Mr. Tambourine Man (album)

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Mr. Tambourine Man
Studio album by The Byrds
Released	June 21, 1965
Recorded	January 20–April 22, 1965
Genre	Folk rock
Length	31:35
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terry Melcher
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
The Byrds chronology
Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965)
Singles from Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" / "I Knew I'd Want You" Released: April 12, 1965 (Columbia 43271) "All I Really Want to Do" / "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" Released: June 14, 1965 (Columbia 43332)

Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut album by the American folk-rock band, The Byrds. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, staying on the charts for 38 weeks; it also went to #7 in Great Britain. The single of the same name, Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," had been released on April 12, 1965, and went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK; another single and Dylan cover from the album, "All I Really Want to Do," just made the Top 40, peaking at #40.

The single instantly established the band on both sides of the Atlantic, introducing the new genre of folk rock. Its most distinctive features were the vocal harmonies of Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn and David Crosby, and McGuinn's twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar playing (which complemented the lyric's "jingle jangle morning"). This combination became the band's signature sound in this early period.

Of the album tracks, most of the band originals were penned by Clark, the group's central songwriter over its first eighteen months of existence, including "Here Without You" and "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (the latter becoming a rock and roll standard, inspiring many cover versions). There was also an abundance of Dylan material, with three songs taken from his Another Side of Bob Dylan LP, leading to accusations of the band being too reliant on his work. Other covers included an expansive arrangement of Pete Seeger's "The Bells Of Rhymney", stressing the band's folk music roots, and Vera Lynn's war years standard "We'll Meet Again," given a very sardonic reading influenced by the song's appearance in the final scene of Stanley Kubrick's movie Dr. Strangelove.

The label had replaced most of the band with session musicians for the single and its b-side, "I Knew I'd Want You," with only McGuinn allowed to play on the tracks, although Clark and Crosby did sing on the two tracks. By the time the album was recorded, the group had polished their sound to producer Terry Melcher's satisfaction, and The Byrds themselves played on the remaining tracks.

Rolling Stone selected this album as number 232 for their List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 1996 CD reissue Bonus Tracks 2 Singles 3 Personnel 3.1 Additional personnel 4 Release history 4.1 Remix information 5 References

[edit] Track listing

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) –2:29
2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) –2:32
3. "Spanish Harlem Incident" (Bob Dylan) –1:57
4. "You Won't Have to Cry" (Gene Clark/Jim McGuinn) –2:08
5. "Here Without You" (Gene Clark) –2:36
6. "The Bells of Rhymney" (Idris Davies/Pete Seeger) –3:30
7. "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) –2:04
8. "I Knew I'd Want You" (Gene Clark) –2:14
9. "It's No Use" (Gene Clark/Jim McGuinn) –2:23
10. "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" (Jackie DeShannon) –2:54
11. "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) –3:51
12. "We'll Meet Again" (Ross Parker/ Hughie Charles) –2:07

[edit] 1996 CD reissue Bonus Tracks

1. "She Has a Way" (Gene Clark) – 2:25
2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" [Alternate Version] (Gene Clark) – 2:28
3. "It's No Use" [Alternate Version] (Gene Clark/Jim McGuinn) – 2:24
4. "You Won't Have to Cry" [Alternate Version] (Gene Clark/Jim McGuinn) – 2:07
5. "All I Really Want to Do" [Single Version] (Bob Dylan) – 2:02
6. "You and Me" [Instrumental] (David Crosby/Gene Clark/Jim McGuinn) – 2:11

[edit] Singles

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" b/w "I Knew I'd Want You" (Columbia 43271) 12 April 1965 (US #1, UK #1)
2. "All I Really Want To Do" (alternate version) b/w "Feel A Whole Lot Better" (Columbia 43332) 14 June 1965 (US #40, UK #4)

[edit] Personnel

• Jim McGuinn: Guitars, banjo, vocals.
• Gene Clark: Guitars, percussion, vocals.
• David Crosby: Guitars, vocals.
• Chris Hillman: Bass guitar, mandolin, vocals.
• Michael Clarke: Drums, percussion.

[edit] Additional personnel

• Jerry Cole: Guitars.
• Larry Knechtel: Bass guitar.
• Leon Russell: Bass guitar, Hammond organ.
• Hal Blaine: Drums, percussion.

[edit] Release history

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalog	Notes
United States	June 21, 1965	Columbia	Mono LP	CL 2372
			Stereo LP	CS 9172
	1987		CD	CK 9172
	April 30, 1996	Columbia/Legacy	CD	CK 64845	Remixed stereo plus bonus tracks.
United Kingdom	1965	CBS	Mono LP	BPG 62571
			Stereo LP	SBPG 62571
	May 6, 1996	Columbia/Legacy	CD	COL 483705	Remixed stereo plus bonus tracks.

[edit] Remix information

Mr. Tambourine Man was one of five Byrds albums that were remixed as part of their re-release on Columbia/Legacy. The reason for the remix was stated by Bob Irwin (who produced these re-issues for compact disc) during an interview:

“

The first four Byrds albums had sold so well, and the master tapes used so much that they were at least two, if not three generations down from the original. In most cases, a first-generation master no longer existed. They were basically played to death; they were worn out, there was nothing left of them.

”

He further states:

“

Each album is taken from the original multi-tracks, where they exist, which is in 95% of the cases. We remixed them exactly as they were, without taking any liberties, except for the occasional song appearing in stereo for the first time.

”

Irwin's assertions that no liberties were taken have been proven false in many instances. For one, there is a short section of "Chimes of Freedom" that exists in the stereo remix that never existed in the original mix. The song "Mr. Tambourine Man" appears in a radically different, super-wide stereo remix whereas the original stereo mix was so narrow as to almost be mono. The fades are different on almost every song as well.

Many fans enjoy the remixed album because it's very close to the original mix in most cases and offers noticeably better sound quality. However, there are also a lot of fans who dismiss the remix as revisionist history and prefer to listen to the original mix on vinyl or the 1987 CD release.

[edit] References

• Fricke, David. Liner Notes, Mr. Tambourine Man, Columbia/Legacy CK 64845 1996.
• AllMusicGuide.com
• Whitburn, Joel. "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001," ISBN 0-89820-147-0
• Bob Irwin remarks from ICE #108, March, 1996

v • d • e The Byrds Roger McGuinn | Chris Hillman | David Crosby | Gene Clark | Michael Clarke | Gram Parsons | Kevin Kelley | Clarence White | Gene Parsons | John York | Skip Battin | John Guerin | Joe Lala | Jimmi Seiter Studio albums Mr. Tambourine Man | Turn! Turn! Turn! | Fifth Dimension | Younger Than Yesterday | The Notorious Byrd Brothers | Sweetheart of the Rodeo | Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde | Ballad of Easy Rider | (Untitled) | Byrdmaniax | Farther Along | Byrds Live albums Live at the Fillmore - February 1969 Compilations The Byrds' Greatest Hits | The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II | The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1 | The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2 | Super Hits | The Byrds Play Dylan | The Essential Byrds Box Sets The Byrds | There Is a Season