(Untitled) (The Byrds album)

Last updated
(Untitled)
The Byrds - (Untitled) album cover.jpg
Studio album / Live album by
the Byrds
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1970 (1970-09-14)
RecordedLive album: February 28, 1970, Colden Center Auditorium, Queens College, New York City
March 1, 1970, Felt Forum, New York City
Studio album: May 26 – June 11, 1970, Columbia, Hollywood
Genre
Length71:27
Label Columbia
Producer Terry Melcher, Jim Dickson
The Byrds chronology
Ballad of Easy Rider
(1969)		(Untitled)
(1970)		 Byrdmaniax
(1971)
Singles from (Untitled)
  1. "Chestnut Mare"
    Released: October 23, 1970

(Untitled) is the ninth album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in September 1970 on Columbia Records. [1] It is a double album, with the first LP featuring live concert recordings from early 1970, and a second disc consisting of new studio recordings. [2] The album represented the first official release of any live recordings by the band, as well as the first appearance on a Byrds' record of new recruit Skip Battin, who had replaced the band's previous bass player, John York, in late 1969. [3] [4]

Contents

The studio album mostly consists of newly written, self-penned material, including a number of songs that had been composed by band leader Roger McGuinn and Broadway theatre director Jacques Levy for a planned country rock musical that the pair were developing. [4] The production was to have been based on Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt and staged under the title of Gene Tryp (an anagram of Ibsen's play), [5] but plans for the musical fell through. [4] Five of the songs that had been intended for Gene Tryp were instead recorded by the Byrds for (Untitled)—although only four appear in the album's final running order. [4]

The album peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and reached number 11 on the UK Albums Chart. [6] [7] A single taken from the album, "Chestnut Mare" b/w "Just a Season", was released in the U.S. in October 1970, but missed the Billboard Hot 100 chart, bubbling under at number 121. [1] [8] The single was later released in the UK in January 1971, where it did considerably better, reaching number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] [7] Upon release, (Untitled) was met with positive reviews and strong sales, with many critics and fans regarding the album as a return to form for the band. [2] Likewise, the album is today generally regarded by critics as being the best that the latter-day line-up of the Byrds produced. [9]

Background

Following the dismissal of the Byrds' bass player, John York, in September 1969, Skip Battin was recruited as a replacement at the suggestion of drummer Gene Parsons and guitarist Clarence White. [10] [11] Battin was, at 35, the oldest member of the band and the one with the longest musical history. [11] Battin's professional career in music had begun in 1959, as one half of the pop music duo Skip & Flip. [4] The duo had notched up a string of hits between 1959 and 1961, including "It Was I", "Fancy Nancy", and "Cherry Pie". [12] After the break-up of Skip & Flip, Battin moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a freelance session musician and formed the band Evergreen Blueshoes. [4] Following the disbandment of that group, Battin returned to session work in the late 1960s and it was during this period that he met Gene Parsons and became reacquainted with Clarence White, whom he had known from a few years earlier. [11] York's dismissal and Battin's recruitment marked the last line-up change to the Byrds for almost three years, until Parsons was fired by McGuinn in July 1972. [13] Thus, the McGuinn, White, Parsons, and Battin line-up of the band was the most stable and longest lived of any configuration of the Byrds. [4] [14]

For most of 1969, the Byrds' leader and guitarist, Roger McGuinn, had been developing a country rock stage production of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt with former psychologist and Broadway impresario Jacques Levy. [15] The musical was to be titled Gene Tryp, an anagram of the title of Ibsen's play, and would loosely follow the storyline of Peer Gynt, with some modifications to transpose the action from Norway to south-west America during the mid-19th century. [5] The musical was intended as a prelude to even loftier plans of McGuinn's to produce a science-fiction film, tentatively titled Ecology 70 and starring former Byrd Gram Parsons (unrelated to Gene Parsons) and ex-member of the Mamas & the Papas, Michelle Phillips, as a pair of intergalactic flower children. [11] Ultimately, Gene Tryp was abandoned and a handful of the songs that McGuinn and Levy had written for the project would instead see release on (Untitled) and its follow-up, Byrdmaniax . [4]

Of the twenty-six songs that were written for the musical, "Chestnut Mare", "Lover of the Bayou", "All the Things", and "Just a Season" were included on (Untitled), while "Kathleen's Song" and "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" were held over for the Byrds' next album. [9] [16] [17] "Lover of the Bayou" would be re-recorded by McGuinn in 1975 and appear on his Roger McGuinn & Band album. [18]

