Reviews (page 4 of 8)
First thing I thought of was that this is the Monkees if they took life seriously. Like, it has that early Beatles feel but it’s not quite there. They are just more in the Monkees realm. Is that bad? No I don’t think so. This is one of those perfect albums where if someone asked to listen to what the 60’s sounded like, you play this. Each song has a version of catchiness but not every one is a home run hitter. It’s more like a “how can you hate this” vibe. I do like to find a song I like better than the albums big known song. For this album that isn’t the case. Sorry Choice cut: Mr Tamborine Man
Bob Dylan??
Not really my taste
net wat te rustig... ik viel net niet in slaap hoewel er weinig slechts op staat
Some very simplistic lyrics and rhyming structure, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's some real heart in this album and it shows. I'd be interested in revisitiing soon and/or exploring more of their work.
This sounded too much like someone's idea of "let's capitalize on what the Beatles are doing" for me to care a lot for it. There are unique elements to it, but for me, they're too small to matter. Inoffensive and not hard to listen to, but that's not enough for me. ⭐⭐.51
A well-known band, well-known songs – nothing wrong with that in itself. Three stars...
Koliko god su ovi ok ne mogu nikako opravdati činjenicu da ih ovdje moram slušati 100 puta.
6.5/10
Jingle jangle
The curse has been broken!!! My final The Byrds album!!!!! There is no reason this band needed 5 albums on this list. This is the only one that NEEDED* to be added. This is the most over exposed band on this list. I know a lot of people complain about Elvis Costello, but The Byrds are so much worse when you consider their solo albums and other bands. I think the total number of albums from The Byrds members is like 14 or something which is just TOO MUCH!!! They aren't that influential. Anyways this album is average at best, which is the highest praise I've given this crappy band. I'm so glad to never listen to their bland, boring music ever again. Low 3.
Some gorgeous harmonies here! I’d heard of The Byrds before but never listened to them. The newly electric guitars have a really pretty sound as they experiment with the technology. The basic song structures eventually lost my attention, but if I want to spin some true oldies I could see myself turning back this way. I have a feeling I would have been really into them if I was a teenager in 1965
I guess this isnt a reaction to this album specifically, but probably one too many byrds/byrds adjacent albums on the list. Im not sure this album does anything different than the others and this is probably the best of them. Before I put it on I knew it would be a 3, first time listening, it confirmed this, same with a second listen Absolutely fine, good even. Nothing else to add
Nice, jangly, short.
It's pretty good, I enjoyed it. From my understanding, during this era, a lot of bands were emulating The Beatles, and this sounds like an example of this. This album would sit between Help and Rubber Soul if The Beatles had made it, and would likely be considered their worst album. But we can't grade on that scale. A lot of the songs 'melt' into each other, meaning not that many stand out. I added a couple to my playlist hoping that by listening more they'll become more distinct to my ears ('I knew you'd want to' & 'Don't Doubt Yourself Babe'). BTW: I'm not saying the songs sound the same, it's just that variety is really important to me, and this album doesn't represent that. It's pleasant to listen to, it's folky and classic rocky and I like that. But listening today, it doesn't feel as fresh as it could. I'm really hoping one of these guys leaves and co-founds Crosby, Stills & Nash!
The worse mr tamborine man
Boring but bonus points for We'll Meet Again cover. Well, it isn't good when the best song on your album is a cover.
I'm honestly surprised by how solid this is, especially the song I Knew I'd Want You.
This seems to have kicked off that prominent 60s jangly sound. They polish up some poetic Dylan tracks, which is nice, but I think I like the originals on here better.
These are the kinds of albums that my parents thought were great cause they were the hits they listened to. Maybe the boomers got that bit right.
Going into Mr. Tambourine Man, I already had mixed feelings about The Byrds from this challenge. I've discovered that I really enjoy their psychedelic, jangly pop side, with albums like Fifth Dimension and The Notorious Byrd Brothers being pleasant surprises. On the other hand, Sweetheart of the Rodeo was one of my least favourite albums on the entire list, as their move into country-rock did absolutely nothing for me. What I've learned is that I like The Byrds when they're dreamy, melodic and experimental. The harmonies, jangly guitars and psychedelic atmosphere are where they shine for me. So I was interested to see where Mr. Tambourine Man would sit and whether it would lean more towards the side of the band I enjoy or the side that leaves me cold. Thankfully, this falls firmly into the former category. As a debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man is a fantastic introduction to the band and a clear blueprint for the sound that would make them so influential. Roger McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker is all over this record, giving it that instantly recognisable jangly sound that feels fresh even today. The songs themselves are excellent, although having four Bob Dylan covers certainly doesn't hurt. The Byrds take Dylan's songwriting and wrap it in gorgeous harmonies and shimmering guitars, creating something that feels distinctively their own. The combination works brilliantly and results in an album that is both easy to listen to and hugely influential. This is another Byrds album that has reinforced what I enjoy most about the band, and it's definitely one I'll be returning to in the future. Favourite tracks: “Mr. Tambourine Man” is a superb cover, and I really enjoyed “Chimes of Freedom” Least favourite tracks: Everything on the album was worth listening to Album artwork: A standard but very recognisable 1960s album cover
This one’s hard to rate. Three great tracks. A few more that are so-so. And a lot of filler. Mediocre musicianship. But a sound that - despite being built up from components that the Beatles curated - was, and still is, original. As a listening experience in 2026, three great songs, three stars.
Solid stuff, but didn’t love as much as the one with rock n roll star. A little too sparse instrumentally. This one just doesn’t feel like it aged as well.
Inoffensive fun rock
this doesn’t really stand the test of time but, i’m a sucker for that 60’s vibe
Not really my jam. Very of an era and that specific sound I just never really got into. The trebley guitars were a nice precursor to some later sounds but the overall hippie/70s vibe I can't help finding overdone.
Pretty inoffensive. Not a huge fan but I wouldn't be upset to hear it.
I'm not listening to this either
The Byrds stand the test of time. Has the 60s jangle but, for the most part, doesn’t sound as dated to me. “Mr Tambourine Man” is good but I hear it so much it doesn’t do much for me. I like “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better.” Tom Petty’s vocal style sounds a lot like Roger McGuinn, and since I like Tom Petty’s music, I like the Byrds.
Juste normal
Jingly jangly 60s pop. nice enough
The "Mr. Tambourine Man" cover is definitely not as good as the Bob Dylan version. Not sure why they named the album after that song. Favorite track: We'll Meet Again
du bon, du moins bon 3.5/5
I probably would have liked this when it came. But now it just feels old and boring
good background music
So starts the Byrd train 🚂 Without this album, there probably wouldn’t be the Smiths, REM, and those other 80s alt-rock bands with the jangly guitars. Wikipedia said that the Byrds combined British beats with folk sounds and I can kinda see it. I’d say that “Mr Tambourine Man” is more of a historical relic than it is a great rock album. Most of the songs sound very similar, which makes the record sound like a 30 min track than a collection of songs. But then again, this is also the sound I like to hear from them too, just not too much. Maybe I’ve had my Byrds limit filled for today (3.5).
