Byrds (album) - Music

Music

Recording sessions for the reunion album began on October 16, 1972 in studio #4 of Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles and continued until at least November 15, 1972. During these sessions, the band recorded all eleven of the songs that would appear on the finished album and at least two outtakes: the McGuinn and Jacques Levy penned "My New Woman" and the traditional folk song "Fair and Tender Ladies". Although it was not included on the reunion album, The Byrds' recording of "My New Woman" was later released on McGuinn's 1973 solo album, Roger McGuinn. The tracks that would make up the finished album included two from each of the four songwriters in the band, as well as a Joni Mitchell cover and two songs written by Neil Young. At the time of the album's release, much was made in the music press over the lack of any Bob Dylan songs, since The Byrds had covered Dylan's material frequently during the 1960s. This criticism prompted David Crosby to contend that Neil Young was the great songwriter of the 1970s, just as Dylan had been for the 1960s, and therefore it was entirely appropriate that The Byrds should be covering Young rather than Dylan.

The opening track on the album, Clark's "Full Circle", had initially given the album its working title, but Clark was concerned that the public might mistakenly assume that the song had been written specifically for The Byrds' reunion. The song's wheel of fortune motif certainly seemed applicable but the song actually predated the reunion, as Clark explained during a 1979 interview: "I'd already recorded that song a couple of years earlier and it wasn't really written about anything specific. It was just an idea I had." Not only had the song been written by Clark prior to The Byrds' reunion, but by the time that Byrds was released, it had also recently been issued under the alternate title of "Full Circle Song" on Clark's Roadmaster album. The Byrds' reunion album also included a second Clark original, "Changing Heart", which served as a meditation on the pitfalls of stardom. Clark was also featured singing lead vocals on the album's pair of Neil Young covers. The decision to cover Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "(See the Sky) About to Rain" was made by Clark, who had long admired the Canadian singer–songwriter, and not by Young's CSNY bandmate David Crosby, as was assumed by the press at the time. "Cowgirl in the Sand" made striking use of the band's crystal clear harmonies, while Clark's harmonica playing lent the song a distinctive country flavor, perfectly in keeping with the song's subject matter. "(See the Sky) About to Rain", on the other hand, featured some attractive mandolin playing from the band's bassist Chris Hillman and climaxed with a chiming finalé, featuring The Byrds' signature jangling Rickenbacker guitars.

"Sweet Mary", co-written by McGuinn and Jacques Levy, saw the Byrds' lead guitarist reverting to a folkier style of songwriting than he had exhibited of late, with Hillman again contributing some prominent mandolin to the song. McGuinn's other songwriting contribution to the album was "Born to Rock 'n' Roll", a semi-serious, autobiographical contemplation of the guitarist's career as a professional musician. The song had initially been recorded by the latter-day line-up of The Byrds in July 1972 for possible release as a single, but ultimately that version had been shelved and remained unreleased at the time. McGuinn decided to make another attempt at producing a definitive recording of the song during the reunion sessions, resulting in a lackluster rendition that the guitarist himself was dissatisfied with. McGuinn would later record the song for a third time on his 1975 solo album Roger McGuinn & Band, but yet again he was unhappy with the end result, leading him to pointedly conclude in a later interview that "'Born to Rock 'n' Roll' was a dog." Chris Hillman contributed two songs to the album, both co-authored with ex-Manassas bandmates: "Things Will Be Better", co-written with drummer Dallas Taylor, and "Borrowing Time", co-written with percussionist Joe Lala. The former song deals with the unpredictable nature of fame and stardom, a theme that was echoed in Clark's "Full Circle" and "Changing Heart".

Crosby contributed the song "Long Live the King", a cynical commentary on the star-making mechanics of the music business, which was ironic, since it was precisely those same materialistic business practices that had enabled The Byrds' reunion to transpire in the first place. Crosby also chose to revisit the song "Laughing", which had already been released on his first solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name, in 1971. Crosby's rationale for re-recording the song was that he had originally written "Laughing" in 1967, during his last days as a member of The Byrds and as such, it had initially been intended for inclusion on a Byrds' album. The version of "Laughing" featured on Byrds saw the return of McGuinn's raga rock style of guitar playing, which had last been utilized on the band's Fifth Dimension and Younger Than Yesterday albums. Crosby also sang the lead vocal on the album's Joni Mitchell cover, "For Free".

Following completion of the album's recording sessions, Crosby reached an agreement with McGuinn to dissolve the latter-day line-up of The Byrds, who were at that time still working as a touring band. Crosby had long been vocal about his displeasure over McGuinn's decision to recruit new members following his dismissal from the band in 1967 and had publicly stated his opinion that "There were only ever five Byrds." In the new spirit of reconciliation fostered by the reunion, and as a result of his own growing dissatisfaction with the current incarnation of the band, McGuinn acquiesced and permanently disbanded the latter-day line-up of The Byrds in February 1973.