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The Byrds Greatest Hits is the first compilation by the American rock and roll band, The Byrds, released 1967 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2716 in mono, CS 9516 in stereo. It is the top-selling album in the Byrds catalogue, reaching #6 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1967, certified a platinum-seller by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 21, 1986. In 2003, the album was ranked number 178 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [1]
A summary of the Byrds history during the stays of Gene Clark and David Crosby in the band, this compilation also serves as the survey of the group's hit singles from 1965 to 1967 inclusive, the time when they were a force on the singles chart. Every A-side from this time period appears, with the exceptions of "Set You Free This Time," #79 "Have You Seen Her Face" #74, and "Lady Friend," #82 none of which cracked the Top 40. The set includes three favored album tracks, with the remaining eight singles tracks peaking at the following positions on the Billboard Hot 100: "5D (Fifth Dimension)" #44; "All I Really Want to Do" #40; "Mr. Spaceman" #36; "My Back Pages" #30; "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" #29; "Eight Miles High" #14; "Turn! Turn! Turn!" #1; and "Mr. Tambourine Man" also #1. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better peaked at #103 on the Billboard Singles Chart as the B-Side of All I Really Want To Do. The last three records were among the most innovative and influential of the entire decade, at a time when singles, at least in rock and roll, were as important entities in their own right as albums, and generally more so. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" summed up sixties countercultural 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 sub-genres of folk-rock and psychedelia respectively into the popular music of the day.
Greatest Hits was remixed and remastered at 20-bit resolution as part of the Columbia/Legacy Byrds series, reissued in an expanded form on March 30, 1999. The three bonus tracks included two of the remaining singles from this period, plus the charting B-side "It Won't Be Wrong." It was reissued again in the SACD format, with the same expanded track listing as on the 20-bit remaster, on January 30, 2001. All of the songs on this set appeared as well on the band's first four albums proper.
[edit] Track listing
- "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
- "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes – 3:1-8/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
- "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04
- "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51
- "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
[edit] 1999 Reissue Bonus Tracks
- "It Won't Be Wrong" (Jim McGuinn/Harvey Gerst) – 1:58
- "Set You Free This Time" (David Clark) – 2:49
- "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) – 2:40
[edit] Release history
| Date |
Label |
Format |
Country |
Catalog |
Notes |
| August 7, 1967 |
Columbia |
LP |
US |
CL 2716 |
Original mono release. |
| CS 9516 |
Original stereo release. |
| 1985 |
Columbia |
CD |
US |
CK 9516 |
|
| March 30, 1999 |
Columbia/Legacy |
CD |
US |
CK 66230 |
Reissue containing three bonus tracks and a stereo remix of the entire album. |
[edit] Personnel
- Roger McGuinn, vocals, guitars
- Gene Clark, vocals, tambourine, harmonica
- David Crosby, vocals, guitars
- Chris Hillman, vocals, bass
- Michael Clarke, drums
[edit] Additional personnel
- Van Dyke Parks, keyboards on "5D (Fifth Dimension)"
- Hugh Masekela, trumpet on "So You Want to Be A Rock and Roll Star"
- Jerry Cole, rhythm guitar on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Larry Knechtel, bass on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Hal Blaine, drums on "Mr. Tambourine Man"
[edit] Sources