Despite not being staged at the time, Gene Tryp was eventually performed in a revised configuration by the drama students of Colgate University, between November 18 and November 21, 1992, under the new title of Just a Season: A Romance of the Old West. [19] [20] [21]

Conception and title

Having toured extensively throughout 1969 and early 1970, the Byrds decided that the time was right to issue a live album. [2] [3] At the same time, it was felt that the band had a sufficient backlog of new compositions to warrant the recording of a new studio album. [2] The dilemma was resolved when it was suggested by producer Terry Melcher that the band should release a double album, featuring an LP of concert recordings and an LP of new studio recordings, which would retail for the same price as a regular single album. [2] [8] At around this same time, the band's original manager Jim Dickson, who had been fired by the group in June 1967, returned to the Byrds' camp to help Melcher with the editing of the live recordings, affording him a co-producer credit on (Untitled). [22]

The album's innominate title actually came about by accident. [2] According to Jim Bickhart's liner notes on the original double album sleeve, the group's intention was to name the release something more grandiose, such as Phoenix or The Byrds' First Album. [23] These working titles were intended to signify the artistic rebirth that the band felt the album represented. [3] Another proposed title for the album was McGuinn, White, Parsons and Battin, but McGuinn felt that this title might be misinterpreted by the public. [2] The band still had not made up their minds regarding a title when Melcher, while filling out record company documentation for the album sessions, wrote the placeholder "(Untitled)" in a box specifying the album's title. [2] A misunderstanding ensued and before anyone associated with the band had realized, Columbia Records had pressed up the album with that title, including the parentheses. [14]

Live recordings

The latter-day line-up of the Byrds, featuring McGuinn, White, Parsons, and Battin, was regarded by critics and audiences as being much more accomplished in concert than previous configurations of the band had been. [24] This being the case, it made perfect sense to capture their sound in a live environment, and so two consecutive New York concert appearances were recorded. [2] [25] The first of these was the band's performance at Queens College's Colden Center Auditorium on February 28, 1970, and the second was their performance at the Felt Forum on March 1, 1970. [4] [25]

(Untitled) featured recordings from both of these concerts, spliced together to give the impression of a single continuous performance. [26] Of the seven live tracks featured on the album, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Mr. Spaceman", and "Eight Miles High" were drawn from the Queens College performance, while "Lover of the Bayou", "Positively 4th Street", and "Nashville West" originated from the Felt Forum show. [27] [28] [29] Byrds biographer Johnny Rogan has suggested that the appearance of the band's earlier hit singles "Mr. Tambourine Man", "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", and "Eight Miles High" on the live record had the effect of forging a spiritual and musical link between the band's current line-up and the original mid-1960s incarnation of the band. [3]

The opening track of the live LP is "Lover of the Bayou", a new song written by McGuinn and Levy for their aborted Gene Tryp stage show. [3] The song is set during the American Civil War and was intended for a scene in which the eponymous hero of the musical is working as a smuggler, bootlegger, and gun runner for both the Confederacy and the Unionists. [3] Despite the central character's appearance in the scene, McGuinn explained in a 1970 interview with journalist Vincent Flanders that the song wasn't actually intended to be sung by Gene Tryp, but by another character, a voodoo witch-doctor (or houngan) named Big Cat. [30] [31]

"Lover of the Bayou" is followed on the album by a cover of Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street", which would be the last Dylan song that the Byrds covered on an album until "Paths of Victory", which was recorded during the 1990 reunion sessions featured on The Byrds box set. [3] The remainder of side one of (Untitled) is made up of live versions of album tracks and earlier hits. [4] In a 1999 interview with journalist David Fricke, McGuinn explained the rationale behind the inclusion of earlier Byrds' material on the album: "The live album was Melcher's way of repackaging some of the hits in a viable way. Actually, I wanted the studio stuff to come first. Terry wouldn't hear of it." [4]

Side two of the live album is taken up in its entirety by a sixteen-minute, extended version of "Eight Miles High", [16] which proved to be popular on progressive rock radio during the early 1970s. The track is highlighted by the dramatic guitar interplay between McGuinn and White, as well as the intricate bass and drum playing of Battin and Parsons. [9] [16] The song begins with improvisational jamming, which lasts for over twelve minutes and culminates in an iteration of the song's first verse. [16] [31] Rogan has stated the opinion that the revamping of "Eight Miles High" featured on (Untitled) represented the ultimate fusion of the original Byrds and the newer line-up. [16] At the end of this live performance of "Eight Miles High", the band can be heard playing a rendition of their signature stage tune, "Hold It", which had first been heard on record at the close of the "My Back Pages/B.J. Blues/Baby What You Want Me to Do" medley included on Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde . [16]

