Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Mr. Tambourine Man
2. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
3. Spanish Harlem Incident
4. You Won't Have To Cry
5. Here Without You
6. The Bells Of Rhymney
7. All I Really Want To Do
8. I Knew I'd Want You (Single Version)
9. It's No Use
10. Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe
11. Chimes Of Freedom
12. We'll Meet Again
13. She Has A Way (vocal overdub/take 2)
14. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Alternate Version)
15. It's No Use (alternate lead guitar overdub)
16. You Won't Have To Cry (alternate vocal track/take 2)
17. It'S All Over Now, Baby Blue (version one)
18. You And Me (instrumental backing track - take 13)

Disc 2:

1. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
2. It Won't Be Wrong (Single Version)
3. Set You Free This Time (Single Version)
4. Lay Down Your Weary Tune Albu
5. He Was A Friend Of Mine
6. The World Turns All Around Her
7. Satisfied Mind
8. If You're Gone
9. The Times They Are A-Changin'
10. The Times They Are A-Changin' (version one)
11. Wait And See
12. Oh! Susannah
13. The Day Walk (Never Before)
14. She Don't Care About Time (Single Version)
15. It'S All Over Now, Baby Blue (version one)
16. She Don't Care About Time (version 1 - take 2; Previously Unissued)
17. The World Turns All Around Her (Alternate Mix; Previously Unissued)
18. Stranger In A Strange Land (Previously Unissued-Instrumental backing track - take)

Disc 3:

1. 5D (Fifth Dimension)
2. Wild Mountain Thyme
3. Mr. Spaceman
4. I See You
5. What's Happening?!?! (Single Version)
6. I Come And Stand At Every Door
7. Eight Miles High
8. Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)
9. Captain Soul
10. John Riley
11. 2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song)
12. Why (Single Version)
13. I Know My Rider (I Know You Rider)
14. Psychodrama City
15. Eight Miles High (Alternate/RCA Studios version)
16. Why (alternate/RCA Studios version)
17. John Riley (instrumental version 1)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141497 in Music
• Released on: 2003-10-06
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's not overstating the case to contend that the Byrds' debut is the font from which all folk-rock spouts. The Bob Dylan-penned title track hit No. 1 two months before the album arrived, in the process heralding a new sound that braided involved lyrics with a driving beat, chiming guitars, and vaguely trippy harmonies. The album (and, indeed, it is an album, rather than a haphazard collection of songs, as was the standard of the day) followed through on the promise of the single. Four of the dozen songs on the original pressing were Dylan compositions, but the originals from Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn nearly matched their appeal, particularly "I Feel a Whole Lot Better", perhaps the quintessential Byrds tune. This 1996 reissue includes a half-dozen previously unreleased tracks. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

A seminal antique
Though not too obvious for many years, The Byrds' debut album can now be regarded as a huge influence on the development of rock music. 12-string playing in general during the last twenty years or so seems to take its cue from here, though no one has replicated those wonderful delicately-layered vocal harmonies. The Byrds and Bob Dylan owe a mutual debt, they for Bob providing them with ammo, Bob for having his material popularised. It's already clear here though that Gene Clark was a fine writer in his own right. Dylan has the words, but Clark has the dynamic tunes, not only 'Feel A Whole Lot Better', but the faintly Beatlesque 'You Won't Have To Cry' and 'It's No Use'. 'Here With You' has a great moodiness to it too. I can forgive them 'We'll Meet Again', though I usually skip it and, besides, 'She has A Way' is a great bonus track. Though only forty-five minutes, including nearly ten of alternative versions, 'Mr Tambourine Man' packs quality.

Wonderful music, bargain price - Timeless Flight!
This box is a bargain: the three first Byrds albums, all remastered with extra tracks, detailed liner notes and photographs. Here is some of the most joyous and uplifting music ever produced - particularly the songs of Gene Clark which grace the first two collections. Also listen to the singing: Clark's especially. Soulful as well as beautifully harmonious. Here is where the sixties really took off. Enjoy the Timeless Flight!

Jangly guitars rule OK
The price of the 3 CD box set gets this purchase off to a good start. Before buying the set I was familiar with the usual tracks that made the charts but was interested in hearing other album material that was so far unknown to me. In general terms the tracks seem very similar to one another with jangly 12 string electric guitar up front in the mix and the characteristic Byrds harmonies with the beguiling gap in the middle of the harmony. Sometimes this works to great effect and one of my favourite tracks is "I knew I'd want you" which was the B side to "Mr Tambourine Man". However for me this sound formula starts to grate and when one considers the variety of music that the Beatles were producing at the same time, it seems odd that the Byrds stuck to the same formula for so many of the songs. For me I'll probably extract the handfull of tracks that are worth listening to and burn them to a CD and forget the rest. So in the end you get what you pay for.