Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde [Remaster]

Performer: The Byrds
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: This is a remastered version of DR. BYRDS & MR. HYDE featuring five extra tracks. The additional tracks include "Stanley's Song," "Lay Lady Lay" and alternate versions of "This Wheel's On Fire," "Nashville West" and "My Back Pages/B.J. Blues/Baby What You Want Me To Do." The Byrds: Roger McGuinn, Gene Parsons, Clarence White, John York. Reissue producer: Bob Irwin. Engineers: David Diller, Tom May, Neil Wilburn. Includes liner notes by David Fricke and Johnny Rogan. Possibly the most downcast of the Byrds' albums, DR. BYRDS reflects the mutation of the hippie dream that was taking place in 1968. The brutal slab of electric folk-rock that is Dylan/Rick Danko's "This Wheel's on Fire" opens things up, mirroring the sociopolitical upheavals of the time. On this and other tunes, guitarist Clarence White trades his sweet country licks in for some burning, semi-psychedelic licks. Though the pastoral side of the band is represented by gently jangling versions of "Old Blue" and "Your Gentle Way of Loving Me," the setting soon returns to disillusion and unrest. "King Apathy III," (which, along with "Candy," boasts some progressive time changes) is full of contempt and sadness for those deluded by the Age of Aquarius. The countrified "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" pounds a nail into the coffin of right wing hypocrisy. After all is said and done, the Byrds get back to the business of being a great bunch of musicians, amiably rocking their way through a medley that pairs a revamped "My Back Pages" with Jimmy Reed's blues classic "Baby What You Want Me to Do."

Entertainment Weekly (4/4/97, pp.81-82) - "...[an improvement over the previous] murky, bad-acid trip mix..." - Rating: B

Adding ringing electric guitars to Bob Dylan songs, the Byrds helped invent folk-rock, as well as becoming early proponents of psychedelia and popularizing country-rock with the help of alt-country saint Gram Parsons. Led by Roger McGuinn and his distinctive Rickenbacker guitar sound, the mid-1960s lineup--also featuring David Crosby, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman--achieved fame with their unique take on Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Personnel changes resulted in a core band of only McGuinn and Hillman, but the short-lived addition of Parsons allowed for the creation of the landmark SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO album. Ultimately, McGuinn assumed full control of the Byrds legacy, and their harmonies and jangly guitars have influenced countless younger bands.

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