In The Jingle Jangle Morning
5 Out Of 5 Stars
This best of was released in 1967, after four full length Byrds albums. It was the peak of The Byrds' creativity and influence. Despite a fluid lineup, they crafted a sound that fell somewhere between the folkiness and beat poetry of Bob Dylan and the melodic propulsion of The Beatles. For many listeners, The Byrds were the band that introduced them to Dylan, and for other to Pete Seeger. Even today, Roger McGuinn's jangling twelve string Rickenbacker guitar holds sway in groups ranging through Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M. and The Decemberists.
This expanded edition still sticks to the guidlines, as it stays to singles up to 1967. While this may annoy fans of the country rock that began to dominate once "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" was released, it does make for a consistency in sound. (2003's "Essential Byrds" covers the following peeriod in addition to the first four albums.) It also shows the songwriting prowess of the band members, specifiaclly McGuinn and Gene Clark. They could take folk (Seeger's "Turn Turn Turn") or psychedelia ("Eight Miles High") and still shape it for their signature sound. Clark's own "Fell A Whole Lot Better" was such a landmark that Petty chose it for his first solo album, "Full Moon Fever." (And for a really twist, find Roxy Music's version of "8 Miles High.")
One of the real tests of a greatest hits collection is if it holds together as an album. "The Byrds' Greatest Hits" does exactly that. By mixing in the groups superb singles with prime album cuts, it makes the CD play like a unified whole. It holds up as one of The Byrds most endearing and enduring albums.
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