The Byrds (box set)


The Byrds is a four-CD box set by the American rock band the Byrds. It features music that had previously been released between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, along with a number of previously unreleased tracks and some new recordings from 1990. The box set was issued on October 19, 1990 by Columbia/Legacy and reached number 151 on the Billboard albums chart.

Contents and history

The Byrds comprises 90 tracks and covers the band's career from 1965 to 1971 in roughly chronological order, but excludes material from their 1973 reunion album Byrds, which was released on Asylum Records. The Byrds' lead guitarist, Roger McGuinn, served as "musical consultant" during preparation of the set and also had a hand in deciding the final track listing. At the time of its release, The Byrds was the first box set by a defunct rock act to be issued by Columbia Records.
The compilation includes a number of rare and previously unreleased songs, many of which were later included as bonus tracks on the remastered editions of the band's individual albums. Of special interest to fans of both the Byrds and country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, was the inclusion of six previously unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of the Byrds' 1968 album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Of these unreleased tracks, the versions of "The Christian Life", "You Don't Miss Your Water", and "One Hundred Years from Now" featured their original Parsons' lead vocals, which had been removed and replaced by McGuinn and Hillman prior to the release of the album. Author Johnny Rogan has remarked that in the years since Sweetheart of the Rodeo was issued, these "lost" Parsons' vocals had become near-legendary among fans of the band and their inclusion on The Byrds provided a major selling point for the box set.
The set also includes six songs performed by a reunited line-up of the Byrds, featuring McGuinn and other original members David Crosby and Chris Hillman. Of these six songs, two were recorded live at the Roy Orbison Tribute Concert on February 24, 1990, and four are new studio recordings dating from August 1990. The two other original members of the Byrds, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, who were both still living in 1990, did not participate in the reunion.

Release and reception

While The Byrds does provide a detailed overview of the band's music, there has been some criticism from fans and critics concerning the absence of songs written by Clark, who was the band's principal songwriter in its early years. In particular, the exclusion of popular and highly regarded Clark-penned songs such as "Set You Free This Time" and "Here Without You" was interpreted by many fans as an attempt on McGuinn's part to downplay Clark's importance in the group. The additional failure of McGuinn to mention Clark in the box set's booklet, while at the same time praising Crosby and Hillman, served to reinforce the notion that Clark was being intentionally slighted.
Upon release, the box set reached number 151 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in the U.S., during a chart stay of four weeks, but failed to reach the UK Albums Chart. A single disc selection from the box set, titled 20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965–1990, was also released in January 1992. The first 16 tracks on this single disc collection date from the Byrds' 1965 to 1971 period, while the final 4 tracks are from the 1990 reunion.
The Byrds is currently out of print, but a later revised box set, titled There Is a Season, was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy. While this second box set is meant to replace The Byrds, each set contains some tracks that the other does not.

Track listing

NOTES:
  1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" – 2:29 †
  2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" – 2:31
  3. "Chimes of Freedom" – 3:50
  4. "She Has a Way" – 2:30 †
  5. "All I Really Want to Do" – 2:03
  6. "Spanish Harlem Incident" – 1:57
  7. "The Bells of Rhymney" – 3:31
  8. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" – 2:56 †
  9. "She Don't Care About Time" – 2:31 ø
  10. "Turn! Turn! Turn! " – 3:54 #
  11. "It Won't Be Wrong" – 1:57 #
  12. "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" – 3:30 #
  13. "He Was a Friend of Mine" – 2:10
  14. "The World Turns All Around Her" – 2:14 #
  15. "The Day Walk " – 3:00 †
  16. "The Times They Are a-Changin'" – 2:18 #
  17. "5D " – 2:34 #
  18. "I Know My Rider" – 2:44 †
  19. "Eight Miles High" – 3:34
  20. "Why" – 2:58 †
  21. "Psychodrama City" – 3:24 †
  22. "I See You" – 2:37 #
  23. "Hey Joe" – 2:25 #

