"The Byrds pioneered not just folk rock, but raga rock, psychedelic rock, country rock, electronic rock, bluegrass rock-- and they did it all in about a four year period." -- This guy gets it.
The Beatles were a major influence on the Byrds aswell as many other artists. They were also very innovative and pioneering. The Beatles had made A Hard Days Night, all Lennon and McCartney original's a year before the Byrds released their debut album. Don't get me wrong, i like the Byrds and have Mr Tambourine Man, Turn, Turn, Turn, 5th Dimension, Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde, Ballad Of Easy Rider and Untitled/Unissued. Some great music but i would say the Beatles influenced so much more.
Yes, they did! I was fortunate to catch them live in a concert on south shore, L.I, NY..Gene Clark had left months earlier. They still sounded great, notwithstanding singing thru a shitty-sounding Vox PA system. All Fender Showmsn Amps backline!!
Outstanding job, thank you. Will never forget seeing The Byrds in Phoenix 1965 in front a few feet from the band with my girlfriend on my shoulders. special days. Also, Chris Hillman did benefit concerts for my friends church in Central California in the 2010’s. A lovely guy and very kind.
They were absolutely one of the most influential bands in music history... one of a kind band, you'll never hear the likes of them again... Long live the Music and Legacy of The Byrds🎼🎶🎶🎤🎸🎸🎸🥁
Yes, you're 100 % right. I' m a great Byrds fan for more than 40 years. Greetings from a swiss fan. Switzerland, Europe, the old world. I usually speak french.
Roger joined Marty Stuart in a charity show at the Ryman a while back. My friend who played for Marty introduced us before the show during the sound check. He’s a genuinely nice guy. Turns out he loves train travel. I am a civil engineer in the railroad industry and he wanted to know more about me than what I wanted to ask him. A very cool side note is that Marty’s guitar was invented and owned by The Byrds’ Clarence White decades ago. It was back on stage with Roger.
And Toto beat out Elvis Costello for Best New Artist. 👌 The Grammys have never been credible and have almost always been behind the times and reactionary.
Gene Clark was invaluable to filling out the song writing key to make their music different. Each member brought their own value too with their outstanding harmonies.
Pushing Gene Clark out was the beginning of the end. They didn't have the songwriting chops to make up for the loss. Firing David Crosby was understandable given the personality issues, but was the death blow to the Byrds. His unique songwriting style gave them a special secret weapon and credibility. They never recovered from the loss even when Hillman stepped up as a songwriter. And of course he didn't last much longer either.
So cool to hear the Preflyght tunes and the genesis of the Byrds sound, especially McGuinn's guitar and their harmonies. Great job--can't wait for Part Two. Cheers!
The Byrds were and will always be my favorite. Because of McGuinn, I, too, bought a Ricky 12 string and eventually a Martin D35-12, which I still own nearly 60 years later.
Now this is going to be special, thank you so much, The Byrds deserve all the respect, a fountain of creativity for every generation of musicians and listeners.
The Byrds are amazing. I love their original lineup much more than the post-Notorious versions but they were so adventurous there's always something great on every record. The only post-Notorious release I'd rate as highly is Untitled/Unreleased.
The 4-CD box set of the Byrds has been a gem for me for many years. Never could get enough of it. And the Gene Clark 2-CD Flying High collection. Love it totally for an in depth visit with him.
Of course I love "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" like many do. But I also can't get enough of "Set You Free This Time". Gene's vocal is just wonderful throughout and tghe song is top notch.
Fantastic! The Byrds were one of the best! Here Without You is one of those songs that often gets overlooked; Gorgeous, haunting harmonies and interesting chord progressions. They have many excellent songs, but that one was always my favorite. Looking forward to the next part!
Chris Hillman has stated that only Jim McGuinn played on "I Knew I'd Want You", which was cut at the same session as "Mr. Tambourine Man". Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Knechtel (bass) were 2 of the session players on that recording.
Actually in promotions for Hillman's new book he says the opposite. He goes so far to say that you can hear the difference between the session players and the Byrds on those two sides. Maybe is memory is getting faulty!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Hillman has said in the past that on the 2 songs they did, the session players had a more generic, slick sound " and the Byrds had a more organic rawer edge. He has also said he wished the Byrds themselves had been allowed to cut the 2 songs they didn't, but understands why.
I've listened to the Byrds from the mid 60s to now, when I'm at my domestic tasks. I find much of their output poignant, stirring and euphorically beautiful.
Great to hear more episodes on The Byrds are coming. They have always been my favorite band. I have met McGuinn and Hillman and talked extensively with both. Seeing and hearing them play the old Byrds tunes with Marty Stuart and his band on the Sweetheart Of The Rodeo tour was something I waited for all my life. It was a very emotional experience. I'll tell you more at a later date.
Like your interesting comments Drum Bob. Have loved the band & Mcguinn from way back. Never seen the original byrds . First concert was the Clarence White Byrds May 73 City Hall Newcastle upon Tyne. Met them all backstage. Seen & met Mcguinn Clark & Hillman during their Australian tour in 78 . Plus Roger solo in Australia at the Basement in Sydney plus UK at the Sage Gateshead on Tyne. Would have loved to have seen the Sweetheart tour live 4 sure !
The Byrds are one of my favourite 60's bands so this band history was a real treat, thank you Matt! I've been digging deeper into Gene Clark's solo recordings lately, what a talent he was. Bring on part 2!
If anyone needs more on this go and see Roger McGuinn's live show. Essentially, it's his and the Byrd's history all in one. Worth hearing him! You are, just as here, sitting there going, this was historic. As soon as you hear the guitar - it's like wow, transcendent.
Yes, I’ve caught a couple of Roger’s live solo shows. A cool history lesson - sprinkled in with songs on both acoustic 12 string and his Electric Rickenbacker 12 string
I had never heard the early demos. You consolidated and synthesized a lot of information to make this a very enjoyable documentary. You must be a fan of the era. I grew up hearing this music, and it felt the way Gospel music sometimes does: very spiritual and liberating. You hear Judy Collins or the Byrds version of Turn, Turn, Turn and you feel a little of what was in the air back then, the hope, love and peace permeates. Thanks for your work and for sharing this stuff.