Additional live material from the Byrds' early 1970 appearances at Queens College and the Felt Forum has been officially released over the years. "Lover of the Bayou", "Black Mountain Rag (Soldier's Joy)", and a cover of Lowell George's "Willin'", taken from the Queens College concert, were included on The Byrds box set in 1990. [28] Additionally, performances of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Old Blue", "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "Ballad of Easy Rider", "My Back Pages", and "This Wheel's on Fire" from the Felt Forum show were included on the expanded (Untitled)/(Unissued) release in 2000. [3] A further two songs, "You All Look Alike" and "Nashville West", taken from the Queen's College concert were included on the 2006 box set, There Is a Season . [29]

Studio recordings

The studio recording sessions for (Untitled) were produced by Terry Melcher and took place between May 26 and June 11, 1970 at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, California. [26] [27] Melcher had been the producer of the Byrds' first two albums in 1965, Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn! , as well as producer of their previous LP, Ballad of Easy Rider . [32] The majority of the songs included on the studio album were penned by the band members themselves, in stark contrast to their previous album, which had largely consisted of cover versions or renditions of traditional material. [33]

Among the songs recorded for the album were Parsons and Battin's "Yesterday's Train", a gentle meditation on the theme of reincarnation; a cover of Lowell George and Bill Payne's "Truck Stop Girl", sung by Clarence White; and a light-hearted reading of Lead Belly's "Take a Whiff on Me". [3] [34] The album also included the Battin-penned "Well Come Back Home", a heartfelt comment on the Vietnam War. [4] Battin explained the song's genesis to Rogan during a 1979 interview: "I was personally touched by the Vietnam situation, and my feelings about it came out in that song. I had a high school friend who died out there and I guess my thoughts were on him at the time." [16] Battin also revealed in the same interview that he couldn't decide whether to name the song "Well Come Back Home" or "Welcome Back Home", but finally settled on the former. [16] Curiously, although the song was listed on the original album and the original CD issue of (Untitled) as "Well Come Back Home", it was listed as "Welcome Back Home" on the (Untitled)/(Unissued) re-release in 2000, possibly in error. [3] With a running time of 7:40, the song is the longest studio recording in the Byrds' entire oeuvre. [26] In addition, the song also continues the tradition of ending the Byrds' albums on an unusual note, with Battin chanting the Nichiren Buddhist mantra "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" towards the end of the song. [3]

"Chestnut Mare" had originally been written during 1969 for the abandoned Gene Tryp stage production. [5] The song was intended to be used in a scene where Gene Tryp attempts to catch and tame a wild horse, a scene that had originally featured a deer in Ibsen's Peer Gynt. [16] Although the majority of "Chestnut Mare" had been written specifically for Gene Tryp, the lilting middle section had actually been written by McGuinn back in the early 1960s, while on tour in South America as a member of the Chad Mitchell Trio. [3]

Two other songs originally intended for Gene Tryp were also included on the studio half of (Untitled): "All the Things", which included an uncredited appearance by former Byrd Gram Parsons on backing vocals, and "Just a Season", which was written for a scene in which the eponymous hero of the musical circumnavigates the globe. [16] [35] Lyrically, "Just a Season" touches on a variety of different subjects, including reincarnation, life's journey, fleeting romantic encounters and finally, stardom, as touchingly illustrated by the semi-autobiographical line, "It really wasn't hard to be a star." [36] [37]

The album also includes the song "Hungry Planet", which was written by Battin and record producer, songwriter, and impresario Kim Fowley. [16] The song is one of two Battin–Fowley collaborations included on (Untitled) and features a lead vocal performance by McGuinn. [26] [31] The ecological theme present in the song's lyrics appealed to McGuinn, who received a co-writing credit after he completely restructured its melody prior to recording. [16] Journalist Matthew Greenwald, writing for the AllMusic website, has described "Hungry Planet" as having an underlying psychedelic atmosphere, which is enhanced by the sound of the Moog modular synthesizer (played by McGuinn) and the addition of earthquake sound effects. [3] [38] The album's second Battin–Fowley penned song, "You All Look Alike", was again sung by McGuinn and provided a sardonic view of the plight of the hippie in American society. [3] [26]