Pretty average 60s stuff. But shout out to that album cover which the indie boys have surely been beating to death since at least the ‘90s.
Finally done with The Byrds! This one wasn't that bad actually...
3.5
New to me, loved it
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
Gorgeous. Lovely harmonies.
My dad loved listening to the Byrds growing up. Mr. Tambourine Man was a radio favorite and later when he got it on CD it became a constantly listen. Despite my memory of that song, I have to say that I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better is a better song, in my humble opinion. The Byrds are definitely a historical band that helped define an entire genre and period. What I also appreciate about them is their vocal arrangements combined folk rock like the Louvin’ Brothers and Motown-style harmonies like the Ronnettes. Not every album they did should be on the 1001, but I agree this one is in the right place.
The Byrds sound so good when you ain’t got a b**** in your ear telling you all their best songs were written by Bob Dylan
Mid
Let down by so many covers
Very samey to the other Byrds album I got. It's not bad but its also not that exciting to me. Just very much fades into the background for me.
Highlights: Mr. Tambourine Man, I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better, All I Really Want To Do. 3.0
Album 186. Mr. Tambourine Man (https://open.spotify.com/album/0pkrqPjeq9K5KD0hFqAKNa?si=QiyNtoR0QXOj2C2EDdHKiQ) — The Byrds (1965) Oh, really? It's a fucking melancholic album with a lot of sad songs. Great choice, random. Pathetic. It's a really nice pop Folk Rock album, I mean. Many songs are covers, but not all are good. I certainly don't like this version of We'll Meet Again. 3/5 Liked: — Mr. Tambourine Man — I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better — Here Without You — It's No Use — Chimes of Freedom
Very influential band and sound of course but this album sounds quite dated and samey to me now.
“Lather, rinse, repeat.” Outside of the title track—“Mr. Tambourine Man,” which most people (myself included) will recognize—nothing else here really felt all that familiar to me. The Byrds definitely have a distinct sound: tight harmonies layered over jangly guitars, usually with a tambourine sprinkled in. It works, but it also starts to feel a bit samey after a while. I’m not sure Mr. Tambourine Man stands out as being any more significant than their other albums that show up on 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. If anything, they might be a little overrepresented on that list. I get that they were culturally impactful for their time, but their sound sometimes just begins to fade into the background of an overly saturated 1960s decade of psychedelic rock.
Obviously, the opening track is the heavy hitter here. If you love that song, you're in for treat because EVERY song on the album is exactly like it. It's fine to listen to, but there's damn sure no reason to have so many Byrds albums on this list.
I guess it's important, but I'd rather listen to Dylan and they would do better
6.5/10
ganz nett
Had high hopes, it was OK.
Good album but the songs all sound quite the same
Why does everything here sound like Spinal Tap circa 1960 something? It's like a parody of corny 60s music. Why is this considered to be their best album? I knew, like, the one song at the end and everything else was random cheesy 60s soft hippy folk rock. I think I found myself enjoying the second track for a hot minute and that was it.
A solid listen with a classic vibe.
Ahhh yes the Byrds. I almost forgot about them. It must’ve been a few hundred albums ago since the last Byrds project and I was ready to call it quits on them by that time. Have I rinsed myself of Byrds fatigue? Not really, but this album being amongst their most pleasant certainly helped. There’s a fine line between “this is easy on the ears” and “alright I’m bored” and these guys tend to hop back and forth over that line, from song to song. Incredibly sweet vocal harmonies on my favorite of the bunch, “The Bells Of Rhymney”. A contemplative song that seems to be a perfect representative of some of the social sentiments of its era. On the other hand, most every song sounds inoffensive and similar. I know this was an especially impressive presentation of rock and pop music at the time, but hindsight makes this thing a bit of a snoozer for me. As is the case with most rock from the 60’s, the Beatles clear this project. It’s a standard that (sometimes unfairly) nullifies all other similar music. But I can’t help it. 2/5? Light 3/5? Let’s go with that and send a prayer to the 1001 albums list gods — please let me be done with The Byrds.
Pretty alright
By adding rock electricity to four Bob Dylan covers, The Byrds created a jangly new pop hybrid on their innovative 1965 debut album. Gene Clark's five bittersweet originals balance Dylan's poetics with dolorous Beatles-influenced tunes like "I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better" and the winning bonus track "She Has a Way." The Byrds' distinctive harmonies and Roger McGuinn's electric 12-string guitar generate a signature sound that has influenced everyone from Dylan himself to R.E.M.
Solid psych rock effort with some really outstanding and mesmerizing vocal harmonies. Favorite track: Mr Tambourine Man
I was a bit scared when I read the wiki on Byrds, but they fortunately do not commit the cardinal sin of 'making covers that sound identical to the original'. Unfortunately, I do prefer the originals most of the time. Still perfectly listenable though, so it's getting a 3.
This is the debut album from the Byrds, featuring Roger McGuinn and his famous 12-string guitar. I listened to the original release (12 tracks). The Byrds really took off when this album came out. Some tracks have a Beatles vibe, which is logical since McGuinn played a lot of Beatles music back then. The internet claims the fish-eye album cover is a classic. Overall a snappy folk rock album with a couple of hit singles.
Is every song a Dylan cover? OK, no, but more than 1 is (are?). I'd like to dedicate 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better' to all of my bosses, thank you, goodnight. Album was fine. Highlight: the title 'The Bells of Rhymney', because it makes me think of 'Seven Seas of Rhye' (i.e. a fake sounding place name) - but 'Rhymney' isn't fake, it's merely Welsh!
Some questionable songs but overall I like their sound. A Walmart version of Simon and Garfunkel or The Monkees. 3.5
It's a fine album
Favorite track: Tambourine Man (obviously :0) other picks: i feel a whole lot better, all i really want to do
The music itself is totally fine, but I'm so burnt out of this genre from so many other albums in this collection sounding like this one.
It's alright. Songs are played well, but a fairly simple and kind of repetitive. 3/5 Probably won't listen again
Love the jangly guitar sixties vibe. Not all the songs are that great, but the title track, Bells of Rhymney and She’s Got a Way are really good.
I sort of like their sound, I like the title track, in fact I have it on a compilation. It's very formulaic and dated, but so am I! It reminds me of when I was young.
Some of these songs sound familiar but I can’t pinpoint when or where I might have heard some of them. 6/10 overall
Jingllle jaaanngggle.
I've never understood the hype around the Byrds. I did like this more the second time around but it just doesn't excite me.
