The Byrds' Greatest Hits
The Byrds' Greatest Hits | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | August 7, 1967 | |||
Recorded | January 20, 1965 – December 8, 1966 | |||
Studio | Columbia, Hollywood | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 32:17 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Terry Melcher, Allen Stanton, Gary Usher | |||
The Byrds chronology | ||||
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Alternative Cover | ||||
The Byrds' Greatest Hits is the first
Content
The album provides a summary of the Byrds' history during
The eight tracks on The Byrds' Greatest Hits that had been
Author Johnny Rogan has stated that, in particular, "Eight Miles High", "Turn! Turn! Turn!", and "Mr. Tambourine Man" were widely influential during the 1960s, a time when singles, at least in pop music, were as important in their own right as albums, and generally more so.[7] Rogan further opined that "Turn! Turn! Turn!" summed up the decade's counter-cultural values as much as "Blowin' in the Wind", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" or "All You Need Is Love", while "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Eight Miles High" helped to introduce the subgenres of folk rock and psychedelic rock respectively into the popular music of the day.[7]
Release
The Byrds' Greatest Hits was released on August 7, 1967 in the United States (catalogue item CL 2716 in
The album was first issued on CD by Columbia Records in 1985 and was later re-released in a
On March 16, 2009
Reception
Upon release, The Byrds' Greatest Hits was met with positive reviews.
In recent years, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in his review for the AllMusic website, has described the album as "pretty close to a definitive single-disc summary of the Byrds' prime."[5] Sarah Zupko also praised the album in her PopMatters review, noting: "The Byrds perfectly captured the mood of their time."[15] In his review of the SACD version of the album for the Music Tap website, Robert Olsen described the album as "a compilation album featuring some of the better known recordings from the first 4 albums."[12] Olsen went on to note that "The first album is over-represented, and there's an unwholesome emphasis on the Dylan cuts. Nevertheless, at the time the album was stunning in its breadth and provided the next generation with a good sample of the sound and direction of the group."[12] Peter Kane found no issue with "the clarity of the originals" when reviewing the 1991 re-release for Q magazine.[10]
The album was included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[16] In 2003, the album was ranked at number 178 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[17] although it was dropped when the list when was updated in 2012.
Track listing
Side one
- "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:29
- "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) – 2:32
- "The Bells of Rhymney" (Idris Davies, Pete Seeger) – 3:30
- "Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
- "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04
- "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51
Side two
- "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 3:34
- "Mr. Spaceman" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:09
- "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Jim McGuinn) – 2:33
- "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 1:50
- "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08
1991 reissue bonus tracks
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:08
- "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:07
- "I Trust" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:17
- "Lady Friend" (David Crosby) – 2:35
- "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan) – 3:16
- "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:02
- "Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:03
1999 reissue bonus tracks
- "It Won't Be Wrong" (Jim McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 1:58
- "Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:49
- "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) – 2:40
Personnel
Adapted from So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973), The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited, various compact disc liner notes, and other online sources:[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]
Credits refer only to the original 11 track album.
The Byrds
- Jim McGuinn – guitar, vocals
- Gene Clark – tambourine, vocals
- David Crosby – guitar, vocals
- Chris Hillman – electric bass, vocals
- Michael Clarke – drums
Additional personnel
- Jerry Cole – rhythm guitar on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Larry Knechtel – electric bass on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Hal Blaine – drums on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Leon Russell – electric piano on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Van Dyke Parks – organ on "5D (Fifth Dimension)"
- Hugh Masekela – trumpet on "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"
- Van Dyke Parks – organ on "My Back Pages"
Release history
Date | Label | Format | Country | Catalog | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 7, 1967 | Columbia | LP
|
US | CL 2716 | Original mono release. |
CS 9516 | Original stereo release.
| ||||
October 20, 1967 | CBS | LP | UK | BPG 63107 | Original mono release. |
SBPG 63107 | Original stereo release. | ||||
1976 | Embassy | LP | UK | EMB 31381 | |
1985 | Columbia | CD | US | CK 9516 | Original CD release. |
1985 | CBS | LP | UK | 32068 | |
1985 | CBS | CD | UK | CDCBS 32068 | |
1991 | Columbia | CD | US | 467843 2 | Titled Greatest Hits: Re-Mastered with alternative cover artwork. |
1991 | Sony
|
LP | UK | COL 467843 1 | Titled Greatest Hits: Re-Mastered with alternative cover artwork. |
1991 | Sony | CD | UK | COL 468316 2 | Titled Greatest Hits: 18 Classics Remastered with alternative cover artwork and seven bonus tracks. |
March 30, 1999 | Columbia/Legacy | CD | US | CK 66230 | Reissue containing three bonus tracks and a stereo remix of the entire album. |
January 30, 2001 | Columbia/Legacy | CD | US | CS 66230 | SACD reissue containing three bonus tracks and a stereo remix of the entire album. |
2003 | Sony | CD | Japan | MHCP-107 | Reissue containing three bonus tracks and a stereo remix of the album in a replica LP sleeve. |
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
- ISBN 0-89820-147-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
- ^ a b c "The Byrds' Greatest Hits review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ "The Byrds' Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ a b c Rogan, Johnny. (1999). The Byrds' Greatest Hits (1999 CD liner notes).
- ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ "The Byrds' Greatest Hits RIAA Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2006-06-17.
- ^ a b Kane, Peter (5 March 1991). "Greatest Hits review". Q Magazine. 55: 84.
- ^ "The Byrds Discography – Compilations". Byrds Flyght. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ a b c "The Byrds' Greatest Hits SACD review". Music Tap. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
- ^ "The Byrds' Greatest Hits review". PopMatters. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (circa 2003)". rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
- ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1996). Mr. Tambourine Man (1996 CD liner notes).
- ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1996). Turn! Turn! Turn! (1996 CD liner notes).
- ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1996). Fifth Dimension (1996 CD liner notes).
- ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1996). Younger Than Yesterday (1996 CD liner notes).
- ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
- ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
- ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ "Hugh Masekela: Discography 1955 – 1969". Dougpayne.com. Retrieved 2009-10-12.