Editorial Review

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Reviews (1303)

5 stars because there aren't 6
I am so glad that Apple finally has gapless playback in iTunes 7.0 because I can finally hear this album in the way it is intended: no gaps and seamless segue between songs. I will have to buy one of the new iPods to get the same effect mobiile-wise.
"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way"
'Dark Side of the Moon' marks the point where Pink Floyd were catapulted from being a decent size rock/psychadelic band with a healthy following, into the realms of musical immortality. This album is an astonishing and groundbreaking achievement in terms of both its musical, and lyrical content.
I wish I could give this less than 5 stars, but...
it's too damn good.Dark Side of the Moon, perhaps more so than any other album in rock and roll history, tends to be liked because of a certain cool factor (possibly tied with Nevermind and Zeppelin IV).Every stoner and wannabe stoner will put this in their top 5 and say things like "It's a trip,maaaaan", while making to sure to wear a Dark Side T-shirt to let everybody know they have cool status.Nevertheless, I must give credit where it is due, and this truly is one of the most innovative and pleasing works of the past 50 years.In fact, the only Pink Floyd album that tops it IMO is The Wall, which I would rank as the single greatest album of all time.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Art-Rock/Experimental    3. England    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Synthesizer   

Editorial Review

The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Read more

Reviews (988)

pass me the pipe bro
this is genuine drug addix muzak, come together is sexist theme, the sun king is slang for heroin, you only give me your funny paper is a hint at LSD use, so this spells out a terrible disgusting and bad influence on your clean mind. I have also always hated the cover and now I see why.
It doesn't get any better than this..
The Beatles last album just happens to be their best. Only the Beatles could get together one last time, dispite all the personal acrimony and substance abuse, and deliver the ultimate timeless swan song.
plus one more star if you please.
All I can tell you is that this is the way a swansong SHOULD sound.Even though they had major issues amongst each other at this time,they along with producer George Martin put out one hell of an album.This time around George Harrison came up with two of his best in "Something" and (my favorite song on the album) "Here Comes The Sun".Although John's heart wasn't truly in it,he still contributed "Come Together" and "She's So Heavy".Both songs are John Lennon classics .Paul's major additives were the infamous second side/second half medley,and a McCartney classic in "You Never Give Me Your Money" and it's reprise during the medley.It's mind boggling how a group can evolve from "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to "Here Comes The Sun" in six years.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    9. Psychedelic    10. Rock    11. Rock & Roll    12. Rock/Pop    13. Sunshine Pop   

Editorial Review

Rank 'em how you like, Read more

Reviews (569)

a killjoy CD
This rubbish is trually an killjoy CD, what with no hi-pitched girls voices and sexy rhythms??? you call that music?? you must be mad for starters and crazy on top of that. One good song : Think for yourself, but don't care much for the performances at all.
Rock + Folk + Beatles = GREAT!
Although I don't own this album, my dad does and I listen to it all the time. Songs like "I'm Looking Through You", "Drive My Car", "Wait", and "The Word" rock! Other soft songs like "In My Life", "Nowhere Man", "Norwegian Wood", and "Michelle" are good to. So if you don't already have it, go out and get it!

RUBBER SOUL IS AS REAL AS IT GETS
I purchased this album in 1966 and was blown away, but first had to readjust from the Fab's earlier works and learn to appreciate how different Rubber Soul was from Help, yet still analogous. I mean, we all knew it was the Beatles when I've Just Seen A Face (American release) leaped into our ears upon our first listen, but they had transcended their classic sound a year earlier, surpassing anything they or anyone else had come close to perfecting prior to Rubber Soul. I'm still marveled by these lads, who were in their early 20's during the time Rubber Soul was composed and recorded, and their incredible sophistication for only being barely out of their teens. It's always been difficult for me to listen to anything new without comparing it to their standards. I guess that's not a grumble. I was so lucky to be elevated to this level of music appreciation at such an early age that it has forever changed my manner of thinking. This is one heck of a classy album and my fave forever! It just keeps getting better with every listen. If I may borrow John's line - "In my life...I love them more!" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bass    2. British Invasion    3. England    4. Folk-Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop    11. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Better known as the "White Album," this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have Read more