There were six other songs that were attempted during the (Untitled) recording sessions, but were not present in the album's final running order. Of these, "Kathleen's Song" would be held over until Byrdmaniax, a cover of Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" would not be issued until the release of The Byrds box set in 1990, and a second Lowell George song, "Willin'", along with John Newton's Christian hymn "Amazing Grace" were eventually issued as bonus tracks on the (Untitled)/(Unissued) re-release in 2000 ("Amazing Grace" appearing as a hidden track). [17] [31] Additionally, an improvised jam was recorded during the album sessions and was logged in the Columbia files under the title of "Fifteen Minute Jam". [28] Two different excerpts from this jam were later issued on The Byrds box set and (Untitled)/(Unissued), where they were given the retronyms of "White's Lightning Pt.1" and "White's Lightning Pt.2" respectively. [3] [28]

One other song attempted in the studio, but not included on (Untitled), was a cover of Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". [31] [39] As of 2024, this track has never been officially released, although a live version is included on (Untitled)/(Unissued). [40] "Lover of the Bayou" was also recorded during studio sessions for (Untitled), but ultimately, a live recording of the song would be included on the album instead, with the studio recording appearing for the first time on the (Untitled)/(Unissued) reissue. [26] [40]

Release

(Untitled) was released on September 14, 1970 in the United States (catalogue item G 30127) and November 13, 1970 in the United Kingdom (catalogue item S 64095). [1] Despite being a double album release, it retailed at a price similar to that of a single album, in an attempt to provide value for money and increase sales. [8] The album peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Top LPs chart during a stay of twenty-one weeks. [41] It reached number 11 in the United Kingdom, where it spent a total of four weeks on the charts. [7] The "Chestnut Mare" single was released some weeks after the album, on October 23, 1970, and bubbled under at number 121 on the Billboard singles chart. [8] It fared better when it was released in the UK on January 1, 1971, reaching number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, during a chart stay of eight weeks. [1] [7] "Chestnut Mare" went on to become a staple of FM radio programming in America during the 1970s. [42]

Although (Untitled) was released exclusively in stereo commercially, there is some evidence to suggest that mono copies of the album (possibly radio station promos) were distributed in the U.S. [1] [43] In addition, there are advance promo copies of the album known to exist which list both "Kathleen's Song" and "Hold It" as being on the album: the former under the simplified title of "Kathleen" and the latter as "Tag". [44] [45] While "Hold It" does indeed appear on the official album release, at the end of the live recording of "Eight Miles High", it was not listed as a separate track on commercially released copies of the album. [1] [16] "Kathleen's Song", however, was not included in the album's final running order. [9]

The album cover artwork was designed by Eve Babitz and featured photographs taken by Nancy Chester of the Byrds upon the steps of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, with the view of L.A. that originally made up the background being replaced by a desert scene. [8] [26] [31] When the double album gatefold sleeve was opened up, the front and back cover photographs were mirrored symmetrically in a style reminiscent of the work of graphic artist M. C. Escher. [8] The inside gatefold featured four individual black & white photographic portraits of the band members, along with liner notes written by Jim Bickhart and Derek Taylor. [8]

(Untitled) is the only double album to be released by the Byrds (excluding later compilations) and is therefore the band's longest album by far. [8] In fact, the studio LP alone, which has a running time of roughly 38 minutes, is longer than any other Byrds album—despite containing fewer tracks than any of the band's other albums.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [46]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [47]
Disc Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [48]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [49]
The Great Rock Discography 6/10 [50]
Music Story Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg[ citation needed ]
MusicHound Rock 4/5 [51]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [52]
The Village Voice C+ [53]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [54]

Upon its release, (Untitled) was met with widespread critical acclaim and strong international sales, with advance orders alone accounting for the sale of 100,000 copies. [2] [8] The album's success continued the revival of the band's commercial fortunes that had begun with the release of their previous album, Ballad of Easy Rider. [31] Many fans at the time regarded the album as a return to greatness for the Byrds and this opinion was echoed by many journalists. [2]

Bud Scoppa, writing in the November 16, 1970 edition of Rock magazine, described the album as "easily their best recorded performance so far – in its own class as much as the records of the old Byrds were – and I think one of the best half-dozen albums of 1970." [8] Ben Edmonds' review in the December issue of Fusion magazine was also full of praise: "(Untitled) is a joyous re-affirmation of life; it is the story of a band reborn. The Byrds continue to grow musically and lead stylistically, but they do so with an unailing sense of their past." [8] Edmonds concluded his review by noting that, "History will no doubt bear out the significance of the Byrds' contribution to American popular music, but, for the time being, such speculations are worthless because (Untitled) says that the Byrds will be making their distinctive contributions for quite some time to come." [8]

