Extra Scenes: The Byrds' "20 c." (September 1967 - May 1968)

September - October 1967

The Byrds, 1967.

The recording sessions for the Byrds' next album were fraught with tension. For the past three months, the band, led by Roger McGuinn, had only managed to record seven songs, the most recent one being a cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Goin' Back", made popular the previous year by pop singer Dusty Springfield.

ROGER McGUINN: "There was a lot of pressure from Columbia to have an album out before the Christmas rush. We were having a bit of writer's block, and we hadn't enough material for a ten-track album." (1989)

If it wasn't writer's block that put pressure on the Byrds, it was arguments among the members, especially with Michael Clarke and David Crosby. The former resigned from his position as the band's drummer following disputes with the other band members over his playing ability as well as his feelings toward the material that Crosby, McGuinn and Chris Hillman had gathered. Crosby was soon kicked out of the band over the recording of "Goin' Back", arguing that his controversial song "Triad" should be on the album instead.

CHRIS HILLMAN: "After Roger and I fired David, we considered bringing back Gene Clark to replace him, but Columbia reminded us that we had to put out an album by November. There was no time to bring in replacement members, so we had to release what we had already managed to finish as well as bring back a few older songs onto the track listing. It's a miracle we managed to get The Notorious Byrd Brothers out at all, given all the shit we were going through." (2004)

DAVID CROSBY: "If Roger and Chris hadn't fired me, I'd have never formed a group with Stephen [Stills] and Graham [Nash]. Oh, and Neil [Young] too. Sometimes bad things have good outcomes." (1977)

November 17, 1967

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers

Released: November 17, 1967

Recorded: December 5, 1966 - September 9, 1967

Producer: Gary Usher

Track listing[1]

Side A

Lady Friend
Goin' Back
Tribal Gathering
Draft Morning
Don't Make Waves

Side B
Change is Now
Old John Robertson
Triad
Dolphin's Smile
It Happens Each Day

The songs included with the seven planned album tracks were the "Lady Friend"/"Don't Make Waves" single from July, as well as an outtake from Younger Than Yesterday, "It Happens Each Day". The Notorious Byrd Brothers received good reviews from critics, but it only managed to peak at #47 in the United States. It fared far better, however, in the United Kingdom by topping out at #12. The album's sole single, "Goin' Back", was released ahead of the album on October 20 and reached a rather dismal #89 on the Billboard Hot 100. It failed to chart at all in the United Kingdom.

Whilst the various incidents surrounding the album's production were noted at the time, they were eventually forgotten about over time in favor of the quality of the music, being regarded as some of the best music the Byrds had ever recorded, despite running at less than a half hour. Their next album, however, would be bigger not only in length, but in terms of innovation...

March - April 1968

Gram Parsons, 1968.

By the time the Byrds were back in the studio, their new lineup included drummer Kevin Kelley (Hillman's cousin) and folk guitarist Gram Parsons alongside the McGuinn/Hillman duo. The next album was set to be a musical history of American popular music during the 20th century, ranging from traditional folk music all the way up to psychedelic music. McGuinn and Hillman had already recorded five new songs during the mixing of The Notorious Byrd Brothers which already covered psychedelic music, and they were recorded with Michael Clarke who only agreed to return to play the drums.

GRAM PARSONS: "I was ambivalent when it came to the psychedelic noodlings Roger and Chris did with Michael. I wanted a full country record, but we soon reached a middle ground that the entirety of the first half of what became 20 c. focused a lot on traditional tunes and country and folk music. The second half would include more modern country and folk before delving into psychedelic territory." (1970)

The first songs recorded were a rendition of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and a Parsons original, "Hickory Wind". Over a week, the Byrds had managed to record eight new songs, far more efficient than the seven new songs recorded over a three-month period. The last three songs, Merle Haggard and Jelly Sanders' "Life in Prison", Luke McDaniel's "You're Still on My Mind" and the Louvin Brothers' "The Christian Life" were all recorded the following month, along with two other outtakes, William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water" and Cindy Walker's "Blue Canadian Rockies".

May 31, 1968

The Byrds - 20 c.

Released: May 31, 1968

Recorded: October 23, 1967 - April 15, 1968

Producer: Gary Usher

Track listing[2]

Side A

Pretty Polly
I am a Pilgrim
The Christian Life
Hickory Wind
Nothing was Delivered
Life in Prison
You're Still on My Mind
Pretty Boy Floyd

Side B
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Lazy Days
You Got a Reputation
Get to You
Natural Harmony
Artificial Energy
Space Odyssey
Moog Raga

Originally dubbed Cosmic American Music, a term Parsons used to describe McGuinn's concept, 20 c. was met with some confusion among fans and critics; was this really an album made by the same band that recorded "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"? This sounded like a step backwards... at least until you get to the second half of the second side. At the time, people didn't really see the concept behind the album and saw it as simply another country album. Despite that common criticism, 20 c. managed to hit #77 on the Billboard charts, the Byrds' lowest album chart position thus far. The lead single from April, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", was a modest hit, reaching #75 and #45 in America and the United Kingdom, respectively.

Like The Notorious Byrd Brothers before it, time eventually proved kinder to 20 c., being regarded as the Byrds' most ambitious effort as well as their last influential album. Of course, fans and listeners are still divided regarding the album's merits as until the three-quarters mark, the Byrds' trademark experimentation is nowhere to be heard.

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from The Notorious Byrd Brothers excluding "Lady Friend", "Don't Make Waves" and "It Happens Each Day", sourced from Younger Than Yesterday.
2. Tracks are sourced from Sweetheart of the Rodeo and The Notorious Byrd Brothers.

Author's Comments

Another band getting some focus that they didn't get in the initial Phase One; it's the Byrds, David Crosby's band before he became a member of Crosby, Stills, & Nash... and sometimes Young. The inspiration for my take on 20 c. came from AEC on Albums Back from the Dead, only my version includes tracks from The Notorious Byrd Brothers and is a single album instead of a double. I did use AEC's tracklisting as a basis and rearranged some songs around so my version could stick out a little more, also using Sweetheart of the Rodeo as a basis. After that, their discography continues as it did with Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. Unless something else changes courtesy of yours truly.

Album cover for 20 c. was made by IdesignAlbumCovers on Tumblr.