Reviews (937)

panhandling the cu*ts
Hi, my name's Joao, I have heard anything by this group from Starclub in Hamburg sessions to Twickenham outtakes and beyond to the Ringo Rotogravure and Wings @ the speed of sound and although this bunch is familiar for burning holes in people's pockets with their trite melodies (i would suggest maladies) and nonexistant depth in lyrics (think: 'I once had a girl', 'one to three four can I have a little more' and for instance 'because you're sweet and lovely girl I love you').
The greatest album from the greatest band
If I were trapped on a deserted island for eternity and could only have one album with me to pass the time, it would be the White Album. It is the most diverse, interesting and well crafted album ever made. The songs range from rock to country to surfer rock to heavy metal to folk to camp to progressive to the just plain weird. The unparelled songwriting genius of Lennon and McCartney is well on display here as is there obvious differences in style. Harrison also emerges on the White Album and showcases his best song ever "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Some may point to "Sgt Pepper" as the Beatles crowning achievement, I point directly and emphatically to the White Album.
4 Stars means excellent...
First off, let's get one thing straight, the star ratings are as follows...
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Baroque Pop    3. British Psychedelia    4. England    5. Folk-Rock    6. Hard Rock    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Popular Music    10. Psychedelic    11. Rock    12. Rock & Roll    13. Rock/Pop    14. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (776)

Landmark
If all documentation of music was destroyed (99% of today's music should be anyways)this album would be the only blueprint needed for an ALBUM.

Definitely the best
Even more than Pepper, I think this was the album that changed pop music forever. I was in the UK and a teen at the time, and I have to admit it took several listenings and a healthy dose of illegal srimulants to figure it out. Today the music is still revolutionary and I no longer need the stimulants (sniff) but it ranks as one of the best 5 albums of all time

Whose Top 10?
I've no designs on being iconoclastic or a hater or anything like that, so before you read on, please understand that. I fully understand that Beatles fans can be a fanatically loyal bunch who back up their beliefs with scores of critical support from the "experts" who have annointed the Beatles as kings of rock and roll music and innovators of all sorts of styles, production values, and other musical milestones. One reviewer even had the audacity to say that this album was "unquestionably" one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century. Well, I certainly question it. Am I able to say that "Road to Ruin" by The Ramones is unquestionably one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century as well? Why not? It's all subjective no matter how much one wants to convey their expertise. This album is good but there are dozens I'd rather hear instead and that criterion alone is the sole one I use to rate albums. As with so much of the Beatles, a bit less of the excessive banner waving and veneration would be a nice change.
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Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. Drums    4. England    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Proving yet again their willingness to dice 'n' slice their burgeoning legacy into new--if not exactly fresh--product, the Fab Four Minus One have released this single-disc compendium of their No. 1 hits. Though obviously superfluous to the faithful (who may also find themselves quibbling over the precise definition of "No. 1 hit" and the exclusion of seeming contenders like "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields"), newly arrived visitors from the Pleiades star cluster and other neophytes will find it a concise and generous (nearly 80 minutes) single-disc introduction to the band's career-spanning, unparalleled dominance of pop music in the 1960s. But beyond being a mere trophy case of commercial success (and it won't be hard to find critics who'll argue that these singles aren't even the band's best work), it's also a Read more

Reviews (1078)

the idiots ruined it for themselves
these idiots ruined it for themselves. Hello dearest friends, yes that's the title of my review. Why, you ask? Well that's a hard one.
parents beware!!! rock music sucks!
parents beware. One moment it is I wanna hold your hand and the next it is forceful sex. One moment it is from me to you and the next it is a shrapnel wound. On Monday it is Can't buy me love and on Friday it's a harem and a broken marriage.
An apt title.
I understand why the Beatles are the top sellers in rock music as they suck. They only made about two decent songs in their "Hey Jude" a pretty song, and "Ballad Of John And Yoko". The sixties was a horrible decade of rock music. I would have to be said that only very few good songs came out in the sixties, which one of them is Neil Young's "Down By The River".
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Britain    3. British Invasion    4. British Psychedelia    5. Folk-Rock    6. Merseybeat    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Psychedelic    10. Rock    11. Rock & Roll    12. Rock/Pop    13. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

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Features

• Deluxe Edition

Reviews (1051)

The Cornerstone Of All That Came Behind It
My title says it all.As a music historian, the release of this album is one of my top 10 moments in the history of recorded music, because it did something that only a handful of other albums ever did - it changed the entire industry.Until 1967, albums by "youth-oriented" artists were rarely more than collections of singles and never seemed to have much flow or continuity - in other words, nothing more than miniature greatest hits collections.But on June 1 of 1967, the Beatles changed everything.Other artists were expanding their horizons as well - the Beach Boys had released Pet Sounds, a bold experiment of sounds mixed with songwriting we had never realized was possible from a young artist.But the mammoth success of Sergeant Pepper would make other albums like this marketable - and it would lead to other recording stars to become artists as much as entertainers.
or better, none!
One star is waaaaaaaaaaaay too much for this funny fart CD,
yes, you read right: ONE star
Hi dear muzak lovers, yes, you read right: ONE star for this CD is ab-so-lutely enough, no actually it is over the top for try listening to this junk without dangerous mind-altering substatiaries and you're left out in the cold. NO ONE should even dare to attempt to digest this collection of laughable concoctions like Fixin' a Whole (drug related), She's leaving her home (because of a drug habit) and Within and without you (sexual lust caused by bad trip), Good morning (a wake up call to use drugs), LSD (need I say even more????)
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Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Features

• Hybrid SACD

Reviews (300)

Greatest Album of all time.
I'm not sure if I like the new cover art, but this album will stand the test of time as being the greatest piece Rock n' Roll ever. I havn't heard this version but I'm sure that the audio is just fine for your average listener. The great audiophiles of the world can disect the sounds to death, but if you turn it up (on a decent stereo) I'm sure it sounds better than on vinyl. Who are these people with super hearing anyway?? Are they memebers of the canine family??

Sounds great, to me
I don't understand what everyone's gripe is about the sound of this disc, I think it sounds really great. Anyway, "Dark Side Of The Moon" is a masterpiece by Pink Floyd, it really captures their brilliance. I would not hesitate to recommend this version to anyone looking for "Dark Side Of The Moon", it's as good, if not better than the original recording. I'm pleased with it, all of the songs are great, though I think "Money" and "Brain Damage" are my favorites. But, it's all great. Highly recommended.

5 stars for the music - 1 for the format
The "Dark Side of the Moon" is one of the greatest musical contributions of the twentieth century. This truth makes a 5.1 surround sound release long overdue. While looking for a surround sound home theater, I was conscious of getting an SACD compatible unit so that I could specifically listen to this disc. I shopped around at a few stereo stores. None of the salesmen that I spoke with had even heard of SACD. After seeing no units identified as SACD compatible, I purchased a system and hoped for the best. As it turns out, no luck. This release will not play surround sound music in a regular DVD based surround sound theater. While there is supposed to be a format war between SACD and DVD-Audio, it seems that DVD-Audio is winning and SACD is quickly joining the fate of Beta video cassettes. With hindsight, DVD-Audio would have been a superior choice of technology for this 1973 classic.The only way most of us will ever hear the "Dark Side of the Moon" in surround sound is by listening to the live version on the "Pulse" DVD. That written, there's little loss since this hybrid disc plays like a regular CD. I am also baffled by the audio technician wannabee reviewers. To my ears, this disc sounds exactly like the existing audio releases. I'm sure this information is buried someplace within the 298 reviews. I didn't care to read through 50 pages of reviews for a single disc purchase and you probably don't either. Thus I thought I'd pass this along for those especially interested in the surround sound aspect of this release. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. England    3. Pop    4. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    5. Psychedelic    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Synthesizer   

Editorial Review

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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (166)

Covers the basics, but Legacy: The Absolute Best is a better comp
Okay, don't get me wrong, I love the Doors - they made some of the greatest American music (along with Dylan and the Velvet Underground) during the British Invasion days, and their music has not dated in the least. And this two-disc, nineteen-track comp does do a good job of rounding up the bare essentials (Light My Fire, Break On Through, The End, Love Me Two Times, The Unknown Soldier, Five to One, Hello I Love You, Touch Me, Roadhouse Blues, Riders on the Storm, L.A. Woman), it's missing some very important songs, most notably Peace Frog (an inexcusable omission), plus Soul Kitchen, Not to Touch the Earth, Moonlight Drive, Twentieth Century Fox, Back Door Man and a few other good ones that managed to make it on Legacy: The Absolute Best. And why Alabama Song was included in the place of any of the above songs is simply inexcusable - in my mind, that's one of the group's weaker songs (along with Touch Me, while I'm ranting). That said, it's not at all a bad way at all to get into the Doors, and tends to be less expensive than Legacy. So if you need the absolute basics, and nothing more, this would be a good way to get them in one fell swoop. But if you want to dig a bit deeper, that's what Legacy's for.

For your own good, please don't buy this!
This two disc set just barely brushes the surface of what the Doors have to offer.Here are some awesome, essential Doors songs you'll be missing out on, just to name a few:
A papier mache hero.
The "Lizard King" was a hero of the "counterculture" until 3/1/1969.Then, he turned into a cowering wimp!!!When it came to assaulting traditional American values, the "Lizard King" was awesome.See: the Ed Sullivan Show, the Singer Bowl riot, his Oedipal days at the Whiskey, etc.However, when the powers that be finally decided to push back, the "Lizard King" became a professional victim-a misunderstood artist who simply had "something to say."He whined about how everyone was out to get him.That's why the "conterculture" failed.They were good at pushing, but, when it came to pushing back, they were exposed for what they were: a bunch of bed-wetters.Thirty-eight years on, it's no surprise that America never "broke on through."Hey Ray, John, and Robbie: your fearless leader turned into a gutless turd!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Proto-Punk    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Sloppy in conception, and even sometimes in the playing, Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (339)

Okay, but Let It Be Naked is what you want...
When George Martin was asked if he wanted his name as the producer of this album, he reffused. I can't blame him. The Beatles intended Get Back, or Let It Be, as it was finnished, to be pure rock without overdubs and that junk. Thanks to Phil Spector and his "Wall of Sound", this back to the basics album was ruined. Although it wasn't that good for beginers, some of these songs would have been better. Then,in 2003, the seldom played Let It Be Naked... was released, the way it was intended. If you want REAL Beatles' music, buy Let It Be Naked... and get your money's worth.

The Beatles let loose
I've always thought that the "Get Back" sessions were one of the most fascinating periods of the Beatles' history. The back-to-basics concept; the infighting; the iconic rooftop concert; the multiple attempts to create a finished album from dozens of songs and hours of aimless tapes; the treasure trove of bootleg material that surfaced years later. The album that finally did emerge from the sessions, "Let It Be," is as intriguing a document as any other produced by the band. The Beatles have such a reputation for perfectionism that it's refreshing to hear them let loose and bash out a few jams. And despite the palpable strain of the sessions (captured in the "Let It Be" film), their musical partnership was still strong and capable of producing amazing collaborative efforts.
Excellent
The Beatles were definitely always at the top and their music is still there. Long live Rock 'n Roll. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Invasion    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (207)

Experience This
Oh WOW what a CD 20 musical gems by the late and great Jimi Hendrix. It has all the famous radio hits like "Purple Haze", "Fire", "Voodoo Child", etc. And it also has the underated gems that you will never hear on the radio like "Castles Made Of Sand" and "Bold As Love". If you are new to Jimi or experienced this is the CD for you. You will love it. The best part though has to be the original recording of the "Star Spangeled Banner" at Woodstock. That one song alone makes it completely worth the price. Buy It Today!

