Product Description

Studio: Sony Music Release Date: 09/19/2006

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Only Girl I Adore
2. Please Let Me Love You
3. Don't Be Long
4. Airport Song
5. You Movin'
6. You Showed Me
7. Mr. Tambourine Man
8. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
9. You Won't Have to Cry
10. Here Without You
11. Bells of Rhymney
12. All I Really Want to Do [Single Version]
13. I Knew I'd Want You
14. Chimes of Freedom
15. She Has a Way
16. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
17. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
18. It Won't Be Wrong
19. Set You Free This Time
20. World Turns All Around Her
21. Day Walk
22. If You're Gone
23. Times They Are A-Changin' [Withdrawn Version]
24. She Don't Care About That [Single Version]
25. Stranger in a Strange Land [Instrumental]

Disc 2:

1. Eight Miles High
2. Why [Single Version]
3. 5D (Fifth Dimension)
4. Wild Mountain Theme
5. Mr. Spaceman
6. I See You
7. What's Happening?!?!
8. I Know My Rider
9. So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star
10. Have You Seen Her Face
11. Renaissance Fair
12. Time Between
13. Everybody's Been Burned
14. My Back Pages
15. It Happens Each Day
16. He Was a Friend of Mine [Live][#]
17. Lady Friend
18. Old John Robertson [Single Version]
19. Goin' Back
20. Draft Morning
21. Wasn't Born to Follow
22. Tribal Gathering
23. Dolphin's Smile
24. Triad
25. Universal Mind Decoder [Instrumental]

Disc 3:

1. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
2. I Am a Pilgrim
3. Christian Life [Gram Parsons Vocal Version]
4. You Don't Miss Your Water [Gram Parsons Vocal Version]
5. Hickory Wind
6. One Hundred Years from Now [Gram Parsons Vocal Version]
7. Lazy Days [Alternate Version]
8. Pretty Polly [Alternate Version]
9. This Wheel's on Fire [Alternate Version]
10. Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man
11. Candy
12. Child of the Universe [Candy Soundtrack Version]
13. Pretty Boy Floyd [Live]
14. Buckaroo [Live][Instrumental]
15. King Apathy III [Live]
16. Sing Me Back Home [Live]
17. Lay Lady Lay [Alternate Version]
18. Oil in My Lamp [Alternate Version]
19. Tulsa County
20. Jesus Is Just Alright
21. Chestnut Mare
22. Just a Season
23. Kathleen's Song [Alternate Version]
24. All the Things [Alternate Version]

Disc 4:

1. Lover of the Bayou [Live]
2. Positively 4th Street [Live]
3. Old Blue [Live]
4. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) [Live]
5. Ballad of Easy Rider [Live]
6. You All Look Alike [Live][#]
7. Nashville West [Live][#][Instrumental]
8. Willin' [Live]
9. Black Mountain Rag [Live][Instrumental]
10. Baby What You Want Me to Do [Live][#]
11. I Trust [Live][#]
12. Take a Whiff (On Me) [Live]
13. Glory, Glory
14. Byrdgrass [Instrumental]
15. Pale Blue
16. I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician
17. Nothin' to It [Instrumental]
18. Tiffany Queen
19. Farther Along
20. Bugler
21. Mr. Tambourine Man [Banjoman Soundtrack Version][Live]
22. Roll Over Beethoven [Banjoman Soundtrack Version][Live]
23. Full Circle
24. Changing Heart
25. Paths of Victory

Disc 5:

1. Mr. Tambourine Man [DVD][*]
2. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better [DVD][*]
3. All I Really Want to Do [DVD][*]
4. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) [DVD][*]
5. It Won't Be Wrong [DVD][*]
6. Set You Free This Time [DVD][*]
7. So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star [DVD][*]
8. Mr. Tambourine Man [DVD][*]
9. Eight Miles High [DVD][*]
10. Mr. Spaceman [DVD][*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26300 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2007-01-16
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set

Amazon.com
A newcomer to the musical progression and legacy of the Byrds could hardly expect to find a better crash course than this: four discs with 99 songs, a DVD of ten previously unissued television performances, extensive annotation. Yet longtime fans of the band might wonder what the point is. Any riches buried in the vaults have long ago been mined--first in 1990's definitive four-disc Byrds box, then on Columbia's series of extended editions of every Byrds album in the catalog, replete with previously unreleased bonus tracks. By this late date, all possible revelations have been revealed, with the five previously unissued performances here of interest mainly to completists. The familiar music is glorious, of course--the chiming guitars and soaring harmonies that brought Bob Dylan and folk-rock to the top of the charts and then soared into the stratosphere with "Eight Miles High" and all but invented country-rock with Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Yet except for the DVD, anyone who wants this much Byrds probably already has most of it. --Don McLeese

More Byrds

Mr. Tambourine Man	Turn! Turn! Turn!	Fifth Dimension
Younger Than Yesterday	The Notorious Byrd Brothers	Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Greatest Hits	The Essential Byrds	The Preflyte Sessions