In the song from the Byrd's first album (one of my favorites by the way) I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, I love how Gene Clark plants the word "probably" into the lyrics. It puts that little bit of indecision into the song's up-front decision. A great way with word play. A songwriter way ahead of his time.
@@popgoesthe60s52 He couldn't take the flying while touring and this fear also hampered his solo career because he wouldn't venture very far, mostly by bus to a promote his album releases, but he had a wealth of beautiful songs in his catalog.
Great stuff, thank you. In as much as I love McGuinn, he was very lucky that he sang lead on "Mr. Tambourine Man" establishing himself as the "focus" guy in the group. I say that because if you listen to the first two albums, and then the later released (but earlier recorded) PREFLYTE album, you can easily hear that Gene Clark was THE lead singer and songwriter of the group - by a longshot.
Clark was a powerhouse writer from the get go. McGuinn's voice was so suited to Tambourine Man that he became the focus (with his blue granny glasses of course)!
I like Blackburn & Snow's recording of Crosby's "Stranger in a Strange Land" but wasn't aware it was rejected from the Byrds's second album. Great post, Matt. As always, well researched and informative.
For about 20 years, I wore granny style prescription glasses somewhat resembling those of Jim McGuinn's, until I abandoned them for larger frames for better eye vision. Bought a secondhand 360/12 Rickenbacker in 1996 and still have it now.
Feel a Whole Lot Better and She Dont Care About Time are definitely my fav Byrds tunes - maybe two of my all time favs. Too bad they didnt lean heavier into Gene Clark's writing as time went by.
Thanks for bringing me back to the Byrds-- one of the '60s' greatest rock bands. They were perfect as an Americana answer to the Beatles Brit pop. And, as you show in this series of videos they, like the Beatles, recreated themselves repeatedly with a string of fearless genre-bending innovations. As you pointed out, they did all this while being a hit-or-miss live act in their earliest incarnation. And It didn't hurt that they were great looking trend-setting fashionistas! More then 50 years later their albums still bring pleasure to this listener.
I learned so much from this video. I've only tested the waters with the discount 5 disc box set of the first 5 original albums. I knew nothing of their recordings before Mr. Tambourine Man. I'm really looking forward to part two, when you'll no doubt start talking about songs I've never heard before. Thank you for this. Feel A Whole Lot Better (mono mix) is my all time favorite Byrds track so far.
The Byrds are my most played group of the year (according to apple music) and I had a feeling you'd be diving into their history! I can't stop listening to their albums - stopping at Notorious Byrds Brothers of course. Great video!
Ooooh…. was waiting for this since you first mentioned it a while back Matt! So enjoyed revisiting the early Byrds, it’s easy to forget that pre-internet I had to send away (by post) for singles via the Byrds fanzine in the early 90s, and I remember on a trip to Holland walking into a record shop literally in the middle of nowhere and finding it stuffed with Byrds rarities including the fabled, then holy-grail Preflyte. So, a few things, Oh Suzannah was indeed meant as a tongue-in-cheek number as were the closers to the other 2 of the first 3 LPs (certainly according to Johnny Rogan’s book, and I’m sure he had one of the band as a source), and it’s really worth paying particular attention to the guitar solo on the sublime Gene Clark track ‘She Don’t Care About Time’ which McGuinn borrowed from JS Bach’s ‘Jesu, joy of man’s desiring’, I mean who does that?! Thanks Matt, and looking forward to Part 2 🙏🏻
The Byrds have one of the most storied careers and wide-ranging repertoires covering multiple newly-conceived musical genres on their part in music history. Can't wait for the next part(s) of this chapter!
I’ve been looking forward to this, for me their first 6 albums are groundbreaking and the albums that followed were very good as well. I have Johnny Rogan’s books on the band which are brilliantly written. Theirs is a complicated story, all that great music came at a price. McGuinn and Co were tough characters which made life difficult for Gene Clark. Crosby is notorious in the music industry. Great video, looking forward to the rest of this series.
A big part of McGuinn’s 12 string sound was the use of heavy compression. It’s a staple in country music guitar picking, but McGuinn took it somewhere else with tracks like Eight Miles High, where the chime sustains and he could emulate the phrasing effects of Coltrane’s India, even down to the audible sound of saxophone keys clacking being mimicked by McGuinn’s fret hammering.
Eight Miles High was the first cut that grabbed me and didn't turn me loose. Later albums like Sweethearts of the Rodeo were some of my favorite cuts of all time from the Byrds. Then came CSN&Y. What a time to be alive.
In a modern interview, Roger McGuinn said that he had the Columbia sound engineers turn the compression up as much as they would allow, (after recording a lot of classical music, he said they were afraid the rock musicians would damage the recording equipment), but McGuinn also credits his shimmering sound to someone suggesting he use a Vox treble booster.
Awesome, thanks Matt... Wasnt aware of their early incarnation as "The Beefeater's" which I found amusing. Their was a trend in Canada & the US for acts to mimic Brit Invasion bands of course as they were all the rage... Perhaps most famously the Texas based "Sir Douglas Quintet", the late great Doug Sahm & their 1965 hit "She's About a Mover". Haircuts, Carnaby Street suits, Doug going so far as to put on a fake British accent, the rest of the members of the band told to keep it zipped in interviews.... actually worked for awhile.... Several famous examples. And going the other way, from Britain to the US, a vocal group called "The Nashville Teens" who charted in North America, they about as American as a pint of Watneys Red Barrel.
I like the photographs you selected and great research. The Byrds deserve more documentaries focused solely on them in my opinion, as there aren't too many out there. It would be great to see more footage of them during their heyday. Liked, shared and re-watched.
What a special great band! So much great music. We will miss David! We are all lucky we have the music we can still listen too! Thanks! For your care about some great music!
Just think about it for a moment. 4 brilliant singers guitarists and songwriters in one band. I mean its pretty incredible. Eight Miles High is one of the best , period.
Wow! thanks Matt...I have all the Byrds' albums on vinyl and some of their singles (as well as many of the solo albums)...learned some intriguing back stories and observed some never before seen (for me) photo's...much appreciated...cheers :)
An especially wonderful presentation. I really appreciate the attention to detail in chronicling just early on, in all different guises the Byrds went through before Mr. Tambourine Man. There seemed to be a lot of creative competition between Gene Clark and McGuinn & Crosby. It is both tantalizing & a pleasure to hear Blackburn & Snow's (vocal & instrumental) version of Stranger in a Strange Land, as the Byrds should have put this song on the Turn Turn Turn or Fifth Dimension albums.