    Disc two

  24. "Mr. Spaceman" – 2:10 #
  25. "John Riley" – 2:59 #
  26. "Roll Over Beethoven" – 2:11 ‡
  27. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" – 2:05
  28. "Have You Seen Her Face" – 2:43 #
  29. "My Back Pages" – 3:08
  30. "Time Between" – 1:54 #
  31. "It Happens Each Day" – 2:44 †
  32. "Renaissance Fair" – 1:51 #
  33. "Everybody's Been Burned" – 3:06 #
  34. "The Girl With No Name" – 1:49 #
  35. "Triad" – 3:29 †
  36. "Lady Friend" – 2:35 #
  37. "Old John Robertson" – 1:49
  38. "Goin' Back" – 3:27
  39. "Draft Morning" – 2:38
  40. "Wasn't Born to Follow" – 2:02
  41. "Dolphin's Smile" – 1:59
  42. "Reputation" – 3:08 ‡
  43. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" – 2:33
  44. "The Christian Life" – 2:28 ø
  45. "I Am a Pilgrim" – 3:37
  46. "Pretty Boy Floyd" – 2:34
  47. "You Don't Miss Your Water" – 3:49 ø

    Disc three

  48. "Hickory Wind" – 3:29
  49. "Nothing Was Delivered" – 3:22
  50. "One Hundred Years from Now" – 2:56 ø
  51. "Pretty Polly" – 2:53 ‡
  52. "Lazy Days" – 3:27 ‡
  53. "This Wheel's on Fire" – 4:40 #
  54. "Nashville West" – 2:28
  55. "Old Blue" – 3:21
  56. "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" – 3:53
  57. "Bad Night at the Whiskey" – 3:20
  58. "Lay Lady Lay" – 3:16 ø
  59. "Mae Jean Goes to Hollywood" – 2:43 ‡
  60. "Ballad of Easy Rider" – 2:02
  61. *NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider".
  62. "Oil in My Lamp" – 2:02 ø
  63. "Jesus Is Just Alright" – 2:08
  64. "Way Beyond the Sun" – 2:56 ‡
  65. "Tulsa County" – 2:46
  66. "Deportee " – 3:50
  67. "Lover of the Bayou" – 4:24 ø
  68. "Willin'" – 3:13 ‡
  69. "Black Mountain Rag" – 1:12 ‡
  70. "Positively 4th Street" – 3:04

    Disc four

  71. "Chestnut Mare" – 5:07
  72. "Just a Season" – 3:49 #
  73. "Kathleen's Song" – 2:35 ø
  74. "Truck Stop Girl" – 3:20
  75. "Just Like a Woman" – 3:58 ‡
  76. "Stanley's Song" – 3:11 ‡
  77. "Glory, Glory" – 4:00
  78. "I Trust" – 3:17
  79. "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" – 2:01
  80. "Green Apple Quick Step" – 1:47
  81. "Tiffany Queen" – 2:41
  82. "Bugler" – 3:05
  83. "Lazy Waters" – 3:32
  84. "Farther Along" – 2:57
  85. "White's Lightning" – 2:36 ‡
  86. "Turn! Turn! Turn! " – 3:51 ø
  87. * Recorded live at the Roy Orbison Tribute Concert on February 24, 1990.
  88. "Mr. Tambourine Man" – 5:26 ø
  89. * Recorded live at the Roy Orbison Tribute Concert on February 24, 1990.
  90. "He Was a Friend of Mine" – 2:26 ø
  91. "Paths of Victory" – 3:09 ‡
  92. "From a Distance" – 3:14 ‡
  93. "Love That Never Dies" – 3:54 ‡
  94. * The above four tracks were recorded by a reunited line-up of The Byrds at Treasure Isle Recorders, Nashville, Tennessee, between August 6 and August 8, 1990.

    ''20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965-1990'' track listing

  95. "Mr. Tambourine Man" – 2:29
  96. *NOTE: New wide stereo remix from the 8-track session tape. The box set used the Never Before remix.
  97. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" – 2:32
  98. "All I Really Want to Do" – 2:04
  99. "Turn! Turn! Turn! " – 3:49
  100. "5D " – 2:33
  101. "Eight Miles High" – 3:34
  102. "Mr. Spaceman" – 2:09
  103. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" – 1:50
  104. "Have You Seen Her Face" – 2:42
  105. "Lady Friend" – 2:35
  106. "My Back Pages" – 3:08
  107. "Goin' Back" – 3:26
  108. "Ballad of Easy Rider" – 2:02
  109. *NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider".
  110. "Jesus Is Just Alright" – 2:09
  111. "Chestnut Mare" – 5:06
  112. "I Wanna Grow up to Be a Politician" – 2:02
  113. "He Was a Friend of Mine" – 2:26
  114. "Paths of Victory" – 3:10
  115. "From a Distance" – 3:14
  116. "Love That Never Dies" – 3:55