''The Essential Byrds'' is a comprehensive two- CD

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

. It was released in 2003 as part of

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

's ''The Essential'' series. ''The Essential Byrds'' did not chart in the U.S. or the UK. A 3.0 edition of the compilation released in 2011 contains a third disc with six additional tracks: "

Spanish Harlem Incident "Spanish Harlem Incident" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan which was released on his album, '' Another Side of Bob Dylan'', on August 8, 1964. The song has been described as "a gorgeous vignette" by critics and been praised for its mult ...

", " I Knew I'd Want You", " The World Turns All Around Her", "I See You", "Change Is Now", and "One Hundred Years from Now".

Reception

Rob Horning from

Popmatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

said of the compilation: "Similar to the serial-reissue strategy is the hits-repackaging ruse, except the target here is not the fanatic, but the more casual listener, who buys one hits collection only to discover that important songs are included on some other compilation."

Track listing

Disc one

#" Mr. Tambourine Man" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

) – 2:31 #"

I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better I'll may refer to * "I'll", meaning "I will" or "I shall", a contraction (grammar) * ''I'll'' (manga) * "I'll", a song by Band-Maid from '' Unleash'' * "I'll", a song by Dir En Grey Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en ...

" (

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

) – 2:32 #" All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04 #" Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51 #"

Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) "Turn! Turn! Turn!", also known as or subtitled "To Everything There Is a Season", is a song written by Pete Seeger in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines – consist of the fi ...

" (

Book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes ( ) is one of the Ketuvim ('Writings') of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly used in English is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ...

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

) – 3:51 #"

She Don't Care About Time "She Don't Care About Time" is a song by the American folk rock band the Byrds. It was released on a non-album single as the B-side to " Turn! Turn! Turn!" in October1965. The song was written by Gene Clark, the Byrds' main songwriter between 1964 ...

ingle Version Ingle may refer to: People * Ingle (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Ingle Martin (born 1982), American former football quarterback Places in the United States * Ingle, California, a community * Ingle, Florida, an unincorporate ...

(Gene Clark) – 2:30 #"

It Won't Be Wrong "It Won't Be Wrong" is a song by the American folk rock band the Byrds, which appeared as the second track on their 1965 album, ''Turn! Turn! Turn! (album), Turn! Turn! Turn!'' It was also coupled with the song "Set You Free This Time" for a Single ...

" (

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...

, Harvey Gerst) – 1:59 #" Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:50 #"

He Was a Friend of Mine "He Was a Friend of Mine" is a traditional folk song in which the singer laments the death of a friend. Ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax was the first to collect the song, in 1939, describing it as a "blues" that was "a dirge for a dead comrade." ...

" (

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

, new words and arrangement Roger McGuinn) – 2:31 #"

Eight Miles High "Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger McGuinn), and David Crosby. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Musically influenced by sitar playe ...

" (Gene Clark,

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

, Roger McGuinn) – 3:36 #"

5D (Fifth Dimension) "5D (Fifth Dimension)" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by band member Jim McGuinn. It was released as a single in June 1966, and also included as the title track on the Byrds' third album, '' Fifth Dimension''. Lyrical cont ...

" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:34 #" Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:10 #"

So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds. Written by Jim McGuinn and Chris Hillman, it was included on the band's 1967 album, ''Younger Than Yesterday''. The song was inspired by the manufactured natu ...

" (

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

, Roger McGuinn) – 2:06 #"

Have You Seen Her Face "Have You Seen Her Face" is a song by the American Rock music, rock Musical ensemble, band the Byrds, written by the group's Bassist, bass player Chris Hillman and included on their 1967 album ''Younger Than Yesterday''. Composition "Have You Seen ...

" (Chris Hillman) – 2:41 #"Renaissance Fair" (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) – 1:52 #"

My Back Pages "My Back Pages" is a song written by Bob Dylan and included on his 1964 album '' Another Side of Bob Dylan''. It is stylistically similar to his earlier folk protest songs and features Dylan's voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. Howe ...

" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08

Disc two

#" Lady Friend" (David Crosby) – 2:31 #" Old John Robertson

(Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 1:54 #"

Goin' Back "Goin' Back" (also recorded and released as "Going Back") is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1966. It describes the loss of innocence that comes with adulthood, along with an attempt, on the part of the singer, to recapture tha ...

" (

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

) – 3:27 #"Natural Harmony" (Chris Hillman) – 2:12 #" Wasn't Born to Follow" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 2:03 #"

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song written by the American musician Bob Dylan in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during the self-imposed exile from public appearances that followed his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident. A recording of Dylan perf ...

" (Bob Dylan) – 2:35 #" Hickory Wind" (

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

, Bob Buchanan) – 3:32 #" This Wheel's on Fire" (Bob Dylan,

Rick Danko Richard Clare Danko (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During ...

) – 4:45 #"Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" (Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons) – 3:54 #" Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) – 2:04 #*NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider". #" Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:10 #"Lover of the Bayou"

ive Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...

(Roger McGuinn,

Jacques Levy Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist. Early life and education Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 19 ...

) – 3:40 #"

Chestnut Mare "Chestnut Mare" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy during 1969 for a planned country rock musical named ''Gene Tryp''. The musical was never staged and the song was instead released in September ...

" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:08 #" Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:01 #"I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:02 #"Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:41 #" Farther Along" (traditional, arranged

Clarence White Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds ...

) – 2:57

European and Australasian edition

A variation of ''The Essential Byrds'' was released outside of the U.S. in 2010, featuring the following alternate track listing:

Disc One

#" Mr. Tambourine Man" (

) – 2:31 #"

" (

) – 2:32 #" All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04 #"

The Bells of Rhymney "The Bells of Rhymney" is a song by the folk singer Pete Seeger, which consists of Seeger's own music accompanying words written by the Welsh poet Idris Davies. Seeger first released a recording of the song on a live album in 1958, but it is the ...

" (

Idris Davies Idris Davies (6 January 1905 – 6 April 1953) was a Welsh poet. Born in Rhymney, near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, he became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English. Davies was the only poet to cover th ...

) - 3:32 #" Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51 #"

" (

) – 3:51 #"

(Gene Clark) – 2:30 #"

" (

, Harvey Gerst) – 1:59 #"

Lay Down Your Weary Tune "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1963. Dylan originally recorded it for his album '' The Times They Are a-Changin, but his version of the song was not officially released until 1985 on the '' Biograph'' box set. In ...

" (Bob Dylan) - 3:32 #" Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:50 #"

" (

, new words and arrangement Roger McGuinn) – 2:31 #" The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) - 2:20 #"

" (Gene Clark,

, Roger McGuinn) – 3:36 #"

" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:34 #"

Wild Mountain Thyme "Wild Mountain Thyme" (also known as "Purple Heather" and "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?") is a Scottish/Irish folk song. The lyrics and melody are a variant of the song "The Braes of Balquhither" by Scottish poet Robert Tannahill (1774–1810) and ...

" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn,

, Michael Clarke,

) - 2:32 #" Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:10 #"

" (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 2:06 #"

" (Chris Hillman) – 2:41 #"Time Between" (Chris Hillman) - 1:55 #"Renaissance Fair" (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) – 1:52 #"

" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08 # "Everybody's Been Burned" (David Crosby) – 3:05 # "

Triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Humanities * Trichotomy (philosophy), often called triads * Triad (sociology), a group of three people as a unit of study * Triad (relationship), or ''ménage à trois'' Music * Triad (music ...

" (David Crosby) – 3:29 #"Dolphin's Smile" (David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) - 1:58

Disc Two

#"Artificial Energy" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke) - 2:21 #" Old John Robertson

(Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 1:54 #"

" (

) – 3:27 #"Natural Harmony" (Chris Hillman) – 2:12 #" Wasn't Born to Follow" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 2:03 #"

" (Bob Dylan) – 2:35 #" Hickory Wind" (

, Bob Buchanan) – 3:32 #"Nothing Was Delivered" (Bob Dylan) - 3:26 #" This Wheel's on Fire" (Bob Dylan,

) – 4:45 #"Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" (Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons) – 3:54 #"Your Gentle Way of Loving Me" (

Gib Guilbeau Floyd August "Gib" Guilbeau (September 26, 1937 – April 12, 2016) was an American Cajun country rock musician and songwriter. As a member of Nashville West, Swampwater, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and later The Burrito Brothers, Guilbeau h ...

Gary Paxton Gary Sanford Paxton (born Larry Wayne Stevens; May 18, 1939 – July 17, 2016) was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and the Hollywood Argyles and was ...

) 2:37 #" Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) – 2:04 #*NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider". #" Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:10 #"

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his '' Bringing It All Back Home'' album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acous ...

" (Bob Dylan) - 4:55 #"Lover of the Bayou"

(Roger McGuinn,

) – 3:40 #"

" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:08 #" Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:01 #"Jamaica Say You Will" (

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

) - 3:28 #"I Wanna Grow up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:02 #"Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:41 #"Antique Sandy" (Roger McGuinn,

Skip Battin Clyde "Skip" Battin (February 18, 1934 – July 6, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer, and recording artist. He was a member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Εarly life ...

Gene Parsons Gene Victor Parsons (born September 4, 1944, in Morongo Valley, California) is an American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and engineer, best known for his work with the Byrds from 1968 to 1972. Parsons has also released so ...

Jimmi Seiter Jimmi Seiter (born ''James Duke Seiter''; May 2, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri) has worked as a musician, tour manager, artist manager, music producer, sound designer, stage producer and architect. Seiter is probably best known for his work as ...

) - 2:15 #" Farther Along" (traditional, arranged Clarence White) – 2:57

Band personnel

*1965-'66 -

, Michael Clarke,

*1966-'67 - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, David Crosby *1968 - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Kevin Kelley,

*1969 - Roger McGuinn,

, John York *1970-'72 - Roger McGuinn, Clarence White, Gene Parsons,

References

Sources

* CD booklet essay, Alan Bisbort, c.2003. * AllMusicGuide.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Essential Byrds, The Albums produced by Bob Johnston Albums produced by Terry Melcher Albums produced by Gary Usher The Byrds compilation albums 2003 greatest hits albums Columbia Records compilation albums Albums produced by Roger McGuinn Albums produced by Gene Parsons Albums produced by Skip Battin Albums produced by Clarence White