In a contemporary review for Jazz & Pop magazine, Bruce Harris declared that the album "brings the Byrds back as the super cosmic-cowboys of all time, and is without question their greatest achievement since The Notorious Byrd Brothers ." [8] However, Lester Bangs was less enthusiastic about the album in his review for Rolling Stone magazine: "This double album set is probably the most perplexing album the Byrds have ever made. Some of it is fantastic and some is very poor or seemingly indifferent (which is worse), and between the stuff that will rank with their best and the born outtakes lies a lot of rather watery music, which is hard to find much fault with but still harder for even a diehard Byrds freak to work up any enthusiasm about." [8] In a negative review for The Village Voice in 1971, Robert Christgau found the songs "unarresting", their harmonies "weak or just absent", and the live performances poorly captured on vinyl. [53]

In the UK, Disc magazine hailed the album as "probably the most intelligent collection of songs ever assembled on a double LP... The Byrds show they retain all their imagination yet at the same time retain their unique sound." [48] Roy Carr, writing in the NME , commented that, "the Byrds still retain an artistry and freshness unmatched by most others in their genius. Even changes in personnel and direction haven't dulled their appeal or magical charms." [48] Yet another complimentary review came from the pen of Richard Williams, who described the album as "simply their most satisfying work to date" in his review for the Melody Maker . [48]

In his review of the album for AllMusic, Bruce Eder said that although (Untitled) was always considered by fans to be "the one to own" among the band's post-1968 output, it has, since its initial release, risen in the estimation of some critics more than any other Byrds' album. [9] Eder goes on to attempt to evaluate the album's significance within the context of the Byrds' back catalogue: "listening to this album nearly 40 years later, it now seems as though this is the place where the latter-day version of the group finally justified itself as something more important than just a continuation of the mid-'60s band." [9] In his 2000 review for The Austin Chronicle , Raoul Hernandez described it as, "beginning with a biting live set before giving way to a studio side of crackling Americana fare." [46]

(Untitled) was remastered at 20-bit resolution as part of the Columbia/Legacy Byrds series. It was reissued in an expanded form with the new title of (Untitled)/(Unissued) on February 22, 2000. The remastered reissue of the album contains an entire bonus CD of previously unreleased live and studio material from the period. [40] The six studio based bonus tracks on the reissue include alternate versions of "All the Things", "Yesterday's Train", and "Lover of the Bayou", along with the outtake "Kathleen's Song". [3] The remaining eight bonus tracks are live recordings taken from the Byrds' concerts on March 1, 1970 at the Felt Forum and September 23, 1970 at the Fillmore East. [3]

Track listing

Side one (live)

  1. "Lover of the Bayou" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:39
  2. "Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan) – 3:03
  3. "Nashville West" (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 2:07
  4. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 2:38
  5. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:14
  6. "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:07

Side two (live)

  1. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 16:03

Side three (studio)

  1. "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:08
  2. "Truck Stop Girl" (Lowell George, Bill Payne) – 3:20
  3. "All the Things" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:03
  4. "Yesterday's Train" (Gene Parsons, Skip Battin) – 3:31
  5. "Hungry Planet" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley, Roger McGuinn) – 4:50

Side four (studio)

  1. "Just a Season" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:50
  2. "Take a Whiff on Me" (Huddie Ledbetter, John Lomax, Alan Lomax) – 3:24
  3. "You All Look Alike" (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) – 3:03
  4. "Well Come Back Home" (Skip Battin) – 7:40

2000 CD reissue bonus tracks

  1. "All the Things" [Alternate Version] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 4:56
  2. "Yesterday's Train" [Alternate Version] (Gene Parsons, Skip Battin) – 4:10
  3. "Lover of the Bayou" [Studio Recording] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:13
  4. "Kathleen's Song" [Alternate Version] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:34
  5. "White's Lightning Pt.2" (Roger McGuinn, Clarence White) – 2:21
  6. "Willin'” [Studio Recording] (Lowell George) – 3:28
  7. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" [Live Recording] (Bob Dylan) – 2:56
  8. "Old Blue" [Live Recording] (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn) – 3:30
  9. "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" [Live Recording] (Bob Dylan) – 2:49
  10. "Ballad of Easy Rider" [Live Recording] (Roger McGuinn) – 2:22
  11. "My Back Pages" [Live Recording] (Bob Dylan) – 2:41
  12. "Take a Whiff on Me" [Live Recording] (Huddie Ledbetter, John Lomax, Alan Lomax) – 2:45
  13. "Jesus Is Just Alright" [Live Recording] (Arthur Reynolds) – 3:09
  14. "This Wheel's on Fire" [Live Recording] (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) – 6:16
    • NOTE: this song ends at 5:08; at 5:17 begins "Amazing Grace" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Clarence White, Gene Parsons, Skip Battin)

