Ballad Of Easy Rider
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3.6
Average of 16 reviews
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Every track is absolutely brilliant. Typical of the byrds, the drums are quite subdued, and the overall sound is a tad muted, but the vocals are wonderfully captured. A bit muffled, but the bass is prominent. Guitars are decent. The pressing is nothing extraordinary but still a pleasure to own. Just think how amazing a top-quality pressing would have sounded.
This album is as close as the Byrds ever came to sounding like the Beach Boys—Roger McGuinn's vocals are what Mike Love's could've been if he'd improved as much as his bandmates did. The variety of sounds and styles they pull off is truly impressive. That said, the record does lose some steam towards the end—though, to be fair, the Byrds were never great at wrapping up their albums in tue first place.
This album is as close as the Byrds ever got to capturing the essence of a Beach Boys record—Roger McGuinn's vocals are like Mike Love's, but with the kind of improvement you'd expect if he'd practiced as much as his bandmates. The range of styles they showcase is truly impressive. That being said, the album does start to lose steam towards the end—though, to be fair, the Byrds have never been great at wrapping up their records in tue first place.
In late 1969, this album hit the shelves, just a couple of years after "Mr. Tambourine Man" took the world by storm. Yet, in that brief time, the Beatles had stopped touring and were on the brink of splitting up, the '60s were winding down, and the Byrds, well, they weren't the same band that had kicked off the psychedelic era. Roger McGuinn was the sole original member left, surrounded by a completely new band, all singers and songwriters. So, it was reasonable to expect a great album … though it often veers off course like a toddler darting through a supermarket. "Jesus Is Just Alright" is a misguided cover, originally written by Arthur Reynolds and recorded by his folk group, the Art Reynolds Singers, back in 1966. Oddly enough, it was drummer Gene Parsons, who had been in the studio with Reynolds, who brought the song to Roger McGuinn's attention. Nothing could seem more contradictory to Christian faith than the rock 'n roll lifestyle of the '60s, yet Roger McGuinn lived through it all and emerged healthy, happy, with a loving wife, and a deep faith in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, which, to me, is just arrogance … though it does explain why the song ended up on the album, and why I never played it. Arthur Reynolds also penned another Byrds' song, "Glory Glory," which, along with Dylan's turn to Christianity, furthered the One Way movement, where lost hippies found their way home, if not to their parents, then to a disembodied concept roaming the heavens. But the Christian theme doesn't stop there. The traditional hymn "Oil In My Lamp" was given a country twist, along with blended harmonies. All of this had me shaking my head, unsure if this was a Christian album or just an album with Christian songs. Either way, I couldn't bring myself to spend money on what felt like a sermon, so the record was tucked away, until I later gave it to a friend. The title track, "Ballad Of Easy Rider," was re-recorded with a faster tempo and added orchestration, turning it into a classic for both the times and the movie. The main lines of the song were penned by Bob Dylan on a napkin, which he handed to Peter Fonda, saying, “Give this to McGuinn, he’ll know what to do with it … ‘The river flows, it flows to the sea, wherever that river goes, that’s where I want to be, flow river flow,’” and with that, the “Ballad Of Easy Rider” was born. Then there's another Dylan cover, "It's All Over Now Baby Blue," a song the Byrds had attempted twice before, finally finding the right balance by letting the song breathe and become nearly ethereal. And what's with country music and dogs? This time, it's the song "Fido," about a dog York had found while on tour … just another bit of silliness, though many listeners ended up naming their dogs Fido in response. McGuinn later said of the song, “To me ‘Fido’ was not a Byrds’ number, when you let the bass player do the lead vocal, it’s just not the same, it loses all of its cohesiveness.” Though (laughing) Roger never claimed he could or would have done it better. A little-known fact is that “Gunga Din” was Gene Parson’s nickname for John York, with York saying, “Gene wrote it about something that happened at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York. We always stayed there. In those days, it was real silverware and cloth napkins and very snooty. They sure liked our money, but they didn't like the boots and leather jacket I was wearing at the time. I wanted to take my mother to dinner but they wouldn't let us in the dining room. Normally I would have let it roll off my back, but because my mom was there I really went off and started screaming at the maitre d’.” I could go on and on about each track, but it’s simply not worth the time. The Ballad Of Easy Rider represents the memory of a movie, and a very uncomfortable movie at that, leaving me to say that over the years, the Byrds have failed to lay down one single solid album that I could listen to from beginning to end without rolling my eyes, without feeling excluded, without a tribute to Mr. Dylan, without going so sideways that tossing it in the air and shooting it with one of Hunter Thompson’s shotguns was my only recourse.
Don't be fooled by what you know of The Byrds (like Turn, Turn, Turn), this isn't the laid-back vibe you'd anticipate. They ventured into fresh territories on this album. The collection alone is a steal for "There Must Be Someone" (those lyrics hit home!) and the comical "Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)" The SBM treatment is truly remarkable on each track here. And that's just it~~~S O N G S, genuine songs.
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