3 out of 5. More solid than I thought it'd be.
7/10
algunos temas conocidos, otros aburridos
This is a nice album, it feels more 70s than 90s but I like what it's doing
Sounds like an early Beatles b side. Decent, but missing some standout songs for sure.
it feels like the beatles, but they're not in fact the beatles
Ehh this is a pleasant listen but its basically the same song over and over with a few Dylan covers thrown in.
Blind album, know the artist by name. TIL Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan was a cover. My life is a lie. JK, good song, good album, Bobby Boi did the track better. 3.
Although the vibe is right it is very tame and unfortunately gets boring really fast.
This is a nice, short, and fun album. I NEEDED THIS.
Apparently the music press invented the term ‘Folk Rock’ to describe The Byrds, and that shows how fucking stupid music journos are. There is almost nothing Rock-like at all on this album. Perfectly pleasant jangle-pop, possibly a poor decision to lead off with Mr Tambourine Man as it’s downhill from there - and We’ll Meet Again is egregious. Bland but fine.
Heard some before; 3.5; Classic sound that I really enjoy. The songs feel punchy and interesting, and while the album establishes The Byrd's distinct sound, it feels a little bit too repetitive to consider it a great album as such. With that said, I really like the songs and certainly something I come back to listen to. To me, this fits the description of an album that is important and important to listen to, while maybe not being the greatest album ever. Favorite Track: I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
This was an alright album - it was a straightforward listen. It sounded dated to its era. I think the short length made it more digestible.
BRO, A BEATLES REFERENCES?
As a kid, I was so familiar with this version of Mr. Tambourine Man that I thought it was Dylan who’d covered it! Can you believe that such a ripoff culture existed in the sixties? If an up and coming new band now made an album that was seventy percent Taylor Swift songs, they’d be seen as a kitsch. Nobody would take them seriously as artists. Yet, there’s something Byrds are so revered, they’re on this list multiple times. This album was said to be the first one to challenge the British Invasion in America. And frankly, it is pretty good. I wasn’t in the mood for something like this today, but I was ultimately won over. Will I listen to it again? Ehh?
I think The Byrds are proving to be definitely one of the much stronger acts from this particular time period and era of music. They are still a clear league below the absolute best of the best of 60s music, but their style of light hearted pop rock is distinctive enough to still make them a band worth listening to. For this album in particular if does stand out very little among what else of theirs I have heard, but it was still an overall enjoyable experience.
I miss Brian Matthew and Sounds of the Sixties on Radio Two on a Saturday morning. I used to hear some very good songs on there. Including quite a few from The Byrds, or do we say the American Beatles? Being quite a fan of his royal Bob-ness, of course I’m going to enjoy the Dylan covers. But my favourite of these would have to be All I Really Want to Do. It give me vibes of The Who, before The Who were even The Who. Some good tracks, some average tracks, gives this an average three out of five. Standout track - All I Really Want to Do
Jangly, kinda boring but nice enough to get this to a soft completely forgettable 3.
Soothing harmonies but one-note in terms of sobg structures. It all ran together.
Leuk schattig album
Am I the only one who immediately thinks of the Wonder Years upon hearing Mr. Tambourine Man? They must have used it. Anyway, this music is largely boomer nostalgia. I kinda like the Byrds, but I don’t love them. Three great singles and a lot of ok songs I guess.
Ranging from pleasant-sounding to somewhat of a drag, an album that gives you what you'd expect from the Byrds, full of covers with a sound that sounds like their big hits and never really majorly diverges from that It's perfectly nice and it kinda picked back up around the end for me, but they *do* come across as pretty artistically milquetoast here for having a whole five albums on the list
Definitely a jingle jangle morning. It's pleasant, but the best song on the album is a Bob Dylan cover version that loses a lot of the nuance of the song.
Fitting for the time of release. A few great tracks but it all blends and feels like one long track.
It's enjoyable this, despite a couple of absolute clangers in there. Let's start with the good - the jingle-pop guitars are a loving homage to Rubber Soul era Beatles, and there are songs that, if they had the benefit of the Beatles' lyricists and musical energy, would have sat really well on that album. Also, the cover of Tambourine Man is actually very good. It feels totally different to Bob's, because of course it does, but it also stands up in its own right. The same definitely cannot be said of their truly diabolical All I Really Want To Do. It takes all the fun and mischief out of the Dylan version and makes it totally emotionless. And then of course, we have their cover of the Vera Lynn(!) classic We'll Meet Again. What the actual heck are they thinking here?
I remember noticing that there were, apparently, five Byrds albums on this list, and had been wondering when they'd get here. I'm pleased that the debut has popped up first. I thought it was good, and can't think of anything to add to the current top reviews about the lasting influence of their sound; it's clear. It's not hugely exciting, for my taste; I'm not really a jangle fan, but it's so well done (I actually did like the teeny, far away extra jangle tracks, like on Chimes of Freedom), and there was enough variety to just about keep me engaged, We'll Meet Again being a bit of a mis-step.
The opening two tracks are absolute masterpieces, but the rest of the album feels like filler material.
They have a very distnctive sound, and I was surprised to hear - among the usual heartbreak material - a song hear that talks about the plight of refugees. Musically I can see why it's here. But this is my fourth Byrds album here. Fourth. That's ridiculous. Put this kne on this list, fine, but leave out the other three. And I'm hoping there isn't a 5th still waiting.
я устала слушать разные версии битлз
Some good songs here, but mostly filler
LIstening to this album makes me feel like it's oldies radio all over again even though I probably onl heard Turn Turn Turn and maybe the title song. Probably the influcence the band had on the landscape, or may have been similar to the grunge era or as Granpa Simpson said "which was the style at the time". Really nice and listenable, but repetitive.
3.5
3.0
A love letter to 12 string guitar... and to a lesser extent, tambourine.
*1965. *I didn’t know David Crosby was in the Byrds. *Very chill, enjoyable listen. *Mr. Tambourine Man is the only song I knew. RATING - 7/10
sort of enjoyed but don't remember atm
Essential 60's listening. Everything I would have expected of a 60's album. Not that I liked it all that much, because it's a mid-60's album. Once you get past the opening track, nothing really stands out. There's not a reason to come back. My Rating: 3/5
Very reminiscent of other Beatles sounds with the guitar and vocals. Makes sense that it was in response to those types of music. Title track is strongest and i think an improvement over Dylan's version.
It's pretty good, but a bit slow. The title track is of course great, the rest didn't impress all that much.
Classic! Love it!
Först. Rätt märkligt att ett album med extremt många covers kvalar in på denna lista (särskilt med tanke på vad som inte kommit med). Är soundet så unikt att det trots covers måste med. I beg to differ. Det är förstås inte dåligt. Även de egna låtarna, några, är ok. Men det är inte tillräckligt bra för ett högt betyg. Blir rätt trött på detta sound, och eftersom det dominerande, så känner jag mest "meh".
