The Notorious Byrd Brothers: Remastered

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Notorious Byrd Brothers captures the Byrds between the seminal folk-rock glories of their better-known mid-1960s triumphs and the equally influential country-rock that would soon follow, but the album is no holding action: with one time Beach Boy associate Gary Usher producing and Roy Halee engineering, the band weaves its signature vocal harmonies and chiming guitars through a lusher, more impressionistic art-pop tapestry that stops just short of post-Sgt. Pepper's cliché, employing phased vocals, sound effects, Moog synthesiser, and horns. Thematically, the project pits utopian innocence ("Tribal Gathering", "Dolphins Smile") against a new wariness ("Artificial Energy", a cautionary look at amphetamines, and the Vietnam vignette of "Draft Morning"). In a field of well-paced, inventive songs, the zenith is the silken, wistful "Goin' Back", Carole King's poignant meditation on childhood and innocence. --Sam Sutherland

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Customer reviews

review by: son_of_incestuous_union date: 2007-11-02 rating:
falling apart beautifully
Notorious Byrd Brothers is perhaps best known for the internal rivalry between the band members and the sacking of David Crosby mid-recording. This is the album where individual differences found their voice and the band started to fall apart (although the seeds were sown on the previous album). Notorious seems to benefit from this fracturing of the band's spirit, it is an album of immense beauty; it is melodic and warm, yet clothed in a more wary and questioning outlook on the world. The melancholy that i argue exists in most of the band's work has come to the fore, and prevails in an album that is uneasy and moody; it's relaxing yet slightly dark, innocence ('Dolphin's smile') does battle with scepticism ('Draft Morning', sleepy melodies are punctuated by guitar feedback and moog synthesisers ('wasnt born to follow', 'Change is now', 'tribal gathering'). There is an overriding sense of trouble ahead, or conversely that the unknown awaits, and all this created a thoroughly deep and beautiful record.

The album sees a continuation of the band's sound amidst forays into psychedelia, country, Indian music and a greater sense of sonic experimentation. Their cover of Goffin and King's 'Goin' back' is one of their classic harmonies, despite Crosby's protestation that a cover be included at expense of his rather good 'Triad' (now one of the bonus tracks). Crosby also originally wrote 'Draft Morning', though reworked by the rest of the band when he was sacked, which for me is the album's highlight - a jangling masterpiece of somnolent melancholy. Crosby's presence can also be found on the psychedelic 'Tribal gathering' and the sweet 'Dolphin's smile'.

Although an overriding melodism envelops the album, the trademark jangle is not so prominent, and the album seems to travel at breakneck speed; particularly through the hypnotic and eastern tinged 'Change is now' and the country-esque 'old john robertson'. The album travels so quickly because it is so short, at 29 minutes long it is a little too concise, which is the only reservation i have.

This is my favourite Byrds album because it is very consistent, it is moody and beautiful. It is a soothing album, yet a dark undercurrent carries the album, as if knowing the band would never be the same again. The band took their original sound to new places, through different genres and subject matter; no longer pidgeon holed as just jangle pop, or folk rock; the Byrds made an album that was mature and experimental that explored the possibilities of their existing sound. This for me marks the end of the traditional Byrds sound as McGuinn and Hillman ventured into country, and they were barely a band after this. The jangle slept until 1983!

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review by: We're all Frankies' date: 2006-08-14 rating:
1968's classic succesor to 'Younger than Yesterday'
The Byrds had become a great album-band, releasing the classic '5D' and 'Younger Than Yesterday' sets - the latter their first minus the great Gene Clark. Another exit would occur during this album, as David Crosby walked - later to resurface with Nash and Stills, as well as in a Neil Young-less Buffalo Springield and a supporting player to Joni Mitchell. Despite the drama, this album is as focused and vital as its predecessor, Beach Boys-associate Gary Usher continuing the great work he did on 'Younger...' as producer. The horse on the cover nods to Mr Crosby in case you didn't make out!!!

The 11-track album still stands up wonderfully, the Hillman-McGuinn-Clarke line-up still a potent force with that chemistry that made The Byrds the Byrds, even when most of the original band was gone. The album opens on a strong note with the Hillman-McGuinn-Clarke-penned which like 'Thoughts & Words' seems to question the chemicals of the time, that were ironically captured in songs like '5D', 'Eight Miles High' & 'Renaissance Fair.' I think this is one of the most underrated Byrds songs, a critique of hippydom sometime before Neil Young took the era to task with his 'Doom Trilogy.' The music advances on the jazz-inflected 'So You Want to Be a Rock'N'Roll Star' - I'm sure that I'm not the only person to think this sounds like Beck, almpst thirty years before Mr Hansen would appear!!! Fans of 'Odelay' should love it...

