The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn!

A band on their way to somewhere … yet never arrived anywhere.

Indulge me for a moment please. The Byrds initial album Mr. Tambourine Man had one foot deeply rooted in folk and another slightly in rock n’ roll’, where in 1965 they delivered Turn! Turn! Turn!, an album fully steeped in the more folkish side of folk-rock, at a time when The Beatles released their dynamic album Rubber Soul and The Rolling Stones had just dropped Aftermath on the world … yet The Byrds where still defining themselves as some sort of Johnny-come-lately version of Bob Dylan.

It’s not a very good album, it’s not a very comfortable album, it’s not an album to get stoned to, it’s certainly not an album that would make for a pleasant lysergic adventure, and it’s not an album that defines anything other than an American band during the mid 60’s struggling to find themselves, a band who certainly looked ultra hip, had a great name and were at war with each other nearly from day one.

What The Byrds did have going for them was a signature sound, produced in part by McGuinn’s jangly twelve string Rickenbacker, dynamic textures and great harmonies, along with Gene Clark’s ever rolling drum pattern that wove in, out, over and under each song flawlessly.

All of the material on the album was rather middle of the road, nothing unconventional, other than the spiritual nature of the songs and their delivery, delivered at a time when faith in anything was being challenged by the younger generation, so hearing this sort of music, even so melodically done, harkened back to the values of our parents … the establishment. Even with each song laced with pop oriented country-esque vocals and instrumentations, it never really moved anyone.

In short, The Byrds were nearly out of step with the musical changes that were filling the airways, the album reach only #20 on the charts, due entirely to their covering of two Dylan numbers. For some reason, The Byrds had gained a great deal of attention without having actually done anything of note, with this album picking up exactly where Mr. Tambourine Man left off. And therein lies part of the dilemma for me, that being their embracing of artists such a Porter Wagoner and his song “Satisfied Mind,” as he represented that lower class country audience who were standing in the way of progress, segregation, equality and totally ed the conflict in Viet Nam. Then there’s their take on the Stephen Foster tune “Oh! Susannah,” a song from my grade school days, creating an atmosphere of racism and injustice rolled into a seemingly harmless ditty. Of course there wasn’t anything much worse than assembling a song around the Book of Ecclesiastes, with “Turn, Turn, Turn” being the creation of Pete Seeger, a lefty, a communist, a man who was irrelevant by the mid 60’s, who made his career during a forgotten era … so why were The Byrds reaching so far back, when what we were all waiting for was just around the corner with the delivery of “Eight Miles High.”

There is no sojourn with Turn Turn Turn, it does not develop or refine as it spins out, it’s stuck right where it was when it was recorded and always will be. Of course, you’re forever going to be hearing others say that this is an interesting album, yet interesting doesn’t sit you down and command your attention. Yes, I am sure there are those who enjoy the genre, though for me, the record was every bit a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

And most annoying, constantly seeing Roger McGuinn in those silly Ben Franklin sunglasses, all affect and no effect.

*** Allow me to to my argument by saying, The Byrds could simply have been a singles band, as they tracked but a handful of charting hits:

-Mr. Tambourine Man, peaked at #1
-Eight Miles High, peaked at #14
-So You Want To Be a Rock n’ Roll Star, peaked at #29
-Ballad Of Easy Rider, peaked at #65
-Chestnut Mare, peaked at #121 (though was a progressive FM radio staple)

Yes, the band had other singles, yet the reality of the situation is that those other singles were embraced by almost no one. As to the actual value of Byrds’ albums, mint copies of original pressing for all albums can be had for almost nothing.

Review by Jenell Kesler

I have a copy that matches this except there is no Columbia Masterworks on the label rim. Is this an earlier pressing??

I have the 45. Any listings for that? I have other 45s. How do I list them. And, is there a market for 45s?

I'm curious about the release date of item PC 9254 by Columbia.
I own a copy, but can't find the release date (year).
Please help, Thanks.

Also a UK stereo version on SBPG 62652, in 1965 (or very early 1966).