Varje låt i sig är rätt bra men ledsnar lite på det klämkäcka soundet över en hel skiva. Så mycket covers ska inte heller premieras.
My 4th Byrds album in just a few months... I can't quite understand the author's obsession with them. They're certainly a nice band, but most of their albums sound pretty similar. This one doesn't feature anything that I hadn't already heard in their other records, so I'm not sure what the point is. Anyway. I can appreciate the weird half-Beatles, half-psychedelic style of music they've created. There's something very soothing about it, and I do enjoy drinking my morning coffee to the sound of dreamy chimes. This record might not be as psychedelic as some of their later works, but it's still competent music that makes you feel carefree and untethered. As usual, the Dylan covers sound much better than the originals (further proof in my opinion that Dylan should absolutely have been a writer, not a musician). Probably won't listen again, but it's all right - there's a fifth Byrds album waiting for me on the list... 5/10
All these songs sound the same.
MORE Byrds? Oh my god, this is just too much Byrds. Do we have to track their every release? What's next, recordings of their farts? At the beginning of this project I said that Elvis Costello was the most overrepresented artist on the list but the Byrds are some real strong contenders. Anyway, this is all fine. Mostly it sounds like Mr Tambourine Man and Bob Dylan, as you would expect. The Byrds sing We'll Meet Again was a surprise, though. It's No Use also reminded me of The Zombies' She's Not There.
It is a very easy listen, not perhaps as enthralling as 'Younger than Yesterday' or 'Fifth Dimension' yet it feels very anthemic. 8/10 [KEEP]
Boring. Sounds too much like the beatles, not in a good way.
nothing special I fear
It's better than the other The Byrds album I got previously, though that's not a very daunting task to achieve. Feels fine, started strong, got boring and felt like a ton of filler-songs afterward but eh, it sounds alright enough.
A pleasant listen for Sunday morning tea while cooking breakfast for a guests that we're staying over.
What does it say that all the best songs are just Dylan covers?
I've heard two songs before. I respect their place in music history and appreciate the influence they had on what came after, but not my thing. Approaching hippy-dippy, like Donovan.
Heard Before? Certainly Notes: - one of the most notable guitar tones of the era, if not ever. - this obscures the fact that the whole mix is quite lovely, with well- placed drums and warm yet punchy bass. - glorious harmonies and stellar solo vocals. - the title track is simultaneously one of my favorite covers and one of my favorite album openers. - and yet and yet. none of these wonderful ingredients can fully disguise the weak lyrics and cribbed-from-Lennon/McCartney songwriting of the "love" songs. - but at least those songs are short. the painfully cheesy "Chimes of Freedom" seems interminable. Verdict: A beautiful sounding record in need of more variety and better songs. Listen Again? Probably not. Give me "Turn Turn Turn" or "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" any day.
De Miles isch eifach the goat
Tambourine man isch en echt geile song. Alles andere isch eif chli rock us de 60er
Jingle jangle
It was fun to listen to, but basically a Dylon cover project. Wouldn't mind putting it on on a sunny day.
A little bored by this one. Enjoyed listening, but it felt a bit repetitive. I saw that a number of these tracks are Dylan covers - cool! Favorite song was the title track & I’ll feel a whole lot better
another middle of the road album by the byrds. not bad but nothing special
It was decent. I little too hippie for me
Can see where the influence led, but this album doesn't grab me in a moden context. It's ok.
lyder næsten 1:1 som beatles (og nogengange bob dylan), så meget, at det næsten blev uinteressant. Åbentbart er fire sange også komponeret af Bob Dylan. Synes det var hyggeligt og rart, ligesom beatles, men ikke særlig unikt
Not their best work but Byrds cool. Really never liked Mr Tambourine man. Anyone's version.
3.5/5
A shot at the British Invasion, but not my favorite sound. I'm more Farther Along, The Byrds, and Sweetheart Of The Rodeo.
This is my first time listening to this album start-to-finish. I'm well-aware of a bunch of these tracks. It's a collection of classics and a real snapshot of time. I'd rate it good, but not great, though it is worth a listen.
Decent album. Good writing.
Monotonous. It put me to sleep.
Much better than the country version of The Byrds, although that sometimes seeps through. Light, late 60's music, upbeat and catchy in that style.
Just ok.
I'd rather just listen to The Beatles.
This slid by pretty smoothly but did we really need this many albums by The Byrds?
I appreciate that jangly guitar and folk rock generally, but I prefer to listen to the bands they influenced.
Sort of a copy and paste review of the last album we had by them. Yes adding a jangle guitar sound to Bob Dylan songs is a great sound but how far can they take it?
Sounds exactly like I expected, and was a decently fun album. Nothing about it made me super impressed, but enjoyable enough.
nice sound enjoyed it
This bob Dylan cover record is pretty good. Originals not bad either. Also this cat has a nice voice and we know the guitar is on point.
🥇all i really want to do 🥈don’t doubt yourself, babe 🥉mr tambourine man HM: i’ll feel a whole lot better, you won’t have to cry, the bells of rhymney, i knew i’d want you, chimes of freedom
Pretty cute but not super engaging or memorable. I zoned out for a couple of tracks while listening which isn’t a good thing.
Heel veel meer dan 'gezapig' kun je hier eigenlijk niet over zeggen. Wel geinig, maar ik hou het op een 3.
This album -- and all the other Byrds albums on this list -- really capture a moment in time. The Byrds make nice, pleasant, easy-to-listen-to folk-rock that bears the unmistakable stamp of the 60s. "It's No Use" is a good song, but the production is really holding it back. This is basically a hard rock song, but it's being produced with the same light and thin style as the folk-rock tracks. The drums are going wild but they sound tinny, and they're way too quiet for what's needed here. And the guitar solo that starts at 1:18 is only 6 seconds long. Why not let him rip for a while? It's over as soon as it starts! I can't help but feel like this song would have been way better in a different producer's hands.
It's a nice record, "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a nice cover, but from a pure listening perspective I don't know if there's really that much special-ness going on in this album. I read that it helped carve out the genre of "folk rock" so I'm sure it gets some points there. Production is kind of inconsistent and some weird choices were made, but that's pretty normal for this period of time. Kind of a hard rate for me because I want to give it a 2/5 but it's not a bad listen.
A pretty sweet collection of tunes. I understand these are mostly cover songs, but they’re performed and arranged quite nicely. There’s a lot to appreciate in the playing and singing on this album—particularly the guitar parts are really cool the way that they play with each other. Overall, a solid listen.