Very cool, thank you. Man, what a band. I'd put those first two records up with any of the early Beatles records. I do think "Oh! Susanna" is meant as comedy, its the same idea as closing the debut with "We'll Meet Again". As The Beatles had a Ringo song to lighten the mood, The Byrds liked doing the odd comedy bit. You can add "CTA-102" and "The Learjet Song" to the list too.
Oh, man, you got me in tears. I'm a Byrds guy. I'm in Millbrook, N.Y. with Jack, Timothy Learys son in my 9th grade high school homeroom. Yearning for pot or anything you got.
There 3 part harmonies sounds like one voice when I listen to them. I could never tell who was singing what part. Also sounds like the prelude to Crosby Stills and Nash harmonies.
Ya know, the Byrds were so big, so influential, that it’s hard to put them into focus. Good job, Matt! I’ll make some additional comments when you discuss their country period. ✌🏻🇺🇸🎸
Home run Matt! I still remember the first time I heard Mr. Tambourine Man. Loved it. One of my top 5 songs. My favorite American band. Your presentation is superb has usual. I could listen for hours! Love their album covers too. Looking forward to part 2. Thanks Matt!
Thank you so much for this in depth analysis of the Byrds ! When i first heard the Byrds greatest hits it just opened a whole new world after being a huge Beatles fan . Gene Clark was such a great songwriter ! So looking forward to the next episodes ( The Gram/Clarence era too of course !) Love your channel !
Awesome background info presented. 'Set You Free This Time' is an all-time favorite of mine, actually charted better (locally) by the Improper Bostonians, who took the song to another level, in my opinion. Looking forward to part 2!
Rmelin23231, WOW, you have to be grom Boston. Great comment about the Improper Bostonians version of that song. I still have that 45 in my collection..Great music memory
Great vid Matt, cant wait for the next couple parts! A few things of note. I Knew I’d Want You was cut the same day as Tambourine Man, and used the same session men. While some say otherwise, Chris Hillman himself has said neither him or anyone in the group but McGuinn played on it. Great song though! The Times They Are A-Changin’ was actually intended to be the Byrds third singles, scheduled for a Sept, 65 release. This would’ve included an earlier version of The Times They Are A-Changin’ which can be found as a bonus track to the Turn Turn Turn CD. It went as far as having cat number assigned and a picture sleeve drawn up but never pressed. She Dont Care About Time was the still intended flip, though it’s unclear if it was the earlier version also found on the bonus tracks of the Turn Turn Turn cd or the version we got on the original Turn Turn Turn single, I think the latter myself. They did of course recut The Times They Are A-Changin’ for the album which we’ve heard for years but the original intended single version is shorter yet used a verse left out of the album one. Go figure. And lastly, According to McGuinn, Oh Sussanah was to be sort of a joke that didn’t come off right. The Byrds had an idea of ending every album with a off the wall kinda tune or choice. We’ll Meet Again off Mr. Tambourine Man and The Lear Jet Song off 5th Dimension were also done as funny little oddities to close their albums. It sorta died after that but was revived briefly for their two 69 albums with their last tracks. Again, love your band vids, particularly the extra detailed facts. Cant wait for more! Peace and Love!
It's always crazy to me to think the Byrds gave away "You Showed Me." Even the demo versions of it are so catchy it sounds like a massive hit that could've been. Well, it was, just for the Turtles instead of the Byrds.
I was just wildly in love with the Byrds, learning so much from them. One important detail about the Byrds’ sound is the use of a Rickenbacker 12 string. This seems to be mostly unknown, but Rickenbacker inverted the order of the four octave pairs from that of every other builder, who placed the high strings on top, so that down-picking would voice the high octave first. Rickenbackers, and only Rickenbackers, were designed with the opposite order so that down-picking resulted in a slightly underplayed high chime. The difference cannot be overstated. I have strung my Gibson that way for decades and it forces a different approach to picking, which McGuinn had mastered. This can be heard particularly in the incredible solos in Eight Miles High. I recorded CSN on tour for a couple weeks in 1978-9, and enjoyed the opportunity to be friendly with these heroes of mine. My first outreach was to David, to whom I made a big mistake mentioning my love of his work in the Byrds. Suffice to say David had a mountain of unresolved bitterness about his relationship with Jim McGuinn. He later apologized but I won’t forget how deep those feelings ran more than a decade later. I’ve gone on to record the band a number of times and I miss David.
Really good, in-depth stuff here. Oh, and by the way - THANK YOU for not feeling obligated to stick a huge microphone in front of your face like virtually every other UA-camr does. Well done.
Great story about the greatest group ever, especially when Gary Usher produced them. He lifted them to a whole new level that will never be reached by any other group since that. Check out the 2 Gary Usher Byrds interviews on UA-cam too. Cheers.....
Thanks as always, Matt - great research and presentation! I remember all the arguments my brother, three years older, and I had when he thought the Byrds were the best band and I thought it was Buffalo Springfield...in the end, we were both right!
As a guitar player, I owe very much to Jim Mc Guinn. By listening to the Byrds I took the habit of playing finger-picking on almost every tune I'd hear, thus improving a lot on that particular technique (which I actually prefer to any other). And he introduced me to Country music. He's a very skilled guitarist, though pretty humble. I also love David Crosby's material : "Everybody's been burned", "Draft morning", "Lady friend", and, later, "Guinneverre". Not forgetting his great solo album, "If I could only remember my name". With the Byrds, on stage, he was the only one who'd smile and show some enthusiasm, while the others seemed bored as though they didn't like to play together. Very good documentary, very pleasing.
Great idea for a video! I never was into The Byrds very much, but one day I decided to re-listen to the Mr. Tambourine Man album and suddenly it clicked for me. There isn't one bad song on that album.
Matt, I heard many years ago that Sonny and Cher saw the Byrds play “All I Really Wanna Do” at Ciro’s before they released the single, and Sonny rushed to record and release it first, to Bob Dylan’s dismay. Have you heard this story? Thank you for featuring the Byrds!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Sonny was a song writer/composer and knew good stuff when he heard it, but he also was Hollywood and the music industry SMART. Timing is all.
