CC00050: The Byrds
Submitted by lbangs on Tue, 02/20/2001 - 10:25
Tags:
- Mr. Tambourine Man (10)
- The Byrds [Box Set] (10)
- Younger than Yesterday (10)
- The Notorious Byrd Brothers (9.5)
- Sweetheart of the Rodeo (9)
- The Byrds' Greatest Hits (7.5)
- Turn! Turn! Turn! (7.5)
- Fifth Dimension (7.5)
- Original Singles, Vol. 1 (1965-1967) (7.5)
- 20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965-90 (7)
- Untitled (7)
- Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (5)
- The Ballad of Easy Rider (5)
- The Best of the Byrds: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (5)
- Play Dylan (5)
- The Byrds [1973] (4)
- Farther Along (3)
- Byrdmaniax (3)
Author Comments:
This is an entry in a continuing series I call Critical Consensus. I am averaging the opinions of several excellent music critics to produce a list of each artist's albums. The albums will each have a rating between 1 and 10. The albums will be listed in a recommended purchasing order, so new fans will have an idea of where the best place to start buying an artist's work is. These are not my opinions, although, since I have chosen the critics used (and I'm using many), my taste will perhaps seep through a bit.
Terribly nerdy, I know, but maybe this will help people only now beginning to dabble into certain artists' bodies of work.
Wow, your fiftieth CC list! Congrats! I wish I had more to contribute to them comment-wise, but I don't feel knowledgable enough in most cases. Sure do like reading them, though. I'm going to have to start a "to listen to" list. Thanks!
Once again, I appreciate your support, Jim! I'd love to see your "to listen to" list; perhaps I'll have to create one myself!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Les, Excellent choice for your fiftieth list; there's not a whole lot to dispute here. I haven't heard the three lowest ranking albums, and if I ever do, I hope to be pleasantly surprised by a little wheat among the chaff, but who knows? I do think that critics should give Easy Rider a little more of a chance; its a quiet, unassuming album that slowly grows on you. It will never be a classic, but I think its low key nature hurts it.
Johnny Waco
I thought you might like to see such an important number filled with The Byrds!
I have heard Byrdmaniax before, and for the most part, it probably deserves its low ranking. Too many of the songs are ruined by terrible over-dubbings. I haven't heard Farther Along or much of Easy Rider. I now definitely plan to explore the later before too long.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Hey Lester, I couldn't help myself; I went out and procured a copy of Farther Along. And while I think that overall the album deserves its low rating, I think that it might obscure a few (and I mean few) strong points. First of all, if I made a list of the five worst Byrds songs ever, two tracks on Farther Along would qualify easily: America's Great National Pastime and BB Class Road. Both are nothing short of cringe-inducing. However, Bugler, a song sung by Clarence White, is one of the best Byrds songs I've heard, standing up with anything on any album. Also, two other songs White had parts in, Farther Along and Bristol Steam Convention Blues, are really good. If anything, Farther Along confirms what an underrated musician Clarence White is; I think he was the equal of any member of the Byrds over the span of their career.
Johnny Waco
I'm curious. If you were to generate a recommended purchasing order for Byrds CDs, where exactly would it fall?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Fascinating Idea! Hmmm, I probably wouldn't recommend it or any other of their later albums (post-Sweetheart) until someone had digested the early stuff. Then I would recommend Untitled and Ballad of Easy Rider, before recommending Dr. Byrds with a few caveats. Then, if this person still liked them, i would say get Farther Along, as long as you realize that it will be a purchase for a few specific songs, not for an album to be listened to straight through, the way the rest of them could be (more or less). In other words, be a Byrdmaniac (not maniax) before even thinking about it.
Johnny Waco
I guess I really need to hear all of Easy Rider, eh?
Thanks for the order. I may have to act upon this soon.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs