(Untitled) / (Unissued)
The Byrds
Epic / Legacy Records, 1970
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/02/2000
Dan Smith has been doing a great job looking at the recent slew
of re-issues from The Byrds - so I hope he won't mind if I cut in
on the dance for a moment.
You see, while I've appreciated the work of Roger McGuinn and
crew, I never really developed a major fascination with the band.
Over the years, I've picked up the occasional used Byrds record,
but due to time constraints (as well as the fact my daughter always
wants to play "Chutes And Ladders"), these platters have sat idly
in the halls of the Pierce Memorial Archives.
I recently was sent one of the latest reissues,
(Untitled) / (Unissued), the group's 1970 return-to-form
release that re-established the band as a serious musical force -
even if the band was teetering toward their eventual dissolution. I
have the original two-record set in the Archives - and, yes, it's
one of the records that has been collecting dust. But after
listening to this two-CD set, I've spent a relaxing afternoon
kicking myself in the ass - and I mean with steel-toe boots - for
not realizing just how good McGuinn and company could be.
If you only listen to the originally-issued material on disc
one, you're still ahead of the game. A combination of live tracks
and new studio recordings, The Byrds - McGuinn, Clarence White,
Gene Parsons and Skip Battin - remind people real quickly that
while this isn't the same band that recorded hits like "Mr.
Tambourine Man," they still were a powerful band that demanded to
be dealt with. Quite a bit of the Dylan-like folk influence was
gone (even though there's still plenty of homage paid to Dylan's
songs here), as was most of the country-rock that McGuinn
eventually found favor in (again, there's spatterings here).
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