Byrds - Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971
|
List Price: Our Price: $12.93 You Save: $6.01 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $12.25 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971
Free Music Review: Now You Have The Evidence
Hit: 5 Stars
For 37 years now the only official document of The Byrds live has been the 1970 recording: "Untitled", {recently expanded to: Untitled/Unissued}. As "Untitled" only hints at the might & majesty that surrounds this version of musicians called: The Byrds, many of us have emptied our wallets on high-priced bootlegs such as: "Live In Amsterdam 1970" and "Two Tea For Two" {"Boston Tea Party, Feb 1969"}. The reason that poor-quality recordings of this edition of The Byrds have been so popular for close to 40 years now, is simple...This band was known around the world as one of the greatest live bands of their time {1969-1972}. Now, because of nothing more than a: "Chance-in-a-Million" and 37 years on, we can Listen and judge for ourselves.
Sound quality is not stellar here, and some postings are on the attack over that issue. But, by the cold hard digital standards of 2008, this tape of variable quality improves as the show unfolds and the mix is corrected in the concert hall on the soundboard by the only way possible in 1971, with the soundman's own two hands. Sundazed Records, must really worked on this tape to get it to sound this good, {they are known as true Byrds fans there} and I thank them for their work on this recording.
What about the music? Well, this track listing looks like all the usual suspects are present: "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Eight Miles High" & "My Back Pages", but be prepared to be a little surprised with a fresh acoustic take on "Tambourine Man" and the longest and finest captured version of: "Eight Miles High", where it all sounds 'On' at long last! {sorry "Untitled" fans, this one has a better flow and soars above the Felt Forum version from 1970}.
Why is this considered the best live bunch of: "Byrdmen"? Well, Roger McGuinn and Clarence White get much {and they have earned it!}praise for the meshing of their guitar playing styles{Folk-Rock meets Bluegrass-Country}, but the real secret weapons of this CD are found in the bass playing of Skip Batton and the percussion of Gene Parsons. This is a tight rhythm section that holds this all together and always plays interesting passages that entertain but never bore. The jam on "Eight Miles High is focused and stands the test of mulitple plays because these guys know WHAT to play and they know WHAT NOT to play. Like the best jazz musicians these Byrds can Fly, and they Fly high on this night in London.
There is a lot of musical history covered here in these 19 Songs. From the traditional a cappella rendition of: "Amazing Grace", just like it would have sounded in a small church 150 Years ago, on to the space/country of: "Mr. Spaceman" that takes such an refreshing take on this 1966 hit that it's almost like a brand new tune. The album tracks: "I Trust" and "Truck Stop Girl" blow their studio cousins right outta the water and sound so good here. It has been a while since a live album has been this great from start to finish {with the exception of the live CD by Gene Clark: "Silverado 75", released in May of this year}.
The Byrds were amazing to me when I was listening to: "Younger Than Yesterday" way back in 1968, and now in 2008 they are amazing once more.
You can live with the sound quality, this is a fantastic CD...
FIVE STARS !!!
Free Music Review: One of the Best
Hit: 5 Stars
The Byrds were the first great American rock band of the sixties, and almost certainly the most influential American rock band ever. They redefined rock music with their debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" in early 1965, and again with "Eight Miles High" in 1966, but by 1969, Roger McGuinn was the only original Byrd remaining in the group. McGuinn recruited bluegrass and session guitar wizard Clarence White to join the group full time and carried on under the Byrds name. Having lost three tremendously talented singer/songwriters in Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman (as well as short-time Byrd Gram Parsons), the five studio albums recorded between 1969 and 1972 by the McGuinn/White version of the Byrds tended to be inconsistent (despite some definite high points).
However, these latter day Byrds, especially White, were no less than terrific when performing live and this album may be the definitive document of those performances.
White's guitar playing is absolutely terrific. Although White's guitar mastery has always been well known by both bluegrass and rock insiders, he has never seemed to achieve the public acclaim of Hendrix, Clapton, or Page. Maybe that's because those Byrd albums were inconsistent, or because he approached the guitar from a bluegrass, rather than blues, perspective. But White was at least as technically proficient as any rock guitarist, and this album proves that he was also tremendously inventive.
Although McGuinn's guitar playing doesn't display the kind of warm individuality of his "classic" Byrds period, his singing and guitar playing is certainly complementary to White's. Indeed, McGuinn's performance is smart and inventive, and highly enjoyable throughout.
And the rhythm section of Skip Battin (bass) and Gene Parsons (drums) work beautifully with the two guitarists.
Although this album bears a number of similarities to the live portion of Untitled, there are actually a number of subtle and not so subtle differences. The most obvious difference is that this is presented as a complete (or near complete) show, whereas Untitled is presented as "highlights" from two or three shows. Because of that, and perhaps because this wasn't recorded specifically for release, this performance has a much warmer, more spontaneous feel to it. The song performances themselves seem to be more relaxed, personal, and inventive than those on Untitled. The (short) acoustic set is surprisingly enjoyable. And, on at least few songs, the vocal harmonies, while certainly not reminicient of "classic" Byrd harmonies, are excellent.
