Byrds (album)
| The Byrds
Byrds (album)
Byrds is the twelfth and final studio album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in March 1973 on Asylum Records (see 1973 in music). It was recorded as the centerpiece of a reunion between the five original members of The Byrds: Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke. The last time that all five members had worked together as The Byrds was in 1966, prior to Gene Clark's departure from the band. During the reunion, the current, latter-day line-up of the band continued to make live appearances until February 1973, with McGuinn being the only member common to both versions of the group. - Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
1973- I am obliged to comment on the most disappointing and one of the dullest albums of the year, Byrds. At their best, they were once my favorite white American rock & roll band, but not only isn’t this their best — it is barely them.
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Mark's Record Reviews
As it stands, this has gone down in history as a stinker, even though it's better than any Byrds album since Ballad Of Easy Rider.
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Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage Unsung Reviews
2007. Talk about unsung. Here’s an album that was not only panned upon its release, but has mostly been stricken from the history books. I still play the album consistently. In fact I listen to it more than any other Byrds album. Like I said, despite its many faults, the LP has a definite charm.
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Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews
This is the original Byrds, all right - all five of them. The tracks are new studio recordings and the songwriting is split all around, but critics panned it anyway, and the reunited band soon fell apart again. You can hear why: Crosby produces, and he gets the same sludgy, mid-tempo country rock sound out of every track.
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Adrian's Album Reviews
2015- The album lacked a single and lacks a unifying sound. It comes across as a series of solo projects released under The Byrds name. This reunion of The Byrds had potential to be carried on from this 'beginning'. Sadly, the usual personality clashes made that impossible.
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The Rising Storm Review
2010- The block harmonies are immaculate but display the sweetness of CS&N rather than the engaging rough edge of latterday Byrds. One is led to conclude that with this album Crosby finally achieved, albeit temporarily, belatedly and with questionable success, the domination of the Byrds that he’d craved during the classic years.
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Starling
A brief reunion of the original lineup: McGuinn, Hillman, Crosby, Clark, and Clarke. Critics panned it and it bombed commercially, but I hope it'll turn out worthwhile.
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All Music
But for the most part, Byrds sounds like a competent but unexciting country-rock band going through their paces, rather than the work of one of the best and most innovative American bands of the 1960s.
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Ultimate Classic Rock
2016- Those expecting a return to the Byrds’ mid-‘60s output were no doubt disappointed by what they heard. For starters, the group’s signature jangly guitar songs were missing. And the five members, who hadn’t played together in six years, sounded disconnected. The harmonies were no longer soaring, the musical camaraderie no longer a constant.
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Don Ignacio's Music Reviews
It's a sweet, unpretentious reunion album. The Byrds might have went out with a whimper, but it was a cute whimper.
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Record Collector Magazine
This record may be a milestone in Byrds lore, and it’s good to actually listen to it, but it’s far from essential.
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Rarebird's Rock and Roll Rarity Reviews
This album proves the old adage that you can't go home again; these five Artists Formerly Known As The Byrds had clearly grown apart since their glory days, and had no apparent intentions to revert back to their old selves for this outing.
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