As popular music evolved through the mid-60s from overlapping trails blazed by Bob Dylan and The Beatles, with discovery of each new territory chances are The Byrds planted their flag first on the ground being broken.
Be it folk-pop, raga, space or country rock, The Byrds, formed in Los Angeles through the summer of 1964, were innovators par excellence. Their founding line-up of Jim McGuinn (12-string guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar), Chris Hillman (bass) and Michael Clarke (drums), made their breakthrough in July 1965 by virtue of taking the Bob Dylan folk song ‘Mr. Tambourine Man‘ and coating it with Beatle-inflections.
In the process they created a sonic marvel of the era and with soaring harmonies and chiming guitars (particularly that of McGuinn) to the fore, they tapped into the possibilities of combining folk with pop – setting in motion a career that in the short term built them an envied reputation based upon more resplendent Dylan covers and the superb original material of Clark.
With success (‘Mr. Tambourine Man‘ in going to number one around the world beginning a run of classy hit singles), came clashing egos and while the departure of Clark in early 1966 was a blow, it enabled McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman to prove themselves (McGuinn and Hillman sometimes as a partnership) as talented songwriters. Yet as landmark albums came and went so did more of the original members.
By the time of their fifth L.P. release, ‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers‘, (a record as important to 1968 as the ‘Mr. Tambourine Man‘ 45 had been to 1965), they were effectively down to duo. Deemed impossible to work with by McGuinn and Hillman, at an early stage of recording the album the pair fired Crosby while drummer Clarke left when work was completed.
To replace Crosby they hired a 21-year-old Florida-born visionary named Gram Parsons, who pushed them firmly in the direction of Nashville and country music with the groundbreaking ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo‘ set (August 1968). The only album they released during his brief tenure as a Byrd it proved their worst selling effort so far, although many of those aware of the record went out and formed country-rock bands on the strength of it.
Despite acclaim from the critics there was no stopping the revolving door of departures and arrivals. Parsons soon exited and took Hillman with him to form pioneering country-rockers The Flying Burrito Brothers, where Clarke would soon also be found. All of which, barely four years down the road, left McGuinn, (by now having changed his Christian name from Jim to Roger), as the sole member to have been there from the start.
While this series of exits robbed the band of some substantial talent, the goings paved the way for guitar virtuoso Clarence White to be enlisted, the drums from September 1968 the domain of multi-instrumentalist Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram).
Initially John York replaced Hillman on bass, his reign in this position lasting for two albums, the likeable ‘Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde‘ and less agreeable ‘Ballad of the Easy Rider‘ (March/November 1969), but by the end of that year he too had flown the nest. Replaced by Skip Battin, his entry into the fold began a period of relative stability, the aggregation of McGuinn, White, Parsons and Battin becoming not only the longest surviving Byrds unit (no more changes in personnel until Parsons left in July 1972), but as a live act also the most durable, this ensemble earning rave notices for their concert performances.
Battin entered the fray when McGuinn was at his most engaged as a songwriter since collaborating with Hillman. Joining forces with playwright and Broadway director Jacques Levy, they had conceived a country-rock drama entitled ‘Gene Tryp‘, a conceptual work based on the 19th century play ‘Peer Gynt‘ by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, only transferred to the old American West.
Having reportedly written over twenty songs for their creation, ultimately it failed to materialize as the theatre production they envisaged. Nevertheless four excellent compositions originally destined for the piece were about to see the light of day on the next Byrds album – the UNTITLED double-set of September 1970 consisting of a live and studio disc.
The sole ‘Gene Tryp‘ song to appear as an in-concert rendition is the bold ‘Lover of the Bayou‘, while the other three were taken from recording sessions at Columbia Studios, Los Angeles through late-May and early June 1970. Overseen by Terry Melcher, son of Hollywood actress Doris Day, he had produced the first two Byrds albums (both of which appeared in 1965) and also ‘Ballad of the Easy Rider‘, their most recent.
But where as their previous offering had, by and large, been cover versions, seven of the nine songs that constitute the studio section of ‘Untitled‘ are sourced from within the group, the album so called due to a misunderstanding. Melcher wrote the word on record company documentation while the group were thinking of a title, only for Columbia to assume this is what they wanted – pressing having already begun by the time McGuinn and co came up with ‘Phoenix‘.
While the highlights of ‘Untitled‘ represent the peak of what the latter-day Byrds would achieve, up to and including their eventual demise in early 1973, the thin spots compromise what should have been an album full of lasting resonance. True, it is superior to the one prior and far more palatable than the two it precedes, ‘Byrdmaniax‘ and ‘Farther Along‘ (June/November 1971), both being generally tepid affairs. But even then evaluation of ‘Unititled‘ comes with a sense of frustration that a truly great Byrds album was at hand, only for the opportunity to be missed.
