Product Description

By the time Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke entered the studio to begin work on this album, they were basically falling apart at the seams. 'Ladyfriend', a song written by Crosby, had just failed miserably as a chart single despite the fact that he lobbied hard to get it released. This - coupled with the fact that he made what the rest of the band considered an embarrassing political speech onstage during their set at the Monterey Pop Festival, and then sat in with rivals the Buffalo Springfield the following day - pushed McGuinn and Hillman in particular to the limits of their patience. A few too many studio flare-ups later, and McGuinn and Hillman finally screeched up into the Hollywood Hills in their Jaguars and fired Crosby on the spot. Also brooding during this period was drummer Michael Clarke, who had always borne the brunt of the other band members' rage while recording. He was by far the least accomplished member of the band musically, and when they suggested bringing in a studio drummer to embellish some tracks (Jim Gordon, later of Derek and the Dominos fame), he finally declared he'd had enough and moved to Hawaii to get away from the music scene altogether. So, McGuinn and Hillman were left to cobble together an album with the help of producer Gary Usher (known for his work with Brian Wilson, the Millennium, Sagittarius and many others). The fact that it turned out to be one of the defining albums of the 60s psychedelic pop experience was either a sheer stroke of luck, or testament to McGuinn and Hillman's determination to prove that they didn't need Crosby's help to construct their masterpiece.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130635 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Review
"'A brilliant series of pocket-sized books focussing on a classic album. Each one a work of real love.' NME"

About the Author
Ric Menck is a drummer, singer, and songwriter who lives in Los Angeles. He has been in bands since 1979, including the Drats, the Reverbs, Pop the Balloon, Bag of Shells, the Springfields, Velvet Crush and the Tyde. As a drummer, he has played on records by (and toured with) Matthew Sweet, Liz Phair, Aimee Mann, Willie Nelson, and Marianne Faithfull.

Customer Reviews

No insight in this insight
Being a Byrds fan since I was 14 way back in 1965, I've read most stuff out there on The Byrds. I had high (!) hopes that this was going to be a little gem giving some previously uncovered info on the band and an album which is considered by some to be their finest. Unfortunately you dont get that and in a book thats pretty short to begin with its not till your halfway through the thing that the album is really even discussed. Prior to this you get a lowdown on Mr. Mench's musical background , which is quite frankly irrelevant and a history of the band, which has been much more fully covered by others. It doesn't do it for me at all and hand on heart I couldn't recommend it to a hardcore Byrds fan,though perhaps it maybe of interest for someone with a casual interest in the group and a love of that particular album. I would suggest you save your money and if you haven't already bought it get John Logans definitive tomb or if you dont like reading theres John Yorks excellent DVD 'Byrds Under Review', both are great value and full of info for the Byrds freak.

A brilliant read.
Ric Menck, drummer in 90s power-poppers Velvet Crush, provides a wonderful look at a much treasured album, part history book, and part gentle autobiography. Offering a musician's view of the album, he goes into great detail about how the Byrds were able to pull together the disparate strands - both creative and personal - that went into making the record that is generally seen as their definitive statement. Menck knows his stuff about the Byrds, and is able to draw upon a wide range of sources to piece together what could be an extraordinarily complex narrative.

The Byrds' history is one that is littered with episodes of bitterness and recriminations. In a sense, their entire story could be summed up by a notion of wasted opportunities. After initially flying high (if you'll excuse the pun) they suffered a harsh commercial downward spiral, which ironically coincided with their strongest creative work. Tensions between the band-mates led to a fracturing of identity, with only Roger McGuinn remaining constant in the midst of all the chaos. Menck doesn't linger too much on this labyrinthine tale, but wisely keeps the focus on this album alone, giving us enough detail to understand its protracted genesis.

Coupled with this are some wonderful accounts of his won time as a musician, and how this album was a significant factor in his decision to become involved with music. These parts of the book are genuinely `special', and lift the book away from the realms of criticism, into establishing it as a creative work in its own right. What could have been an interesting but dry account of a band in the 60s becomes an absorbing tale of how an album that is almost 40 years old is able to remain a vital and important work, capable of having a profound impact on people's lives.

In fact, Ric Menck's telling of this tale is so successful, that the reader is almost inclined to go and check out HIS records! Which is surely an achievement in itself?