Hendrix the master
If any music lover wishes to break into the works of Jimi Hendrix then this CD is the perfect place to start. To certain uninitiated newcomers there are songs in the Hendrix repertoire that may seem daunting, both in musical complexity and in sheer length. This is where the Experience Hendrix CD comes into its own.
Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
I am a total devotee of Hendrix, and I love the CD. The condition was great. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acid Rock    2. Album Rock    3. Blues-Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Psychedelic    7. Psychedelic Soul    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The album feels even more like a collection of singles (instead of an actual movie soundtrack) than Read more

Reviews (435)

they should call it quits
this band is so godawfully bad if they had any minds they should call it quits i am sorry to say. even josephine thimberlake is better than these old sissies! God, and I'd kick for a night with a juicy brot instead of getting asphyxation from hearing this old bum music. Hey I'm no fool i been a lifelong fan of neil reed and the sunborn playboys but they kicket the bucker in 1957!!!!
Strawberry Fields Forever
As a progressive rock fan who happens to have an interest in the genre that extends beyond listening to albums by the major players themselves, e.g. Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson etc., I have started exploring those psychedelic bands that gave rise to the progressive rock style, e.g. The Beatles.Although the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (1967) is widely recognized to have laid the groundwork for prog, not to mention providing inspiration for English psychedelic/proto-prog bands such as the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd (debut album only), and even the Nice (debut album only), it is the Beatle's Magical Mystery Tour album (1967) that is a personal favorite.
The Magical Mystery Tour is coming to take you away...
Not my personal favorite Beatle's album, but includes some of my favorite songs. The strongest tracks are "Strawberry Fields", "I am the Walrus","The Fool on the Hill", and "Hello Goodbye", but that's not saying that the others aren't any good. Even the weakest tracks like "Blue Jay Way" and "Flying" are still very acceptable. Fitting right in with the phscidelic era and "The Summer of Love", this album is a must for people who like good music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an R&B combo in the mid-60s, Pink Floyd's leader, guitarist Syd Barrett, soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut album's most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding, Gothic-themed pop songs such as "See Emily Play," "The Scarecrow" and "The Gnome," Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is, until psychedelic drugs got the best of him, and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest, as they say, is history. Read more

Reviews (371)

A swirling mass of psychedelia, experimental sounds, and instrumental freak outs
Released on August 5, 1967 (about two months after the June 1 UK release of the Beatle's Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band) this excellent debut featured a heady mixture of experimental and avant-garde tendencies, psychedelia, and lengthy instrumental passages that placed Pink Floyd alongside instrumental bands active at the time such as the Soft Machine (debut album 1968).This album, as many people know, featured the late Syd Barrett, who was the primary driver behind the Piper at the Gates of Dawn.Although quite different than the later material that made the band famous, I actually prefer the rawer, more experimental side of Pink Floyd and find it to be a very satisfying example of the proto-progressive rock style.
the only Floyd for me
The stuff with Syd Barrett is the only Pink Floyd that interests me.After him it was a different band.This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite albums.Yes, it's very psychedelic, but I think it is totally unique and defies any attempt to categorize.There simply isn't another album like it.
fits right in
this album fits right in with all those other psych rock bands of the late sixties. it is magneficent. i listen to it between love forever changes and the doors ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Bursting with ideas and energy, Jimi Hendrix's second album release of 1968 (following Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (231)

Classic Hendrix
All I can say about this album is WOW! This is Hendrix doing what he did best and that was make his guitar scream. A classic 15 minute jam session and of course the more famous Cross Town Traffic and All Along The Watchtower. This album is vintage Hendrix.