Had they included a dynamic reading of ‘Lover of the Bayou‘ (that was well within their capabilities) on the studio portion, along the other ‘Gene Tryp‘ numbers that dribbled out on subsequent albums, The Byrds would have presented a record that enhanced their legacy.
Yet as it stands the album, despite undoubted merit in places, suffers through a lack of consistency – uneven, rather than ‘Untitled‘, perhaps a more appropriate moniker.
The seven-track live section of ‘Untitled‘, compiled from two New York concerts from earlier in the year, stands as a broad overview of their history. Included are renditions of early hit singles, (‘Mr. Tambourine Man’/Mr. Spaceman/So You Want To Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’), a new Dylan cover (‘Positively 4th Street‘), things brought right up to date with the ‘Gyne Tryp‘ staple ‘Lover of the Bayou‘ that opens the set.
Produced by Jim Dickson (their manager during the formative years), side two is given over entirely to an extended run through of ‘Eight Miles High‘ (an outstanding raga rock composition of Clark, McGuinn and Crosby from 1966), that in the main serves to showcase the stunning virtuosity of White. The Byrds in their 1970 incarnation are revealed as an assured concert proposition and while this collection of performances hardly challenges ‘Live at Leeds‘ for dynamism, their repute as a stage act sounds well founded.
Opening track of the studio disc, ‘Chestnut Mare‘ is easily the best known piece intended for the ‘Gene Tryp‘ project.
Based upon the search of the central character to catch a handsome horse (a ‘Chestnut Mare‘), this striking country-rock piece, featuring resplendent guitar work from both White and McGuinn, follows the story of his quest.
At times McGuinn delivers the lyrics in a conversational voice that serves the narrative well, (‘Well, I was up on Stony Ridge after this chestnut mare/I’d been chasin’ her for weeks‘), but at the chorus switches to a clear vocal tone in relaying the crux of the tale:
‘I’m goin’ to catch that horse if I can/And when I do, I’ll give her my brand/And we’ll be friends for life/She’ll be just like a wife/I’m goin’ to catch that horse if I can.’
Within the time frame of the song the pursuit ultimately proves unsuccessful, the chased and chaser coming upon one another next to water which they tumble into (‘We hit and we splashed it dry/That’s when I lost my hold and she got away’) the narrator vowing to continue, (But I’m gonna try to get her again some day‘), even though this attempt has ended in defeat.
With ‘Chestnut Mare‘ they restored a great deal of their artistic and commercial credibility, (when issued as single it became a top twenty U.K. hit, The Byrds first on that side of the Atlantic in four years), this fine song vindicating McGuinn in continuing the group as an ongoing concern rather than merely being a hitmaker act of yesteryear.
Their current standing was also enhanced by inclusion on side one of ‘All the Things‘ another McGuinn/Levy number written with ‘Gene Tryp‘ in mind.
Featuring producer Melcher on piano and harmonies from ex-Byrd Gram Parsons, the song reflects upon time gone to waste on emotional struggles, along with tacit acknowledgement that seizing the moment has been a lesson heeded long after it should – the theme exemplified by the oft-repeated line, ‘All the things I want today/All the things I wasted on the way.’
With the group turning in another convincing performance, accentuating their confidence in the material, the potential in a ‘Gene Tryp‘ themed album is there for all to hear – although that said, the high standard of the first side is maintained by the (Gene) Parsons/Battin penned ‘Yesterday’s Train‘.
Contemplating the inexplicable sense of familiarity when coming upon an apparent stranger, the train is likely a metaphor for the passing of time. In taking lead vocal responsibilities, Parsons relays the notion of making a fleeting connection, ‘When you meet someone that you don’t know/But you know them just the same/You begin wonderin’ if it might chance to be/An acquaintance from yesterday’s train’.
Decorated by the lilting pedal steel guitar incisions of Flying Burrito Brother ‘Sneaky’ Pete Klienlow and gentle harmonica lines from co-writer Parsons, with inferences also to reincarnation (‘ From dust to dust, yet nothing dies‘), ‘Yesterday’s Train‘ is a superior country-rock offering of the period and showed just how adept they could be when operating with a clear sense of purpose.
Side one is completed by the widely contrasting imagery of ‘Truck Stop Girl‘ and ‘Hungry Planet‘.
The former, written by Lowell George and Bill Payne of the recently formed Little Feat (it would appear on their self-titled debut L.P. five months later), is a tragic country-based ballad centred on driver Danny, who meets with an untimely death due to driving whilst under the influence and fault with his lorry, ‘It was a terrible thing to see what remained/Of the rig that poor Danny was in.’
Sung in plaintive fashion by White, the track is delivered with no shortage of spirit despite lacking the verve Little Feat would bring to their version. The song is not without sad irony where The Byrds are concerned, given guitarist White would be killed at the hands of a drunk driver less than three years later.
First side closer ‘Hungry Planet‘ (credited to Battin, McGuinn and L.A. music scene impresario Kim Fowley), is written from the perspective of the earth as a breathing entity, ‘I’m a hungry planet/I had the bluest seas/Oh, the people kept choppin’ down/All my finest trees.’
