I am a vinyl collector and thus my Byrds collection is comprised of records and not CD's. I do not have the inclination nor the money to replace the vinyl even though the CD’s contain extra tracks and have a better sound (although, at times, that is debatable). I do, however, tend to purchase box sets as they fill in the blanks and provide a modern listening experience. The box set in my collection that is relevant for this retrospective is the four disc set, The Byrds, issued in 1990. There is now a second box set by The Byrds, There is a Season, issued in 2006, which in many ways has supplanted the one in my collection.
The Byrds can now be found fairly cheaply and well is worth seeking out. The ninety tracks span the career of the group. It includes all of their well-known material and hit songs, a number of unappreciated gems, some unreleased tracks, a re-working of some classic songs, and four new recordings by Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby. The enclosed booklet is informative and contains a nice biography of the group. The sound has also been cleaned up and, in most cases, is superior to that of the original releases.
Box sets present the music but many times the intent of the original albums are lost by the shuffling of songs and additional tracks. Therefore, this box set should be considered to be complimentary to their fine catalog of studio albums.
The first disc sets the tone by presenting some of the finest music of not only The Byrds but in the history of Sixties rock ‘n’ roll. “Mr Tambourine Man,” “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better,” “Chimes Of Freedom,” “She Has A Way,” and “All I Really Want To Do” just blast out of the speakers and serve as a reminder of the quality material that The Byrds produced during their career.
Article comments
1 - MarkSaleski
although, at times, that is debatable
it's always debatable.
2 - Jersey Shore Bob
Excellent review of the first BYRDS box which is also worth getting for the "reunion" new classic "Love That Never Dies" ~ the second box "There Is A Season" features remastered sound and a different perspective, with many rare tracks...
3 - JC Mosquito
Many of these tracks are remixes and actually sound better than the originals but stay true to the spirit of the original mixes. Well worth owning, as well as the CD reissues of the original albums with the bonus tracks.
4 - Paul
The first Byrds boxed set was filled with rarities, near-rarities, and remixes. Nearly all of these tracks have since been included on the reissued albums on CD. The version of "Roll Over Beetoven" recorded for Swedish radio remains rare. Gram Parsons' version of "You Don't Miss Your Water" was inexplicably left off the reissued Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. And the two live tracks recorded by McGuinn-Crosby-Hillman at the Roy Orbison Tribute in 1989 have not been released elsewhere. Still, this boxed set is a superb, albeit biased, overview of the Byrds.
The second box set, There Is a Season, includes more Gene Clark tracks and more live tracks from the Clarence White Byrds, plus several very early tracks (Preflyte) and two tracks from the Byrds reunion album. Byrds contains no Preflyte tracks or reunion album tracks, excludes several classic Gene Clark tracks (e.g. "Here Without You" and "Set You Free This Time"), and includes too many weak studio tracks from the latter day Byrds. Byrds is a superb boxed set, but There Is a Season is near perfect.
5 - JC Mosquito
Yes, but do you want to own TWO box sets with duplications?