2014 Japanese CD reissue bonus tracks

Mono bonus tracks

  1. "Chestnut Mare" [Single Version] – 2:57
  2. "Just a Season" [Single Version] – 3:31

Stereo bonus tracks

  1. "White's Lightning Pt.1" – 2:36
  2. "All the Things" [Alternate Version] – 4:57
  3. "Lover of the Bayou" [Prev. Unissued Stereo Version] – 5:13
  4. "Yesterday's Train" [Alternate Version] – 4:10
  5. "Willin'" [Prev. Unissued Studio Version] – 3:28
  6. "White's Lightning Pt.2" – 2:21
  7. "Kathleen's Song" [Alternate Version] – 2:35
  8. "Just Like a Woman" [Prev. Unissued Version] – 3:59
  9. "You All Look Alike" [Live] – 3:09
  10. "Nashville West" [Live] – 2:12
  11. "Willin'" [Live] – 3:13
  12. "Black Mountain Rag (Soldier's Joy)" [Live] – 1:20

Personnel

Sources: [26] [27]

The Byrds

Additional personnel

Release history

DateLabelFormatCountryCatalogNotes
September 14, 1970 Columbia LP USG 30127Original release.
November 13, 1970 CBS LPUKS 64095Original release.
1990Columbia CD USCGK 30127Original CD release.
1993ColumbiaCDUKCOL 468179
1998 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab CDUKUDCD 722
February 22, 2000 Columbia/Legacy CDUSC2K 65847(Untitled)/(Unissued) reissue containing a bonus disc and the remastered album.
UKCOL 4950772
2002Simply VinylLPUKSVLP 381Triple LP featuring the remastered album and fifteen bonus tracks.
2003 Sony CDJapanMHCP-103Reissue of the (Untitled)/(Unissued) release in a replica gatefold LP sleeve.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence White</span> American musician (1944–73)

Clarence White was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds, as well as for being a pioneer of the musical genre of country rock during the late 1960s. White also worked extensively as a session musician, appearing on recordings by the Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, the Monkees, Randy Newman, Gene Clark, Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, and Jackson Browne among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Clarke (musician)</span> Musical artist (1946–93)

Michael Clarke was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the 1960s rock group the Byrds from 1964 to 1967. He died in 1993, at age 47, from liver failure, a direct result of more than three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.

<i>Ballad of Easy Rider</i> (album) 1969 studio album by the Byrds

Ballad of Easy Rider is the eighth album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in November 1969 on Columbia Records. The album was named after the song "Ballad of Easy Rider", which had been written by the Byrds' guitarist and singer, Roger McGuinn, as the theme song for the 1969 film, Easy Rider. The title was also chosen in an attempt to capitalize on the commercial success of the film, although the majority of the music on the album had no connection with it. Nonetheless, the association with Easy Rider heightened the Byrds' public profile and resulted in Ballad of Easy Rider becoming the band's highest charting album for two years in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut Mare</span> 1970 single by The Byrds

"Chestnut Mare" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy during 1969 for a planned country rock musical named Gene Tryp. The musical was never staged and the song was instead released in September 1970 as part of the Byrds' (Untitled) album. It was later issued as a single, peaking at number 121 on the Billboard singles chart and number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Turn! Turn! Turn!</i> (album) 1965 studio album by the Byrds

Turn! Turn! Turn! is the second studio album by the American rock band the Byrds, released on December 6, 1965, by Columbia Records. Like its predecessor, Mr. Tambourine Man, the album epitomized the folk rock genre and continued the band's successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar. The album's lead single and title track, "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which was adapted by Pete Seeger from text in the Book of Ecclesiastes, had previously been arranged in a chamber-folk style by the Byrd's lead guitarist Jim McGuinn for folk singer Judy Collins' third album, but the arrangement he used for the Byrds' recording of the song utilizes the same folk-rock style as the band's previous hit singles.

