Mr. Tambourine Man [Remaster]

Performer: The Byrds
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: The Byrds: David Crosby (vocals, guitar); Jim McGuinn (vocals, 12-string guitar); Chris Hillman (vocals, bass); Gene Clark (vocals, tambourine); Michael Clarke (drums). Reissue producer: Bob Irwin. Recorded between January 20, 1965 and April 22, 1965. Includes original liner notes by Billy James, and new liner notes by David Fricke and Johnny Rogan. All songs have been digitally remastered using a 20-Bit Super Mapping system. Personnel: Roger McGuinn (vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, banjo); Gene Clark (vocals, guitar, tambourine); David Crosby (vocals, guitar); Chris Hillman (vocals, mandolin, bass guitar); Crosby, David & Graham Nash (vocals); Michael Clarke (drums). Audio Mixer: Vic Anesini. Liner Note Authors: Billy James ; Johnny Rogan; David Fricke. Recording information: 01/20/1965-04/22/1965. Photographers: Barry Feinstein; Bob Irwin. Unknown Contributor Role: Johnny Rogan. One of the greatest debuts in the history of rock, Mr. Tambourine Man was nothing less than a significant step in the evolution of rock & roll itself, demonstrating that intelligent lyrical content could be wedded to compelling electric guitar riffs and a solid backbeat. It was also the album that was most responsible for establishing folk-rock as a popular phenomenon, its most alluring traits being Roger McGuinn's immediately distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker jangle and the band's beautiful harmonies. The material was uniformly strong, whether they were interpreting Bob Dylan (on the title cut and three other songs, including the hit single "All I Really Want to Do"), Pete Seeger ("The Bells of Rhymney"), or Jackie DeShannon ("Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"). The originals were lyrically less challenging, but equally powerful musically, especially Gene Clark's "I Knew I'd Want You," "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better," and "Here Without You"; "It's No Use" showed a tougher, harder-rocking side and a guitar solo with hints of psychedelia. [The CD reissue adds six less impressive (but still satisfying) bonus tracks and alternate takes from the same era.] ~ Richie Unterberger Few debut singles in the history of rock & roll have had the immediate and overwhelming impact of The Byrds' version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Marrying a Beatles-like electric jangle to Dylan's insight and folky melody (in many ways, breaking Dylan into the pop market), it not only forecast the band's influence on the future of pop music but reestablished an American rock & roll presence in the face of the British Invasion. The album of the same name, released in June of 1965, was a shotgun blast before the canon roar that Dylan's HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (released just two months later) would become. As much as Bob Dylan was an overwhelming influence on the young Byrds--four of the twelve tracks on MR. TAMBOURINE MAN were Dylan songs--his contributions were only a part of what made the band special. The chiming sound of McGuinn's 12-string guitar was the group's backbone, characterizing The Byrds' presence in a way few rock instrumentalists had done until then. Gene Clark proved to be a mighty songwriter in his own right--"I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" has stood the test of time better than any other track here. Yet, what distinguished The Byrds and MR. TAMBOURINE MAN most was that they couldn't be easily pigeonholed. Combining disparate musical backgrounds and openly reconstructing everything from a British wartime standard ("We'll Meet Again") to a Jackie DeShannon pop tune ("Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe") in their own open-minded image, the Byrds kicked down the door to a new sound called folk-rock. Many would soon follow.

Entertainment Weekly (6/28-7/5/96, p.106) - "...illustrates why the best Byrds music still inspires musicians....And while time hasn't enhanced the group's forays into psychedelia...there are enough keepers to make you forgive their occasional tendency to fly into walls." - Rating: B+ Q (7/96, p.134) - 5 Stars - Indispensable - "...The Byrds took a plane to the knots and gnarls in the orginals and fashioned records that smoothly embodied the romance of rebellion and the exhilaration of escape..." Melody Maker (5/11/96, p.50) - Recommended - "...`Mr. Tambourine Man' gave them both a Number One single and a record worthy of their sound, which was blue sky and tears of milk..." Musician (8/96, p.90) - "I like the sound better here. The guitar interplay emerges with greater warmth and clarity, without over-thinning the wash..." NME (Magazine) (5/11/96, p.46) - 7 (out of 10) - "...The Byrds...took rock music on an astral flight which everybody from Big Star to REM to John Squire have never come down from. MR. TAMBOURINE MAN...still bears up..."

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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