There Is A Season [Box]

Performer: The Byrds
Producer: Roger McGuinn (Compilation); Bob Irwin (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: The Byrds: Gram Parsons (vocals, guitar, keyboards); David Crosby, Roger McGuinn (vocals, guitar); Chris Hillman (mandolin, bass guitar); Kevin Kelly, Michael Clarke (drums). While 1990's THE BYRDS box set was an excellent representation of the group's illustrious and highly influential career, the 2006 four-CD set, THERE IS A SEASON, is a wonderful replacement. Working chronologically from pre-Byrds bands the Beefeaters and the Jet Set through their groundbreaking folk-rock and country-rock incarnations and culminating with the absolutely smokin' Clarence White era and the mid-'70s reunion line-ups, the collection makes a strong case for the Byrds being perhaps the single most important American rock band. While Roger McGuinn was always the leader of the band (and its one constant member) it's startling to consider the number of musical giants that passed through the band, including David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Gram Parsons, and the aforementioned White. The group's originals--from "I"ll Feel A Whole Better" to "Eight Miles High" to "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man"--cast the Byrds as a brilliant songwriters collective; however, their ability to boldly interpret the work of others (ultimately making it their own) helped bridge the gaps between country, folk, rock & roll, and the Love Generation. The talent, legacy, and sheer beauty of the Byrds music can not be underestimated, and THERE IS A SEASON ensures that won't happen.

Rolling Stone (p.79) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "They came up with harmonizing folk rock that sounds like liquid sunshine...[and] they pioneered trippy psychedelic guitar rock..." Spin (p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "They turned their covetous cravings into the genius evidenced on this four-disc box." Q (p.154) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]hey were as influential as The Beatles, the greatest interpreters of Bob Dylan...[and] they invented country rock with Gram Parsons." Uncut (p.126) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] kind of highlight reel. Each of the group's 13 albums is represented by key tracks, lost singles are returned to their proper sequence, and soundtrack and live material supplement the story." Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The music was and remains fabulous....The original group had a way of changing the beat around, of holding back then flying free..."

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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