The Byrds' Greatest Hits

by The Byrds

Overview

Without question, the Byrds were one of the great bands of the '60s and one of the few American bands of their time to continually turn out inventive, compelling albums. As they were recording a series of fine records, they released a number of classic singles that defined their era. The original 11-song LP version of The Byrds' Greatest Hits did an excellent job in 1967 of chronicling the peak years of their popularity, before withering personality conflicts and the resulting personnel changes altered their sound radically, first into a glorious psychedelic/folk/electronic/pop flourish on Notorious Byrd Brothers and then into country-rock on 1968's Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Columbia/Legacy's expanded 1999 reissue upgraded the sound quality considerably and added the three minor hits missing from the original collection, which means that Greatest Hits now contains all of the group's hit singles -- from 1965's "Mr. Tambourine Man" to 1967's "Have You Seen Her Face"; what's more, the additional cuts shore up Gene Clark's impossible-to-overstate importance to their music and, by reaching up to 1967 and the Younger Than Yesterday album, give Chris Hillman a well-deserved place at the table as a songwriter in his own right. That's an impressive collection indeed, and it also includes "All I Really Want to Do," "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)," "It Won't Be Wrong," "Set You Free This Time," "Eight Miles High," "5D (Fifth Dimension)," "Mr. Spaceman," "So You Want to Be a Rock N' Roll Star," and "My Back Pages." Only David Crosby is shortchanged by the failure to include "Lady Friend" -- which, in fairness, was not a hit at all, but was one of the group's finest singles and closed out the era represented on this collection. Some other great songs were also left behind on the albums, but important cuts like "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better," "The Bells of Rhymney," and "Chimes of Freedom" are included, and even with its few remaining gaps this is pretty close to a definitive single-disc summary of the Byrds' prime. [An expanded edition was also released.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	03/30/1999
Label:	Columbia / Columbia/Legacy
UPC:	0074646623022
Rank:	4754

Tracks

1. Mr. Tambourine Man
2. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
3. The Bells of Rhymney
4. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
5. All I Really Want to Do
6. Chimes of Freedom
7. Eight Miles High
8. Mr. Spaceman
9. 5D (Fifth Dimension)
10. So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star
11. My Back Pages
12. It Won't Be Wrong
13. Set You Free This Time
14. Have You Seen Her Face

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Byrds   Primary Artist
Chris Hillman   Vocals,Bass (Electric)
Gene Clark   Guitar,Vocals
David Crosby   Guitar,Vocals
Roger McGuinn   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (12 String Electric)
Michael Clark   Drums

Technical Credits

Dave Swaney   Liner Notes
Bob Irwin   Producer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Chris Hillman   Composer
Gary Usher   Producer
Gene Clark   Composer
Pete Seeger   Composer
David Crosby   Composer
Vic Anesini   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering
Roger McGuinn   Composer
Guy Webster   Photography
Jessica Sowin   Product Manager
Book of Ecclesiastes   Composer
Harvey Gerst   Composer
Johnny Rogan   Liner Notes
Sandy Speiser   Cover Photo,Photography
Idris Davies   Composer
Pat Seeger   Adaptation
Allen Stanton   Producer
Terry Melcher   Producer