Byrds - THE BYRDS***

Full Circle/Sweet Mary/Changing Heart/For Free/Born To Rock & Roll/Things Will Be Better/Cowgirl In The Sand/Long Live The King/Borrowing Time/Laughing/(See The Sky) About To Rain

Against all the odds the original five members of The Byrds got back together to record an album. However, the end result was disappointing, with no jangly songs and a reliance on covers from Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. (US:20 UK:31)

“Given the acrimonious circumstances surrounding the break-up of the original Byrds line-up, the fact the five principals agreed to reunite for this 1973 set is a minor miracle. While the results may not have come close to their prime mid-1960s catalogue, I'll step away from most of the critics and tell you the results weren't bad. A bit too country-tinged for my tastes, but still generally enjoyable.”

“This one was a bit of a surprise, the original Byrds reunite to record a new album, but it's rather a damp squib. Material wise it's pretty poor, with McGuinn and Crosby both holding back material for their own records, and the Neil Young covers sound flat and lifeless.” “A reunion album no one needed, with none of the jangle every one wanted and all of the sonic mush I've come to expect from country Byrds, no matter the line-up.”

“Although it gets bad press I quite like this album. There are no real stand-out tracks but likewise there aren't really any duds either. The highlights are Crosby's cover of For Free and the reworking of his solo track Laughing. In addition to these two tracks there are two Neil Young covers; this lack of original material somewhat weakens the album. This is by no means essential but worth checking out if you are a fan of the band.”

“This album was seen as a big disappointment upon its release. Expectations were high, since the original Byrds were getting back together to make a new album. But it's pretty spotty, although not wholly a disaster. The two Neil Young covers are quite nice, great songs done quite differently from the originals.”

“The sound here is beautifully acoustic with Chris Hillman's mandolin playing providing a signature sound for the album. What makes this special is the return of Gene Clark. All four of his contributions are no less than stellar and worth the price of the album alone. If the Byrds were an unknown group and this was their first album it would have been universally praised. What a pity this was to be their last release.”