The 3rd of 5 Byrd albums. I gave the previous ones both 2. This started more promisingly with the Mr Tambourine Man cover - which is very evocative both of the era and the Byrds template. The next few tracks are good also but I find very quickly the charm wears off and by track 6 I've had enough jangly guitars and harmonies. I struggle to find any emotional depth or interest in their music.
Whilst I find listening to The Byrds' various albums has become tiresome, I did like the sound of this, and give it credit for being an impressive debut. All jangle-rock probably traces back to here as a primary source (noting that McGuinn ripped off Harrison to a large extent), and McGuinn never puts that Rickenbacker down, constantly picking around the chord shapes. Some charming if lightweight covers, a pleasant jangled aesthetic, often devoid of punch due to the commercial focus, and something of the baggy-trousered swing of a guitar playing, sandle-wearing vicar about it. And a burgeoning Gene Clarke, and classic title track. Not quite a four.
3.5
I mentioned the Byrds in a review of mine one or two albums ago, and lo and behold they appear to me once again. This is my third Byrds album, ahead of Younger than Yesterday and Notorious Byrd Brothers. For reasons I'd probably disagree with now, I really got off on the wrong foot with NBB, but I thought YTY was pretty solid. There's one or two songs in there which occasionally pop into my head, notably the title track. I'm hoping this album will continue in the same trajectory of their previous album. Hmm. I guess I liked this one, but my biggest problem with the Byrds is that their music is nothing I haven't heard before. It's just more perfectly-fine 60s pop rock. Emphasis on perfect, as they've captured this particular style of music better than any other pop rock act I've listened to, even if it means that their sound generally doesn't change. The guitars and vocals are pretty solid, but above all else I enjoy how earnest and idealistic this music is - you don't really see that anymore. I had a bit of difficulty getting into this album during the first half, but I found my footing during that second. Like Younger than Yesterday, this album has one or two distinctive and truly great songs on here, whereas the remaining tracks kind of linger in the background. Overall, this was a pretty solid listen, and I can respect the album for not going on longer than it needed to. Book time. First group to rival the Beatles. The cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was influential in popularising folk rock and jangle pop. Had a few successful singles. "Bells of Rhymney" influenced the Beatles' "If I Needed Someone". Influential among later music acts. Yeah, seems like a solid pick. I cosign this inclusion.
Another one where I know the band and some classics, but not much more, so let’s see. Just kinda feels like a heavily reduced Beatles impression. Missing the charm and inventiveness and just kinda jangley sameness throughout. Doesn’t feel much depth or skill and happy to close this one up early
The Boreds
Decent. A little dated now, some of the songs perhaps a little simplistic, but that sound is still iconic.
Mr. Tambourine Man - 3.5/5 I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - 4/5 Spanish Harlem Incident - 3/5 You Won't Have to Cry - 4/5 Here Without You - 4/5 The Bells of Rhymney - 3/5 All I Really Want to Do - 3.5/5 I Knew I'd Want You - 3/5 It's No Use - 3.5/5 Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe - 3/5 Chimes of Freedom - 3/5 We'll Meet Again - 3.5/5 She Has a Way - 2.5/5 I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better - Alternate Version - 3.5/5 It's No Use - alternate lead guitar overdub - 4/5 You Won't Have to Cry - alternate vocal track/take 2 - 3.5/5 All I really Want to Do - Single Version - 3.5/5 You and Me - instrumental backing track- take 13 - 2.5/5
Temu Beatles
Good stuff
Good 60s political pop music
Very meh
Mr. Tambourine Man is an album that feels historically important and musically pleasant, but not especially gripping as a full listen. The jangly guitars and harmonies are instantly recognisable, and there is a light, breezy quality running through the record that makes it easy to sit with. It captures a very specific moment where folk and pop gently collided, and it does that job well enough. Where it falls a little flat for me is in its consistency, and not always in a good way. The sound barely shifts across the album, with similar tempos, textures, and moods repeating from track to track. While the playing is clean and the vocals are polished, the songs themselves often feel slight, drifting by without much tension or emotional pull. After a while, everything blends into the same pleasant but indistinct haze. By the end, Mr. Tambourine Man feels more like a foundation than a destination. I appreciate its influence and its place in the wider story of popular music, but as an album experience it does not demand much attention or reward deeper listening
Very fun album, but otherwise not special
sounds like the beatles, guitar is a nice sound but quite samey, not bad not amazing
It had to be cool listening to this when it was new. This feels aged today, and very much like a Beatles cover band. (Hey, lots of groups trying to cash in on that sound) Overall, it becomes a very middle of the road album. Nothing to love or add to a playlist. Nothing that is terrible or makes me want to destroy and copies. So, right up the middle with a 3.
Oldie. Not bad, nothing special. It is very strange that the album is named after a Bob Dylan song released some month earlier and covered here as the first song on it. 3 points, very close to 2.5.
Impressive musicianship for sure, but a bit bland and too little variation for me. A 2.5 that becomes a 3 because we have to vote with whole numbers.
The most successful Dylan cover band. I like the Byrds for the most part but their signature harmonies and jangly guitar sound can get pretty same-y and a bit fatiguing. Their cover of "We'll Meet Again" was awful. They influenced Tom Petty's sound so I have to give them credit for that.