<i>Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde</i> 1969 studio album by the Byrds

Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde is the seventh studio album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in March 1969 on Columbia Records. The album was produced by Bob Johnston and saw the band juxtaposing country rock material with psychedelic rock, giving the album a stylistic split-personality that was alluded to in its title. It was the first album to feature the new band line-up of Clarence White (guitar), Gene Parsons (drums), John York (bass), and founding member Roger McGuinn (guitar). Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde is unique within the band's discography for being the only album on which McGuinn sings the lead vocal on every track.

<i>Byrdmaniax</i> 1971 studio album by the Byrds

Byrdmaniax is the tenth album by the American rock band the Byrds. It was released in June 1971 on Columbia Records at a time of renewed commercial and critical success for the band, due to the positive reception that their two previous albums, Ballad of Easy Rider and (Untitled), had received. The album was the second by the Byrds to feature the Roger McGuinn, Clarence White, Gene Parsons, and Skip Battin line-up of the band and was mostly recorded in early 1971, while the band were in the midst of an exhausting tour schedule. As a result, the band had little time to hone their new songs before recording commenced and thus, much of the material on the album is underdeveloped. Byrdmaniax was poorly received upon release, particularly in the United States, and did much to undermine the Byrds' new-found popularity.

<i>Farther Along</i> (The Byrds album) 1971 studio album by the Byrds

Farther Along is the eleventh album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in November 1971 on Columbia Records. For the most part, the album was recorded and produced by the Byrds themselves in London, England, over the course of five work-intensive days in July 1971. It was quickly released as a reaction to the commercial failure of the Byrds' previous album, Byrdmaniax, and as an attempt to stem the criticism that album was receiving in the music press.

<i>The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II</i> 1972 greatest hits album by the Byrds

The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II is the third greatest hits album by the American rock band the Byrds, but only the second to be released in the United States, since the earlier The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II had only been issued in the UK. The album was released in the U.S. by Columbia Records on November 10, 1972 in lieu of any new Byrds' product during that year. It spent a total of thirteen weeks on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and peaked at number 114.

<i>Byrds</i> (album) 1973 studio album by the Byrds

Byrds is the twelfth and final studio album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in March 1973 on Asylum Records. It was recorded as the centerpiece of a reunion among the five original band members: Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke. The last time that all five members had worked together as the Byrds was in 1966, prior to Clark's departure from the band. During the reunion, the current, latter-day lineup of the band continued to make live appearances until February 1973, with McGuinn being the only member common to both versions of the group.

<i>The Byrds</i> (box set) 1990 box set by the Byrds

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.

Gene Victor Parsons is an American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and engineer, best known for his work with the Byrds from 1968 to 1972. Parsons has also released solo albums and played in bands including Nashville West, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Parsons Green. Along with guitarist Clarence White, he is credited with inventing the B-Bender —a device which allows a guitarist to emulate the sound of a pedal steel guitar. The device is often referred to as the Parsons/White B-Bender, a trademarked name.

<i>There Is a Season</i> 2006 box set by the Byrds

There Is a Season is a four-CD and one DVD box set by the American rock band the Byrds that was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy. It comprises 99 tracks and includes material from every one of the band's twelve studio albums, presented in roughly chronological order. The bonus DVD features ten clips of the Byrds lip-synching their hits on television programs between 1965 and 1967. Upon release, the box set failed to reach the Billboard 200 chart or the UK Albums Chart. There Is a Season supplants the band's earlier box set, The Byrds, which was released in October 1990.

"Ballad of Easy Rider" is a song written by Roger McGuinn, with input from Bob Dylan, for the 1969 film Easy Rider. The song was initially released in August 1969 on the Easy Rider soundtrack album as a Roger McGuinn solo performance. It was later issued in an alternate version as a single by McGuinn's band the Byrds on October 1, 1969. Senior editor for Rolling Stone magazine, David Fricke, has described the song as perfectly capturing the social mood of late 1969 and highlighting "the weary blues and dashed expectations of a decade's worth of social insurrection".

<i>The Byrds Greatest Hits Volume II</i> 1971 greatest hits album by the Byrds

The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II is the second greatest hits album by the American rock band the Byrds. It was released in the United Kingdom and Europe on October 29, 1971, by CBS Records as a follow-up to the band's first compilation album, The Byrds' Greatest Hits. The album appeared following the band's successful appearance at the Lincoln Folk Festival in England on July 24, 1971, and according to band biographer Johnny Rogan may have been issued by CBS as a reaction to the band's previous studio album, Byrdmaniax, having failed to chart in the UK.

