However, In its original 11 song configuration, in addition to being rated for what's on it, it should be rated for what isn't on it.

This remaster does boast superb 20 bit sound, and three bonus tracks: Set You Free This Time, It Won't Be Wrong, and Have You Seen Her Face (giving Chris Hillman a needed representation).

However, the CD still clocks at around 39 minutes, meaning half the disc is not utilized. Why not pack this CD to the gills and make it one definitive overview of the Byrds prime period? What about The World Turns All Around Her, Everybody's Been Burned, Renaissance Fair, the b-sides: She Don't Care About Time, Why, and Lady Friend. Hence, this CD comes up way short.

One hopes that a volume two Greatest Hits is given similar treatment. Maybe then they might offer us the mono version of Goin' Back. This is a different take than the stereo and wasn't included (for some odd reason) as a bonus track on The Notorious Byrd Brothers CD.

35 of 36 found the following review helpful:


Crystal clear "Super Bit Map" recording of EARLY Byrds hits!  Feb 21, 2005 By Volkert Volkersz
I happened to be visiting relatives in LA in 1964 or '65 when I had the good fortune of catching the Byrds television debut on the Lloyd Thaxton Show. I was struck as much by what I heard as what I saw: America's first answer to the Beatles.

At one time I owned all the Byrds albums on vinyl up to "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and "Easy Rider." Later I created my own "greatest hits" cassette, a full 90 minutes worth.

This "Greatest Hits" album falls far short of all the wonderful music produced by Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons and others, but for someone wanting to have a prime sample of early Byrds, heavy on the trademark Rickenbacker 12 string fingerpicking sound, this is a great place to start.

This "Super Bit Mapping" recording is superior to other recordings I have heard of the Byrds and manages to bring out subtleties in the early recording process that were the subject of many rumors. Most notable is that it's much easier to pick out the various layers of overdubbing (both the Rickenbacker 12 string and McGuinn's vocals).

True fans of the founders of folk-rock will want to supplement this album others. Be sure to get your hands on tunes like "He Was a Friend of Mine" and "Lay Down Your Weary Tune."

Incidentally, Roger McGuinn has an interesting web site with free downloads available of a lot of folk songs, many of which were staples of the 50s and 60s coffeehouse folk scene. Most of those recordings feature an acoustic Martin 12 string guitar, as well as some banjo picking.

15 of 16 found the following review helpful:


The Byrds' classic era...a knockout collection  Oct 30, 2003 By Adam Rickards
This collection of greatest hits certainly lives up to its title. There are 14 (counting the three bonus tracks) fine slices of pure rock and roll from the 60s which still sounds life-affirming even to this day. From the well known classics "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" to lesser-known (but still equally impressive) gems like "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom," this CD shows proves that the Byrds not only defined the sound and spirit of the West Coast '60s, but for a brief time were hugely influential in shaping rock and roll as a genre. The Byrds evolved considerably during the two years that these songs were recorded, and it is evident from the straight forward Dylan-meets-Beatles folk-rock of "Mr. Tambourine Man" to the pioneering psychedelic freak out "Eight Miles High" to the instrumentation in "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star." Every song on here is gorgeous, and each one deserves several listens.

This newly remastered version is truly a standout because it adds three additional bonus tracks, "It Won't Be Wrong," "Set You Free This Time," and "Have You Seen Her Face." I have to admit, "Set You Free," though a pleasant effort by Gene Clark, is a bit too country-ish for my liking and I don't care much for it. However, the other two bonus tracks are KILLER, and I am so glad that these were included. They may not have been hits like the rest of the songs (I believe they were released as singles, but sadly recieved little attention commercially), but "It Won't Be Wrong" and "Have You Seen Her Face" both contain some of the best melodies I have ever heard from this group or anyone else, and I always enjoy listening to them. Pity these weren't hits, they sure deserved to be. As it is, they remain supreme album cuts that make this great collection even greater.

This is a MUST have for any seroius rock fan. Don't let this pass you by. If you are a casual fan, definitely pick this one up and prepare to get hooked. After listening to their classic hits, go back and pickup the remastered versions of the "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Fifth Dimension" albums (both of which feature phoenomenal album cuts) to see what a truly inventive band the Byrds really were during this era.

12 of 13 found the following review helpful:


Terrific Complilation Of The Byrds Greatest Hits!  Apr 08, 2001 By Barron Laycock "Labradorman"
Anyone alive and kicking in the early 1960s remembers the Byrds fondly. Who but this unlikely group of very talented but inherently quirky young musicians could have made such an instant splash as they did with a quick succession of chart busters such as "All I Really Want To Do", Mr. Tambourine Man", and "Turn, Turn, Turn"? They had tyhe audacity and courage to assaultwhat was then the British-dominated pop charts and in the process became a wildly successful group, one who wound up pioneering the realities of the American rock star phenomenon. As they describe in "So You Want to Be A Rock & Roll Star", the chance to do so was real, at least for them. And they succeeded far beyond their wildest expectations!

All of their best efforts are here, and although it was true that the tender ages and very high level of talent and abilities of each of the members led to their relatively quick demise as a group, it is also true that the abilities of each as musicians and songwriters and performers is evident here. Who can resist the magic of a song like "Eight Miles High" or "My Back Pages"? They had an obvious sense of humor, as is evident in "Mr Spaceman", and also had a social conscience, as they proved with "Chimes OF Freedom". In fact, they helped enormously to establish Bob Dylan's music in the hearts and minds of the sixties generation, and from "Mr Tambourine Man" to "My Back Pages" to "All I Really Want To Do" , they popularized the themes of intelligent questioning of social issues with their music. No one has a complete sixties music collection without this album. Buy it and enjoy!

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Truly the Byrds' Best!  Dec 29, 2001
Of course there's a bunch of songs "missing" from here, but if you're looking for a PERFECT Byrds compilation containing most of their biggest and best, this is it; there's not a weak track in the bunch! You'd probably want to get "Best Of/Vol. II" as well for, if nothing else, "Chestnut Mare" and "The Ballad of Easy Rider", but for now let's focus on this one here...

From "Mr.Tambourine Man" to "My Back Pages" (incidentally, the two best Dylan covers of all time AND in -at least- my Top 10 of best pop songs ever), this one's just a pure joy anyway, anyhow and anywhere you look at it. More of Dylan's best is flawlessly interpreted in an immaculately Byrdy fashion via both "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom", with a bit of Pete Seeger thrown into the mix thru "The Bells of Rhymney" and the literally heavenly "Turn! Turn! Turn!" -- the latter of which could make a dead man weep.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Byrds themselves were (and, indeed, are) no slouches in the songwriting department; at least "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" and "Eight Miles High" are ample proofs of that.

The rest of this disc is just as uninterruptedly glorious and mighty; the Byrds were arguably one of the very best and most important bands of its era -- fourth only to the Beatles, Stones and the Beach Boys, and if that's not a testament to the utter brilliance of this collection, I just don't know what is.

"...and I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."

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