There Is a Season
There Is a Season is a four-CD and one DVD box set by the American rock band the Byrds that was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy.[1] It comprises 99 tracks and includes material from every one of the band's twelve studio albums, presented in roughly chronological order.[1] The bonus DVD features ten clips of the Byrds lip-synching their hits on television programs between 1965 and 1967.[1] Upon release, the box set failed to reach the Billboard 200 chart or the UK Albums Chart. There Is a Season supplants the band's earlier box set, The Byrds, which was released in October 1990.[2]
There Is a Season | ||||
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Box set by | ||||
Released | September 26, 2006 | |||
Recorded | Mid-1964 – January 1973 August 6 – August 8, 1990 | |||
Genre | Rock, pop, folk rock, psychedelic rock, country rock | |||
Length | 4:40:20 | |||
Label | Columbia/Legacy | |||
Producer | Jim Dickson, Terry Melcher, Allen Stanton, Gary Usher, Bob Johnston, Chris Hinshaw, the Byrds, Neil Wilburn, Richard G. Abramson, Michael Varhol, David Crosby, Don DeVito | |||
The Byrds chronology | ||||
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Contents
Unlike the band's earlier box set, There Is a Season includes material pre-dating the band's 1965 debut single for Columbia Records "Mr. Tambourine Man".[1] This pre-fame period in the group's history is represented by a number of demo recordings from the band's 1964 rehearsals at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles (when they were known as the Jet Set), and both sides of a 1964 single released by the group under the pseudonym the Beefeaters.[3] The set also includes selections from the band's 1973 reunion album Byrds and two 1973 recordings from the Banjoman film—a period also not covered by the first box set.[1] There Is a Season includes more songs written by founding member Gene Clark, as a response to fan criticism that the first box set had neglected to properly represent his contributions to the band.[4]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Guardian | [5] |
Mojo | [6] |
Pitchfork Media | 8.3/10[7] |
PopMatters | [8] |
Q | [6] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Spin | [10] |
Uncut | [6] |
Although There Is a Season was generally well received critically, a number of reviews expressed disappointment over the relatively small number of previously unreleased tracks included in the set. Joe Tangari, writing for Pitchfork Media, praised the compilation's well-chosen track listing but expressed confusion as to who the box set was aimed at, since most hardcore fans would already own the majority of its contents.[7] Alexis Petridis was also unenthusiastic about the contents of the set in his review for The Guardian: "Bearing only five previously unreleased tracks – all live, all with a distinct air of 'so what?' – There Is a Season smacks less of curating an important artist's legacy than of record company desperation at the lucrative back-catalogue well running dry."[5]
This opinion was echoed by Richie Unterberger, who commented on the AllMusic website: "the point of putting out another four-CD Byrds box set about 15 years later wasn't all that clear, unless it was a mercenary exercise to get more mileage out of the band's durable catalog."[1] Michael Franco's review for the PopMatters website was more upbeat and described the box set as "a must-have for any serious collector of music" and "the definitive collection of The Byrds".[8]
Track listing
NOTE: Tracks marked ‡ are previously unreleased.
Disc one
- "The Only Girl I Adore" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn) - 2:26
- performed by the Jet Set
- "Please Let Me Love You" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) - 2:23
- performed by the Beefeaters
- "Don't Be Long" (Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) - 1:56
- performed by the Beefeaters
- "The Airport Song" (Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) - 2:03
- "You Movin'" (Gene Clark) - 2:08
- "You Showed Me" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn) - 2:04
- tracks 4–6 are performed by the Jet Set
- "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) - 2:32
- "I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) - 2:34
- "You Won't Have to Cry" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn) - 2:10
- "Here Without You" (Gene Clark) - 2:39
- "The Bells of Rhymney" (Idris Davies, Pete Seeger) - 3:33
- "All I Really Want to Do" [single version] (Bob Dylan) - 2:05
- "I Knew I'd Want You" (Gene Clark) - 2:17
- "Chimes of Freedom" (Bob Dylan) - 3:54
- "She Has a Way" (Gene Clark) - 2:27
- "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan) - 3:05
- "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) - 3:52
- "It Won't Be Wrong" (Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) - 2:00
- "Set You Free This Time" (Gene Clark) - 2:51
- "The World Turns All Around Her" (Gene Clark) - 2:15
- "The Day Walk" (Gene Clark) - 3:03
- "If You're Gone" (Gene Clark) - 2:47
- "The Times They Are a-Changin'" [withdrawn version] (Bob Dylan) - 1:56
- "She Don't Care About Time" [single version] (Gene Clark) - 2:32
- "Stranger in a Strange Land" [instrumental] (David Crosby) - 3:03
Disc two
- "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) - 3:37
- "Why" [single version] (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) - 3:01
- "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Roger McGuinn) - 2:35
- "Wild Mountain Thyme" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, David Crosby) - 2:32
- "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) - 2:12
- "I See You" (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) - 2:40
- "What's Happening?!?!" (David Crosby) - 2:37
- "I Know My Rider" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby) - 2:46
