The Byrds: Classic Or Dud

"well, everyone knows crosby got replaced by a horse. what this album presupposes is... maybe he didn't”

hahaha

I usually like/love rock band drummers such as Ringo and Bill Berry, to name two favorites, but Michael Clarke always felt like where I drew the line. At least he has been replaced as least favorite Byrd by Skip Battin.

― The Original Human Beat Surrender (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, June 1, 2023 10:56 AM (twenty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

i don't understand this at all, esp the "where I draw the line" part (feels like you're sort of slagging Ringo and Berry in a way)? what in particular are you hearing on Byrds records in terms of the drumming?

I was reading Eno’s diary and there’s a mention of listening to tapes that Quine made for him of Byrds rarities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUHQBmpN76o

what in particular are you hearing on Byrds records in terms of the drumming?

Curious about this myself. Also, I can never remember which album came first -- Turn! Turn! Turn! or Mr. Tambourine Man -- so I often have to look it up: "Is this the one with session players?" I don't hear any qualitative difference. If Clarke was such a shitty (or even just mediocre) drummer, the difference between those two records would be pretty stark.

The Wrecking Crew played on their debut single, but when it came time to record more songs to make their first LP, the band insisted on playing those tracks themselves. (For whatever reason, this rarely seems to get fact-checked whenever news or magazine articles mistakenly claim that the Wrecking Crew played on the whole album - it happened again with multiple outlets after Crosby died.)

...

― birdistheword

Aha! See, no one can even tell the difference! Blaine's a little too splashy on the hi-hat on "Tambourine," and Clarke has a heavier and more convincing groove throughout the rest of the album (especially on "Bells of Rhymney").

The Stuart group definitely nods at Bakersfield and the Dead too. There is a little thing in one video that even references an early Stones album cover.

Kenny Vaughn is a good interview and has had an interesting life and career. There is some interviews he does talking about seeing the Dead in the early 70s in Denver (among other things).

Totally not slagging Ringo, not really slagging Bill Berry, maybe just tweaking him a bit. I just don’t hear anything particularly exciting from Mike Clarke, when I listen, the way I might hear when I focus on, say, Chris Hillman.

“Where I draw the line” was just some kind of rhetorical overstatement that I will somehow never be able to live down now that you have successfully outed me as some kind of Buddy Rich Or Die fanatic.

"well, everyone knows crosby got replaced by a horse. what this album presupposes is... maybe he didn't”

I’m also waiting for y’all to accuse me of slagging on Levon Helm or not appreciating Clem Cattini.

Not a big enough fan of Christopher Mars.

Oh hey, I just discovered the awesome discofied version of “Eight Miles High” on
Flesh and Blood to distract myself while you circle the wagons.

Maybe I should go on a Pink Floyd thread and see what people are saying about Nick Mason.

it's cool sorry if that came off more aggressive than intended

You’re making me sorry, sorry somehow.

Okay, I’ll stop

One of my favourite Byrds covers is Grant McLennan's 'Ballad of Easy Rider'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAcPJfbHQro

Wow, never knew that existed, thanks! I say this and haven’t even clicked yet.

Many xxx-posts...

Surprised no-one posted the bonus track from the Notorious... reissue with the recording of McGuinn and Hillman fighting with Clarke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsVs9-W0eSQ

Maybe it was already posted upthread? Plus it’s definitely David not Roger- and he even mentions a horse!

The Troggs did it better. Crosby might be an asshole but he's right about the drumming on this track.

Lol about The Troggs.

Fairport cover Gene Clark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvWxOxme9Lw

They sure had good taste.

^love this one!

Think I first heard it as part of some BBC sessions.

Which that is, I now see in the fine print.

Yeah, I've just got it on the original Heyday, which is like 10-12 performances from the Beeb; the 2002 reissue is 20 tracks, and the 4-disc box is still around, and yeah they had taste for sure. Don't think they did any more Byrds-related material, unless some of the same trad.
The Hillmen s/t doesn't have any Chris originals, but they do a couple of Dylan songs, like this one--whole reissue is here (note inclusion of the Gosdin Brothers, later with Gene, and with Clarence White on their own late 60s The Sound of Goodbye)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8VP7kIXKDY

I believe Joe Boyd would bring a lot of records over from the US for them to listen to. Also he was involved with the Move in some way and they covered the Byrds, Moby Grape and Love.

The Move covered all of those?!
Gosdin Brothers' Sounds (plural) of Goodbye has Byrds appeal, as well it might:

The GOSDIN BROTHERS - Sounds Of Goodbye . Us . 1968 .
(Folk Rock) (Country Rock)
Vern Gosdin - Vocals , Guitar , Songwriter
Rex Gosdin - Vocals , Guitar , Songwriter
&
Gib Guilbeau - Rhythm Guitar , Fiddle , Songwriter
Gene Parsons - Drums , Harmonica
Clarence White - Lead Guitar , Rhythm Guitar , Dobro , Songwriter
Wayne Moore - Bass , Rhythm Guitar , Songwriter
Gary S. Paxton - Producer , Songwriter
Kenny Johnson - Guitar
Dennis Payne - Guitar , Bass

I was led to it by young Kelsey Waldon's cover of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdDHi6gIdKw

The Move covered all of those?!

"So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star" (and "Goin' Back" and "Eight Miles High"!), "Hey Grandma" and "Stephanie Knows Who".

Richard Thompson has mentioned this before (and it may be in his recent memoir), but when Fairport Convention covered their favorite contemporary songwriters, they purposely chose songs that weren't so well-known at the time. As a result, they produced just as many definitive or near-definitive versions of Dylan songs as the Byrds: "I'll Keep It With Mine," "Million Dollar Bash," "Percy's Song," "Dear Landlord," "Si Tu Dois Partir" (aka "If You Gotta Go, Go Now"), etc.

Whenever I listen to Another Side of Bob Dylan, I almost feel like I'm listening to a demo session for the Byrds - four of the best songs became great Byrds recordings. Only "Chimes of Freedom" was equaled by Dylan simply because it's a great, epic set of lyrics and so much of it was cut out by the Byrds.

Don't think they did any more Byrds-related material

this is beautiful, technically a mcguinn/dylan tune

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1qlcBWC0EI

also Iain Matthews did a few Gene Clark songs post-Fairport

Ah! Thanks!

Sandy Denny: vocal; Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol: guitars; Ashley Hutchings: bass; Dave Mattacks: drums.

This was Fairport Convention's encore at the time. Recorded at Sound Techniques in 1969 as part of the Liege and Lief sessions, it was later released on Richard Thompson's collection (Guitar, Vocal), on the Sandy Denny anthologies No More Sad Refrains and A Boxful of Treasures, and as bonus track of the 2003 reissue of Fairport Convention's album Unhalfbricking.

A live version without Sandy was released in 1977 on the Island Records 2LP set Richard Thompson Live! (more or less)

Then you’ll probably enjoy this:

https://500songs.com/podcast/episode-139-eight-miles-high-by-the-byrds/

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, May 30, 2023 4:58 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

i started this and it seemed great, so i actually ended up going back to the first episode. so now i'm all up in lionel hampton and big joe turner etc but i'm excited to hear this someday