Who was/is The Byrds ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more

The Byrds

Neither hailed as an instant classic nor seen as polarizing, 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo' was largely ignored upon release on August 30, 1968. It alienated the Byrds' core audience without finding them a new one. In contrast, Bob Dylan's 'Nashville Skyline,' released eight months later, was hailed as boldly iconoclastic and became a best-seller. By February '68, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, and David Crosby had gone, leaving just Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman as the Byrds. Hillman met Gram Parsons and invited him to join as a backing musician rather than group member.

McGuinn had a vision for the Byrds' new LP, but Parsons overrode it. “We hired a piano player and he turned out to be Parsons, a monster in sheep's clothing,” McGuinn told Fusion magazine. “George Jones in a big sequin suit.” Both McGuinn and Hillman were versed in folk and bluegrass, so country wasn't as much of a stretch as McGuinn implied.Hillman's cousin, drummer Kevin Kelley, rounded out the new Byrds, and they found twelve songs, cut their hair, and headed for Nashville. They recorded for one week with a few session guys and guests, including John Hartford and steel guitarist Lloyd Green. The Opry appearance at the end of the week was an omen that all would not be well, but the problems began before that. Lee Hazlewood had the International Submarine Band under contract, and considered Parsons bound by that contract. Some of Parsons' vocals were replaced, leaving him as a guest vocalist on a couple of songs.

The album credits were cryptic, listing all the musicians in the 'Thanks to' credit line, usually reserved for the dope dealer. Shortly before release, the Byrds toured Europe before heading for South Africa. Parsons cited the South African dates as the reason he left to form the Flying Burrito Brothers, although the problem might have been that he'd just heard the test pressing. “They chopped up the album however they wanted,” he told Bud Scoppa. “I wasn't there when they chopped it. This cat, Gary Usher, decided that it should go Hollywood freaky. It was a serious country album. A great album that might as well never have been recorded.” For his part, Usher said that the LHI contractual issues were resolved during the week in Nashville and some of the vocals were redone at McGuinn's insistence to reduce Parsons' footprint. The LP cover, a detail from Jo Mora's 1933 poster for the Salinas Rodeo, was a stroke of genius.

 

'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo' contained two new Dylan songs, but the highlight was Parsons' achingly sweet lament for his South of dreams and memory, Hickory Wind. Chris Hillman's high harmonies were exquisite. Parsons' collaborator on the song, Bob Buchanan of the International Submarine Band, said they wrote it on a train ride back to Los Angeles from Florida shortly before Parsons joined the Byrds. "We were a little Hollywood weary," said Buchanan. "I had gone back to Michigan to see my folks and Gram had gone back to see his family in Florida. I was getting a sandwich in the dining car and came back to the room. Gram had his guitar out and was working on the start of 'Hickory Wind.' We had both been back home and in a simpler time, and suddenly we were heading for Hollywood. We were in a down mood." Buchanan wrote the second verse (“I started out younger…”). “Of all people in my high school class,” he said, “how many got out and did what I did? I was on the road and having adventures when I was 19 years old. Fancy sports car and motorcycle back in my house in Hollywood. I had all that and was still bankrupt.

What else can life bring? Big deal with all the riches and pleasures - that wasn't the answer." After Parsons' death, the song was seen as the summation of his art. But then rumors began to surface that, as a young folkie in Greenville, South Carolina, he poached the song from a blind folk singer, Sylvia Sammons. According to researcher David W. Johnson, Sammons lived in Highlands, North Carolina. Some remember her singing Hickory Wind as early as 1963 when Parsons was in the Carolinas, and, of course, North Carolina is associated with the Hickory tree whereas Parsons' home state, Florida, is not. She didn't hear the Byrds' recording, but heard Joan Baez's 1969 cover version. According to several of those around Sammons, she turned over a copy of the song she'd mailed to herself in a still-sealed envelope (an age-old way of copyrighting a song) and received a one-time payout.

And so the story ends with a question mark. Sammons still insists that she wrote it. Parsons might have thought he was adapting a traditional song, but never gave any indication to Hillman or McGuinn that it was anything other than his and Buchanan's work. Buchanan got out of music and worked at General Motors until retirement, but still insists that he wrote the second verse, which he probably did.