This is such a brilliant documentary that I can see the path laid out already for Jim Morrison. Bravo for creating this genius of an analysis of the BYRDS and their history.
@@popgoesthe60s52Fellow Wisconsinite here, too…. Well, sort of: I did my graduate work at UW-Madison and am now writing a controversial new biography of Jim Morrison.
@@johncampbell1152 Always good to hear from another Wisconsinite. Sounds like your book will be interesting. I do plan a series on n the Doors but They are not on my 2023 schedule… hopefully next year.
Strong start to what will prove to be a great history of a great group. Thanks for taking on The Byrds history. I can't imagine how many parts you'll do this in, but looking forward to all of them.
I bought the single "Set You Free This Time" b/w "It Won't Be Wrong". Only kid in my class at school who had it. Really liked those two songs. It was fun knowing about two great songs no one else in school was familiar with.
Fascinating, the tangential connections in the culture back when we had a culture to draw on. Even if the public was unaware - - as I was - - as they took their dates to cinemas to watch the Roger Corman Poe films through the '60s: the guy behind the camera was the father of the singer/guitarist on the latest Byrds album they may have bought. Watching THE RAVEN and hearing The Byrds.
Thank you for showcasing The Byrds. They're one of my favorite bands. Even though I don't comment a lot I watch your videos all the time and they're enjoyable and informative. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to future episodes about The Byrds.
Found you after listening through two other histories of the Byrds. The first was a mere forty minutes. The second was a bit longer, but not any more in depth. I found yours third, and yours is the most in depth and extensive. Four parts no less! Thank you for really giving the subject the time it deserves and requires. Sure, yours doesn't have the fancy scmancy on location in So Cal, Sunset Strip and Laurel Canyon, but I'd much rather have the detail and time required to get that detail, so thank you!
Totally awesome band and in my top 3 bands of all time got to see roger n David @ different times but oh what a great band the byrds were truly great stuff looking forward to part 2 great video love the byrds
"The Byrds pioneered not just folk rock, but raga rock, psychedelic rock, country rock, electronic rock, bluegrass rock-- and they did it all in about a four year period." -- This guy gets it.
any byrds-lover is a superior person
This was my dad's favorite band when he was alive. I eventually got to liking them... but I'm really starting to learn why my dad loved them so much!
Thirteenth floor elevator coined the phrase Psychedelic. Rocky Erickson, 1964,,,
The Beatles were a major influence on the Byrds aswell as many other artists. They were also very innovative and pioneering. The Beatles had made A Hard Days Night, all Lennon and McCartney original's a year before the Byrds released their debut album.
Don't get me wrong, i like the Byrds and have Mr Tambourine Man, Turn, Turn, Turn, 5th Dimension, Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde, Ballad Of Easy Rider and Untitled/Unissued. Some great music but i would say the Beatles influenced so much more.
Yes, they did! I was fortunate to catch them live in a concert on south shore, L.I, NY..Gene Clark had left months earlier. They still sounded great, notwithstanding singing thru a shitty-sounding Vox PA system. All Fender Showmsn Amps backline!!
Outstanding job, thank you. Will never forget seeing The Byrds in Phoenix 1965 in front a few feet from the band with my girlfriend on my shoulders. special days. Also, Chris Hillman did benefit concerts for my friends church in Central California in the 2010’s. A lovely guy and very kind.
They were absolutely one of the most influential bands in music history... one of a kind band, you'll never hear the likes of them again... Long live the Music and Legacy of The Byrds🎼🎶🎶🎤🎸🎸🎸🥁
Yes, you're 100 % right. I' m a great Byrds fan for more than 40 years.
Greetings from a swiss fan.
Switzerland, Europe, the old world.
I usually speak french.
@@thomasspoerli4659 Greetings from America 🇺🇸✌🏼
I agree though I will say, the Gin Blossoms did a respectable job of reviving the sound in the 90s.
Roger joined Marty Stuart in a charity show at the Ryman a while back. My friend who played for Marty introduced us before the show during the sound check. He’s a genuinely nice guy. Turns out he loves train travel. I am a civil engineer in the railroad industry and he wanted to know more about me than what I wanted to ask him. A very cool side note is that Marty’s guitar was invented and owned by The Byrds’ Clarence White decades ago. It was back on stage with Roger.
The Byrds were Grammy nominated for 'Best New Artist', but lost to The Anita Kerr Singers. We all know how influential that act was.
And Toto beat out Elvis Costello for Best New Artist. 👌
The Grammys have never been credible and have almost always been behind the times and reactionary.
Gene Clark was invaluable to filling out the song writing key to make their music different. Each member brought their own value too with their outstanding harmonies.
Pushing Gene Clark out was the beginning of the end. They didn't have the songwriting chops to make up for the loss. Firing David Crosby was understandable given the personality issues, but was the death blow to the Byrds. His unique songwriting style gave them a special secret weapon and credibility. They never recovered from the loss even when Hillman stepped up as a songwriter. And of course he didn't last much longer either.
I can't believe how better the rock music was back then.
indeed to have lived young during that era of music.
I love the Byrds --- one of the most iconic bands of the 1960's . Great episode sir . Many thanks 👍
Thank you, Chris!
So cool to hear the Preflyght tunes and the genesis of the Byrds sound, especially McGuinn's guitar and their harmonies. Great job--can't wait for Part Two. Cheers!
any byrds lover is a superior person
Plĺ
Yeah, You Showed Me, Preflyght, was awesome.
They were the coolest looking band in the world in 1965-66, and one of the best-sounding as well.
The most notable things about the early Byrds are, indeed, Roger (Jim) McGuinn's 12-string and Gene Clark's voice (you can't miss it).
And Gene's songwriting, which they were at a loss to make up for once they pushed him out of the band.
The Byrds and the later day Beach Boys are, to me, the greatest of the underrated American 60s group
CCR
I wouldn't say that the byrds or the beach boys are underrated. Maybe you were being funny.
Underrated by whom? Both are well respected. CCR as well for that matter.
The Byrds were and will always be my favorite. Because of McGuinn, I, too, bought a Ricky 12 string and eventually a Martin D35-12, which I still own nearly 60 years later.
