The Byrds: There Is A Season - Disc 1 of 4 CD Track Listing

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The Byrds There Is A Season - Disc 1 of 4 (2006)
There Is A Season - Disc 1 of 4\n2006 Columbia/Legacy\n\nOriginally Released September 26, 2006\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: As there was a four-CD box set of the Byrds back in 1990, the point of putting out another four-CD Byrds box set about 15 years later wasn't all that clear, unless it was a mercenary exercise to get more mileage of the band's durable catalog. Yet appear this 2006 box set did, with many of the same tracks that had appeared on the 1990 Byrds box set, though there are some appreciable differences. The span of There Is a Season is a little wider, taking in some of the demos they recorded prior to the "Mr. Tambourine Man" single, and also fitting in a couple of Gene Clark songs from their 1973 reunion album. While all the hit singles and most of the group's most popular album tracks are on both sets, the secondary songs filling out the boxes vary, with There Is a Season putting out some material that wasn't officially issued until after the 1990 box set (on expanded CD editions of their albums and Live at the Fillmore West February 1969). Conversely, the earlier box set has some LP cuts and obscurities that failed to make the cut for There Is a Season.\n\nOf course, There Is a Season does contain a lot of significant, and often great, folk-rock music; no package with 99 Byrds songs could fail to do that. As for what it offers the serious Byrds collector -- who's probably at least as apt to consider buying this as a general Byrds fan -- there isn't all that much. There are five previously unissued tracks, none of them extraordinary, including a 1967 Swedish radio version of "He Was a Friend of Mine," a couple live September 1970 Fillmore East performances, and a couple live cuts from February 1970. There are oddities from soundtracks and live compilation albums, including the Candy soundtrack version of "Child of the Universe," "Nothin' to It" (done by the Byrds on the early-'70s album Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends), and a couple live 1973 performances from the Banjoman movie. It's well-sequenced enough that it does give a solid sense of the band's growth and accomplishment through their folk-rock, psychedelic, and country-rock phases, though there's no getting around the fact that it starts to get steadily less exciting after it passes the halfway point.\n\nThe big added attraction on There Is a Season is not on the CDs, but on the bonus DVD disc, which contains ten TV clips of the group from 1965-1967. All of these, mind you, are mimed and not live, but it's still a fun (if brief, lasting just 26 minutes) assortment of glimpses of the band in their most creative era on U.S., U.K., and Swedish programs. Even here, however, there could have been room for improvement, as there's some more interesting footage of the Byrds from this era, including their live set in the mid-'60s movie The Big TNT Show and versions of "Long Tall Sally" and "Not Fade Away" (neither of which they released on record in any form). Is this nitpicking? Probably. But if you're going to lay out more than 50 dollars for an anthology that likely contains some or much material you already own, you have the right to make the point. -- Richie Unterberger\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nA newcomer to the musical progression and legacy of the Byrds could hardly expect to find a better crash course than this: four discs with 99 songs, a DVD of ten previously unissued television performances, extensive annotation. Yet longtime fans of the band might wonder what the point is. Any riches buried in the vaults have long ago been mined--first in 1990's definitive four-disc Byrds box, then on Columbia's series of extended editions of every Byrds album in the catalog, replete with previously unreleased bonus tracks. By this late date, all possible revelations have been revealed, with the five previously unissued performances here of interest mainly to completists. The familiar music is glorious, of course--the chiming guitars and soaring harmonies that brought Bob Dylan and folk-rock to the top of the charts and then soared into the stratosphere with "Eight Miles High" and all but invented country-rock with Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Yet except for the DVD, anyone who wants this much Byrds probably already has most of it. --Don McLeese \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nByrdsbox II, October 17, 2006\nReviewer: J P Ryan (Waltham, Massachusetts United States)\nThere is no question that the Byrds (1964 - 1973) were one of the most important American rock 'n' roll bands during a true renaissance period for popular