Customer Reviews

Second Box Set Is Indispensable
During the Byrds' all too brief career (less than 10 years in all it's various incarnations through their 1973 reunion), they didn't enjoy the kind of commercial success of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, or even the Kinks or the Who for that matter. (Even Chad & Jeremy had as many Top 40 singles as the Byrds!) But history has rightly bestowed the status of legends on one of America's most influential bands. Does this justify a second box set? The answer is an unqualified, yes. While the 1990 BYRDS box set is an equally essential collection, THERE IS A SEASON includes 37 songs not on the first box set and an additional 15 songs presented in different versions (alternate takes, mono, or live). So nearly half the tracks here are new to this box set. And the bonus DVD (although brief at under 30 minutes) is a treasure trove of full song performances--all lip-synched--from a variety of TV sources.

Here's the complete rundown on what's new to the THERE IS A SEASON box set:

Disc One (64:51) - Where THE BYRDS box set began with "Mr. Tambourine Man," this set begins with six tracks from 1964. The first track is the folky "The Only Girl I know," written by McGuinn and Clark and recorded as The Jet Set. The next two tracks, "Please Let Me Love You" and "Don't Be Long," were recorded as The Beefeaters. The next three tracks, "The Airport Song," "You Movin'" and "You Showed Me," still showed the Byrds still looking for their own distinct voice, experimenting with blending folk, pop and rock. In addition, the compilers have put more emphasis on Gene Clark's songwriting this time. "You Won't Have to Cry" (co-written with McGuinn), "Here Without You," "I Knew I'd Want You," "She Has a Way," "Set You Free This Time," "The Day Walk" and "If You're Gone" are all Clark tunes. Also added are Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and Crosby's instrumental "Stranger in a Strange Land" (taken from the expanded edition of TURN! TURN! TURN!). In addition there are the mono single versions of both Clark's "She Don't Care about Time" and Dylan's "All I Really Want to Do." Also, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is the mono "withdrawn version" taken from the expanded edition of TURN! TURN! TURN!

Disc Two (66:20) - This disc adds tracks to focus on David Crosby's songwriting talents. Several tracks from FIFTH DIMENSION are new to this set: "Wild Mountain Thyme," "I See You" and "What's Happening?!?!" along with the single mono version of "Why." The last three were all written or co-written by Crosby. Then there is the Crosby-Hillmen "Tribal Gatherings" from THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS. Also included is a 1967 live radio broadcast version of "He Was a Friend of Mine" (previously unreleased) and a bonus track from the expanded edition of THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS, "Universal Mind Decoder," which is a fascinating instrumental demo which later became "Change Is Now."

Disc Three (78:45) - There are alternate versions of "Lazy Days" and "Pretty Polly" from the Legacy Edition of SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO; "This Wheel's on Fire" from the expanded edition of DR. BYRDS & MR. HYDE; "Pretty Boy Floyd," "Buckaroo," "King Apathy III" and the Merle Haggard classic "Sing Me Back Home" all from LIVE AT THE FILLMORE; and "All the Things" from the expanded edition of (UNTITLED)/(UNISSUED). Also new to this set is "Candy" from DR. BYRDS AND MR. HYDE and "Child of the Universe" from the motion picture soundtrack CANDY.

Disc Four (71:24) - There are four previously unreleased live recordings from 1970: "You All Look Alike," "Nashville West," "Baby What You Want Me to Do" and "I Trust." There are two live tracks from the movie soundtrack BANJOMAN: "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Roll Over Beethoven" (both recorded in 1973). Also new to this box set are "Take a Whiff (On Me)," "Glory, Glory," "Byrdgrass," "Pale Blue" and "Nothin' To It," the latter from EARL SCRUGGS: HIS FAMILY & FRIENDS. And finally there are perhaps the two finest songs from the 1973 BYRDS reunion album: the countrified "Full Circle" and the melancholy "Changing Heart," both written and sung by Gene Clark.

Bonus DVD (26:00 approx.) None of these TV performances are live recordings and only "All I Really Want to Do" gives a broadcast date (1965). It's obvious that producers didn't know how to film rock musicians. For example, there's way too much attention paid to the dancers during Clark's terrific "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better." Some of the songs have abruptly truncated fades (to eliminate announcer voice-overs?)--it's especially irritating on "Set You Free This Time." The first seven songs feature the original 5-man lineup. Tracks 8 and 9 are after Clark had exited the group. Track 10 is the only color video (from a Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour broadcast) and has the group performing "Mr. Spaceman," and though Crosby is now gone from the group Clark is back on board (although his return lasts less than two months). [This lineup dates the "Mr. Spaceman" clip to October or November of 1967.] While you are only hearing the recorded versions of these songs, it was great fun to see videos of the band at their peak. [Wasn't there any concert footage available to augment this bonus disc? As such, there are no additional features on this DVD.]