"McGuinn and McGuire are just a-gettin' higher / In L.A., you know where that's at."--John Phillips & Michelle Phillips, "Creeque Alley"
Now this is going to be special, thank you so much, The Byrds deserve all the respect, a fountain of creativity for every generation of musicians and listeners.
The Byrds are amazing. I love their original lineup much more than the post-Notorious versions but they were so adventurous there's always something great on every record. The only post-Notorious release I'd rate as highly is Untitled/Unreleased.
One of my favourite 60s bands with a genuine different sound from other bands. Great music. Thanks for this one
The 4-CD box set of the Byrds has been a gem for me for many years. Never could get enough of it. And the Gene Clark 2-CD Flying High collection. Love it totally for an in depth visit with him.
Of course I love "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" like many do. But I also can't get enough of "Set You Free This Time". Gene's vocal is just wonderful throughout and tghe song is top notch.
One of the great bands, very underrated in my view.
Listen to REM and you will hear their influence.
As well as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Starry Eyed & Laughing
REM pretentious, extremely overrated.
@@DEKMAN99 thanks for sharing your opinion. My comment was trying to show the influence The Byrds had on other artists.
@@venedenn1 I saw Petty live back in the 90's. He performed, "Feel A Whole Lot Better". It was wonderful.
Fantastic! The Byrds were one of the best! Here Without You is one of those songs that often gets overlooked; Gorgeous, haunting harmonies and interesting chord progressions. They have many excellent songs, but that one was always my favorite.
Looking forward to the next part!
Thanks Knight Vision!
Here Without You...Mine too!!
perceptive u are!!!
Chris Hillman has stated that only Jim McGuinn played on "I Knew I'd Want You", which was cut at the same session as "Mr. Tambourine Man". Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Knechtel (bass) were 2 of the session players on that recording.
There’s also a session man playing electric piano on those two sides, which you can really only hear on the stereo versions.
Actually in promotions for Hillman's new book he says the opposite. He goes so far to say that you can hear the difference between the session players and the Byrds on those two sides. Maybe is memory is getting faulty!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Hillman has said in the past that on the 2 songs they did, the session players had a more generic, slick sound " and the Byrds had a more organic rawer edge. He has also said he wished the Byrds themselves had been allowed to cut the 2 songs they didn't, but understands why.
The Wrecking Crew
@@lordofthemound3890 Leon Russell.
I've listened to the Byrds from the mid 60s to now, when I'm at my domestic tasks. I find much of their output poignant, stirring and euphorically beautiful.
Great to hear more episodes on The Byrds are coming. They have always been my favorite band. I have met McGuinn and Hillman and talked extensively with both. Seeing and hearing them play the old Byrds tunes with Marty Stuart and his band on the Sweetheart Of The Rodeo tour was something I waited for all my life. It was a very emotional experience. I'll tell you more at a later date.
Thanks Bob - most appreciated!
Like your interesting comments Drum Bob. Have loved the band & Mcguinn from way back. Never seen the original byrds . First concert was the Clarence White Byrds May 73 City Hall Newcastle upon Tyne. Met them all backstage. Seen & met Mcguinn Clark & Hillman during their Australian tour in 78 . Plus Roger solo in Australia at the Basement in Sydney plus UK at the Sage Gateshead on Tyne. Would have loved to have seen the Sweetheart tour live 4 sure !
The Byrds are one of my favourite 60's bands so this band history was a real treat, thank you Matt! I've been digging deeper into Gene Clark's solo recordings lately, what a talent he was. Bring on part 2!
You are welcome Shayne. I will be tracking some of Clark's work concurrent with the next 3 parts to my Byrds series to stay tuned!
and any byrds fan is a superior person
If anyone needs more on this go and see Roger McGuinn's live show. Essentially, it's his and the Byrd's history all in one. Worth hearing him! You are, just as here, sitting there going, this was historic. As soon as you hear the guitar - it's like wow, transcendent.
Yes, I’ve caught a couple of Roger’s live solo shows. A cool history lesson - sprinkled in with songs on both acoustic 12 string and his Electric Rickenbacker 12 string
is he still touring regularly? would love to go see him!
@@american_cosmic Yes he is. I may go see again. It's a history lesson in addition to the music.
Far out
Saw his live show in a little bar in Long Island, N.Y.
Just Jim and his 12 string .
Fantastic.
I had never heard the early demos. You consolidated and synthesized a lot of information to make this a very enjoyable documentary. You must be a fan of the era. I grew up hearing this music, and it felt the way Gospel music sometimes does: very spiritual and liberating. You hear Judy Collins or the Byrds version of Turn, Turn, Turn and you feel a little of what was in the air back then, the hope, love and peace permeates. Thanks for your work and for sharing this stuff.
Welcome, Bohemian Celt. I appreciate the warm comment.
In the song from the Byrd's first album (one of my favorites by the way) I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, I love how Gene Clark plants the word "probably" into the lyrics. It puts that little bit of indecision into the song's up-front decision. A great way with word play. A songwriter way ahead of his time.
Yes, Clark was such a great songwriter. I always felt bad that he left the band.
@@popgoesthe60s52 He couldn't take the flying while touring and this fear also hampered his solo career because he wouldn't venture very far, mostly by bus to a promote his album releases, but he had a wealth of beautiful songs in his catalog.
I always loved Gene's vocals and songs the best. A gold mine of his work is in the album "Echoes" top notch start to finish.
Great stuff, thank you. In as much as I love McGuinn, he was very lucky that he sang lead on "Mr. Tambourine Man" establishing himself as the "focus" guy in the group. I say that because if you listen to the first two albums, and then the later released (but earlier recorded) PREFLYTE album, you can easily hear that Gene Clark was THE lead singer and songwriter of the group - by a longshot.
Clark was a powerhouse writer from the get go. McGuinn's voice was so suited to Tambourine Man that he became the focus (with his blue granny glasses of course)!
Mcguinn did most of the arranging. The Byrds without Mcguinn would not have been a success. They would not have been The Byrds.
I like Blackburn & Snow's recording of Crosby's "Stranger in a Strange Land" but wasn't aware it was rejected from the Byrds's second album. Great post, Matt. As always, well researched and informative.
