 List Price: $17.98
Lowest Price: $13.99 
Album Description: From their earliest days as 12-string-wielding folk-rockers, to the thrilling psychedelic excursions of their raga-rock period to their 1968 birthing of country-rock, the Byrds were always accorded a hero's welcome in England. What better place to record founding Byrds member/guitarist/singer Roger McGuinn's new version of the band--featuring fretboard ace Clarence White, bassist Skip Battin and drummer Gene Parsons--than London's Royal Albert Hall! Rescued from a tape that had sat forgotten in McGuinn's climatized garage for decades, this stellar 1971 set, featuring live versions of the current band's studio faves ("Lover of the Bayou," "Chestnut Mare") as well as adventurous reworkings of Byrds classics ("Mr. Tambourine Man," "My Back Pages," "Eight Miles High," "So You Want to Be a Rock `n' Roll Star") might be the most accurate and stirring live performance yet of the legendary Los Angeles combo. By 1971, the guitar interplay of McGuinn and White had become a jaw-dropping highlight of their live performances, as had their stripped-down, acoustic mini-set and peerless four-part vocal harmonies. As McGuinn, in typically understated fashion, says of this new Sundazed release, available now on both compact disc and as a high-definition vinyl, double-gatefold LP: "It was a great night, so I'm happy there's a record of it!" Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-04
Warning - Defective CD
There's a serious mastering or manufacturing problem with the Byrds - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1971 CD, at least with the first edition issued in mid 2008.
I've now had two copies of this CD, and both have had severe skipping problems during track 19, "Amazing Grace," starting at about 1:20. The problem starts with digital "clicking" and progresses into bad skipping, with the elapsed time actually stopping at one point. Both CDs I've tried have had exactly the same problem, so it's clearly a mastering or manufacturing, and not simply a defective individual CD.
I'm now going to return my second CD and request a refund rather than another replacement copy.
This is a real shame, because the music on this CD (as on other Sundazed releases) is superb. I am hopeful that Sundazed will fix the problem and reissue this CD, because it's well worth having for the excellent music.
Five stars for the music, but NO stars for the defective CDs. Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-02
Very Worthwhile For Byrds Fanatics
This recorded document of The Byrds' performance at The Royal Albert Hall in 1971 is better than anticipated. It is a soundboard recording which is beneficial because it allows a live event to be mixed with clear separation of the instruments and vocals. Unfortunately, the mix was done live--as it happened. For this CD release on the Sundazed label, the sound, about which some reviewers have complained, actually improves during the course of the complete 77-minute show and is more than reasonable for an archival, originally-unintended release.
Clarence White's guitar work on track #1, "Lover of the Bayou", is way down in the mix but is restored front and center after that point. The rhythm section of Gene Parsons and Skip Battin is well mixed throughout, demonstrating what a formidable presence they were and how crucial it was to the excitement of The Byrds live. Unfortunately, Roger McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker is mixed way too low until about two thirds of the way through the concert. His vocals are prominent and clear, however; it is also refreshing to hear the fine harmony work of White, Battin and Parsons where it had been buried on the live portion of "Untitled".
As for the show itself, the song selection is generous and qualifies nearly as a "best of the country Byrds", with some notable exceptions, of course. There are newer numbers such as "Roll Over,Beethoven", "Jamaica, Say You Will" and "I Trust" interwoven with classic cuts making it a good alternative to the familiar "Untitled" show.
The live arrangements of songs differ from the more-famous studio versions, in many cases, notably the acoustic "Mr. Tambourine Man" and medley of "Black Mountain Rag/Soldier's Joy". However, others such as "Rock n' Roll Star", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Jesus Is Just Alright" and "Nashville West" are not altogether different from the famous "Unititled/Unissued" versions recorded a year earlier. In my opinion, they are generally of the same calibre as that previous show and it would be "cherry picking" to say one performance is superior to another. I must admit that, for me, however, the more-conventional, hard-rock version of "Eight Miles High" here is not very interesting throughout its duration as the solos seem uninspired and messy. The jazzier and more exploratory version on "Untitled" has yet to be eclipsed, to my mind, for its inventiveness, virtuosity and also faithfulness to the spirit of the original.
