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Byrdmaniax

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Untitled

Byrdmaniax is an album by American band The Byrds, released in 1971. It remains one of their most poorly received, largely in part due to the heavy strings producer Terry Melcher poured on many of the tracks, reportedly while The Byrds were on the road and without their approval.

Upon release, Byrdmaniax did much to undo the critical standing The Byrds had earned thanks to Ballad of Easy Rider and (Untitled) and it faded quickly from the public's consciousness, only reaching forty-six in the United States in a short chart stay, and failing to reach the United Kingdom charts at all.

Track listing

  1. "Glory, Glory" (A. Reynolds) – 4:03
  2. "Pale Blue" (Roger McGuinn/Gene Parsons) – 2:22
  3. "I Trust" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:19
  4. "Tunnel of Love" (Skip Battin/Kim Fowley) – 4:59
  5. "Citizen Kane" (Skip Battin/Kim Fowley) – 2:36
  6. "I Wanna Grow up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 2:03
  7. "Absolute Happiness" (Skip Battin/Kim Fowley) – 2:38
  8. "Green Apple Quick Step" (Gene Parsons/Clarence White) – 1:49
  9. "My Destiny" (H. Carter) – 3:38
  10. "Kathleen's Song" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 2:40
  11. "Jamaica Say You Will" (Jackson Browne) – 3:27

2000 release bonus tracks

Byrdmaniax was remastered and re-issued in 2000 with four bonus bonus tracks. Only two were actually from the album sessions - a version of Gene Clark's "Think I'm Gonna Feel Better", sung by Clarence White. (White had played guitar on Clark's original 1967 solo recording of the tune.) And featured as a hidden track was an alternate (first-take) version of "Green Apple Quick Step", with White producing - humming to get Parsons's banjo in tune, and directing his father on harmonica.

The other two bonus tracks are actually from the sessions for their previous album, Untitled. One of them is a langorous version of Dylan's "Just Like a Woman"; the other is a stripped-down, two-guitar version of "Pale Blue".

Sources

  • Byrdmaniax CD booklet essay, David Fricke, c.2000.
  • AllMusicGuide.com
  • "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c.2002.
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