For about 20 years, I wore granny style prescription glasses somewhat resembling those of Jim McGuinn's, until I abandoned them for larger frames for better eye vision. Bought a secondhand 360/12 Rickenbacker in 1996 and still have it now.
Feel a Whole Lot Better and She Dont Care About Time are definitely my fav Byrds tunes - maybe two of my all time favs. Too bad they didnt lean heavier into Gene Clark's writing as time went by.
@deadpan80 she don't care about time is also one of my favorites unfortunatly no stereo version of it exists .
I agree, Gene was a great musician and song writer. I think too much drugs ruined this group
@@SS-qo4xe drugs and egos
Also "Here Without You!!!"
Please add "I Knew I'd Want You" to the list...the most delicious 2 minutes of music ever recorded.
Terrific. So well put together.
Thank you, Robert - more to come!
Thanks for bringing me back to the Byrds-- one of the '60s' greatest rock bands. They were perfect as an Americana answer to the Beatles Brit pop. And, as you show in this series of videos they, like the Beatles, recreated themselves repeatedly with a string of fearless genre-bending innovations. As you pointed out, they did all this while being a hit-or-miss live act in their earliest incarnation. And It didn't hurt that they were great looking trend-setting fashionistas! More then 50 years later their albums still bring pleasure to this listener.
Hey Ken, I appreciate the comments!
I learned so much from this video. I've only tested the waters with the discount 5 disc box set of the first 5 original albums. I knew nothing of their recordings before Mr. Tambourine Man. I'm really looking forward to part two, when you'll no doubt start talking about songs I've never heard before. Thank you for this. Feel A Whole Lot Better (mono mix) is my all time favorite Byrds track so far.
Parts 2-4 are in the works, so stay tuned!
The Byrds are my most played group of the year (according to apple music) and I had a feeling you'd be diving into their history! I can't stop listening to their albums - stopping at Notorious Byrds Brothers of course. Great video!
The later Byrds will grow on you if give them a chance.
@@RS-vk7op It was late when I posted this first, I had forgotten about Sweetheart/Dr. Byrds, both fantastic albums in my opinion
@@RS-vk7op agree
Ooooh…. was waiting for this since you first mentioned it a while back Matt! So enjoyed revisiting the early Byrds, it’s easy to forget that pre-internet I had to send away (by post) for singles via the Byrds fanzine in the early 90s, and I remember on a trip to Holland walking into a record shop literally in the middle of nowhere and finding it stuffed with Byrds rarities including the fabled, then holy-grail Preflyte. So, a few things, Oh Suzannah was indeed meant as a tongue-in-cheek number as were the closers to the other 2 of the first 3 LPs (certainly according to Johnny Rogan’s book, and I’m sure he had one of the band as a source), and it’s really worth paying particular attention to the guitar solo on the sublime Gene Clark track ‘She Don’t Care About Time’ which McGuinn borrowed from JS Bach’s ‘Jesu, joy of man’s desiring’, I mean who does that?! Thanks Matt, and looking forward to Part 2 🙏🏻
My pleasure, Gavin! Yes, that Bach lick was pretty cool. What rapper would ever sample Bach?
@@popgoesthe60s52 hah, yes... though I wouldn't put it past De La Soul ;)
The Byrds have one of the most storied careers and wide-ranging repertoires covering multiple newly-conceived musical genres on their part in music history. Can't wait for the next part(s) of this chapter!
Hello from Hollywood Joe - and thank you for your research on the BYRDS ! BRAVO !
The Byrds are one of my favorite groups! Greetings from Poland!
Welcome Marceli! Thank you for watching.
I’ve been looking forward to this, for me their first 6 albums are groundbreaking and the albums that followed were very good as well. I have Johnny Rogan’s books on the band which are brilliantly written.
Theirs is a complicated story, all that great music came at a price. McGuinn and Co were tough characters which made life difficult for Gene Clark.
Crosby is notorious in the music industry.
Great video, looking forward to the rest of this series.
Thanks Edward!
Great video Matt! Can’t wait for part 2 when the Byrds go down to a four piece but embrace the changing times of psychedelia!
Great 4 part series. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
A big part of McGuinn’s 12 string sound was the use of heavy compression. It’s a staple in country music guitar picking, but McGuinn took it somewhere else with tracks like Eight Miles High, where the chime sustains and he could emulate the phrasing effects of Coltrane’s India, even down to the audible sound of saxophone keys clacking being mimicked by McGuinn’s fret hammering.
Eight Miles High was the first cut that grabbed me and didn't turn me loose. Later albums like Sweethearts of the Rodeo were some of my favorite cuts of all time from the Byrds. Then came CSN&Y. What a time to be alive.
My absolute favorite. The best of the best. The Napoleon of rock.
Vive le Byrd's.
In a modern interview, Roger McGuinn said that he had the Columbia sound engineers turn the compression up as much as they would allow, (after recording a lot of classical music, he said they were afraid the rock musicians would damage the recording equipment), but McGuinn also credits his shimmering sound to someone suggesting he use a Vox treble booster.
My favorite band, bar none. This was EXCELLENT, brother! God bless you!
Thank you, Al!
Those first few Chords for "Turn, Turn, Turn" !...Looking forward to the next bit Matt, specially when "Jim" became "Roger"...😃!...
Awesome, thanks Matt... Wasnt aware of their early incarnation as "The Beefeater's" which I found amusing. Their was a trend in Canada & the US for acts to mimic Brit Invasion bands of course as they were all the rage... Perhaps most famously the Texas based "Sir Douglas Quintet", the late great Doug Sahm & their 1965 hit "She's About a Mover". Haircuts, Carnaby Street suits, Doug going so far as to put on a fake British accent, the rest of the members of the band told to keep it zipped in interviews.... actually worked for awhile.... Several famous examples. And going the other way, from Britain to the US, a vocal group called "The Nashville Teens" who charted in North America, they about as American as a pint of Watneys Red Barrel.
Yeah, and the Turtles feigned being British with cringy accents too! Thanks for watching, Steve.
@@popgoesthe60s52 How about those 3 ny songwriters pretending to be Australian the Strangeloves (I Want Candy) lol
Wow, this is really good! Going to check out part 2 next. So glad I found this channel -- Great work!!
Welcome, Ben!
I like the photographs you selected and great research.
