk, pop and rock. In addition, the compilers have put more emphasis on Gene Clark's songwriting this time. "You Won't Have to Cry" (co-written with McGuinn), "Here Without You," "I Knew I'd Want You," "She Has a Way," "Set You Free This Time," "The Day Walk" and "If You're Gone" are all Clark tunes. Also added are Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and Crosby's instrumental "Stranger in a Strange Land" (taken from the expanded edition of TURN! TURN! TURN!). In addition there are the mono single versions of both Clark's "She Don't Care about Time" and Dylan's "All I Really Want to Do." Also, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is the mono "withdrawn version" taken from the expanded edition of TURN! TURN! TURN!
Disc Two (66:20) - This disc adds tracks to focus on David Crosby's songwriting talents. Several tracks from FIFTH DIMENSION are new to this set: "Wild Mountain Thyme," "I See You" and "What's Happening?!?!" along with the single mono version of "Why." The last three were all written or co-written by Crosby. Then there is the Crosby-Hillmen "Tribal Gatherings" from THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS. Also included is a 1967 live radio broadcast version of "He Was a Friend of Mine" (previously unreleased) and a bonus track from the expanded edition of THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS, "Universal Mind Decoder," which is a fascinating instrumental demo which later became "Change Is Now."
Disc Three (78:45) - There are alternate versions of "Lazy Days" and "Pretty Polly" from the Legacy Edition of SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO; "This Wheel's on Fire" from the expanded edition of DR. BYRDS & MR. HYDE; "Pretty Boy Floyd," "Buckaroo," "King Apathy III" and the Merle Haggard classic "Sing Me Back Home" all from LIVE AT THE FILLMORE; and "All the Things" from the expanded edition of (UNTITLED)/(UNISSUED). Also new to this set is "Candy" from DR. BYRDS AND MR. HYDE and "Child of the Universe" from the motion picture soundtrack CANDY.
Disc Four (71:24) - There are four previously unreleased live recordings from 1970: "You All Look Alike," "Nashville West," "Baby What You Want Me to Do" and "I Trust." There are two live tracks from the movie soundtrack BANJOMAN: "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Roll Over Beethoven" (both recorded in 1973). Also new to this box set are "Take a Whiff (On Me)," "Glory, Glory," "Byrdgrass," "Pale Blue" and "Nothin' To It," the latter from EARL SCRUGGS: HIS FAMILY & FRIENDS. And finally there are perhaps the two finest songs from the 1973 BYRDS reunion album: the countrified "Full Circle" and the melancholy "Changing Heart," both written and sung by Gene Clark.
Bonus DVD (26:00 approx.) None of these TV performances are live recordings and only "All I Really Want to Do" gives a broadcast date (1965). It's obvious that producers didn't know how to film rock musicians. For example, there's way too much attention paid to the dancers during Clark's terrific "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better." Some of the songs have abruptly truncated fades (to eliminate announcer voice-overs?)--it's especially irritating on "Set You Free This Time." The first seven songs feature the original 5-man lineup. Tracks 8 and 9 are after Clark had exited the group. Track 10 is the only color video (from a Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour broadcast) and has the group performing "Mr. Spaceman," and though Crosby is now gone from the group Clark is back on board (although his return lasts less than two months). [This lineup dates the "Mr. Spaceman" clip to October or November of 1967.] While you are only hearing the recorded versions of these songs, it was great fun to see videos of the band at their peak. [Wasn't there any concert footage available to augment this bonus disc? As such, there are no additional features on this DVD.]
Overall this is an amazing box set. Not only are there 99 songs on this box set (compared to 90 on the previous box), the booklet is 100 pages with essays by Tom Petty, Gary Louris (of the Jayhawks) and Roger McGuinn himself, along with liner notes by David Fricke that include new interviews with surviving members McGuinn, Hillman and Crosby, and dozens of photos--the most poignant is the 1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame picture. (It would be the last time they shared a stage together; two years later Gene Clark and Michael Clarke would both be dead.) This box stands as a testament to their greatness as singers, songwriters and musicians. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Byrds fans listen up! Here are ten reasons why you NEED this!, December 12, 2006
When the Byrds first box set was released in 1990, it boasted an unbelievable collection of material from the band's career from 1965 through 1971. Over the years, that box set has earned a reputation as the definitive career overview for arguably the most important American rock 'n' roll band in history.