The performances on all cuts are vigorous and very definitely in a "hard rock" mode. The acoustic numbers are warm and charming. It is The Byrds at their instrumental peak and a CD must-have for Byrds fanatics. It isn't superior to the justly-celebrated "Untitled" performances, but I would recommend it without reservation and, also, to classic rock and alt-country fans.
Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-01
One of the Best
The Byrds were the first great American rock band of the sixties, and almost certainly the most influential American rock band ever. They redefined rock music with their debut "Mr. Tambourine Man" in early 1965, and again with "Eight Miles High" in 1966, but by 1969, Roger McGuinn was the only original Byrd remaining in the group. McGuinn recruited bluegrass and session guitar wizard Clarence White to join the group full time and carried on under the Byrds name. Having lost three tremendously talented singer/songwriters in Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman (as well as short-time Byrd Gram Parsons), the five studio albums recorded between 1969 and 1972 by the McGuinn/White version of the Byrds tended to be inconsistent (despite some definite high points).
However, these latter day Byrds, especially White, were no less than terrific when performing live and this album may be the definitive document of those performances.
White's guitar playing is absolutely terrific. Although White's guitar mastery has always been well known by both bluegrass and rock insiders, he has never seemed to achieve the public acclaim of Hendrix, Clapton, or Page. Maybe that's because those Byrd albums were inconsistent, or because he approached the guitar from a bluegrass, rather than blues, perspective. But White was at least as technically proficient as any rock guitarist, and this album proves that he was also tremendously inventive.
Although McGuinn's guitar playing doesn't display the kind of warm individuality of his "classic" Byrds period, his singing and guitar playing is certainly complementary to White's. Indeed, McGuinn's performance is smart and inventive, and highly enjoyable throughout.
And the rhythm section of Skip Battin (bass) and Gene Parsons (drums) work beautifully with the two guitarists.
Although this album bears a number of similarities to the live portion of Untitled, there are actually a number of subtle and not so subtle differences. The most obvious difference is that this is presented as a complete (or near complete) show, whereas Untitled is presented as "highlights" from two or three shows. Because of that, and perhaps because this wasn't recorded specifically for release, this performance has a much warmer, more spontaneous feel to it. The song performances themselves seem to be more relaxed, personal, and inventive than those on Untitled. The (short) acoustic set is surprisingly enjoyable. And, on at least few songs, the vocal harmonies, while certainly not reminicient of "classic" Byrd harmonies, are excellent.
On the bad side, the sound quality on the first track does seem to be less than ideal. And "Eight Miles High", similar to on Untitled, is about eight miles (minutes) longer than ideal. But these are minor quibles.
This is a great live album from a great live band.
Hopefully, McGuinn will continue to release more great live material from throughout his career. Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-28
Excellent Live Performance
This is a soundboard recording not an audience recording and it's not as bad as some make it out to be.
Wih that said, if you like latter days Byrds and if you enjoyed "Untitled" then you are going to want this. Well worth the price.
Rating:
Date: 2008-06-26
I think I'm going back to the things that I learned so well in my youth
This is one of those innocent pleasures that one can afford to consume in one's later years without any guilt whatsoever while ruing the years that the subject has been under wraps in Roger McGuinn's archives.
I will leave others to discuss individual tracks while I make the claim to how like the Grateful Dead the Byrds really were on this showing. The differences are clear, whilst the Dead gre from their blues based background the Byrds arose from the folk tradition but here, in this fines concert marred only by a minor sound glitch in the first track, the similarities are there for all to see and hear.
Marvel how America has produced two bands who outgrew their simple origins to become the greatest evangelists for the broad spectrum of music that has emerged from the United States in it's brief history. Marvel at their adaptions and restorations of folk and country and bluegrass while having the talent and capability to perform outside of the boundaries of the simple folk song.
Of course both bands look to Bob Dylan at various times in their careers to provide the vivid lyrics which capture so much and evoke much more but which they in turn reflect and refract back out to the broader audiences.
This album spans many decades in it's short span and presents them afresh. Whilst I mourn the space between the recording and it's eventual release it reminds me of much that has been lost in the intervening years and how we will probably never see the likes of the Byrds and the Dead again in their ability to transcend styles and forms and bring into the fold many from differing subclasses of the popular idiom together.
I commend this album to the pantheon of excellent albums. |