The Byrds deserve more documentaries focused solely on them in my opinion, as there aren't too many out there. It would be great to see more footage of them during their heyday. Liked, shared and re-watched.
Thank you Lewis! Stay tuned for parts 3 & 4!
What a special great band! So much great music. We will miss David! We are all lucky we have the music we can still listen too! Thanks! For your care about some great music!
Just think about it for a moment. 4 brilliant singers guitarists and songwriters in one band. I mean its pretty incredible. Eight Miles High is one of the best , period.
Great piece of research ! Well presented. Thanks. 😀😀😀
Very enjoyable, thank you!
Parts 2-4 are coming soon so stay tuned!
did great albums, their music still rocks
Wow! thanks Matt...I have all the Byrds' albums on vinyl and some of their singles (as well as many of the solo albums)...learned some intriguing back stories and observed some never before seen (for me) photo's...much appreciated...cheers :)
Thanks for watching, Michael. Stay tuned for part 2!
Gene Clark was the man! 💗
An especially wonderful presentation. I really appreciate the attention to detail in chronicling just early on, in all different guises the Byrds went through before Mr. Tambourine Man. There seemed to be a lot of creative competition between Gene Clark and McGuinn & Crosby. It is both tantalizing & a pleasure to hear Blackburn & Snow's (vocal & instrumental) version of Stranger in a Strange Land, as the Byrds should have put this song on the Turn Turn Turn or Fifth Dimension albums.
Thank you, Dennis - much appreciated.
Very cool, thank you. Man, what a band. I'd put those first two records up with any of the early Beatles records. I do think "Oh! Susanna" is meant as comedy, its the same idea as closing the debut with "We'll Meet Again". As The Beatles had a Ringo song to lighten the mood, The Byrds liked doing the odd comedy bit. You can add "CTA-102" and "The Learjet Song" to the list too.
Oh, man, you got me in tears. I'm a Byrds guy. I'm in Millbrook, N.Y. with Jack, Timothy Learys son in my 9th grade high school homeroom. Yearning for pot or anything you got.
Thorough as always Matt. Thank you Sir. Really looking forward to Part 2. RNB
There 3 part harmonies sounds like one voice when I listen to them. I could never tell who was singing what part. Also sounds like the prelude to Crosby Stills and Nash harmonies.
They did not have 3 part harmony, McGuinn and Clark always sang in unison with Crosby adding the top part.
@@michaelmattichiii1595 oh gee. Thanks for the enlightenment. I must of been absent that day.
@markwestervelt9708 Ha you are welcome.Crosby figured all the high parts for this band and he did a great job.
Ya know, the Byrds were so big, so influential, that it’s hard to put them into focus. Good job, Matt! I’ll make some additional comments when you discuss their country period. ✌🏻🇺🇸🎸
Well done.
Fantastic job on this. They were one of my favorite bands of the era , they still are!
Home run Matt! I still remember the first time I heard Mr. Tambourine Man. Loved it. One of my top 5 songs. My favorite American band. Your presentation is superb has usual. I could listen for hours! Love their album covers too. Looking forward to part 2. Thanks Matt!
Thank you! Stay tuned for parts 2-4!
Nicely done. Two of my favorite interests combined. Music and history.
Thank you so much for this in depth analysis of the Byrds ! When i first heard the Byrds greatest hits it just opened a whole new world after being a huge Beatles fan . Gene Clark was such a great songwriter ! So looking forward to the next episodes ( The Gram/Clarence era too of course !) Love your channel !
Thank you. I am working on parts 2, 3 7 4 simultaneously. Part 2 should be out in 4-5 days so stay tuned!
yeah, Jim Clarck should of being one of the greats
Thank you for this informative episode on one of my favorite 60's groups. So very talented musicians! Looking forward to more.
Awesome background info presented. 'Set You Free This Time' is an all-time favorite of mine, actually charted better (locally) by the Improper Bostonians, who took the song to another level, in my opinion. Looking forward to part 2!
Rmelin23231, WOW, you have to be grom Boston. Great comment about the Improper Bostonians version of that song. I still have that 45 in my collection..Great music memory
Great vid Matt, cant wait for the next couple parts! A few things of note. I Knew I’d Want You was cut the same day as Tambourine Man, and used the same session men. While some say otherwise, Chris Hillman himself has said neither him or anyone in the group but McGuinn played on it. Great song though! The Times They Are A-Changin’ was actually intended to be the Byrds third singles, scheduled for a Sept, 65 release. This would’ve included an earlier version of The Times They Are A-Changin’ which can be found as a bonus track to the Turn Turn Turn CD. It went as far as having cat number assigned and a picture sleeve drawn up but never pressed. She Dont Care About Time was the still intended flip, though it’s unclear if it was the earlier version also found on the bonus tracks of the Turn Turn Turn cd or the version we got on the original Turn Turn Turn single, I think the latter myself. They did of course recut The Times They Are A-Changin’ for the album which we’ve heard for years but the original intended single version is shorter yet used a verse left out of the album one. Go figure. And lastly, According to McGuinn, Oh Sussanah was to be sort of a joke that didn’t come off right. The Byrds had an idea of ending every album with a off the wall kinda tune or choice. We’ll Meet Again off Mr. Tambourine Man and The Lear Jet Song off 5th Dimension were also done as funny little oddities to close their albums. It sorta died after that but was revived briefly for their two 69 albums with their last tracks. Again, love your band vids, particularly the extra detailed facts. Cant wait for more!
Peace and Love!
Thanks L7 - much appreciated!
Excellent Report. Good Musical History
It's always crazy to me to think the Byrds gave away "You Showed Me." Even the demo versions of it are so catchy it sounds like a massive hit that could've been. Well, it was, just for the Turtles instead of the Byrds.
The Turtles took it and ran off with it to the bank.
Another great one, Matt. Looking forward to the continuation.
I was just wildly in love with the Byrds, learning so much from them. One important detail about the Byrds’ sound is the use of a Rickenbacker 12 string. This seems to be mostly unknown, but Rickenbacker inverted the order of the four octave pairs from that of every other builder, who placed the high strings on top, so that down-picking would voice the high octave first.