Fast-forward to 2006, we have seen all of the Byrds' eleven studio albums re-released in expanded editions with bonus tracks, and the original box set is long out of print. Recognizing that a lot more material has surfaced in the vaults since 1990, Columbia Records decided to compile a new box set, There Is a Season, instead of simply doing another print run of the 1990 box.
Most die-hard fans - the people who are most likely to be interested in There Is a Season - probably have all eleven of the expanded edition re-issues and the 1990 box set and will be questioning why they should drop more money for material they already have. For starters, there are five new live tracks that are previously unreleased in any form. There are also many tracks that are making their debut on CD. For those who own the eleven album re-issues and the 1990 box set, there are ten key reasons why you need the new box set.
1. Both sides of the Elektra Records single put out by Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Gene Clark as The Beefeaters, "Please Let Me Love You" b/w "Don't Be Long", are making their official debuts on CD. You can finally throw away that crackly vinyl rip that you got from a friend of a friend.
2. The original mono single version of "Why?" is making its CD debut here. The single version of "Why?" first appeared on the 1990 box, but in a modern-day stereo remix. And before you say "The mono version appeared on Original Singles 1965-1967!", know that the CD version of that album contains the mono album version from Younger Than Yesterday, not the single version which is a completely different take.
3. A live, previously unreleased, version of "He Was a Friend of Mine" recorded in 1967 is included. This recording features Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby and Michael Clarke.
4. The original mono single version of "Lady Friend" is making its CD debut here. The single version of "Lady Friend" first appeared on the 1990 box, but in a modern-day stereo remix.
5. The version of "Child of the Universe" from Candy: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack makes its CD debut. This is a radically different mix from what appeared on Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, complete with orchestral overdubs courtesy of Dave Grusin.
6. A beautiful, previously unreleased, live version of "You All Look Alike" is included. What's really interesting about it is that this features Skip Battin on vocals, whereas the studio version on (Untitled) has Roger McGuinn handling vocals.
7. A live, previously unreleased, version of "I Trust" which provides all the proof one will ever need that the biggest problem with Byrdmaniax was the production and not the material. This is currently the only official live release of a song from Byrdmaniax.
8. A track that the Byrds recorded with Earl Scruggs for his early 1970s LP Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends called "Nothin' To It" is included. This is the track's CD debut.
9. The live versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Roll Over Beethoven" from Banjoman: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack make their CD debuts here. What makes these tracks interesting is that they were recorded in very early 1973 and are the only officially released recordings that feature the last touring lineup of The Byrds with John Guerin on drums, replacing Gene Parsons.
10. The bonus DVD, while purely icing on the cake, does contain interesting footage. None of the TV appearances feature live music and they're all mimed, with one exception. During a television appearance on Hullabaloo, Gene Clark sings "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" live over a studio backing track.
While you could probably do without some of this material, or just keep your old bootlegs, the sound quality for all this material is better than just about anything you'll find in trading circles, plus the book has great notes and photos. It's worth your cash for all this material, even if the rest of it is stuff you already have.
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMERICA'S MOST TALENTED BAND - HANDS DOWN!!!!!!, October 6, 2006
Forget what the other reviewers say about the new additional tracks being throwaways - these tracks have the great Clarence White playing guitar! Anything Clarence played on is important. And most of these unissued tracks are live - the recording and playing is supurb! Makes the listener proud to be a Byrds fan(atic). NOTE TO SONY/LEGACY/COLUMBIA: If there are more live tapes of the Clarence White era of the Byrds, PLEASE releae them. On disc #4 there are 12 live tracks, 4 previously unissued: You All Look Alike, Nashville West, I Trust, and a full bore rockin' Baby What You Want Me To Do.
Everybody really knocked the Byrdmaniax and Farther Along albums, but live tunes from those records are a completely exceptional experience. There are also live versions of It's Alright Ma and Ballad of Easy Rider which will knock you socks off.
The Byrds, America's most talented band. In my humble opinion. And we are lucky to have such well recorded testaments to their greatness. Critics also knock the Clarence White era too, but those guys could play! The two eras of the Byrds are two sides of the same coin - the Crosby/Clark era were fantastic in the studio, ok live - the C.W. era were ok in the studio, but a really cookin' road band. I'd give anything to have been along with them for a couple of shows back in their day. McGuinn should write a book. Show should Hillman.
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