There would have been no BYRDS without both McGuinn and Gene Clark. McGuinn was my favorite, but they had great chemistry, Gene had great songs, and they decided to form a band to work together. McGuinn brought out the best in everyone he worked with and Gene helped Jim rise to his best. True synergy.
Guerin was a jazz orientated drummer. His chops were way beyond what the Byrds required. Parsons was an excellent drummer, he also added banjo, harmonica, guitar, vocals and bass.
Michael Clarke was the perfect drummer for The Byrds during the only period in their career that gave them lasting and legendary status It matters not who manned the drum kit after The Notorious Byrd Bros. The product was atrocious from there on out and an embarrassment in the wake of the creative brilliance they'd achieved in the first five albums. Shame on McGuinn for, at the very least, smearing a jewel in the crown of great American music with byrdsh!t
@Coogan best high harmony singer ever, great when he took leads, too, but often horrible, divisive when in talk mode. If only David had been a "normal" brilliant musical collaborator along the lines of someone like REM's Mike Mills. Couple of those later Dylan choices, (This Wheels On Fire, Ballad of Easy Rider) would've been great tracks by the original Byrds' but, quite correctly, those later guys couldn't write a lyric or sing any better than any aspiring bar band. TWO brilliant guitarists were the only thing that carried these broken winged byrds to their final and long overdo demise
Thanks mcbyrds. because of you, i´m can see the Roger Mcguinn in one rare interview. I´m from brazil, and here not have most movies of "the byrds", but the democracy of internet, and your solidarity, much peoples in the word can meet the best musican group of all times. Thans and sorry for my bad english.
Saw the " Revue " in Toronto . Dylan came out in the pancake with his back to the audience. Thing was we were right behind the stage so he serenaded us with the first tune. Lightfoot had just released Sundown but he also played Race Among The Ruins for the first time as a surprise guest. They partied at his place all night after.Incredible show.
Oh I dunno perhaps a bit egotistical but I've seen him twice in small venues (by choice) and both times he was warm and appreciative of the audience....Like him or not he is unusual in that he is clearly THE Rock virtuoso at his instrument (12 string) without debate or argument....No Other(no pun intended, Geno) Instrumentalist (6 string, Bass, Kybd, Drums etc) can be so clearly defined as such
Was Gene Parsons fired or did he quit to do his solo album? Either way, he was the best drummer the BYRDS ever had, plus banjo, pedal steel, harmonica, vocals, etc.
Yeah, I was aware Guerin was in the band briefly after McGuinn banished Gene Parsons. On a different note, put it down to my morbid curiosity, but I've always wanted to hear The Byrds final gig in ealry 1973 as a Byrds/Manasas mash-up of McGuinn, White, Chris Hillman (!!!) and some random percussionist. By all accounts (see Johnny Rogan's amazing tome on the Byrds) it was a complete disaster.
Scott, Respectfully, I've been a Byrds fan since 1965. I've seen the orginal 5 guys once, and over the years the latter day Byrds versions at least a dozen times. I have also seen Roger solo live at least a dozen times. I have great respect for all Roger has done as a member. However in his case the use of the word "we" when describing who deserves much of the credit would not be the least bit out of place.
Well, that's your loss. The Byrds may not have made it without McGuinn, but that still doesn't change the fact that the Byrds formed due to a meeting between Clark and McGuinn, with Crosby joining in a short time afterwards. McGuinn didn't just get a bunch of guys together.
For McGuinn to imply Guerin was a superior Byrds drummer is just typical McGuinn trolling. Guerin was in the band for less than six months before he was replaced by some guy called Joey Dragon (I think) who played about 3 shows for the group before they played their last two shows with Chris Hillman on bass (replacing the recently fired Skip Battin) and Joe Lala from Manassas on drums.
I was also puzzled.. and looked it up.. and what do you know.. John Guerin (L.A, session drummer) played w The Byrds from July 1972 to January 1973.. I guess we don't associate him (or Jim Gordon) w the band because he wasn't a full-time official member..
You should see him on the 700 club w pat robertson asking people for $ in the name of jesus. Made me puke. O and chris Hillman is a big 700 club guy too. "Jesus told me to tell everybody to send us cash"
I think Guerin only appeared on one unreleased single and no still photos, so even as an official member, he seemed to be there to fulfill live dates already booked. I think McG was passing time until the reunion album and Chris Hillman was already touring with The Byrds again. I WISH they had gone ahead and toured without Crosby in '73-'74 when Dave wouldn't commit to shows.
I really have to tell you that this post was absolutely fantastic! but i was wondering........ do you have any more footage or any at all of the byrds with clarence white, skip battin, john nuese/gene parsons?. Thank you so very much!!
Tristan Louth-Robins, I believe that the best live lineup was with John York. His tenure in the Byrds circa late 68-69 made the band such a tight live unit. The rhythm section and York’s vocals were superb. After the late Skip Battin joined, the rhythm section become much more loose, plus Battin’s vocals were not that great. That’s my humble opinion.
McGuinn named it and led the band. In a sense, he and Clark started it together, but otherwise, you start every sentence with "we" and start sounding like Queen Victoria!
THANKS! I haven't seen this since it aired originally on NBC! I didn't remember McG playing a Guild 6 string on this, either. Wasn't there a line in this about firing "Bong" Crosby?
Parsons was fired by McGuinn in June 1972, complaining that his drumming was shit. They'd also been at each others throats over band payments, etc. Parsons was a superb drummer with the Byrds, though I can understand McGuinn's point around 1972 that his drum work wasn't right - listen to some of the concert bootlegs from that year, and you can hear his characteristic polyrhythms and tightness become occasionally loose and sloppy.
Perhaps some are unaware of the fact that John McLaughlin (-spelling?) formerly of the Mahavshnu Orchestra is an excellent guitarist on 12 string electric guitar. To say McGuinn is "the best" with his electric 12 shows colossal ignorance, cause McLaughlin can easily give him a run for the money, so to speak. No dis on McGuinn, though. There's something about McGuinn, who can say, that made all the personnel changes of the Byrds happen at different intervals. Hmmm...Peace!
McGuinn has defined the sound of the electric 12-string, and the Rickenbacker as the definitive such guitar. McLaughlin, for all his technical excellence, is nowhere in comparison..
Roger or Jim, your songs back in day have not aged well especially "Jesus is Just Alright with Me" and the "Ballad of Easy Rider." You were too dependent on Bob Dylan's material. I liked the old stuff that you co-wrote with Gene Clark. The Byrds' Pre-flyte album is pure and phenomenal.
Yeah, grab songs from one of the more the hit or miss eras of the byrds and not the peak of the byrds post-Gene. Gene fans are fucking obnoxious. Your favorite Byrd is Gene. We fucking get it. Shut up about it.