music, and that their body of work mostly stands tall to this day: great songs by a band overflowing with talented writers, musicians and vocalists of great style and adventurous spirit, who made a remarkable group of beautifully produced original recordings (fifteen albums issued between 1965 and 1973, counting "Pre-flyte" and two "Greatest Hits" sets). They influenced nearly all of their peers at one time or other, from the Beatles and Stones to Dylan and Buffalo Springfield (not to mention scores of respected bands who've emerged since the Byrds' last album). This boxed set is the group's second, following a similar career overview issued early in the CD era (1990). The good news is the sound on this set, as expected, is much better - warmer, more lifelike - than the earlier Byrds box. And there is less filler from 'reunion' gigs. But other than that, I can't imagine what use this set will serve. The Byrds made several classic albums, and like The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Beatles, Hendrix, and other major bands with both undeniable artistic credibility and popular success, their evolution is best heard as part of a chronological continuum. Yes, I got interested in the Byrds seriously after being given that 1990 box, but to be honest I haven't played the thing in over a dozen years. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965), "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (1965) and the genre-bending "Fifth Dimension" (1966) and "Younger Than Yesterday" (1967)came first, all reissued in greatly expanded and smartly annotated editions nearly a decade ago on both CD and (thanks to the Sundazed label) beautiful 180 gram vinyl editions - and those four are all classics belonging in any serious 'rock' related collection. (Sundazed issued even more, a box of pre-Columbia "Pre-flyte" era material and the extraordinary 2-ep set of alternates, experiments, and instrumentals, the magnificently packaged and mastered "Another Dimension", a companion piece of sorts to "5D" that adds yet more terrific material to the group's ouevre). With the loss of Gene Clark, followed by David Crosby at the end of 1967, the Byrds released some of their most astonishing work ever on "Notorious Byrd Brothers" (1968) and, with the addition of Gram Parsons, "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" (1968). I would suggest that anyone reading this and wondering where to start their Byrds collection pick up each of these albums, now all midline priced, and read the liner notes, bask in the superb sound, and track the progress of both a great band and the decade that spawned it. The subsequent releases, following Parsons' and Chris Hillman's departure, may pale next to the first six masterpieces (and the many non-album singles and outtakes that are now appended to them), but each has its share of gems, especially "Ballad Of Easy Rider" (their eighth studio album, 1969) and the now-expanded-double "(Untitled)" (1970). Then there's the recently unearthed "1970 Fillmore" set, and the clean, fine guitar work on those late period Byrds albums by (the late) Clarence White. So much out there, on both CD and vinyl - why get another expensive overview? And why release one in 2006? \nRight, sixty-something days 'til Christmas.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAll the masterpieces and diamonds in the rough, but a disc worth of fresh and reheated garbage, October 17, 2006\nReviewer: Patrick T. Hand (Washington, DC United States)\n"There is a Season" is superior to the 1990 boxset in that Discs One and Two contains gems such as Gene Clark's "I Knew I'd Want You" and David Crosby's "What's Happening!", left off of the first set. \nHowever, like the first, it suffers because it devotes most of two discs to the mediocre redneck rock churned out from 1969 to 1972 by Roger McGuinn and pseudo-Byrds Skip Battin, Gene Parsons, and the overrated Clarence ("Why play just one note when I can play five and drown out McGuinn's Rickenbacker?") White. Left off again were great songs by the real Byrds, such as Chris Hillman's "Thoughts and Words" and "Natural Harmony", McGuinn's "Get to You" and "CTA 102", and Crosby's "Mind Gardens." \nOkay, maybe "Mind Gardens" isn't great, but it's better than dogs such as "Willin'", "Take a Whiff", and "Bugler" included on Disc 4. If Columbia saw a need to put that junk on, why didn't they put on drummer Mike Clarke's work with weenie-rockers Firefall while they were at it? Also, somewhere there must be some great outtakes that have never seen the light of day. I say this because Crosby's "Why" (which is included in the boxset: originally it was the throwaway "B" side to "Eight Miles High"), with its untuned guitars, missed beats and one-note bassline, had to have been unrehearsed, yet it's as good garage punk as was ever done by The Ramones. \n"There is a Season" helps to remind what a great thing McGuinn, Crosby, Clark, Hillman, and Clarke had for a brief moment 40 years ago. Without each other, they never again did anything nearly as interesting.