Overall this is an amazing box set. Not only are there 99 songs on this box set (compared to 90 on the previous box), the booklet is 100 pages with essays by Tom Petty, Gary Louris (of the Jayhawks) and Roger McGuinn himself, along with liner notes by David Fricke that include new interviews with surviving members McGuinn, Hillman and Crosby, and dozens of photos--the most poignant is the 1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame picture. (It would be the last time they shared a stage together; two years later Gene Clark and Michael Clarke would both be dead.) This box stands as a testament to their greatness as singers, songwriters and musicians. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Byrds fans listen up! Here are ten reasons why you NEED this!
When the Byrds first box set was released in 1990, it boasted an unbelievable collection of material from the band's career from 1965 through 1971. Over the years, that box set has earned a reputation as the definitive career overview for arguably the most important American rock 'n' roll band in history.

Fast-forward to 2006, we have seen all of the Byrds' eleven studio albums re-released in expanded editions with bonus tracks, and the original box set is long out of print. Recognizing that a lot more material has surfaced in the vaults since 1990, Columbia Records decided to compile a new box set, There Is a Season, instead of simply doing another print run of the 1990 box.

Most die-hard fans - the people who are most likely to be interested in There Is a Season - probably have all eleven of the expanded edition re-issues and the 1990 box set and will be questioning why they should drop more money for material they already have. For starters, there are five new live tracks that are previously unreleased in any form. There are also many tracks that are making their debut on CD. For those who own the eleven album re-issues and the 1990 box set, there are ten key reasons why you need the new box set.

1. Both sides of the Elektra Records single put out by Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Gene Clark as The Beefeaters, "Please Let Me Love You" b/w "Don't Be Long", are making their official debuts on CD. You can finally throw away that crackly vinyl rip that you got from a friend of a friend.

2. The original mono single version of "Why?" is making its CD debut here. The single version of "Why?" first appeared on the 1990 box, but in a modern-day stereo remix. And before you say "The mono version appeared on Original Singles 1965-1967!", know that the CD version of that album contains the mono album version from Younger Than Yesterday, not the single version which is a completely different take.

3. A live, previously unreleased, version of "He Was a Friend of Mine" recorded in 1967 is included. This recording features Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby and Michael Clarke.

4. The original mono single version of "Lady Friend" is making its CD debut here. The single version of "Lady Friend" first appeared on the 1990 box, but in a modern-day stereo remix.

5. The version of "Child of the Universe" from Candy: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack makes its CD debut. This is a radically different mix from what appeared on Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, complete with orchestral overdubs courtesy of Dave Grusin.

6. A beautiful, previously unreleased, live version of "You All Look Alike" is included. What's really interesting about it is that this features Skip Battin on vocals, whereas the studio version on (Untitled) has Roger McGuinn handling vocals.

7. A live, previously unreleased, version of "I Trust" which provides all the proof one will ever need that the biggest problem with Byrdmaniax was the production and not the material. This is currently the only official live release of a song from Byrdmaniax.

8. A track that the Byrds recorded with Earl Scruggs for his early 1970s LP Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends called "Nothin' To It" is included. This is the track's CD debut.

9. The live versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Roll Over Beethoven" from Banjoman: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack make their CD debuts here. What makes these tracks interesting is that they were recorded in very early 1973 and are the only officially released recordings that feature the last touring lineup of The Byrds with John Guerin on drums, replacing Gene Parsons.

10. The bonus DVD, while purely icing on the cake, does contain interesting footage. None of the TV appearances feature live music and they're all mimed, with one exception. During a television appearance on Hullabaloo, Gene Clark sings "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" live over a studio backing track.

While you could probably do without some of this material, or just keep your old bootlegs, the sound quality for all this material is better than just about anything you'll find in trading circles, plus the book has great notes and photos. It's worth your cash for all this material, even if the rest of it is stuff you already have.

AMERICA'S MOST TALENTED BAND - HANDS DOWN!!!!!!
Forget what the other reviewers say about the new additional tracks being throwaways - these tracks have the great Clarence White playing guitar! Anything Clarence played on is important. And most of these unissued tracks are live - the recording and playing is supurb! Makes the listener proud to be a Byrds fan(atic). NOTE TO SONY/LEGACY/COLUMBIA: If there are more live tapes of the Clarence White era of the Byrds, PLEASE releae them. On disc #4 there are 12 live tracks, 4 previously unissued: You All Look Alike, Nashville West, I Trust, and a full bore rockin' Baby What You Want Me To Do.
Everybody really knocked the Byrdmaniax and Farther Along albums, but live tunes from those records are a completely exceptional experience. There are also live versions of It's Alright Ma and Ballad of Easy Rider which will knock you socks off.
The Byrds, America's most talented band. In my humble opinion. And we are lucky to have such well recorded testaments to their greatness. Critics also knock the Clarence White era too, but those guys could play! The two eras of the Byrds are two sides of the same coin - the Crosby/Clark era were fantastic in the studio, ok live - the C.W. era were ok in the studio, but a really cookin' road band. I'd give anything to have been along with them for a couple of shows back in their day. McGuinn should write a book. Show should Hillman.