As anyone who has heard 'Turn Turn Turn' or 'Mr Tambourine Man' will attest, The Byrds were great interpreters of other people's compositions and 'The Notorious...' features two great takes on Goffin-King tracks 'Goin' Back' (almost as sublime as Dusty's version) & 'Wasn't Born to Follow' - which has that killer psych-guitar solo and featured in a key scene in 'Easy Rider.' The band were certainly on the hippy trail, which explains Hillman's utopic 'Natural Harmony', Crosby & Hillman's 'Tribal Gathering' (more 'Renaissance Fair' than Altamont), & the lovely 'Dolphin's Smile.' Now I wouldn't normally recommend a song that goes on about dolphins - Prince did an awful one, and so did Terrorvision, and I recall seeing a Crosby-Nash-Stills concert where they did a porpoise-related number...but 'Dolphin's Smile' is gorgeous and reminds me of a tale found in Heroditus' 'The Histories.' McGuinn, meanwhile was following the SF-tip previously evident on 'Mr Spaceman' and 'CTA-102', his 'Space Odyssey' preceding Kubrick and Bowie and nodding to the short-story Arthur C. Clarke wrote, 'The Sentinel.'

These are not the best moments, I've always loved 'Get To You', which seems a gorgeous overlooked song in the Byrds' canon - makes me think of the country stuff that followed and Arthur Lee at the same time. A re-recorded version of 'Old John Robertson' (found as a bonus cut on 'Younger Than Yesterday') is a joy, sort of the folk Byrds with Van Dyke Parks-Wilson-George Martin-pretentsions. The best song on the album proper remains 'Draft Morning', apparently penned by Crosby, Hillman and McGuinn - though there is some dispute. It advances on the musical climes of earlier tracks like 'Everybody's Been Burned' and 'Here Without You' and is a gorgeous elegy and reflection of the war in Vietnam. It's certainly up there with Dennis Wilson's lost classic 'Carry Me Home.'

The bonus tracks certainly aren't as great as those on 'Younger...' , three instrumentals and two alternate takes of album tracks. The only key moment being Crosby's 'Triad', which like his earlier 'Lady Friend', failed to make a Byrds album. Probably as well as it's a rather rude song that would influence the title of Big Star's 'Sister Lovers' and had more in common with Crosby's solo classic recorded with members of the New Purple Sage a year or so later. In all, another great Byrds album and one to file alongside '5D', 'Younger Than Yesterday', 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo', 'Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde' & 'Untitled/Unissued.'

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review by: jamesmcintyre42 date: 2005-05-02 rating:
Stratospheric!!
Is there such a word?..i`m not sure but it certainly describes this record,,the Byrds were at the height of their power on this one...contrary to previous beleif Gene Clark did contribute and should have had a writing credit for Get to You..but if you are into 60`s West Coast,psychadelia or top notch pop rock then this is an essential album

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review by: date: 2004-01-05 rating:
What it should have been...
Running for just over 28 minutes the original LP release of this, arguably the best of the Byrds' albums justified the adage that "less is more". Side one flowed seamlessly from "Artificial Energy" to "Get To You" and was a brilliant example of just how to integrate a suite of songs into a satisfying whole. Featuring superb production from Gary Usher, faultless harmonies and (for the time) highly innovative instrumental breaks it ranks as one of the most impressive LP sides ever made. Side two continued in exactly the same vein for the first four tracks (and a full ten minutes!) before hitting a serious brick wall with the dull, ponderous and wholly incongruous "Space Odyssey", leaving the listener with the distinct impression that something had gone horribly wrong or that they had just ran out of songs.

Both conclusions were true and the bonus tracks on the remastered versions of "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" and "Younger Than Yesterday" provide the answer. Cut out "Space Odyssey" and put David Crosby's "Lady Friend" (from "Younger Than Yesterday") as the opener to side two and his "Triad" (from "The Notorious Byrd Brothers") as its closer and... bingo... everything fits, both sides work and the album is transformed into a true masterpiece.

Recorded in the same period as the other tracks on the album, both songs rank up there with the best of Crosby's compositions and were presumably rejected from it as a result of his acrimonious departure part way through its production. A serious case of group politics at its very worst, and an album that should, but alas will probably never be reissued with this track listing as evidence of just how good it should/could have been.


review by: Your FILM DEITY date: 2003-04-12 rating:
fabulous
Such tender music created in such an atrocious situation. Back in 1967 the byrds recorded their masterpiece album, full of beautiful songwriting and hauting harmonies, but behind the scenes they were bickering like children. Before the album was originally released David Crosby was fired (his songwriting credits are minimal but excellent) and shortly after michael clark left also. So what are we to expect from such an album...an aimless ego-tripping bloated beast..nope a quite beautiful charming record in fact. The real beauty comes not just from the harmonies that one can only compare to the beach boys but from the way that david and roger seem to caress their guitars inot creating some of the most lovely textured guitar work I can think of. Get to you, and the fantastic dolphin's smile are highlights, but surely the albums greatest treasure is the beautful goin' back.
The outtakes show what terrible choices the byrds often made (the ommision of triad is criminal) but are probably best listened to separately from the rest of the album.
Check the hidden track at the end of the cd to hear some of the arguing that I mentioned earlier, it's excruciating.

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