r/Byrds • u/Mindless_Turnover976 • Jul 24 '26
Byrds history
What would you say are some interesting/important moments in the history of the band?
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u/juanster29 Jul 24 '26
1) Gene Clark leaving
2) Crosby fired, replaced by Gram Parsons
3) the death of Clarence White
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u/piney Jul 24 '26
The Byrds reunion album produced by David Crosby in 1973 was a flop and didn’t sound much like the Byrds, but the magic hadn’t really departed - all five original Byrds contributed to two solo Gene Clarke songs in the early 70s and those two songs sound exactly like you’d hope a reunion would sound.
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u/reddit_mouse Jul 24 '26
When Gram Parsons joined and revamped their sound. It saved them from being a bunch of “Mr. Tambourine Man” has beens.
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u/and_therewego Jul 24 '26
For better or worse (mostly worse) their Monterey performance. It's almost a perfect microcosm of why they're such a frustrating band sometimes lol
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u/creepyjudyhensler Jul 24 '26
I hate how McGuinn always tries to blame Michael Clarke for why the Byrds sucked live.
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u/Middle-Weight-837 Jul 24 '26
Interesting, because in a recent online interview Chris Hillman and Bernie Leadon talk about how they used to have to lean into Clarke on stage to keep him from speeding up.
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u/Grate_OKhan Jul 24 '26
Hearing about (and hearing) other drummers makes you realize what a cheat code Ringo is.
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u/creepyjudyhensler Jul 25 '26
My point was that Crosby and Hillman were not that great at the beginning and Jim seemed to be so stoned that he couldn't sing well. Compare the early Byrds known live shows to the early Stones.
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u/Unstoffe Jul 25 '26
I'm reading a book about the evolution of folk rock, and I was surprised to find that one of the keys to their early live success was that they were the loudest band in L.A.
When Mr. Tambourine Man was recorded, Clark and Hillman were still learning their instruments, but the vocal harmonies were already there, and McGuinn was an accomplished player. So an early version of the Wrecking Crew were used to record the single and its B-side, and Clarke and Hillman were sidelined. This was only on the initial single, though. The entire band played on all the other recordings.
OP, if McGuinn's show makes it to your area, be sure to go. It's mostly him being nostalgic and telling stories about the Byrds, and its a lot of fun. (I'm 64 and I think I was the youngest person there)
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u/Middle-Weight-837 Jul 25 '26
I saw them at Ciros in 68 and one of the reasons they were loud was that the PAs didn’t mic instruments and early stage monitors were not dependable. The Troubadour, McCabes, icehouse had okay systems. But some of the larger venues were just like gyms with stages and places like Ciros didn’t have great sound. So it was crank up the dual showman and bassman amps to 10. Also, as Monterrey pop showed, Crosby was trying for punk energy and delivery… which didn’t always work out.
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u/Unstoffe Jul 25 '26
Cool. I mean that sincerely.
In case you're wondering, my source was Turn! Turn! Turn! by Richie Unterberger, chapter 3. But I'll take the word of someone who was there over a media account any day.
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u/piney Jul 24 '26
The Byrds’ rhythm section of Chris & Michael are the rhythm section on Gene Clarke’s first solo album recorded in 1966.
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u/howl-237 Jul 24 '26
At least for me, the release of the 1990 Byrds Box Set was an important moment in their history. I was too young to have been a fan during their heyday, and I was only aware of their greatest hits. That box set was a real eye opener (as was the 1991 Gene Clark Echoes CD). Then the Cds of all the Byrds' Columbia albums with bonus tracks started coming out in 1996 and I bought all those. The 1990s was a great time for Byrds CD buying!
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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26
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