- "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) - 2:08
- "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) - 2:42
- "Renaissance Fair" (David Crosby, Roger McGuinn) - 1:54
- "Time Between" (Chris Hillman) - 1:55
- "Everybody's Been Burned" (David Crosby) - 3:07
- "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) - 3:10
- "It Happens Each Day" (David Crosby) - 2:47
- "He Was a Friend of Mine" [live] (traditional, new words and arrangement Roger McGuinn) - 2:39 ‡
- "Lady Friend" (David Crosby) - 2:33
- "Old John Robertson" [single version] (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) - 1:52
- "Goin' Back" (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 3:28
- "Draft Morning" (David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) - 2:43
- "Wasn't Born to Follow" (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 2:04
- "Tribal Gathering" (David Crosby, Chris Hillman) - 2:04
- "Dolphin's Smile" (David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) - 2:01
- "Triad" (David Crosby) - 3:31
- "Universal Mind Decoder" [instrumental] (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) - 3:27
Disc three
- "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Bob Dylan) - 2:35
- "I Am a Pilgrim" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) - 3:39
- "The Christian Life" [Gram Parsons vocal version] (Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin) - 2:29
- "You Don't Miss Your Water" [Gram Parsons vocal version] (William Bell) - 3:49
- "Hickory Wind" (Gram Parsons, Bob Buchanan) - 3:32
- "One Hundred Years from Now" [Gram Parsons vocal version] (Gram Parsons) - 2:53
- "Lazy Days" [alternate version] (Gram Parsons) - 3:18
- "Pretty Polly" [alternate version] (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) - 3:34
- "This Wheel's on Fire" [alternate version] (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) - 3:54
- "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" (Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons) - 3:54
- "Candy" (Roger McGuinn, John York) - 3:38
- "Child of the Universe" [Candy soundtrack version] (Dave Grusin, Roger McGuinn) - 3:11
- "Pretty Boy Floyd" [live] (Woody Guthrie) - 2:48
- "Buckaroo" [live instrumental] (Bob Morris) - 2:04
- "King Apathy III" [live] (Roger McGuinn) - 3:13
- "Sing Me Back Home" [live] (Merle Haggard) - 3:05
- "Lay Lady Lay" [alternate version] (Bob Dylan) - 3:18
- "Oil in My Lamp" [alternate version] (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn, Clarence White) - 2:03
- "Tulsa County" (Pamela Polland) - 2:48
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) - 2:10
- "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 5:08
- "Just a Season" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 3:52
- "Kathleen's Song" [alternate version] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 2:39
- "All the Things" [alternate version] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 4:56
Disc four
- "Lover of the Bayou" [live] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 3:39
- "Positively 4th Street" [live] (Bob Dylan) - 3:06
- "Old Blue" [live] (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn) - 3:30
- "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" [live] (Bob Dylan) - 2:52
- "Ballad of Easy Rider" [live] (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) - 2:10
- NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider".[11]
- "You All Look Alike" [live] (Skip Battin, Kim Fowley) - 3:08 ‡
- "Nashville West" [live instrumental] (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) - 2:12 ‡
- "Willin'" [live] (Lowell George) - 3:13
- "Black Mountain Rag" [live instrumental] (traditional, arranged Clarence White, Roger McGuinn) - 1:19
- "Baby What You Want Me to Do" [live] (Jimmy Reed) - 3:48 ‡
- "I Trust" [live] (Roger McGuinn) - 4:03 ‡
- "Take a Whiff (On Me)" [live] (Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Huddie Ledbetter/arranged Clarence White, Roger McGuinn) - 2:56
- "Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) - 4:00
- "Byrdgrass" [instrumental] (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) - 1:44
- "Pale Blue" (Roger McGuinn) - 2:23
- "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 2:03
- "Nothin' to It" [instrumental] (Doc Watson) - 1:39
- "Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) - 2:42
- "Farther Along" (traditional, arranged Clarence White) - 2:58
- "Bugler" (Larry Murray) - 3:08
- "Mr. Tambourine Man" [Banjoman soundtrack version] (Bob Dylan) - 2:59
- "Roll Over Beethoven" [Banjoman soundtrack version] (Chuck Berry) - 3:02
- "Full Circle" (Gene Clark) - 2:43
- "Changing Heart" (Gene Clark) - 2:43
- "Paths of Victory" (Bob Dylan) - 3:10
References
- Unterberger, Richie. "The Byrds There Is a Season". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. p. 549. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- Fricke, David (2006). There Is a Season (CD booklet). The Byrds. Columbia/Legacy. p. 42.
- Einarson, John. (2005). Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. pp. 294–295. ISBN 0-87930-793-5.
- Petridis, Alexis (September 22, 2006). "CD: The Byrds, There Is a Season". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- "The Byrds – There Is a Season CD Album" > "Product Reviews". Muze/CD Universe. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- Tangari, Joe (September 29, 2006). "The Byrds: There Is a Season Album Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- Franco, Michael (September 29, 2006). "The Byrds: There Is a Season". PopMatters. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- Edwards, Gavin (October 2006). "The Byrds: There Is A Season". Rolling Stone. p. 79. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- Dolan, Jon (September 2006). "The Byrds There Is a Season". Spin. p. 107. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-906002-15-2.