The Ballad of Easy Rider - The Byrds (1969)


 The Ballad of Easy Rider is the second album by the third version of The Byrds, and by now, with Jim (Roger) McGuinn the only remaning original member, The Byrds bear little resemblance to the chiming jingle-jangling folk-rock band of the mid-sixties. Which is not to say they are bad or anythiing. And McGuinn's singing is as charming and guileless as ever....This band veers more into Blues-rock and country-rock territory, and the playing overall seems slicker and tighter than the Clark-McGuinn-Crosby-Hillman-Clarke incarnation. 

It's a very well produced album with a handful of real classics on it , especially the Dylan-co-written title track (Dylan wrote the lyric of the chorus), the gospel cover of "Jesus Is Just Alright"(the arrangement of which which the Doobie Brothers -- I think-- would probably much steal note for note on their own seventies hit version -- and a psychedelic country version of Bobby D's "It's All Over Now Baby Blue." Having driven all the other good songwriters away, McGuinn is the finally the best songwriter in The Byrds -- the other songs are just all right...One of them a blatant rip off of "The Mighty Quinn"-- Dylan still looming large as ever over Byrds albums and you can tell they've been listening to a lot of GReat White bootlegs by Dylan and the Band.

Not bad, not great. It is a great album for guitar lovers though: there is a lot tasty, crunchy 12 string and country flavored guitar here: more twangy than Chimey I guess. The songs may be on the mediocre side but the playing and feel elevates it all.

3/5

Here's the title track: a very nice folk rock number:

Spotify Link:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3bqZfeoWeeF14oR1k2S30A?si=AkkNszhdSia5lrDkLfQE9Q

I have this from the ten or eleven CD box set that collected all of The Byrds' Columbia albums. It's remastered in the mid-90s by Vic Anesini and it sounds beautiful. Just about perfect. It includes a half dozen or more alternate versions (interesting, not essential) and outtakes (definitely worthy of release.)

Coming Up:

All This Useless Beauty - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Alpha Mike Foxtrot -- Wilco

American Idiot - Green Day

Amnesiac Radiohead

Another Life - Another Life

B

The B-52s

Bachelor No. 2 (Or, The Last Remains of the Dodo) - Aimee Mann

The Ballad of Easy Rider - The Byrds

Bambu - Dennis Wilson

Band on the Run

Bangles EP

The Basement Tapes - Bob Dylan & The Band

BARB

The BBC Sessions -- Belle & Sebastian

The Beatles [The White Album] 

Beatles For Sale 

Beauty and Sadness -- TheSmithereens

Beauty and the Beat -- The Go-Go's

Become What YOu Are - The Juliana Hatfield 3

Before & After - Tim Finn

Beggar's Banquet. The Rolling Stones

Begin Here - The Zombies

Being There - Wilco

The Bends -- Radiohead

Berlin - Lou Reed

The Best of Badfinger

The Best of Dark Horse - 1976-1989 - George Harrison

The Best of Sam Cooke

Best Shots - Pat Benatar

Betchadupa

Between The Buttons - Rolling Stones

Big Canoe - Tim Finn

the Big Express - XTC

Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi - Camera Obscura

Billy Idol

A Bit of Previous - Belle & Sebastian

The Black Album - Prince

Black Gold - Nina Simone

Black List - Alex Chilton

Black Market Clash - The Clash 

Black Sea - XTC

Black Snake Diamond Role -- Robyn Hitchcock

Black Spring - Lush

Black-Eyed Man - Cowboy Junkies

Blind Man's Zoo - 10000 Maniacs 

Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan

Blondie

Blood And Chocolate - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan

Blue Kentucky Girl -- Emmylou Harris

Boats Against the Current -- Eric Carmen

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan In Concert: Brandeis University 1963

Book - They Might Be Giants

Bookends -- Simon and Garfunkel

Booker T & The M.G.'s

The Bootleg Series 1-3 Bob Dylan

Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen

Born toDie - Lana Del Rey

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

Bossanova - The Pixies

The Both

Boy - U2

The Boy with the Arab Strap - Belle & Sebastian

Boys Don't Cry - TheCure

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan

Brutal Youth - Elvis Costello

Bryter Layter - Nick Drake

Buena Vista Social Club

Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buoys - Panda Bear

Byrdmaniax - The Byrds

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