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The Byrds' Greatest Hits

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The Byrds' Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released on August 7, 1967 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2716 in mono, CS 9516 in stereo.[1] It is the top-selling album in the Byrds catalogue[2] and reached #6 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart[3] but failed to break into the United Kingdom charts. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America within a year of its release,[1] eventually being certified platinum on November 21, 1986.[4] In 2003, the album was ranked number 178 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[5]

The album provides a summary of The Byrds' history during Gene Clark and David Crosby's tenure with the band and also functions as a survey of the group's hit singles from 1965 to 1967, a period when the band had its greatest amount of success on the singles chart.[6] Every U.S. A-side from this period is included on the album (with the exceptions of "Set You Free This Time", "Have You Seen Her Face" and "Lady Friend"), along with three of the band's more important album tracks, including Clark's classic "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better".[6]

The eight tracks on the album that had been singles peaked at the following positions on the Billboard Hot 100: "5D (Fifth Dimension)" #44; "All I Really Want to Do" #40; "Mr. Spaceman" #36; "My Back Pages" #30; "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" #29; "Eight Miles High" #14; "Turn! Turn! Turn!" #1; and "Mr. Tambourine Man" #1.[7] The last three records were widely influential during the 1960s, at a time when singles, at least in pop music, were as important in their own right as albums, and generally more so.[2] "Turn! Turn! Turn!" summed up sixties counter-cultural values as much as "Blowin' in the Wind", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" or "All You Need Is Love," while "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Eight Miles High" helped to introduce the sub-genres of folk-rock and psychedelia respectively into the popular music of the day.[1]

Greatest Hits was first remastered in 1991, when it was reissued with an additional eight bonus tracks taken from The Byrds' post Younger Than Yesterday career (a period not covered by the original album). It was remastered again at 20-bit resolution as part of the Columbia/Legacy Byrds series and reissued in an expanded and remixed form on March 30, 1999.[8] The three bonus tracks on the 1999 reissue included two of the remaining singles from The Byrds' 1965 - 1967 career, plus the #63 charting B-side "It Won't Be Wrong".[2] The album was reissued again in the SACD format on January 30, 2001, with the same expanded track listing as on the 20-bit remaster.[9] All of the songs on the original Greatest Hits album can also be found on the band's first four albums, Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Fifth Dimension and Younger Than Yesterday.[1]

Track listing

Side 1

  1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:29
  2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) – 2:32
  3. "The Bells of Rhymney" (Idris Davies, Pete Seeger) – 3:30
  4. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes – 3:1-8/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
  5. "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04
  6. "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) – 3:51

Side 2

  1. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 3:34
  2. "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:09
  3. "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:33
  4. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 1:50
  5. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08

1991 Reissue Bonus Tracks

  2. "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:08
  3. "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 5:07
  4. "I Trust" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:17
  5. "Lady Friend" (David Crosby) – 2:35
  6. "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan) – 3:16
  7. "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:02
  8. "Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:03

1999 Reissue Bonus Tracks

  2. "It Won't Be Wrong" (Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 1:58
  3. "Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) – 2:49
  4. "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) – 2:40

Release history

Date Label Format Country Catalog Notes
August 7, 1967 Columbia LP US CL 2716 Original mono release.
CS 9516 Original stereo release.
October 20, 1967 CBS LP UK BPG 63107 Original mono release.
SBPG 63107 Original stereo release.
1976 Embassy LP UK EMB 31381
1985 Columbia CD US CK 9516 Original CD release.
1985 CBS LP UK 32068
1985 CBS CD UK CDCBS 32068
1991 Columbia CD US 467843 2 Titled Greatest Hits: Re-Mastered with alternate cover and eight bonus tracks.
1991 Sony LP UK COL 467843 1 Titled Greatest Hits: Re-Mastered with alternate cover.
1991 Sony CD UK COL 468316 2 Titled Greatest Hits: 18 Classics Remastered with alternate cover and eight bonus tracks.
March 30, 1999 Columbia/Legacy CD US CK 66230 Reissue containing three bonus tracks and a stereo remix of the entire album.
January 30, 2001 Columbia/Legacy CD US CS 66230 SACD reissue containing three bonus tracks and a stereo remix of the entire album.

Personnel

  • Roger McGuinn, vocals, guitars
  • Gene Clark, vocals, tambourine, harmonica
  • David Crosby, vocals, guitars
  • Chris Hillman, vocals, bass
  • Michael Clarke, drums

Additional personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c d Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. ISBN 0-95295-401-X.
  2. ^ a b c Rogan, Johnny. (1999). The Byrds' Greatest Hits (1999 CD liner notes).
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel. (2002). Top Pop Albums 1955-2001. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-147-0.
  4. ^ Byrds' Greatest Hits search item "The Byrds' Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2006-06-17. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  6. ^ a b "The Byrds' Greatest Hits review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  7. ^ "The Byrds chart data". Ultimate Music Database. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  8. ^ "The Byrds Discography - Compilations". Byrds Flyght. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  9. ^ "The Byrds' Greatest Hits SACD review". Music Tap. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
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