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSuperb!, October 15, 2006\nReviewer: Dennis Wood (Carbondale , Il)\nThe new Byrds box set-There Is a Season does a great job of correcting some of the glaring omissions from the first box set from 1990. key Gene Clark songs are included such as Set You Free this Time and the single version of She don't Care About Time. There are other rarities such as a 1967 live version of He Was a Friend of Mine and Child Of The Universe from the Candy film soundtrack L.P. Also, there's a mono single version of Ladyfriend that seems clearer sounding. The set even throws in a couple of tracks from the underrated 1973 reunion L.P. as well as later Clarence White era instumental Nothing To It. This 99 track set is comprehensive and has all(or almost all) of the essential Byrds tracks. I wish they could have included the cosmic country song Change Is Now or the equally trippy Thoughts And Words but I won't quibble. Finally, the set is beautifully packaged with a 100 page color booklet which includes a bonus DVD where you get to see the original 5 Byrds perform in the 1960's before screaming girls and Go-Go dancers. So if you don't have all the remastered C.D.s, this new Byrds box would be a superb addition to your music collection!\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe BYRDS Box is well worth the price!, October 10, 2006\nReviewer: Richard J. Goldschmidt "Rick Goldschmidt" (Oak Lawn, IL USA)\nI have the 1990 set and I do prefer this set! The selection of songs are well done, the DVD is a GREAT addition and I like everything about the packaging. You should also pick up the ED SULLIVAN DVD set for the bands' performances on there in COLOR...they performed "Turn, Turn, Turn" LIVE on the SULLIVAN show. GENE CLARK was a very important part of this band and I am glad they beefed up his representation. BRAVO Columbia!\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAMERICA'S MOST TALENTED BAND - HANDS DOWN!!!!!!, October 6, 2006\nReviewer: Joseph A. Kengor (Youngstown, OH USA)\nForget what the other reviewers say about the new additional tracks being throwaways - these tracks have the great Clarence White playing guitar! Anything Clarence played on is important. And most of these unissued tracks are live - the recording and playing is supurb! Makes the listener proud to be a Byrds fan(atic). NOTE TO SONY/LEGACY/COLUMBIA: If there are more live tapes of the Clarence White era of the Byrds, PLEASE releae them. On disc #4 there are 12 live tracks, 4 previously unissued: You All Look Alike, Nashville West, I Trust, and a full bore rockin' Baby What You Want Me To Do. \nEverybody really knocked the Byrdmaniax and Farther Along albums, but live tunes from those records are a completely exceptional experience. There are also live versions of It's Alright Ma and Ballad of Easy Rider which will knock you socks off. \nThe Byrds, America's most talented band. In my humble opinion. And we are lucky to have such well recorded testaments to their greatness. Critics also knock the Clarence White era too, but those guys could play! The two eras of the Byrds are two sides of the same coin - the Crosby/Clark era were fantastic in the studio, ok live - the C.W. era were ok in the studio, but a really cookin' road band. I'd give anything to have been along with them for a couple of shows back in their day. McGuinn should write a book. Show should Hillman. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMORE CLARK, LESS DYLAN, EXCEPTIONAL SOUND, October 4, 2006\nReviewer: Mark "I was at UCLA in 1965" (Santa Monica, CA)\nThis new set is lovely and lavish, easily worth 5 stars, but a more accurate title might be "The Johnny Rogan Box." Rogan, in his fine Byrds biography "Timeless Flight Revisited" (2001), came down pretty hard on the first (1990) boxed set. Compilers McGuinn & Irwin, apparently chastised, seem to have assembled this new collection with his remarks as guide. \n\nRogan was especially upset that the first box offered a mere 6 Gene Clark songs, so this one near overdoses with 17. He suggested McGuinn had been stingy on Clark to make room for the later albums, so "Easy Rider," "Byrdmaniax" and "Farther Along" are trimmed to footnotes. He felt Crosby "would definitely" have preferred 'What's Happening' over 'Hey Joe,' so that switch is made here (tho Crosby opted for 'Hey Joe' at Montery Pop '67). Rogan questioned the inclusion of all Dylan covers, so four are cut: the stellar 'Spanish Harlem Incident,' plus "Nothing Was Delivered,' 'Just Like A Woman,' and 'Lay Down Your