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I Don’t Get It: The Byrds

Jul 102007

Had more dinners than most

I get why people like The Byrds. I also get why they’re credited with bringing a fresh synthesis of already established and important sounds to rock that would be perfected about 25 years later with a few great, late-70s power pop singles and a run of solid Tom Petty records. What I don’t get is why they’re considered a major player in rock history. The best example, and this has bugged me since I first spent my hard-earned money on a Byrds’ “twofer” in 1980, is The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, which dedicates an entire chapter to The Byrds! Right between Dylan and Folk Rock is an entire chapter dedicated to a band with few more than a dozen great songs, probably eight of which are essentially the same reworking of a verse from a Dylan song. I don’t get it.

Had a chapter, a box set, the works…

Oh, I get the super-cool Roger McGuinn specs. I get the Rickenbackers and the perfect combination of lean legs and well-cut trousers. I get the pretty cool hair and the American Beatles appeal. I even get the dozen jangly songs with Dylan-lite delivery and mid-period Beatles harmonies. The Byrds are one of those bands for which Greatest Hits albums were made, but even then the dozen greatest hits pretty much hit exactly the same mark. Take away their couple of psychedelic hits, in which McGuinn played some cool guitar solos, and you’ve got a bunch of songs that would be George Harrison‘s contributions to mid-60s Beatles albums. Without being a member of The Beatles, would George Harrison’s 8 variations on “If I Needed Someone” and his best late-Beatles songs have been worthy of a full chapter in any rock history book? I think not.

I could, but I won’t rest my case!
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An English Rocker in L.A.

Posted by Mr. Moderator

May 292007

Townsman Shawnkilroy brought forth the following topic he’d like to see hashed out in the Halls of Rock:

How about a discussion of the effects of L.A. on English people. Like The Moody Blues, LED ZEP, Billy Idol, etc. I’m sure there are more good examples, but you notice how awful it makes them. Like Golum’s precious, it gives ’em something, but it kinda takes something away too!

I’m game! To add to that list, there’s Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, although perhaps all those “nothing from nothing”-type quotes in rock might apply there. Graham Nash* is worth studying as well. And not exactly rock, but hasn’t Eric Idle settled into an LA groove over the years? There’s something about aging British rockers with sagging skin, awkward tans, and bleach blond hair that stick in my mind. Add a blond mustache for added West Coast vibes.

*A couple of notes about this video: 1) Townsman Chickenfrank, dig the “H” note Nash sings with 34 seconds left. 2) Townsman Epluribus, with 28 seconds left, there’s a key moment that I hope you will appreciate and recognize for what it is.

Rise Above

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jan 232007

The seed for hardcore punk was planted when the DIY ethos of punk rock finally made its way to American hard rock dudes who didn’t have the gumption to properly learn the riffs of Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore, who had neither the chops to sing like Bon Scott nor the lush mane of Robert Plant, who couldn’t execute a paradiddle while fully baked.

It’s safe to say the DIY ethos was a boon to countless young musicians who didn’t come close to having what it took to make it “in the round,” playing to 16,000 stoned believers in The Power & Glory of Rock. However, what initially worked like a charm to revitalize the power-packed fun and ferocity of pre-hippie rock ‘n roll and early-70s Glam rock was an uphill battle when applied to hard rock.
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