Pros: Innovative treatment of folk music, twelve-string guitar, incredible harmonies
Cons: None to speak of
The Bottom Line: Mr. Tambourine Man is a startling debut album--The Byrds redefine folk music and begin a distinguished career as musicians. It's really a classic album.
sparkospunky's Full Review: Mr. Tambourine Man [Remaster] by The Byrds
When The Byrds released their debut album, Mr Tambourine Man, in 1965, they made a musical statement that was unparalleled at that time. These imaginative West Coast musicians took the traditional acoustic folk music form and turned the idea topsy-turvy, with a big, jangly Rickenbacker electric twelve-string guitar providing a rich texture to a formerly dry, simple type of music. Add some otherworldly harmonies and you have the unique brand of music that is contained in this album.
This album is a little unusual because seven out of the twelve tracks are cover tunes--The Byrds pay homage to their guru, Bob Dylan, by recording four of his tunes, and they also honor the immortal Pete Seeger by offering up one of his songs. Inexplicably, there's a Jackie DeShannon cover in the mix, along with a tune that was popular during World War II in England, but I'll let the reader figure these anomalies out. Rest assured that The Byrds make it all work in a cohesive, well-structured album that ranks as one of the most successful debut albums in history.
The Byrds are:
Jim McGuinn, twelve-string guitar, vocals
Gene Clark, tambourine, vocals
David Crosby, rhythm guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman, bass guitar, vocals
Michael Clarke, drums
The tracks are:
1. Mr. Tambourine Man--That jangly electric twelve-string guitar and beautiful harmonies make an immediate impact on the title track, putting an entirely new face on this Bob Dylan composition. Mr. Tambourine Man sets up the premise for the remaining tracks on the album, and indicates the musical direction that The Byrds would follow early in their career.
2. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better--Gene Clark composed this song, and it works well as an original tune. It has the familiar formulas that The Byrds incorporated into their music--the big Rickenbacker twelve-string electric guitar and those tight harmonies--and it's stood the test of time pretty well, because it still gets a lot of airplay in my area. McGuinn's solo is a fantastic piece of twelve-string picking.
3. Spanish Harlem Incident--Another Bob Dylan composition, with the electric treatment that only The Byrds could provide. The twelve-string guitar adds a new face to Dylan's song, but it doesn't detract from its' traditional folk flavor. McGuinn does a very passable imitation of Dylan on lead vocals.
4. You Won't Have To Cry--This one is a beautiful ballad written by Gene Clark which features those rich harmonies which became this band's trademark. The twelve-string guitar jangles away, maintaining the distinctive sound that The Byrds hammered home with their debut album.
5. Here Without You--Another Gene Clark composition which blends pop stylings with the folk themes that so influenced The Byrds. This one has a slightly dark tone, and the low, throaty harmonies lack the glitter of some of the other songs on this album.
6. The Bells Of Rhymney--The Byrds do their interpretation of an old Pete Seeger tune about a coal mining disaster in Wales. McGuinn's vocals have a yearning quality, and his twelve-string guitar jumps up the Seeger version, which, as I remember, was much more somber. McGuinn's solo is something special--Pete Seeger never envisioned something like that, I can guarantee you !
7. All I Really Want To Do--The Byrds totally redo this Dylan classic and in effect, make it their own. Folk becomes music you can dance to--all you have to do is add a jangly twelve-string guitar, nice harmonies and a solid rhythm section. I'm told that Dylan approved of the arrangements that The Byrds did with his songs.
8. I Knew I'd Want You--Gene Clark was the main songwriting force of The Byrds, and he crafted a nice piece of music with this song. By now, all the formulas are in place, and this song is effective as a bit of early original music by The Byrds.
9. It's No Use--Jim McGuinn co-wrote this one with Gene Clark, but the McGuinn influence is predominant, as evidenced by the touch of psychedelic guitar that would show up in some of the band's later work. The Byrds briefly abandon the folk mode with a little edgier offering that still features those fine harmonies.
10. Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe--Written by Jackie Deshannon, this song has a little of those "hand jive" rhythms that were popular in early rock 'n roll. I've never heard the original version, but I would imagine that the version done by The Byrds bears very little resemblance to it. Still, it's an interesting treatment of a song by a female singer by an all-male band.
11. Chimes Of Freedom--The fourth and final Bob Dylan song on the album---the band's treatment of this one is different, but not radically so. The rich harmonies were missing from the Dylan version, and except being a little muscled up with electric instruments, the integrity of the song is pretty much unsullied.
12. We'll Meet Again--This was a song popular in England during World War II, and some of you might recognize it as the soundtrack at the end of the film Dr. Strangelove, where numerous nuclear detonations are depicted. The Byrds put their distinctive spin on the song with their harmonies and sonic twelve-string guitar.
Bonus Tracks
13. She Has A Way
14. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Alternate Version)
15. It's No Use
16. You Won't To Cry (Alternate Version)
17. All I Really Want To Do (Single Version)
The music world had never heard anything like this in 1965 when The Byrds debuted with their brand of electric folk music. If you've either forgotten or never experienced this excitement, you'd do well to pick this album up.
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