Weary Tune'. He preferred the single over album take of 'All I Really Want To Do," and even that is here. \n\nRogan thought the 1990 black box too "somber", so this one is fire engine red. The imaginative artwork sequence of the 4 jewel case covers he declared "tacky," so this set has none (the CDs attach to the inside box covers). He complained the 1990 book had "a dearth of colour photos", so the new book is awash with them - at the expense of hard information like discography, personnel, and track comments. \n\nBut Rogan aside, there are other differences... "Seasons" casts a wider net than the 1990 box by including the "Preflyte" sessions, "Fillmore'69" (SF) album, 1973 "Byrds" reunion album, and others. \n\nAmong the new things: Disk 4's 'Tambourine Man' and 'Roll Over Beethoven' are from the 1973 soundtrack for "Banjoman". 'He Was A Friend of Mine' is live on Swedish radio, 1967. 'Nothin' To It' is from "Earl Scruggs: His Family & Friends". 'Byrdgrass' is the hidden track on expanded "Byrdmaniax" minus (unfortunately) some classic studio talk (Eric White asks McGuinn to "stick your foot out" to indicate the harmonica part). 'Baby What You Want Me To Do' and 'I Trust' are live from Fillmore East (NY), 1970. 'You All Look Alike' and 'Nashville West' are live at Queens College (as are 'Willin'/'Black Mountain Rag', taken from the first box). 'Lazy Days' is a new (but inferior) alternate take. 'Pretty Polly' is the great alternate take on 2-disk "Legacy Sweetheart". 'Child of the Universe' is the overdub from the "Candy" soundtrack, a nice surprise with horns that make it sound like something from the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album. \n\nERRORS: 'Kathleen's Song' is actually the "Byrdmaniax" track, not the "Expanded (Untitled)" alternate take as stated in the book. But since "Byrdmaniax" is now apparently dropped from the Legacy catalogue, it is good to have the original 'Kathleen' here. Another curious (apparent) mistake is the slamming door after 'Wasn't Born To Follow'; the "Notorious" booklet says this is actually the start of that album's next track, 'Get To You' (where it represents rejection of the 1965 Byrds in England) . \n\nSix tracks are monaural singles : All I really Want To Do; Turn!Turn!Turn!/ She Don't Care About Time; Why; Lady Friend/ Old John Robertson. \n\nDisks 1 & 2 are a serious tour of the first 5 albums through "Notorious". Disks 3 & 4 spot check the remaining albums, with some generous (and welcome) stretches of the later Byrds in concert. \n\nThe DVD has ten TV appearances by the 1965-67 Byrds (Performing: Mr. Tambourine Man, Feel A Whole Lot Better, All I Really Want To Do, Turn! Turn! Turn!, It Won't Be Wrong, Set You Free This Time, -- and with 4 Byrds -- So You Want To Be A Rock & Roll Star, Mr. Tambourine Man, Eight Miles High, Mr. Spaceman.) Most or all are lip-synced (a common practice at the time), but good quality 16mm film images give us 30 minutes of the Byrds in their prime. The last set is in color and especially intriguing; it's the 4 Byrds all right, but Crosby is replaced by Gene Clark. Apparently this was right after Crosby left and Clark briefly returned. \n\nWhile the booklet is fun to explore visually, its real gem is a stunning new essay by David Fricke -- a concise history of the Byrds from first to last, which also serves as a program guide to selections on the 4 CDs. \n\nBottom line: this new box is a feast for Byrds fans. \n\nALSO RECOMMENDED: \n\nFans of this set should know that the 1990 box still has a few treasures. It's the only place you can find Bob Dylan joining the Byrds on stage for 'Mr. Tambourine Man'; stereo versions of 1965's 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' and 'He Was A Friend of Mine'; a remixed 'Hey Joe' with countdown and cold ending; 'Roll Over Beethoven' live on Swedish radio, 1967; a very nice Queens College take of 'Lover of the Bayou'; and new remixes from the original separated tracks of a number of album classics. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSweet historical overview of the Byrds, October 1, 2006\nReviewer: Rex Chickeneater "Rex Chickeneater" (Armenia)\nI know some people who believe that Roger McGuinn sounds like Tom Petty, rather than the other way around. This set is for them. But it is also for the long-term Byrd fans like me who loved the Byrds but who haven't been able to keep up with all the individual re-releases of their albums. The first disk has some GREAT tunes from the original five Byrds. David Crosby never sounded better with his warm, fuzzy, harmonies, and Gene Clark and Roger (formerly Jim) McGuinn provided some great lead singing. Especially on the demos and the songs from Mr. Tambourine Man, the Byrds not only sounded inspired, but driven -- they wanted to succeed. The second disk covers