On the bad side, the sound quality on the first track does seem to be less than ideal. And "Eight Miles High", similar to on Untitled, is about eight miles (minutes) longer than ideal. But these are minor quibles.
This is a great live album from a great live band.
Hopefully, McGuinn will continue to release more great live material from throughout his career.
Free Music Review: Excellent concert of wide-ranging music
Hit: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this CD for fans of the "cosmic American music" that McGuinn and company created by moving through several styles in one concert -- country-rock, bluegrass, folk-rock, rock-and-roll, blues, and even what we'd now call jam-band music.
They play some of the Byrds' hits, like "Mr. Tambourine Man," "My Back Pages," "You Ain't Going Nowhere," "Eight Miles High," "Mr. Spaceman," "So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star," and "Chestnut Mare," but they don't just give you a re-hash of the studio records. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is done as part of an acoustic set, "Eight Miles High" is played as a lengthy jam, and the others are supplemented by guitar interplay between Roger McGuinn and virtuoso Clarence White that often goes way beyond the studio versions.
As mentioned, there's an acoustic set in the middle of the proceedings, which provides nice variety to the flow of the show. McGuinn and White play stellar acoustic bluegrass on "Black Mountain Rag/Soldier's Pay," and they also perform Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd" (featuring Roger on banjo), as well as another song associated with Guthrie, "Take a Whiff on Me." During the electric portion, they play bluesman Jimmy Reed's "Baby, What You Want Me To Do" and the Chuck Berry classic "Roll Over Beethoven," so this is clearly not a band that's limiting itself to the "folk-rock" or "country-rock" labels often applied to it. The show is wrapped up with an a capella "Amazing Grace." Quite a performance.
Sundazed has done its usual superb job of finding great material for us to hear, and the sound quality here, while not perfect, is very good -- much, much better than you might expect from a tape that sat in Roger McGuinn's garage for over 35 years.
Highly recommended -- five stars.
(Note: I retracted an earlier review that mentioned a technical problem with the first copies of this CD that I obtained. Apparently, the problem with them was just bad luck, because I now have a copy of this excellent disc that plays perfectly.)
Free Music Review: Holy Cow, Where Did THIS Come From?!?!
Hit: 5 Stars
"Everything is already out there," one reviewer complained when the second boxed set was released.
Well, it wasn't and isn't.
Seemingly out of nowhere here is lots lots more. The post-Sweetheart Byrds red hot and live at Albert Hall, seriously tearing into one great performance after another on a night when everything seems to have gone right.
This band is on fire with no time for dead air. One great performance follows quickly on the heels of the last, as if they can't wait to nail the next one.
And the sound quality... Okay, not perfect but consistently solid and better than anyone had a right to expect. When it really gets right it threads the eye of a needle and, whoa, you're in the front row.
The 1969-72 Byrds have been described as a "solid rock and roll band with an honest country heart" -- they were, and their sound is timeless.
Happily so is the material....
Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do", Jackson Browne's "Jamaica Say You Will," Lowell George's "Truck Stop Girl", Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd," Ledbelly's "Take A Whiff on Me," Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven..."
Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages," "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," and an almost bluegrass performance of "Mr. Tambourine Man."
McGuinn's finest post-Sweetheart compositions are here - "Lover Over the Bayou" and "Chestnut Mare", along with his earlier hits and a lovely delivery of "I Trust."
And the "Eight Miles High" jam. I swear that's "Old Blue" in the opening, but it quickly takes off to places unknown. Happily, this time McGuinn and Clarence don't take such a long cigarette break and leave Skip and Gene hanging...
Since this arrived I've either been listening to it or wishing I was...
Thank you, Jim Roger McGuinn, and Camilla too.
This is a keeper, and a nicely packaged one too.
Free Music Review: I think I'm going back to the things that I learned so well in my youth
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of those innocent pleasures that one can afford to consume in one's later years without any guilt whatsoever while ruing the years that the subject has been under wraps in Roger McGuinn's archives.
I will leave others to discuss individual tracks while I make the claim to how like the Grateful Dead the Byrds really were on this showing. The differences are clear, whilst the Dead gre from their blues based background the Byrds arose from the folk tradition but here, in this fines concert marred only by a minor sound glitch in the first track, the similarities are there for all to see and hear.
Marvel how America has produced two bands who outgrew their simple origins to become the greatest evangelists for the broad spectrum of music that has emerged from the United States in it's brief history. Marvel at their adaptions and restorations of folk and country and bluegrass while having the talent and capability to perform outside of the boundaries of the simple folk song.
Of course both bands look to Bob Dylan at various times in their careers to provide the vivid lyrics which capture so much and evoke much more but which they in turn reflect and refract back out to the broader audiences.
This album spans many decades in it's short span and presents them afresh. Whilst I mourn the space between the recording and it's eventual release it reminds me of much that has been lost in the intervening years and how we will probably never see the likes of the Byrds and the Dead again in their ability to transcend styles and forms and bring into the fold many from differing subclasses of the popular idiom together.
I commend this album to the pantheon of excellent albums.