TTK Revisits The Notorious Byrd Brothers

[Teasing the Korean]

Given my proclivity for refined mid-century cocktail stylings, some of you may be surprised to learn that your beloved TTK on occasion turns on and tunes in to the moods, feelings, and vibrations of today.

And some of the most exciting "rock" sounds of today are coming from a Los Angeles combo who call themselves The Byrds. I love their psych masterpiece The Notorious Byrd Brothers, but two things about the album always bugged me: First, the fact that two David Crosby songs that should have been included were omitted; and second, the sequence always seemed a little off, in particular, putting "Goin' Back" where it is in the sequence.

For a long time, I tried to figure out a different sequence, and how to work the two Crosby tunes within the sequence.

After thinking about the individual songs and their lyrics, it seems you can make a case that songs could be grouped into categories of "innocence, "transition," and "experience." And what is more interesting is that I realized, with only a single swap ("Tribal Gathering" and "Goin' Back") the songs fall into, more or less, a reverse sequence of experience, transition, and innocence. And, the two Crosby songs placed correctly reinforce this structure.

Before I get into the order, let me say that I realize that "Triad" is a very polarizing track. However, I think my placement of the tune helps it to work in the larger context.

Here is the track listing. 13 tracks, with 2 sides that work out to 17+ minutes each:

Side 1:

1. Artificial Energy

2. Tribal Gathering

3. Triad

4. Natural Harmony

5. Draft Morning

6. Wasn’t Born to Follow

7. Get to You

Side 2:

1. Lady Friend

2. Change is Now

3. Old John Robertson

4. Dolphins Smile

5. Goin’ Back

6. Space Odyssey

So you wind up with four songs about hippie/counterculture delirium madness, dashed by "Draft Morning," and then four songs dealing with change or transition, and then three songs with a child-like perspective. Ending with "Space Odyssey" reinforces the backward glance from experience to innocence.

I used the remastered CDs of Notorious and Younger to assemble this. If you attempt to do something similar, you will have to perform some minor surgery with Audacity to tighten up fade-ins or fade-outs on a few tunes, but it will take little time.

Well, there you have it, by brethren in jazz. An improved Notorious Byrd Brothers, with Crosby reinstated into the group!

Edited March 12, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[GA Russell]

TTK, I love all five of The Byrds' first five albums.  Did you take into consideration the recording dates?  I wonder how the set would look if given the Mosaic chronological treatment.

[Teasing the Korean]

35 minutes ago, GA Russell said:

TTK, I love all five of The Byrds' first five albums.  Did you take into consideration the recording dates?  I wonder how the set would look if given the Mosaic chronological treatment.

Chronological SUCKS, which is why TTK does not support Mosaic.

There is an art to sequencing an album. 

But I appreciate your reading my post!  

And I agree, they are no longer the Byrds after the first five albums - six, if you count Preflyte.  After that, they become sweaty hippies using the name The Byrds. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[Ken Dryden]

I have all of The Byrds recordings, though the band I saw in concert in 1972 featured Roger McGuinn, Clarence White, Skip Battin and John Guerin, the last a replacement for the recently fired Gene Parsons. Every lineup had its good and weak points, while some songs stand the test of time better than others. I’ve never liked “Triad” and don’t blame McGuinn for omitting it. But it is hard to beat The Byrds in the last years as a live band, even with the occasional clunker in the set list. Untitled has long been a favorite. It is sad that Clarence White died at 29 after being hit by a drunk driver after a gig. It would have been interesting to see what directions he would have taken over the next few decades.

[Teasing the Korean]

34 minutes ago, Ken Dryden said:

 I’ve never liked “Triad” and don’t blame McGuinn for omitting it. 

I certainly don't like the lyrics on their own terms, but I think the tune works in context with the sequence I created.  Just my opinion. 

[porcy62]

16 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

There is an art to sequencing an album.

Yes, I remember the good old times we had albums, not projects or complete recordings.

