“At one time, he was the power in the Byrds, not McGuinn, not Crosby—it was Gene who would burst through the stage curtain banging on a tambourine, coming on like a young Prince Valiant. A hero, our savior. Few in the audience could take their eyes off this presence. He was the songwriter. He had the ‘gift’ that none of the rest of us had.”
– Chris Hillman on Gene Clark
The Byrds were somehow part of my early childhood (in the late ‘70s) and I have hazy memories of listening to their music in the car with my dad while driving around Long Island on warm, sunny days with the windows rolled down. I was 30 when I started rediscovering the Byrds’ music and while their various incarnations and lineups can be confusing for newbies, for me the band’s overall spirit of excitement and adventure remains whether its ‘60s Byrds (mop-tops) or ‘70s Byrds (“the Beards”).
From their first album the Byrds were loaded with secret weapons: Roger McGuinn’s guitar playing, those beautiful vocal harmonies, and Gene Clark’s songwriting. Clark flew the coop in 1966- just as the Byrds were entering their psychedelic phase and McGuinn was emerging as the main songwriter and arranger. If I had to pick my favorite Byrds period then it would probably be their country rock years when the band was performing a public service by taking country music away from rednecks and giving it back to the weirdos- where it belongs. Here are some (more) of my favorite Byrds songs. Enjoy!
01. The Byrds – “Chimes of Freedom (Live)” (1969)
02. The Byrds – “Everybody’s Been Burned” (1967)
03. The Byrds – “Nashville West (Live)” (1971)
04. The Byrds – “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965)
05. The Byrds – “Old Blue” (1969)
06. The Byrds – “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” (1965)
07. The Byrds – “Old John Robertson” (1967)
08. The Byrds – “Goin’ Back” (1968)
09. The Byrds – “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (Version One)” (1965)
10. The Byrds – “Lover of the Bayou (Live)” (1970)
Listen to the playlist on Spotify...
... or check out the playlist on YouTube
(To open music in separate window, click title bar at top of video box)
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