don’t love their dylan impression but overall pretty good
Always love to hear the Byrds but this is boilerplate relative to them in my opinion. 3.5
had not heard before every song sounded like turn turn turn but wasn't turn turn turn no favourite or least favourite but enjoyed, very beatles ish
It's an album full of covers, so the pressure is really put on the music itself for the "creativity" side. To the Byrds' credit, the covers are done fairly well, and they're generally great picks. There's a reason Dylan is recognised as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. But the sonic creativity is a little lacking, especially when you realise it's not just the first couple of songs that sound the same, but in fact the entire dang record. Unfortunately, it's pretty clear that the Byrds are more built to be a "singles band" than an "album band". All the songs have near-identical textures, mostly notably the jangly guitar sounds, same softish singing, and omnipresent tambourines. (I guess the album name makes sense.) Other than the title track, the main standouts are the rare ones that take a drastically different tonal approach. Here Without You is one such song: it's missing a lot of the higher frequencies, and the feel is "darker" somehow. It's No Use has a strange tentative/stop-and-start melody that I kind of dig. The guitar line in Chimes of Freedom is simple but very pretty and distinctive. As for the star of the show... The opener/title track is darn good and instantly recognisable for anyone who even remotely listens to 60s music. Instrumentally and vocally, it's completely distinct from the (equally great) Dylan version. I like the two about the same, though the smoothness of vocal harmonies in the Byrds' version ekes out the competition. And the melody is just fantastic. That is really what I think. (Oh by the way, which one's Byrd?) 3/5 Key tracks: Mr. Tambourine Man, Here Without You, Chimes of Freedom
I remember thinking as Grant started playing that this sounds like The Byrds and I cannot say if that is a good or bad thing but pleasant enough
Not sure about this one. It's not an unpleasant listen but the contributions to music writ large seem a little bit subtle. If Roger McGuinn's 12-string sound is important, you can get it from listening to the title track (the lead-off) and then go take a nap. This isn't a pan but the inclusion of this record seems to be a little bit along the lines of 'Tradition is something a Baby Boomer did twice' in terms of its real relevance. I can draw a straight line from this to Tom Petty but it's so smooth as to be featureless. Petty has so much more growl and angst. Some have said that it sounds like a mix of the Beach Boys and the Beatles but I think those comparisons do a grave disservice to both of those groups. Maybe it sounds like their earlier, less-challenging work. The kicker: Spotify really wanted me to listen to the Dylan recording of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' instead of the album, so I listened to that first. It was a better version. It feels really weird not to like this -- I love vocal harmony. Possibly the least-offensive, most milquetoast of all the 60's classics I've yet listened to. 3/5
вот это было максимально битлово, приятный)
Classic byrds, mellow and easy listening
Sounds the same as the rest of the pop-rock from that time. Not great, not terrible. 3/5
Do you really need to cover several songs
to be fair-they do sound better than Dylan does. but to get your notoriety from performing covers of contemporaries? meh
# Album Name: Mr Tamborine Man # Artist: The Byrds # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Starts out with a classic. drops from there on in. Not bad. But certainly didnt grab me. # Top Tunes: Mr Tamborine Man # Would I listen to it again? Yes
Listened to the whole album It was good I couldn’t pick out any songs that I would say are my favourite. There was a cover of we’ll meet again which was okayish idk if it was a cover or they just interpolated it but it was good. Maybe a revisit is needed to fully hear all this album had to offer this is also my first day in a while of doing the daily albums so maybe this was another reason I couldn’t get into it well
actually enjoyed this more than i thought! nice to listen to whilst getting chores done
You can't have the Beatles, we've got the Byrds at home
Anyone doing Dylan songs without making me listen to Dylan sing is fine by me. It's a bit too hippy for my tastes, but can't deny how good that Rickenbacker guitar sounds.
Jangly 60s music in a great way. A reminder that the Beatles weren't the only jangly band about and kinda refocussing the way I think about 60s music. Tambourine Man is so much better than Dylan's version. All I Really Want To Do. I recognise. What a good tune. Well meet again. I also recognise. But not such a good version (you can't beat Vera Lynn. 3½
mehhh and ehhh
I was suprised at the amount of Bob Dylan covers. They were well done. The original songs were less memorable, typical 60s folk music. It was enjoyable
Doesn't do much for me. Inoffensive. Can't give it a particularly high or low score.
Of all the five Byrds albums on this list, Mr. Tambourine Man is probably the best one. Not only it includes their great Bob Dylan cover, which the album is named after, but also presents a style that gave rise to many followers in the years to come. I don't think we would get all the Jangle Pop, C86, and other such "college radio" staple movements in the 80's and 90's if it weren't for this album. I do wonder why their other stuff sounds more traditionally 60's psych-pop though. Key tracks: Mr. Tambourine Man
Ok
So weird to me that this was released with 5 Dylan covers. Ultimately I enjoyed it though.
Either I know more Byrds' songs than I thought or they are so familiar because they sound the same.
How can a band clearly influence so much I love and yet sound a bit insipid themselves?
I've heard a lot of bands, quite a few in a row at this point, that have a very similar sound to this. It isn't phenomenal, but it isn't bad either. A good listen with some fun tracks. I got some moderate enjoyment out of it.
I enjoy The Byrds don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think they needed 3 spots on this list
3.6
It's just fine. Doesn't speak to me
Favorite Byrds remains Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
Voyons, un autre album mid des Byrds… y’en a combien dans liste, j’ai l’impression d’en avoir eu trois cette ann-WOWOWOH, Y’A 5 ALBUMS DES BYRDS DANS LA LISTE??!
I'm digging it but while I'm familiar with a couple of songs don't know how often I would listen to it. 2.5/5
Solid. Classic
jangly Dylan. Oh… as somebody who have already listened to the origin version i guess this is a drastic improvement over the original. but every song sounds the same. 3/5
Decently fun, but never really got into it.
Some classic jangly rock and roll here. Enjoyed a lot of it. Highlights: "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "All I Really Want to Do"
"Nice" is probably the best word to describe this album, the covers are done pretty well, and the instrumentation evokes a nostalgic feeling that would later be mined to deeper effect by the Mamas and Papas. There isn't too much of substance outside of the covers though, and quite a bit of the album is forgettable
There might be something about older albums having shorter run times. Although I did appreciate a few of the alternate versions at the end cap of the album. Overall a decent listen but nothing spoke to me. Good for a sunday evening I suppose
Light 3
I'll feel a whole lot better är inte dum, Roger McGuinnes röst är skör och fin, men jag är inte så förtjust i Dylan-tolkningarna.
Jangly guitar is always a good thing, and this is pretty jangly. And the title track is obviously a banger. Overall it's pretty decent without ever really grabbing me. I've heard better versions of Chimes of Freedom and, frankly, We'll Meet Again is a bizarre choice, particularly to end the album. But there are a lot worse records. For a mid 60s recording there's nothing really weird (other than the choice of the final song) and no one's trying to do anything odd with early stereo, which is a Good Thing. Perfectly listenable to without being really striking.
Somewhere between beatles and dylan. competent, but less playful
Nice harmonies, nice jangles. Completely forgettable. Like most of the things in this exercise, glad I listened to it, didn't hate it but probably wouldn't ever return to it.
Well, I'd certainly rather hear these guys singing Mr. Tamourine Man than Dylan, I guess. Re: the Wikipedia entry—I believe no one who hasn't spent some time in a legitimate choral ensemble should be allowed to use the phrase "complex harmony singing" because, like... I find it quite simple, actually. Lmao. Whatever. None of this is unpleasant, I just don't really think I was in the mood for it today. I'll come back when I'm ready for all the jangle.
Guitars that shimmer and shammy in a jangle jam, harmonies like honey layered over … percussion. This is an exquisite record of note for anyone tracing the provenance of guitar-based genres as diverse as indie and shoegaze, but outside “the sound” I struggle to attach myself to many of the songs (even the Dylan compositions which, say what you want of the man (as I do), exhibit an obviously superior level of craft). I’ll risk the tag of criminally hip and say that my favourite track here wasn’t even appended until a 1996 reissue, and has an only half finished sort of feel to it. Still, there’s something special and Gene Clarke-y about “She Has a Way” – a sort of distance, even pensiveness; some feat given the lyrics’ describing a twee vignette of unrequited love. Tracks like “I’ll feel a whole lot better” and the title track showcase The Byrds’ chemistry wonderfully; certainly, the extent of their influence on pop and rock from the mid 80s on can’t be understated (I guess it takes a generation). A good record, a great sound.