[felser]

I love the Byrds Pre-flyte through Notorious.  Hot and cold after that.  I like Dr. Byrds/Mr. Hyde, and (Untitled), especially the expanded version, quite a bit.  But that's a different group altogether, not the Byrds.  "Triad" was part of the nightmare Crosby had become for them (as was his Monterey nonsense), and it was an ugly divorce.  But "Tribal Gathering" fit the record perfectly.  TTK, I'll burn and listen to your running order.  "Goin' Back" from that album is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard.  "Triad" could have been, too. if the lyrics weren't so narcissistic and repulsive.  As it is, it's beautifully creepy, up there with "Don't Fear the Reaper".   Thanks for the fascinating post.

Edited March 13, 2022 by felser

[danasgoodstuff]

Notorious is a bit of a mess as is, and I'm not sure there's a fix.  Byrds generally are overrated by their fandom but who isn't?  Early on they had a distinctive and effective sound of their own, their overall career arc is an interesting variation on the changes that many went through.  Still, I've never really loved them, but it's probably more me than them.  And as much of a pain as Crosby no doubt could be, McGuinn puts me off even more.

[Ken Dryden]

Byrdmaniax and Farther Along were extremely uneven due to too many weak songs, made worse by Terry Melcher’s overdubs of horns on the former. Obviously their time had passed. 

[felser]

7 minutes ago, Ken Dryden said:

Byrdmaniax and Farther Along were extremely uneven due to too many weak songs, made worse by Terry Melcher’s overdubs of horns on the former. Obviously their time had passed. 

Totally agree.  

[GA Russell]

They were famously not allowed to play on their first album.  Were they allowed to play on the others?

[felser]

1 minute ago, GA Russell said:

They were famously not allowed to play on their first album.  Were they allowed to play on the others?

I thought it was just on the "Mr. Tambourine Man" single that only McGuinn played on?  Not aware it was the whole album.

[Ken Dryden]

I think is was just the single. Chris Hillman was primarily a mandolinist and guitarist, he was still getting used to playing electric bass at the time of the session.

[GA Russell]

There was a box set (I think released in the late '90s) of those early Byrds albums called The Byrds.

I read that Hillman insisted that he be allowed to record over all the bass parts because he was unhappy that he was not allowed to be on them originally.

When I read that, it was my understanding that he recorded over a lot of tracks, not just Mr. Tambourine Man.

[Teasing the Korean]

4 hours ago, GA Russell said:

There was a box set (I think released in the late '90s) of those early Byrds albums called The Byrds.

I read that Hillman insisted that he be allowed to record over all the bass parts because he was unhappy that he was not allowed to be on them originally.

When I read that, it was my understanding that he recorded over a lot of tracks, not just Mr. Tambourine Man.

I thought that session musicians were on only the first single, "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "I Knew I'd Wan't You," but I'm not aware of any parts being recorded over later.  

I do know that in the CD era, they added some parts to complete some older unreleased tracks.  Chris Hillman added an acoustic guitar part to "It Happens Each Day" and Crosby sang a couple of lines on "Triad."

15 hours ago, felser said:

"Triad" could have been, too. if the lyrics weren't so narcissistic and repulsive.  As it is, it's beautifully creepy, up there with "Don't Fear the Reaper".  

My placing it in the sequence around songs about drug use and Vietnam was deliberate.  Collectively, they show the ugly side of the 1960s, so I think that "Triad" works in that context.  By itself, not so much. 

[Joe]

I like David Crosby just fine, but my interest in The Byrds plunges with Gene Clark's departure. I've never really been convinced by their version of psychedelia anyway.

Give me the first three Love LPs, Buffalo Springfield, The Monkees' HEADQUARTERS and PISCES AQUARIUS etc. over anything after FIFTH DIMENSION. But that's just me.

[Teasing the Korean]

11 minutes ago, Joe said:

I like David Crosby just fine, but my interest in The Byrds plunges with Gene Clark's departure. I've never really been convinced by their version of psychedelia anyway.

Give me the first three Love LPs, Buffalo Springfield, The Monkees' HEADQUARTERS and PISCES AQUARIUS etc. over anything after FIFTH DIMENSION. But that's just me.