the band's material from 5D to The Notorious Byrd Brothers. It is amazing that their commercial popularity slipped during this period as, frankly, they created some wonderful and enduring music. Crosby emerged as a very fine lead singer in the absence of Clark, and Chris Hillman's bass playing sparkled (for example, on "Everybody's been burned"). Michael Clarke's drumming did not match the technical proficiency of some other rock drummers (e.g., Spencer Dryden), but he still added a distinct and sometimes compelling sound (as on "Eight Miles High"). One wonders how high the Byrds might have soared if Gene Clark's songwriting and playing had not vanished at the start of the 5D session, but history is full of lost opportunities. The third disk captures the highlights of the latter-day Byrds, with Gram Parsons' amazing revitalization of the group on "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," and the fine early albums done by the Clarence White-Gene Parsons-John York Byrds led by McGuinn. White's playing was especially effective in creating a new sound for the Byrds, replacing both McGuinn's 12 string and Sweetheart's steel guitars as the lead instrument. Perhaps the only error in selections were the omission of Gene Parson's "Gunga Din" and York's "Fido," which were great tunes from the old "Easy Rider" LP. The final musical disc contains some never before released live tunes, plus songs from their later albums. There are also a couple of fine Gene Clark songs from the 1973 reunion LP (again, another lost opportunity: one wonders what it would have sounded like with Gary Usher as producer instead of Crosby), and a song recorded in 1990 by McGuinn, Hillman, and Crosby (another lost opportunity, with Clark still alive at the time). The last song begs the question of whether those three Byrds will ever record together again as a unit? What keeps them apart now? I hope that while their voices and health permit, these three surviving Byrds decide to get together to create some new music. Of course it won't sound like 1965, or 1973, or 1990, but it is likely to be worthwhile. \n\nThe final disc is actually a DVD with musical performances, which are nice to view at least once. However, it is the music here on the four discs that I will keep return to again and again.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLabor of Love, September 29, 2006\nReviewer: Dale Avery (Virginia)\nI bought "There Is A Season" even though I already owned all of the Byrds CDs and the 1990 box set. Why? Because the group has meant a lot to me, and this new box set was clearly inspired by a record label wanting to set the record straight on the Byrds -- probably without any expectations of making much money on the set. \n\nAny box set is going to be a compromise between creating an ideal listening experience and commercial considerations. For a group with as complex a history as the Byrds and as many personnel changes, personal politics will likely enter in as well. \n\nThe 1990 box set did a great job of presenting the Byrds, rightly highlighting Roger McGuinn's central role, David Crosby's innovative contributions, and Gram Parsons' lost vocals. But, it downplayed the wonderful contributions of Gene Clark, gave too much weight to the McGuinn-led Byrds following the departure of Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons, ignored anything pre-Mr. Tambourine Man, ignored the 1973 reunion album, ignored the 1971-72 solo tracks that included all five original Byrds, and ignored the McGuinn-Clark-Hillman albums. In short, it took a narrow view of the Byrds -- in contrast to some other box sets, such as the ones on the Beach Boys and Eric Clapton, as examples, that took a more inclusive view. \n\nThe McGuinn-led Byrds produced some great songs after Parsons and Hillman departed, but were they really the Byrds any more than McGuinn-Clark-Hillman? \n\nAny Byrds fan can nitpick with the selections on the new box set. There are a few better Preflyte selections than "You Movin'", such as "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away" and "For Me Again"; "Hey Joe" should have been included; "She's the Kind of Girl", "One In a Hundred," and "My New Woman" would all have been welcome additions, as well as some of the Byrdsier-sounding MCH tracks. \n\nThis box set is not going to sell a bundle, but it's a great introduction to the Byrds for any new fans; the sound is fantastic; the booklet and packaging are great; and it redresses some imbalances in the earlier box set. It's a nice culmination to all the work that dedicated folks at Columbia have done to burnish the Byrd's legacy. As a long-time fan, that's worth my $40. \n\nHalf.com N/A
This folk cd contains 25 tracks and runs 64min 51sec.
Freedb: 750f3119

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