History of The Byrds

1973 greatest hits album by the Byrds

History of The Byrds

Greatest hits album by

the Byrds

Released| May 18, 1973
Recorded| January 20, 1965 – July 27, 1971
Genre|

* Rock
* pop
* folk rock
* psychedelic rock
* country rock

Length| 80:24
Label| CBS
Producer| Terry Melcher, Allen Stanton, Gary Usher, Bob Johnston, Jim Dickson, Chris Hinshaw, the Byrds
The Byrds chronology
| Byrds
(1973)  | History of The Byrds
(1973)  | Return of The Byrds
(1976)

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|

History of The Byrds is a double album compilation by the American rock band the Byrds and was released on May 18, 1973 by CBS Records (see 1973 in music).[1] The compilation was released exclusively in Europe and the UK, peaking at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart, but it was also available in the United States as an import.[2][3]

## Contents

[edit]

History of The Byrds provides a chronological survey of the band's career from 1965 to 1971, a period when they were signed to Columbia Records.[3] It begins with the Byrds' debut single on Columbia, "Mr. Tambourine Man", and culminates with their final single release for the label, "America's Great National Pastime".[1][4] The album features the first appearance on an LP of the non-album single "Lady Friend" and the 1965 B-side "She Don't Care About Time".[3][5][6]

It was issued to coincide with the reunion of the original members of the Byrds and the release of a reunion album, titled Byrds, in March 1973. However, none of the tracks from the 1973 reunion album were included on History of The Byrds, due to that album having appeared on Asylum Records rather than on Columbia.[1] At the time of its release, History of The Byrds was the most comprehensive overview of the band's recorded output available.[3] Every variation of the Byrds' ever changing lineup is represented within the album's song selection and as such, it provides a survey of the band's musical journey from their days as folk rock and psychedelic rock pioneers through to their later exploration of country rock.[7] Many of the band's biggest selling singles are included, along with a number of their best known album tracks. Consequently, the album includes musical contributions from all of the key players in the Byrds' convoluted history, including Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, and the group's only consistent member, Roger McGuinn.

The album's front cover made use of a David Gahr photograph featuring the last lineup of the Byrds to be represented on the album: Roger McGuinn, Skip Battin, Gene Parsons, and Clarence White.[8] The same photograph had already been used for the cover of the U.S. compilation album The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II just six months earlier.[8] It is likely that CBS in the UK didn't have access to the original photograph because the cover of History of The Byrds features the same track listing as Greatest Hits, Volume II, with three amendments added in a noticeably smaller font over black bars that cover track names from the earlier compilation. The back cover of History of The Byrds included liner notes by Kim Fowley and the inside gatefold sleeve of the double vinyl LP featured Pete Frame's "Byrds Family Tree".[3] This intricately detailed flowchart traced the group's roots and complicated membership history over the years.[1] The very first pressing of this double LP mentioned the Byrds English fan club's (run by Chrissie Oakes) name and address in the middle of the family tree.

Despite being one of the band's biggest selling compilations in Europe, History of The Byrds went out of print in the early 1990s and has never been released on CD.

## Track listing

[edit]

### Side 1

[edit]

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:20
2. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
3. "She Don't Care About Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:28
4. "Wild Mountain Thyme" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, David Crosby) – 2:29
5. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 3:35
6. "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:08
7. "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:32

### Side 2

[edit]

1. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 2:03
2. "Time Between" (Chris Hillman) – 1:56
3. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:05
4. "Lady Friend" (David Crosby) – 2:30
5. "Goin' Back" (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) – 3:26
6. "Old John Robertson" (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 1:51
7. "Wasn't Born to Follow" (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) – 2:02

### Side 3

[edit]

1. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Bob Dylan) – 2:33
2. "Hickory Wind" (Gram Parsons, Bob Buchanan) – 3:30
3. "Nashville West" (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 2:30
4. "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" (Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons) – 3:52
5. "Gunga Din" (Gene Parsons) – 3:01
6. "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reid Reynolds) – 2:09
7. "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) – 2:01
* NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider".[9]

### Side 4

[edit]

1. "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:10
2. "Yesterday's Train" (Gene Parsons, Skip Battin) – 3:32
3. "Just a Season" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:52
4. "Citizen Kane" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 2:35
5. "Jamaica (Say You Will)" (Jackson Browne) – 3:25
6. "Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:40
7. "America's Great National Pastime" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 2:56

## Personnel

[edit]

The Byrds

* Roger McGuinn \- guitar, banjo, vocals
* Gene Clark \- tambourine, vocals
* David Crosby \- guitar, vocals (electric bass on "Old John Robertson")
* Chris Hillman \- electric bass, guitar, vocals
* Michael Clarke \- drums
* Gram Parsons \- acoustic guitar, piano, organ, vocals
* Kevin Kelley \- drums
* Clarence White \- lead guitar, vocals
* John York \- electric bass, backing vocals
* Gene Parsons \- drums, acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
* Skip Battin \- electric bass, piano, vocals