Rickenbackers, and only Rickenbackers, were designed with the opposite order so that down-picking resulted in a slightly underplayed high chime. The difference cannot be overstated. I have strung my Gibson that way for decades and it forces a different approach to picking, which McGuinn had mastered. This can be heard particularly in the incredible solos in Eight Miles High.
I recorded CSN on tour for a couple weeks in 1978-9, and enjoyed the opportunity to be friendly with these heroes of mine. My first outreach was to David, to whom I made a big mistake mentioning my love of his work in the Byrds. Suffice to say David had a mountain of unresolved bitterness about his relationship with Jim McGuinn. He later apologized but I won’t forget how deep those feelings ran more than a decade later. I’ve gone on to record the band a number of times and I miss David.
What an incredible sound. Gives me chills to hear their music.
Really good, in-depth stuff here. Oh, and by the way - THANK YOU for not feeling obligated to stick a huge microphone in front of your face like virtually every other UA-camr does. Well done.
You are welcome! Big microphones just get in my way!
Great story about the greatest group ever, especially when Gary Usher produced them. He lifted them to a whole new level that will never be reached by any other group since that. Check out the 2 Gary Usher Byrds interviews on UA-cam too. Cheers.....
Fascinating stuff.
Great job, Matt, on your History of The Byrds, part one! Another one of my favorite groups that I grew up with in the 1960s.
Thanks as always, Matt - great research and presentation! I remember all the arguments my brother, three years older, and I had when he thought the Byrds were the best band and I thought it was Buffalo Springfield...in the end, we were both right!
Interviewing Roger McGuinn today, and this was an excellent refresher with plenty of new information, too. Thank you so much!
As a guitar player, I owe very much to Jim Mc Guinn. By listening to the Byrds I took the habit of playing finger-picking on almost every tune I'd hear, thus improving a lot on that particular technique (which I actually prefer to any other).
And he introduced me to Country music.
He's a very skilled guitarist, though pretty humble.
I also love David Crosby's material : "Everybody's been burned", "Draft morning", "Lady friend", and, later, "Guinneverre". Not forgetting his great solo album, "If I could only remember my name".
With the Byrds, on stage, he was the only one who'd smile and show some enthusiasm, while the others seemed bored as though they didn't like to play together.
Very good documentary, very pleasing.
Thank you for watching and for the comment!
Great idea for a video! I never was into The Byrds very much, but one day I decided to re-listen to the Mr. Tambourine Man album and suddenly it clicked for me. There isn't one bad song on that album.
Love the Byrds. This should be good!
Matt, I heard many years ago that Sonny and Cher saw the Byrds play “All I Really Wanna Do” at Ciro’s before they released the single, and Sonny rushed to record and release it first, to Bob Dylan’s dismay. Have you heard this story? Thank you for featuring the Byrds!
Yes, the Byrds were aware of Sonny and Cher copying their set. I can understand Dylan being miffed. One of my least fave singles anyway.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Sonny was a song writer/composer and knew good stuff when he heard it, but he also was Hollywood and the music industry SMART. Timing is all.
@@popgoesthe60s52 yet, the Byrds version is the most remembered of the 3 versions
YESSSSSS!!! I feel The Byrds are more influential than The Beatles simply because of all of the different genres thay created/impacted.
Are you joking. Nobody played and mastered more genres than The Beatles and nobody is more influential than the Beatles in the history of music.
don't know if I agree, but I get what you mean, they had a lot of influence for the amount of sucess
Really enjoying the view of the Byrds thru the background - scene of the times.
i was so jealous of the lead singer in 64 as a kid, he was so cool
This is such a brilliant documentary that I can see the path laid out already for Jim Morrison. Bravo for creating this genius of an analysis of the BYRDS and their history.
Thank you, John. It was a labor of love. More to come!
@@popgoesthe60s52Fellow Wisconsinite here, too…. Well, sort of: I did my graduate work at UW-Madison and am now writing a controversial new biography of Jim Morrison.
@@johncampbell1152 Always good to hear from another Wisconsinite. Sounds like your book will be interesting. I do plan a series on n the Doors but They are not on my 2023 schedule… hopefully next year.
Strong start to what will prove to be a great history of a great group. Thanks for taking on The Byrds history. I can't imagine how many parts you'll do this in, but looking forward to all of them.
Thanks Mr. Joe - more parts coming so stay tuned!
I bought the single "Set You Free This Time" b/w "It Won't Be Wrong". Only kid in my class at school who had it. Really liked those two songs. It was fun knowing about two great songs no one else in school was familiar with.
What a great single! You had great taste at a young age.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Thank you! Went on to be a radio station DJ during my college years, then later became an engineer at a record company in Nashville.
Excellent ! The music of my youth … and my little flowered guitar ! Thanks so much once again !
My pleasure, Lynda.
Fascinating, the tangential connections in the culture back when we had a culture to draw on. Even if the public was unaware - - as I was - - as they took their dates to cinemas to watch the Roger Corman Poe films through the '60s: the guy behind the camera was the father of the singer/guitarist on the latest Byrds album they may have bought. Watching THE RAVEN and hearing The Byrds.
Thank you for showcasing The Byrds. They're one of my favorite bands. Even though I don't comment a lot I watch your videos all the time and they're enjoyable and informative. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to future episodes about The Byrds.
I appreciate that Steve, thank you.
Found you after listening through two other histories of the Byrds. The first was a mere forty minutes. The second was a bit longer, but not any more in depth. I found yours third, and yours is the most in depth and extensive. Four parts no less! Thank you for really giving the subject the time it deserves and requires. Sure, yours doesn't have the fancy scmancy on location in So Cal, Sunset Strip and Laurel Canyon, but I'd much rather have the detail and time required to get that detail, so thank you!
That is very kind of you. I appreciate the feedback! This was a very satisfying series to do.
Wow! I came across this by chance. Amazing. I look forward to watching more
of your segments. Thank you.
Totally awesome band and in my top 3 bands of all time got to see roger n David @ different times but oh what a great band the byrds were truly great stuff looking forward to part 2 great video love the byrds
Great work sir! Thorough, accurate and entertaining.
Much thanks, Michael. Part 2 will be out in 4-5 days so stay tuned!
Love their Music ever since a youngster .
Nice! Fave American band. Excellent job with this Byrds biography, sir. Thank you!
Excellent! One of my favorite 60's bands ....