The Byrds were never able to maintain their eclectic level of production and experimentation for many reasons. Chris Hillman's own bass playing does equal that of Paul MccCartney's own melodic bass arrangements but Hillman's actually more influenced by jazz improvisational form and delivery which brought in a fresh angle to all Byrds music from 1965-1968. Sadly, he wasn't a great lyricist like Gene Clark who had a penchant for writing anything at a drop of a dime. McGuinn was at his best when he arranged music. McGuinn's instrumental genius in the formation of 8Miles High though Gene Clark and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones actually wrote all the lyrics except a single word contribution by Crosby. Bossa Nova, Raga, Jazz sounds in compositions like "I don't know", "Why" "Everybody's been burned" and "Psychodrama City". But one must understand the complexity of the Byrds sound specially with the contributions David Crosby brought to the forefront of the band. The Beatles like most UK bands were limited to Blues, Jazz and R&B which was enough to start a musical revolution in England that would eventually evolve within a few short years. Indeed, the Byrds unlike the Beatles, dove into diverse music because their early musical exposure had been extremely eclectic. There would be more influences including South African music like Cothoza Mfana and Mbaqanga as well as Indian Raga music. All these influences made up the core of the Byrds prior to the groups existence. Chris Hillman was influenced by Jazz, R&B, folk and country and Michael Clarke was influenced by R&B, Jazz, West African and Caribbean music. David Crosby came in with Bossa Nova, folk, R&B and Jazz. Gene Clark was part Native American with folk, Rock, R&B influeces. Roger McGuinn was influenced by gospel, R&B, folk and classical. The Byrds were Americas answer to its double standard and racist tradition of highlighting White accomplishments while excluding Black or Brown accomplishments.ĭiversity was the nucleus of the Byrds. But due to discrimination and Racism, most Black musicians could not gain a wide range of national success until after the British invasion because US Black R&B, Blues, Jazz and Gospel Records influenced young British kids in the 1950s and they brought "American" music back to the US. What is interesting to note is that American Rock & Roll music started out as Black R&B in 1951 with "Rocket 88" by Ike Turner. Rather, the Byrds were a phenomenon that evolved because the time was ripe for musicians who had diverse musical backgrounds to stage a coup d'état in the increasingly stagnant American Rock & Roll scene. The Byrds were purported to be America's answer to the Beatles but that was just a marketing ploy developed by the record industry. Overall, they remain one of my favorite music artists and a true genius in the music field. They were also very influential in the country rock genre as well - they might as well be one of the most original, innovative and influential bands of all time right up there with The Beatles.
No wonder that album was a huge influence on The Beatles' Rubber Soul. To me, even their original "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" is a direct precursor to The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" lyrically - it was the first instance of Beatles writing mature love songs. The title track from this not only shot Bob Dylan up the charts but also showed The Beatles the scope of a pop song being meaningful rather than just about silly love. Their 1965 seminal album, "Mr Tambourine Man" still remains as one of the most revolutionary records of all time and a total game changer. They not only influenced majority of the New Wave and indie bands (that would emerge in the 1980's) with their jangle guitar but also influenced both Bob Dylan and The Beatles. They were huge on the influence part as well. Also, The Byrds had superb vocal harmonies comparable to that of The Beach Boys. Indeed, Roger McGuinn's 12-String Rickenbacker guitar sound is one of the most timeless sounds, sounding as fresh as if it were just recorded yesterday.
But to every respectable rock music listener, The Byrds remain one of those rare bands that perfectly maintained their balance between being melodious as well as innovative and have hence emerged as one of the most exceptional and timeless musicians of all time. I'm a graduate student from India and I honestly feel that The Byrds are very underrated in the eyes of general public, very much like The Kinks.Īlthough they have secured their rightful place among the pantheon of legends such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles, The Byrds remain very underrated in terms of the eyes of the general public compared to their brethren.
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