Additional personnel

* Jerry Cole \- rhythm guitar (on "Mr. Tambourine Man")
* Larry Knechtel \- electric bass (on "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Citizen Kane")
* Hal Blaine \- drums (on "Mr. Tambourine Man")
* Leon Russell \- electric piano (on "Mr. Tambourine Man")
* Van Dyke Parks \- organ (on "5D (Fifth Dimension)")

* Hugh Masekela \- trumpet (on "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Lady Friend")
* Vern Gosdin – acoustic guitar (on "Time Between")
* Jim Gordon \- drums (on "Goin' Back")
* Red Rhodes \- pedal steel guitar (on "Goin' Back" and "Wasn't Born to Follow")
* Paul Beaver \- Moog synthesizer (on "Goin' Back")
* Dennis McCarthy \- celeste (on "Goin' Back")
* James Burton \- guitar (on "Goin' Back")
* Terry Trotter - piano (on "Goin' Back")
* Lester Harris - cello (on "Goin' Back")
* Victor Sazer, Carl West - violin (on "Goin' Back")
* Ann Stockton - harp (on "Goin' Back")
* Dennis Faust - percussion (on "Goin' Back")
* Lloyd Green \- pedal steel guitar (on "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Hickory Wind" and "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man")
* John Hartford \- fiddle (on "Hickory Wind")
* Glen D. Hardin \- organ (on "Gunga Din")
* Sneaky Pete Kleinow \- pedal steel guitar (on "Yesterday's Train")
* Jimmi Seiter \- percussion (on "Citizen Kane")

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## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. p. 320\. ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
2. ^ Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 130\. ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
3. ^ a b c d e "History of The Byrds". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
4. ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. pp. 541–545\. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
5. ^ "She Don't Care About Time album appearances & review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
6. ^ "Lady Friend album appearances". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
7. ^ "The Byrds Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
8. ^ a b Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. pp. 308–309\. ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
9. ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. pp. 298–299\. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.

* v
* t
* e

The Byrds

* Roger McGuinn
* Gene Clark
* David Crosby
* Chris Hillman
* Michael Clarke

* Kevin Kelley
* Gram Parsons
* Clarence White
* Gene Parsons
* John York
* Skip Battin

Studio albums|

* Mr. Tambourine Man
* Turn! Turn! Turn!
* Fifth Dimension
* Younger Than Yesterday
* The Notorious Byrd Brothers
* Sweetheart of the Rodeo
* Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde
* Ballad of Easy Rider
* (Untitled)
* Byrdmaniax
* Farther Along
* Byrds

Live albums|

* (Untitled)
* Live at the Fillmore – February 1969
* Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971

Compilations|

* The Byrds' Greatest Hits
* Preflyte
* The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II
* The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II
* History of The Byrds
* The Byrds Play Dylan
* The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1
* The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2
* Never Before
* In the Beginning
* The Very Best of The Byrds
* The Essential Byrds

Box sets|

* The Byrds
* There Is a Season

Tribute albums|

* Time Between – A Tribute to The Byrds

Singles|

* "Mr. Tambourine Man" / "I Knew I'd Want You"
* "All I Really Want to Do" / "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"
* "Turn! Turn! Turn!" / "She Don't Care About Time"
* "Set You Free This Time"
* "It Won't Be Wrong"
* "Eight Miles High" / "Why"
* "5D (Fifth Dimension)"
* "Mr. Spaceman"
* "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"
* "My Back Pages"
* "Have You Seen Her Face"
* "Lady Friend" / "Old John Robertson"
* "Goin' Back"
* "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"
* "Lay Lady Lay"
* "Wasn't Born to Follow"
* "Ballad of Easy Rider"
* "Jesus Is Just Alright" / "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
* "Chestnut Mare"
* "Full Circle"

Other notable songs|

* "You Showed Me"
* "Spanish Harlem Incident"
* "Here Without You"
* "The Bells of Rhymney"
* "Chimes of Freedom"
* "Lay Down Your Weary Tune"
* "He Was a Friend of Mine"
* "The World Turns All Around Her"
* "If You're Gone"
* "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
* "Triad"
* "Hickory Wind"
* "Nothing Was Delivered"
* "You Don't Miss Your Water"

Associated people|

* Bob Dylan
* Jimmi Seiter
* John Guerin
* Terry Melcher
* Allen Stanton

Related articles|

* Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
* The Flying Burrito Brothers
* McGuinn, Clark & Hillman
* Firefall
* The Desert Rose Band

See also: Discography
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