| History of The Byrds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest hits album by The Byrds | ||||
| Released | May 18, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | January 20, 1965 – July 27, 1971 | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop, folk rock, psychedelic rock, country rock | |||
| Length | 1:20:00 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Producer | Terry Melcher, Allen Stanton, Gary Usher, Bob Johnston, Jim Dickson, Chris Hinshaw, The Byrds | |||
| The Byrds chronology | ||||
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History of The Byrds is a budget priced, double album compilation by the American rock band The Byrds and was released on May 18, 1973 by CBS Records (see 1973 in music).[1] The compilation was released exclusively in Europe and the UK, peaking at #47 on the UK Albums Chart, but it was also available in the United States as an import.[2][3] The album provides a chronological survey of the band's career from 1965 to 1971, a period when they were signed to Columbia Records.[3] It begins with The Byrds' debut single on Columbia, "Mr. Tambourine Man", and culminates with their final single release for the label, "America's Great National Pastime".[1][4] History of The Byrds features the first appearance on an LP of the non-album single "Lady Friend" and the 1965 B-side, "She Don't Care About Time".[3][5][6]
The album was issued to coincide with the reunion of the original members of The Byrds and the release of a reunion album, titled Byrds, in March 1973. However, none of the tracks from the 1973 reunion album were included on History of The Byrds, due to that album having appeared on Asylum Records rather than on Columbia.[1] At the time of its release, History of The Byrds was the most comprehensive overview of the band's recorded output available.[3] Every variation of The Byrds' ever changing line-up is represented within the album's song selection and as such, it provides a survey of the band's musical journey from their days as folk rock and psychedelic rock pioneers through to their later exploration of country rock.[7] Many of the band's biggest selling singles are included, along with a number of their best known album tracks. Consequently, the album includes musical contributions from all of the key players in The Byrds' convoluted history, including Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, and the group's only consistent member, Roger McGuinn.
The album's front cover made use of a David Gahr photograph featuring the last line-up of The Byrds to be represented on the album: Roger McGuinn, Skip Battin, Gene Parsons, and Clarence White.[8] The same photograph had already been used for the cover of the U.S. compilation album The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II just six months earlier.[8] The back cover included liner notes by Kim Fowley and the inside gatefold sleeve of the double vinyl LP featured Pete Frame's "Byrds Family Tree".[3] This intricately-detailed flowchart traced the group's roots and complicated membership history over the years.[1]
Despite being one of the band's biggest selling compilations in Europe, History of The Byrds went out of print in the early 1990s and has never been released on CD.
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