Various Country & Western Hit Parade 1968
Read more at: https://www.bear-family.de/various-country-und-western-hit-parade-1968.html
Copyright © Bear Family Records

Copyright © Bear Family Records®. Copying, also of extracts, or any other form of reproduction, including the adaptation into electronic data bases and copying onto any data mediums, in English or in any other language is permissible only and exclusively with the written consent of Bear Family Records® GmbH.

More information about The Byrds on Wikipedia.org

Close filters
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
No results were found for the filter!
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday Art-Nr.: SLP5200

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday Younger Than Yesterday, the Byrds' fourth album--and in some people's eyes, the pinnacle of their art--wastes no time, bursting out of the gates with still another national...
$30.50
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers Art-Nr.: SLP5201

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers The Byrds pull no punches kicking off their fifth album, 1968's The Notorious Byrd Brothers, with 'Artificial Energy,' a devastating haymaker aimed at the go-fast...
$30.50
You Movin' - Boston (45rpm Single, BC, PS, Blue Vinyl)
The Byrds: You Movin' - Boston (45rpm Single, BC, PS, Blue... Art-Nr.: 45S322

Ready to ship today, delivery time** appr. 1-3 workdays

(2017/Sundazed) 2 tracks, Big Center, Picture Sleeve, Blue Vinyl As the Byrds woodshedded their unique sound at World Pacific Studios in 1964, they were also earning a reputation as LA’s top dance band at Ciro’s Le Disc; more than any...
$14.66
The 1978 Reunion Concert (LP, 180g Vinyl)
The Byrds: The 1978 Reunion Concert (LP, 180g Vinyl) Art-Nr.: LPLOV2008

Item has to be restocked

(2016/Live On Vinyl) 16 tracks - Originally recorded for KSAN FM radio broadcast
$20.31
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo - HQ Vinyl
The Byrds: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo - HQ Vinyl Art-Nr.: SLP5215

Item has to be restocked

With one mighty swing of the axe, the Byrds changed not only the face of rock 'n' roll but country music, as well, with their sixth album, 1968's'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. Tired of dipping a toe into the genre, Roger McGuinn and Chris...
$30.50
Live At Royal Albert Hall 1971
The Byrds: Live At Royal Albert Hall 1971 Art-Nr.: CDSC11177

Item has to be restocked

(2008/SUNDAZED) 19 tracks - Stereo / slipcase packaging From their earliest days as 12-string-wielding folk-rockers, to the thrilling psychedelic excursions of their raga-rock period to their 1968 birthing of country-rock, the Byrds were...
$21.45
Another Dimension 2x10'LP Limited Edition
The Byrds: Another Dimension 2x10'LP Limited Edition Art-Nr.: SLP10168

Item has to be restocked

(2005/SUNDAZED) deluxe gatefold double 10 vinyl (33RPM) / limitierte Doppel 10' (33RPM) im Klappcover; Unheard recordings & alternate versions of recordings from the legendary 5D sessions. Contains photos from & the transcription of the...
$37.29
Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, November 1968 (2-LP, 180g Vinyl)
The Byrds: Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, November 1968... Art-Nr.: LPKH29036

Item has to be restocked

(2014/Keyhole) 19 tracks - Recorded live at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco November 2nd 1968
$31.63
Sanctuary II (180g Vinyl Edition)
The Byrds: Sanctuary II (180g Vinyl Edition) Art-Nr.: SLP5065

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - Sanctuary II (180g Vinyl Edition) A new vinyl collection of rare Byrds recordings! With an emphasis on the group's instrumental prowess and exclusive interviews with Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman...
$39.55
Sanctuary III (180g Edition)
The Byrds: Sanctuary III (180g Edition) Art-Nr.: SLP5066

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - Sanctuary III (180g Edition) Laden with outtakes, alternate versions and rarites from the Ballad of Easy Rider and Untitled sessions, the third volume of our Sanctuary series spotlights Clarence...
$39.55
Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde - HQ Vinyl
The Byrds: Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde - HQ Vinyl Art-Nr.: SLP5072

Item has to be restocked

LP on SUNDAZED RECORDS by The Byrds - Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde - HQ Vinyl
$30.50
Younger Than Yesterday (1967) 180g Vinyl
The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday (1967) 180g Vinyl Art-Nr.: MOVLP437

