LISTEN – The Byrds: There is a Season

The Byrds: There is a Season [Columbia/Legacy – $54.98]

There Is a Season, a box set consisting of four CDs and a DVD, chronicles the career of the Byrds in all its phases: the early days before the band had settled on a name, the period that saw the band dominate the pop charts, the tumultuous years of personnel changes, the rebirth as country-rock pioneers, and the scattered reunions. What emerges from the 99 tracks here is a portrait of very prolific band: while the Byrds were only a band for nine years, they released 13 albums, and their weakest efforts were more consistent and inspired than many of today’s bands. Even more amazing, the band was able to cultivate an unmistakable sound even in their earliest recordings, and they maintained that sound while moving through folk-rock, psychedelic-rock, and country-rock, not to mention a small tribe of band members. [Amazon]

Full PopMatters review

The Byrds – Eight Miles High