The Byrds - The Byrds - Greatest Hits

The 12-string electric guitar may never recover. As long as there are baby boomers roaming the earth, its airy jangle will signify psychedelic innocence and optimism refracted through the peculiar light of mid-'60s Los Angeles. With Roger McGuinn leading, the Byrds kicked off American rock history with a merger of Bob Dylan's words and the Beatles' melodic energy. The results are here: "Mr. Tambourine Man," "The Bells of Rhymney," and "Eight Miles High" still jump off the airwaves. The midpoint between Dylan and the Beatles is a one-of-a-kind place, where optimism and innocence still sound smart. --Steve Tignor Amazon.com

The Byrds' Greatest Hits

Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Clarke, and Gene Clarke. The Byrds. One of the top groups in their time. This represents some of their greatest hits (and there are some bonus cuts not on the original work).

Some examples of their art:

"Mr. Tambourine Man": Maybe their quintessential hit? There is the characteristic instrumental sound and the voices melding together in a typical fashion. The liner notes suggest that the Byrds were a kind of synthesis between Bob Dylan and the Beatles. I'm not so sure that I see that, but this cut might make the case for some listeners. This is a smooth melodic piece, so typical of the Byrds. A laid back sound. . . .

"Turn, Turn, Turn": Pete Seeger's song is given a Byrds' treatment. This is very melodic with a nice sound. The vocals are quite pleasant to listen to.

"All I Really want to Do": This is an interesting alternative take on Bob Dylan's song. The vocals are rich (much prettier than Dylan's voice), as the voices meld together so well. The song does not have the same edge as Dylan's version--which is what you get with the group.

"My Back Pages": Another Dylan piece. This is not as gritty as Dylan's version, but the group had a different vision.

So, this well exemplifies the art of the Byrds. I think that they has a pleasing and musical sound. But not much grit and not much of a rock and roll sensibility. Their sound is pretty, but I never found it compelling (give me Eric Burdon's growl or Mick Jagger's blues-y sound any day). My view is that this is very pleasant music--but not great music. They did not have the bite of Dylan or Seeger when they covered those worthies. Still and all, a great sampling of the Byrds' best.
February 2, 2008

The Byrds Greatest Hits

Just to have "Turn,Turn,Turn" in by collection again is wonderful. And I can understand all the words still. December 2, 2007

good cd rocks hard good band

this i think is a good cd great for beginners all the songs are good on it turn turn to everything there is a season is the best song on here but still all of them rock the byrds are another one of those essential 60s bands the only real acid rock song on here is eight miles high thats it so if your looking for that kinda of stuff i recomend jefferson airplane or pink floyd(piper at the gates of dawn) anyways good cd for someone who loves 60s music great stuff November 4, 2007

a definitive collection of byrds

The Byrds! A great folk rock group that epitomizes the 60's. Their music, most straight from the pen of Bob Dylan, defined an era. Protest music that is melodic and very poetic with great vocals by Roger McGuinn and David Crosby. My husband co-host a Saturday radio show and since he didn't have any Byrds music I purchased this for him. This is a definitive collection of the Byrds. August 6, 2007

The REAL best of the Byrds

The thing about the Byrds is that after they lost David Crosby and Gene Clark, they totally disintergrated into insignificance. Don't try to tell me Notorious Byrds Brothers, Sweetheart of the Rodeo or Untitled are masterpieces, because I'll only laugh at you if you do. And Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde is one of the worst albums ever. But the David Crosby/Gene Clark/Jim McGuinn/Chris Hillman/Michael Clarke Byrds were great, and this contains most of their biggest songs - in fact, the only classic they missed is Crosby's masterpiece Everybody's Been Burned, but its parent album Younger Than Yesterday is a must-have in the first place. Still, I would've taken over their dirge-like cover of Dylan's Chimes of Freedom, one of the few missteps found on the great Mr. Tambourine Man.
Every other song here is great, though: Quite a few solid Dylan covers (Mr. Tambourine Man; All I Really Wanna Do; My Back Pages, my personal favorite of the bunch), and the group's classic originals: the free jazz folk raga Eight Miles High (my favorite Byrds song); cynical, Dylanesque I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better; industry attack So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star; space-rocker 5D; folk-rocker Mr. Spaceman; and their classic Pete Seeger cover Turn! Turn! Turn!, today a radio staple.
The reissue, with bonus tracks, only makes this album better. It adds two noteworthy songs from Turn! Turn! Turn! (It Won't Be Wrong; Set You Free This Time), and one of the best songs from Younger Than Yesterday (Have You Seen Her Face?) Make sure to have this album! July 3, 2007

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