Item has to be restocked

(2011/SONY) 12 tracks
$24.84
Fifth Dimension - 1966 (180g Vinyl)
The Byrds: Fifth Dimension - 1966 (180g Vinyl) Art-Nr.: LPMOV501

Item has to be restocked

(2012/Music On Vinyl) 11 tracks
$24.84
Mr.Tamborine Man (LP Colored Vinyl)
The Byrds: Mr.Tamborine Man (LP Colored Vinyl) Art-Nr.: SLP5197C

Item has to be restocked

(Sundazed) 12 tracks - mono, colored vinyl. The Byrds burst upon an already fertile pop/rock music scene in the spring of 1965 with a stunning retooling of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" that changed everything. The debut album of the...
$32.76
Mr. Tambourine Man - Turn! Turn! Turn! (7inch, 45rpm, SC)
The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man - Turn! Turn! Turn! (7inch,... Art-Nr.: 45OLD9747

Item has to be restocked

(Old Gold Records) 2 tracks
$11.26
Preflyte Sessions   2-CD
The Byrds: Preflyte Sessions 2-CD Art-Nr.: CDSC11116

Item has to be restocked

​Before turning rock 'n' roll on its ear in the spring of '65, the Byrds spent countless hours creating and refining their unique sound at LA's World Pacific Studios. Hear history literally in the making as McGuinn, Crosby, Clark,...
$33.89
Lazy Days - Reputation 7inch, 45rpm
Byrds: Lazy Days - Reputation 7inch, 45rpm Art-Nr.: S189

Item has to be restocked

Single (7 Inch) on SUNDAZED RECORDS by Byrds - Lazy Days - Reputation 7inch, 45rpm
$16.92
Sanctuary (180g Vinyl Edition)
The Byrds: Sanctuary (180g Vinyl Edition) Art-Nr.: SLP5061

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - Sanctuary (180g Vinyl Edition) The ringing sound of the Byrds - a band that created at least three rock 'n' roll genres (folk-rock, raga-rock and country-rock) would make any red-blooded music fan...
$39.55
Preflyte   2-LP (180g Edition)
The Byrds: Preflyte 2-LP (180g Edition) Art-Nr.: SLP5114

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - Preflyte 2-LP (180g Edition) Before turning rock 'n' roll on its ear in the spring of '65, the Byrds spent countless hours creating and refining their unique sound at LA's World Pacific Studios....
$41.82
Columbia Singles 1965-67  2LP 180g
The Byrds: Columbia Singles 1965-67 2LP 180g Art-Nr.: SLP5130

Item has to be restocked

LP auf SUNDAZED RECORDS von The Byrds - Columbia Singles 1965-67 2LP 180g When 'Mr. Tambourine Man' first rumbled out of car radio speakers in 1965, it was a pivotal moment in pop history. With its jangling 12-string and epic sweep, it...
$41.82
There Is A Season (4-CD) EU
The Byrds: There Is A Season (4-CD) EU Art-Nr.: CDSNY21472

This article is deleted and can no longer be ordered!

(2006/SONY) 99 tracks, contains all of the key singles and album tracks, pre-Byrds recordings and rare tracks. 96 page digibook.
$24.84
Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965) 180g Vinyl
The Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965) 180g Vinyl Art-Nr.: LPMOV783

Item has to be restocked

(2014/Music On Vinyl) 11 tracks
$24.84
Untitled - Unissued (2-CD)
The Byrds: Untitled - Unissued (2-CD) Art-Nr.: CDCOL4950772

Item has to be restocked

(2000/Sony) 30 tracks
$14.66
Preflyte (CD)
The Byrds: Preflyte (CD) Art-Nr.: CDA17733

the very last 1 available
Ready to ship today, delivery time** appr. 1-3 workdays

(Sony Music Special Products) 10 tracks
$28.24
Byrds (CD)
The Byrds: Byrds (CD) Art-Nr.: CDWECLEC2658

only 1x still available
Ready to ship today, delivery time** appr. 1-3 workdays

(Esoteric Recordings) 11 tracks New remastered re-release of The Byrds' legendary 1973 reunion album. Fully restored artwork including liner notes. Esoteric Recordings announce the release of a new remastered edition of The Byrds'...
$18.05 $20.31