Somebody needed to slap Hendrix, where's the producer?
Am I missing something? I understand that a lot of people think this is one of Hendrix's best, but it did not do the trick for me and I'm a "classic rock" aficionado type. There's a lot of aimless never-ending stuff here. Honestly, I don't know if today's kids or music audiences can handle long epics like Voodoo child. Maybe I've been spoiled on vintage Deep Purple, but this is the sort of style that they took to a higher level, and the fact that Purple's music continues to fascinate as well as puzzle after all this time is evidence we are dealing with art of the highest caliber.
kabooomb!
the first time that i heard this album, my brain blew up. i mean it, literally. brains and blood and other yucky stuff were dripping from the ceiling. my mom was horrified. when i got out of the hospital my father forbid me from playing it ever again. but you know kids. first time i had the house to myself, kabooomb! you got it. i played it again and again my head exploded. this says a lot for this album. not many albums do this to a person. get it, by all means. it's a must for any record collection. get it and be prepared to have your head explode. (one tip: you might want to put some of that painters plastic down over your carpet and furniture before you press the play button on your cd player). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acid Rock    2. Album Rock    3. Blues-Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Psychedelic    7. R&B    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

A newcomer to the musical progression and legacy of the Byrds could hardly expect to find a better crash course than this: four discs with 99 songs, a DVD of ten previously unissued television performances, extensive annotation. Yet longtime fans of the band might wonder what the point is. Any riches buried in the vaults have long ago been mined--first in 1990's definitive four-disc Byrds box, then on Columbia's series of extended editions of every Byrds album in the catalog, replete with previously unreleased bonus tracks. By this late date, all possible revelations have been revealed, with the five previously unissued performances here of interest mainly to completists. The familiar music is glorious, of course--the chiming guitars and soaring harmonies that brought Bob Dylan and folk-rock to the top of the charts and then soared into the stratosphere with "Eight Miles High" and all but invented country-rock with Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (11)

Byrdsbox II
There is no question that the Byrds (1964 - 1973) were one of the most important American rock 'n' roll bands during a true renaissance period for popular music, and that their body of work mostly stands tall to this day: great songs by a band overflowing with talented writers, musicians and vocalists of great style and adventurous spirit, who made a remarkable group of beautifully produced original recordings (fifteen albums issued between 1965 and 1973, counting "Pre-flyte" and two "Greatest Hits" sets). They influenced nearly all of their peers at one time or other, from the Beatles and Stones to Dylan and Buffalo Springfield (not to mention scores of respected bands who've emerged since the Byrds' last album). This boxed set is the group's second, following a similar career overview issued early in the CD era (1990). The good news is the sound on this set, as expected, is much better - warmer, more lifelike - than the earlier Byrds box. And there is less filler from 'reunion' gigs. But other than that, I can't imagine what use this set will serve. The Byrds made several classic albums, and like The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Beatles, Hendrix, and other major bands with both undeniable artistic credibility and popular success, their evolution is best heard as part of a chronological continuum. Yes, I got interested in the Byrds seriously after being given that 1990 box, but to be honest I haven't played the thing in over a dozen years. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965), "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (1965) and the genre-bending "Fifth Dimension" (1966) and "Younger Than Yesterday" (1967)came first, all reissued in greatly expanded and smartly annotated editions nearly a decade ago on both CD and (thanks to the Sundazed label) beautiful 180 gram vinyl editions - and those four are all classics belonging in any serious 'rock' related collection. (Sundazed issued even more, a box of pre-Columbia "Pre-flyte" era material and the extraordinary 2-ep set of alternates, experiments, and instrumentals, the magnificently packaged and mastered "Another Dimension", a companion piece of sorts to "5D" that adds yet more terrific material to the group's ouevre). With the loss of Gene Clark, followed by David Crosby at the end of 1967, the Byrds released some of their most astonishing work ever on "Notorious Byrd Brothers" (1968) and, with the addition of Gram Parsons, "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" (1968). I would suggest that anyone reading this and wondering where to start their Byrds collection pick up each of these albums, now all midline priced, and read the liner notes, bask in the superb sound, and track the progress of both a great band and the decade that spawned it. The subsequent releases, following Parsons' and Chris Hillman's departure, may pale next to the first six