The first American successful challenge to British chart dominance. Mr Tambourin Man
2.83
Good stuff by The Byrds!
The Mr Tamborine Man cover is such a solid opening track. This is a fun, quick moving 1960s album. A few covers, but the compositions are pretty good. Obviously had an impact on American music. I'm just not fully sold on it. Quite a few forgettable songs.
Having not been around when this album came out it’s hard to not compare it to what I grew up with and what’s around now without being biased towards what I prefer. I understand it was of its time and so I won’t go lower than 3, despite it not really being for me.
Just ok. The music is better than the whiny vocals. There were so many fantastic bands at this time that it’s hard to believe this album is better than others I’ve not heard.
Folf-Rock, 1965 -> 3
It was ok, nothing very original about it, could hear vocals striving to be Bob Dylan at times. One song sounded remarkably like very early Who, another like Nights in white satin and some tracks made me think thats what the Beatles would sound like if they could play their instruments properly and got a decent vocalist. some of it jolly background noise.
It's boringly pleasant I think. Upbeat entry level 60s rock. There's better out there. Sounded a bit samey but not too much that it became tedious.
Very average 60's stuff. Some nice harmonies at least
It was a nice oldies album.
Bob Dylan’s influence knows no bounds it seems. I really liked the first two songs and last two songs but everything in between fell a little flatter so this ended up in solid 3 territory for me.
Good classic rock
I mean, it's not bad. I can appreciate it from a historical point of view but I will not be spinning this again any time soon. Hypnotically Caucasian.
This feels dated. No thank you.
Another very generic sound but I like his voice.
Which Wes Anderson movie is this?
The opening sounds like it’d be used for a show opening in the early 2000s in the realm of Gilmore Girls. These songs are short fun tunes. You can hear that they are a California based band in the light tunes.
Buena coleccion de canciones, aunque el sonido particular de los byrds puede llegar a ser molesto en los agudos.
This album flowers together much better than the first one. It's still not incredible, but it was good enough, haha.
How many Bob Dylan/The Byrds albums are on this thing. Oof. This is boring but not terrible for Bob Dylan?
Sucer bob dylan abusé en vrai
Les Beatles.
Beatles Vibes
Un peu l'impression d'entendre les mêmes albums tous les jours 3/5
Wasn’t able to listen to whole think but liked the songs I heard
I can't believe it took this long for me to get a second Byrds album. I got Fifth Dimension nearly 2 years ago in October 2023 and, despite them having 5 albums on this list for some reason, I am just now getting a second album from them in October 2025. Crazy. Anyways, this is a solid debut album right here. It's got the things that the Byrds are known for. Jangly guitars, Bob Dylan covers, you get the idea. You could criticize this album for over-relying on Bob Dylan songs seeing as they make up a third of the album, but there's something about Bob Dylan's songs that are just so coverable. I mean, when the one thing that turns people off from a man's music is his weird-ass voice, there's going to be a market for people who want to hear those beautiful words come out of someone else's mouth. Although, I will say that the Byrds do a decent job of making their covers different enough from the original to warrant both having a place in the world of music. Take the title track for example. I do prefer Dylan's original version of "Mr. Tambourine Man," but I do enjoy the version that this album is named after and respect it on its own. The rest of the songs are solid. Most of them are covers, but you do have some originals here, including the classic "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better." The sound here is consistently good. I do feel marginally more positive about this than I did for Fifth Dimension, but I still don't think I'm huge on the Byrds in general. They're good, I think there's something missing (at least on the albums I've heard) that prevent them from being considered "great" in my head. Still, this is a respectable debut from a fairly important band all things considered. High 3/5.
I like the Byrds later stuff and I like folk rock in general, but this album feels undercooked to me. They needed to make this album to get a foot in the door, but I don't think they were ready for prime time yet. Three years later, different story.
Definitely a product of its time. Some great songs with amazing harmonies their voices suit each other so well. But for me it's still just worth a 3.
Well isn't this special? https://preview.redd.it/w7q8258x8n331.jpg?auto=webp&s=636521894d0194b5fcef82156421a0bbfba5d8c7
solid tunes. sounds super old, cos it is. A little too predictable for me, but like I said, it old as hell and this was probably innovative for its times
The first three songs were a strong way to open the album. I felt my attention fade as the album went on. While listening to much of the album, you get the sense of a happy and carefree feeling -- this is something you would listen to on a road trip in a convertible, with the beach nearby and the sun in full power. I wouldn't find myself reaching the album again, but I found it decently pleasant. It felt reminiscent of the Beatles at times.
Play A Song For Me 1001 Albums Generator 129 (09/30/2025) I can absolutely appreciate the influence of Mr. Tambourine Man. While The Byrds' debut studio album is named after the Bob Dylan tune that opens the album, the sound of this album is really more like The Beatles than Bob to me. While the sound here is absolutely steeped in folk rock, the vocals and guitar parts sound very Beatle-y to me. With that said, this album was clearly influential in its own right, with the jangly guitars being a huge influence on the jangle pop artists that would emerge a couple decades later. It's really quite interesting that this album of primarily covers would end up having such a distinct and influential sound. The best songs here are really good. Mr. Tambourine Man and I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better are both such great, fun, jangly tunes. The Bells of Rhymney has some of my favorite guitar work on the whole album. However, my problem with this album is the same problem I have with many albums on this list that are in this style: the songs really blend together, especially on first listen. On my second listen, I appreciated the different tunes a bit more, but the problem was still prevalent. A totally fine album that is a 2.5/5, rounded up to a 3. Favs: Mr. Tambourine Man I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better the Bells of Rhymney Least Fav: It's No Use
Very jolly - can really hear the influence this had on Rubber Soul. Not sure about the version of We'll Meet Again, but enjoyable overall and didn't drag.
Jingle jangle, jingle jangle. The opening notes of Mr Tambo are great, very reasurring, very autumnal. Not a bad way to start a recording career. To my shame I thought Feel a Whole Lot Better was a Tom Petty original.
THE folk rock formula of the 60s. Jamgly 12-string, intricate harmony, a backseat, chop the songs down to 3 minutes so you can use radio to sell albums. I'm good with this sound for 3 songs, but they beat it to death for a whole album....then about 10000 albums after continued flogging it.
Ya know this was a completely fine 60s folk rock album. Plenty of tambourine, twangy guitars, and harmonization. Feels pretty safe looking back, but who knows how this was interpreted in its day. All I Really Wnat to Do through I Knew I'd Want You is my favorite run on the album. Nothing specifically bad to say about the album. My only gripe is that some of the songs and progressions sort of run together. Like I just randomly dropped into The Bells of Rymney, and while it is a fine song, its not hard to imagine this turning into Turn Turn Turn at any point. And my songs follow the same opening style (punch of guitar followed by a little percussion, then hit em with the harmonized vocals). Can't argue too much as the recipe works well. For me this is in the high 3s.