Set to a country-blues shuffle – McGuinn, who sings the track, adding earthquake sound effects on moog synthesizer – there is no doubting the well-intentioned ecological concerns being expressed, (‘Takin’ more out of my good earth/Than they’ll ever put back in‘). The message, however, looses impact by virtue of the piece being 90 seconds too long and meandering to a close.
In the middle of side two are found ‘Take a Whiff on Me‘ and ‘You All Look Alike‘, neither of which would have been greatly missed had one or the other made way for ‘Kathleen’s Song‘, a delicate ‘Gene Tryp‘ song recorded for ‘Untitled‘ but then held over until ‘Byrdmaniax‘
‘Take a Whiff on Me‘, attributed to late Louisiana blues man Lead Belly, is turned into a light-hearted commentary about the growing predominance of drugs in U.S. society (particularly cocaine), that no doubt served its purpose better as a country-stomp live number than given house room as an album track. ‘You All Look Alike‘ meanwhile, written by Battin and Fowley but sung by McGuinn, incorporates bluegrass inflections into a quick, if convoluted tale of a hippie who is shot in what appears a case of mistaken identity.
It is not difficult to make the assessment the longest track The Byrds would ever include on a studio album is also the most indulgent – closing cut ‘Well Come Back Home‘, at almost eight minutes, long outstaying its welcome.
Written solely by bassist Battin, the lyrics are passable enough in offering support to a figure returning from unspecified peril (‘If you wanna tell someone about it/Tell me’), the presumption at this juncture being the Vietnam war. The group are suitably cohesive in their performance of the up-tempo folk-rock melody, yet for all the proficiency it is hard to escape the notion of things being taken to the extreme, the excessive nature underlined by repeated use of the Buddhist mantra ‘Namu myôho renge kyô‘ through the drawn out closing stanza.
Indeed, there is not a song in they have thus far recorded so un-Byrds like. Yet through the next couple of albums, where McGuinn appears to be fast losing interest, the Battin-Fowley songwriting team would come up with a number of compositions, none of them especially memorable, that could not be more unsuitable.
In reaching the obvious conclusion the pair cannot write Byrds-sounding songs, it leaves side two opener ‘Just a Season‘ as the last great signature piece (the fitful 1973 reunion album of the founding five included), to enter their catalogue.
Written by McGuinn and Levy, whether appreciated with ‘Gene Tryp‘ overtones or as straightforward autobiography, ‘Just a Season‘ is a magnificent listen, a song that stands tall in this or any other period of their history.
Immediately announcing the premise, (‘If all my days was hills to climb and circles without reason/If all I was, was passin’ time, my life was just a season‘), McGuinn, supported by expressive guitar work from both himself and White, looks back wistfully on times of, ‘Dares and dreams and silly schemes.’
Irrespective of who wrote the words, there is notable resonance in the lyricism, the emotive final verse conjuring bemusement felt by McGuinn when fame found its way to him five years before:
‘Shouting crowds and mummer’s shrouds and people going crazy/Always said what was in their heads/It surely was amazing/I had my fun in the bull ring and never got a scar/It really wasn’t hard to be a star.‘
They would continue writing together through the initial 1973-77 solo career of McGuinn, with Levy also receiving a co-write credit with Bob Dylan on a number of songs included on the 1976 ‘Desire‘ album. But aside from three pre-written ‘Gene Tryp‘ pieces that appeared on ‘Byrdmaniax‘, no more McGuinn-Levy songs found their way to The Byrds, their subsequent albums suffering accordingly.
Boosted by its chart success (U.S. 40/U.K. 11) and generally positive reviews, with ‘Untitled‘ The Byrds had apparently begun a bright new chapter. But what looked promising in 1970 gradually drifted off on a tide of mediocrity and with speculation rife through the summer of 1972 that a comeback by the original members was in the offing, McGuinn retired the current ensemble early the following year.
While ‘Untitled‘ was far from perfect – in truth it would have been better as two separate releases, the studio album followed by a better conceived live set say six months later – it showed they still had capacity to produce moments of delight even if their sense of direction was sometimes askew.
On ‘Byrdmaniax‘, ‘Father Along‘ and the ‘Byrds‘ reunion L.P. there is simply not enough quality to do The Byrds name justice – McGuinn failing to heed advice contained in the ‘Untitled‘ gem ‘Just a Season‘:
‘No song was sung that didn’t sound appealin‘……………
THE BYRDS – UNITLED (Released September 14 1970):
(Live): Lover of the Bayou/Positively 4th Street/Nashville West/So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star/Mr. Tambourine Man/Mr. Spaceman/Eight Miles High (Studio): Chestnut Mare/Truck Stop Girl/All the Things/Yesterday’s Train/Hungry Planet/Just a Season/Take a Whiff on Me/You All Look Alike/Well Come Back Home;
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