<i>Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971</i> 2008 live album by the Byrds

Live at Royal Albert Hall is a live album by the American rock band the Byrds, released in 2008 on Sundazed Records. The album consists of recordings from the band's appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England on May 13, 1971. Although the tapes had been in lead guitarist Roger McGuinn's possession since the concert took place, the album represents the first official release of all tracks. In addition to the regular CD release, Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 was also released as a double album vinyl LP.

<i>History of The Byrds</i> 1973 greatest hits album by the Byrds

History of The Byrds is a double album compilation by the American rock band the Byrds and was released on May 18, 1973 by CBS Records. The compilation was released exclusively in Europe and the UK, peaking at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart, but it was also available in the United States as an import.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Don't Care About Time</span> 1965 single by the Byrds

"She Don't Care About Time" is a song by the American folk rock band the Byrds. It was released on a non-album single as the B-side to "Turn! Turn! Turn!" in October 1965. The song was written by Gene Clark, the Byrds' main songwriter between 1964 and early 1966. "She Don't Care About Time" was recorded during sessions for Turn! Turn! Turn!, the group's second album. The song is on many of the band's hits compilations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 544–547. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 307–311. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rogan, Johnny. (2000). (Untitled)/(Unissued) (2000 CD liner notes).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Fricke, David. (2000). (Untitled)/(Unissued) (2000 CD liner notes).
  5. 1 2 3 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. p. 200. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  6. ↑ "The Byrds Billboard Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 130. ISBN   0-7119-7670-8.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. pp. 253–257. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eder, Bruce. "(Untitled) review". AllMusic . Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  10. ↑ Fricke, David. (1997). Ballad of Easy Rider (1997 CD liner notes).
  11. 1 2 3 4 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 295–297. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  12. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. (2008). Top Pop Singles 1955–2006. Record Research Inc. p. 774. ISBN   978-0-89820-172-7.
  13. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 337–338. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  14. 1 2 "Untitled". Snopes.com. 27 April 2004. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  15. ↑ "Musicians Associated With The Byrds: Lev – Ma". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 312–318. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  17. 1 2 "Byrdmaniax". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  18. ↑ "Roger McGuinn & Band review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  19. ↑ "Roger McGuinn – April 99". Ear Candy. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  20. ↑ Lavigne, Michele. (1993), "Dares and Dreams", Full Circle #14 (early 1993)
  21. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 460–461. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  22. ↑ "Musicians Associated With The Byrds: Da – Di". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  23. ↑ Bickhart, Jim. (1970). (Untitled) (1970 LP liner notes).
  24. ↑ "The Byrds – Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  25. 1 2 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. p. 237. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. pp. 242–244. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  27. 1 2 3 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 628–629. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Irwin, Bob. (1990). The Byrds (1990 CD box set liner notes).
  29. 1 2 Irwin, Bob. (2006). There Is a Season (2006 CD box set liner notes).
  30. ↑ "Interview with Roger McGuinn of the Byrds – February 1970". Vincent Flanders: His Personal Web Site. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "(Untitled)". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  32. ↑ "Musicians Associated With The Byrds: Me – Mu". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  33. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 303–304. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  34. ↑ "Yesterday's Train review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  35. ↑ Taylor, Derek. (1970). (Untitled) (1970 LP liner notes).
  36. ↑ "Just a Season review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  37. ↑ "Just a Season lyrics". The Byrds Lyrics Page. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  38. ↑ "Hungry Planet review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  39. ↑ Scoppa, Bud. (1971). The Byrds. Scholastic Corporation. p. 154.
  40. 1 2 3 "(Untitled)/(Unissued) review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  41. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. (2002). Top Pop Albums 1955–2001 . Record Research Inc. p.  121. ISBN   0-89820-147-0.
  42. ↑ Hartenbach, Brett. "Chestnut Mare song review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  43. ↑ "The Byrds Mono Pressings". Byrds Flyght. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  44. ↑ "The Byrds Rare LPs". Byrds Flyght. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  45. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. p. 664. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  46. 1 2 "The Byrds Record Reviews". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  47. ↑ "(Untitled) review". Blender . Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  48. 1 2 3 4 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. p. 259. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  49. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus. p. 256. OL   11913831M.
  50. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). New York: Canongate. p. 227. OL   18807297M.
  51. ↑ Graff, Gary, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink. p. 110. OL   8145585M.
  52. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th rev. ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 126. OL   21112308M.
  53. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1971). "Consumer Guide (15)". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  54. ↑ Rigby, Paul (26 September 2010). "(Untitled)/(Unissued) - The Bryds". Record Collector . Retrieved 26 September 2023.

Bibliography

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