Right on the nose for a rock album that was released in the late 60's. Nothing to write home about on this one.
That was an album by The Byrds
I will always take more David Crosby. That was just alright.
It's fine. Second song was really good. Bit distracted while listening.
Highlight Song/s: I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better and It's No Use It is a BIT generic, lots of it seems to blend together if you don't give it at least 90-100% attention. It reminds me of Help!-era Beatles, but a bit more off-brand. I enjoyed this a lot more than Sweetheart of the Rodeo, I just couldn't stand that one because of the country overtones and it having every single one the cliches of country. I'm fine (mostly) with beatles-esque pop, so naturally I'd prefer this one.
I sort of sighed when this came up because folks just ain't my thing. And true to form, much of this blended together and sounded pretty much the same. Fine enough to listen to, but didn't do much for me. That said, I knew the Tom Petty version of "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" and had no idea it was originally a Byrds song. And it really rules! It sounded to me fresher and more alive than the Petty version, probably because it's new to me, but for something recorded in the mid-60s it sounds really fantastic.
Starts off strong and rather suddenly with the title track. Overall, very mellow, all of the songs sound very similar.
Liked their country album more. Set me up for failure!
Very beatles-esque. Not like other albums of theirs. I enjoyed it enough.
I don’t know if I vibe with the 60’s, but I Knew I’d Want You is a save for me
missing the country elements that i enjoy in this style, but not bad at all. not bad at all, really. title track is pretty good deserves to be one of the 1001? this one does but i don’t think they need 5 on here lol
Liiiiight 3. It sounded fine, and I enjoyed about half the songs. I know this is more a case of the pop songs at the time, and not specifically the Byrds, but sometimes the songs feel like they never get into second gear. They have some great lyrics and lovely harmonies and instrumentation, but they’re so SHORT they almost feel unfinished. Give me a bit MORE!
The Byrds' debut is 7 covers and only 5 original songs, but I suppose this was the style of the time. To their credit, The Byrds take these songs and play them in their own jangly, electric folk style, and for the most part, it works. I would keep checking in after songs I enjoyed because I often couldn't tell whether they were covers or not (save "Mr. Tabourine Man", of course). Ultimately, despite being from an era of music I don't really connect with, The Byrds are slowly growing on me. The vocal harmonies and distinctive sound help set them apart from other bands of the same scene. Highlights: "It's No Use"
This sits firmly in the pantheon of “high quality 60s pop”. It’s very of its time, you immediately know what you are dealing with and the short tracks come thick and fast. Listening in 2025 is a difficult one, as it feels so familiar and un revelatory when at its time it was in the thick of a movement. So I can’t say I love it but I can appreciate it as a fine product of its time, and it has enjoyable guitar throughout. Just a bit dated now.
Opens with an undisputed classic. After that, it sort of peters of into pleasant sixties sounds that don't sound particularly groundbreaking or different from many other bands of that time. I guess they are a good band that contributed to the general sixties musical landscape and there is some enduring influence.
At first I thought this was just kind of a generic 60's album, but apparently it was a huge predecessor to the jangly guitar stuff. Definitely an eye opening historical record, but I'm not sure how I personally like it. It's at the very least, ok. Listening a second time, I could tell a little easier it's influence and sound.
Of its time maybe, but a great bridge between folk and rock, with gorgeous and distinctive harmonies.
I enjoyed this in an odd kind of way! It reminded me of every movie ever made involving young adults from the United States being conscripted to fight in the Vietnam War!
Imagine being at the dawn of rock n roll, and just doing covers and trying to sound like Dylan/The Beatles? A missed opportunity! I didn't mind this album, but it didn't get me going.
This is a fine album, nothing special.
Mr. Tambourine Man is een klassieker, maar ik heb het nooit echt helemaal gehad voor The Byrds. I.v.m. met hun tijdgenoten, vind ik niet dat ze er heel hard uitschieten. 3.0
3.2 2x
Kinda samey but good
There are some good songs here but it's all just too reverse derivative of a lot of jangly harmonizing stuff that I used to love but now kind of hate because it seems like happy person music.
Fine, but unexciting.
Enjoyable but almost a bit too simplistic. You can hear they are on the cusp of a new sound but for my this doesn't quite deliver. Definitely hugely influential and points for early experimentation but missing a little something.
I’m sure tons of bands have done it, but I’ve always found it kind of weird that they named their album after a Bob Dylan cover. Almost feels inauthentic, like they’re trying to ride Dylan’s coattails. It doesn’t help that this album actually does sound a bit like they’re trying to sound like the Beatles and Bob Dylan at the same time. I would honestly prefer listening to either of the others, but overall this was still an enjoyable listen. I think I actually liked this one a bit more than the last Byrds album I got from the list. Not sure if there really needs to be this many Byrds albums on the list, though.
This record is one long 60’s folk rock. It doesn’t really go anywhere. One note from start to finish. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Mr. Tambourine Man - I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - All I Really Want To Do
Opening track had me thinking I'd like this more than I did. Similar Beatles vibes to a lot of what else is going on with this list.
Good band, good album. Kind of wild that this record and its titular track came out just a few months after the Bob Dylan version. I’m still confused about how that all happened. Best Track: Mr. Tambourine Man
Taustamusiikkina meni aivan hyvin. En valitsisi tätä itse kuunteluun, mutta en välittömästi vaihtaisi kanavaakaan. Kuulosti 60-luvulta.
one of the more prominent folk acts of the classic rock era. excellent harmonies and a handful of bob dylan covers, this one is pretty good.
yes: 1,2,5,7,8,9,11, no: 3,4,6,10,12,13 The bad songs were maudlin. The good songs were just great pop songs/covers. They really did credit to Dylan songs or maybe the Dylan songs were just great. An uneven album that has no direction....
Excellent 60s blues pop sound, expertly delivered but I can’t say it stands out enough for me to return to it
3/5 Average
The title song is iconic and has a truly 60s vibe to it. However, many of the rest of the album has that similar sound with the tambourine-playin' man having plenty of studio time which can get a little repetitive.
Wow is the mutual influence of the beatles and byrds strongly apparent in this album. For me, the byrds lack some of the soul that I find in beatles music.
It's just... 60s pop (where's the rock? I can't hear it). It's fine. It's pleasant. I suppose it was influential. It doesn't particularly excite me - all the songs blend together and I won't be rushing to listen to any of them again.
This was nice and all but it's so American and feels a bit sterile somehow? Buffalo Springfield are better.
Starts strong, gets less so