The Byrds had an unmistakable sound when their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, burst upon the music world in 1965. The jangle of guitars, including the 12-string of Jim (soon to be) Roger McGuinn, and their high soaring harmonies combined to establish a new musical type known as folk rock. Jim McGuinn (guitar), Gene Clark (tambourine), David Crosby (guitar), Chris Hillman (bass), and Michael Clarke (drums) combined their voices and talents to produce some of the finest music of the era.
Gene Clark would only appear on their first two albums before leaving, but would make his mark as he wrote or co-wrote five of the songs. He also tended to be the center of attention when the group appeared live. His song, “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better,” remains a classic of the time period. This anti-romantic love song featured sensitive and intelligent lyrics and is equal to just about anything written during the sixties. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it number 234 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. “Here Without You” features haunting poetry backed by a memorable melody.
The early Byrds will always be best remembered for their connection to the music of Bob Dylan. They did not so much interpret his songs as they re-created them. Dylan also owes a debt of gratitude to the Byrds for presenting his music to the masses and expanding his fan base.
“Mr. Tambourine Man,” as played and sung by The Byrds, is one of the signature songs of the sixties, and is hopefully instantly recognizable to any fan of rock music. It bridges the gap between folk and rock and between such artists as Bob Dylan and The Beatles. The 12-string guitar, which underpins the sound and the multi-layered harmonies, is perfection. It was a deserved number one hit. Interestingly, the Byrds’ version would rank higher on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time than Dylan’s original at 76 vs. 106.
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Article comments
1 - Bill Lakin
Nice post. There was a mention Dylan made where he owed as much to Gene Clark as the other way around helping to make the song so popular. The Byrds changed it to 2/4 time from Dylan's 4/4. This made a huge difference and the rest, as they say, is history.
Nice site, I'm going to add it to the blogs I follow.
Cheers,
Bill
2 - Paul
MTM may have been THE most influential rock album (and single) from this side of the Atlantic. It inspired the Beatles to write more meaningful lyrics (Help!). It inspired Bob Dylan to go electric and become a rock star (Highway 61 Revisted with Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper). Tom Wilson overdubbed electric guitars on "The Sound of Silence" making the otherwise mundane folk duo Simon & Garfunkel into rock stars. Before the Byrds, bands like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Dion and the Belmonts, and Jan and Dean dominated American popular music. MTM inspired a whole new wave of American rock music (Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, The Doors, etc.), which then inspired additional British bands. To say that MTM is close to perfect is accurate, but fails to convey the true impact of this album.