I agree that Gene Clark was the best aspect of the Byrds, and I wish that more of his Preflyte-era tracks had made their way onto the first two albums instead of things like "Oh Susannah."  

I have toyed around with making playlists integrating tracks from Clark's first solo album with Byrds tracks from around the same era, as though he had stayed with the group.

I always thought it was an interesting paradox that some of my favorite Byrds albums were made after my favorite Byrd was gone, in particular the Younger than Yesterday album.  

[danasgoodstuff]

5 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I agree that Gene Clark was the best aspect of the Byrds, and I wish that more of his Preflyte-era tracks had made their way onto the first two albums instead of things like "Oh Susannah."  

I have toyed around with making playlists integrating tracks from Clark's first solo album with Byrds tracks from around the same era, as though he had stayed with the group.

I always thought it was an interesting paradox that some of my favorite Byrds albums were made after my favorite Byrd was gone, in particular the Younger than Yesterday album.  

You're certainly not the only one that feels that way.  Maybe the Byrds should've done like BS&T and kicked McGuinn out.  I certainly prefer the early Byrds (and Springfield and Hollies with Nash) to CSN&Y or their splinters.  And the Yardbirds over Led Zep and Temptations with David Ruffin and Atlantic era Stax over later and so on (there are late '60s/early '70s things I love, but my tastes tend to run earlier than the demographics would suggest, whether I heard it back in the day or not).  I'm not the Gene Clark cultist some ate though - I own none of his solo stuff and what I've heard is only mildly interesting to me, FWIW.

[Teasing the Korean]

21 minutes ago, danasgoodstuff said:

You're certainly not the only one that feels that way.  Maybe the Byrds should've done like BS&T and kicked McGuinn out.  I certainly prefer the early Byrds (and Springfield and Hollies with Nash) to CSN&Y or their splinters.  And the Yardbirds over Led Zep and Temptations with David Ruffin and Atlantic era Stax over later and so on (there are late '60s/early '70s things I love, but my tastes tend to run earlier than the demographics would suggest, whether I heard it back in the day or not).  I'm not the Gene Clark cultist some ate though - I own none of his solo stuff and what I've heard is only mildly interesting to me, FWIW.

Did you ever hear the two Gene Clark songs circa 1970 with all five of the original Byrds?  McGuinn even dusted off his 12-string Rick.  

 

[danasgoodstuff]

3 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Did you ever hear the two Gene Clark songs circa 1970 with all five of the original Byrds?  McGuinn even dusted off his 12-string Rick.  

 

Thanks, that certainly is the classic Byrds sound.

[Ken Dryden]

I owned The Rosdmaster LP when it was issued in the 1970s. Some Gene Clark songs are clunkers like “Home Run King” and the dreadful “Hula Bula Man,” which is on a bootleg of the Clark/Hillman/McGuinn/Byrds BBC broadcast. But all the whole he was an underrated songwriter.

[felser]

I am a big fan of Gene Clark's work, both with the Byrds and solo.  Also like Crosby's work with the Byrds.  Also love McGuinn's 12 string. IMO  "Eight Miles High" was an unsurpassed breakthrough landmark in music, and came well before the other "psychedelic" work being discussed.

[Guy Berger]

I like Notorious Byrd Brothers a lot, but IMHO Younger than Yesterday is a better album (and the best Byrds album I’ve heard).

I don’t really get the fascination w/Gene Clark (though “I’ll Probably Feel a Whole Lot Better” and “She Don’t Care About Time” are masterpieces)

Edited March 19, 2022 by Guy Berger

[Teasing the Korean]

Bumping in memory of Croz.

[Big Al]

NBB is my favorite Byrds album. Every song is perfect as it is and I can't imagine the playing order being any different. That said, I'm intrigued by your re-imagining. Count me as one of those who loathes "Triad" (a song that said as much about Crosby as a human as anything else he's said since) but I'm curious to see how it sounds in your context. I agree "Lady Friend" is sadly overlooked and one of Crosby's best songs (in the same way, I wish they'd included his "It Happens Each Day" on the original Younger Than Yesterday and put it in place of "Why"). It would've been a fantastic way to kick off side 2 and lead right into "Change is Now."