BYRDS: ORIGINAL 1965 TWO EARLY 45s OF ‘MR TAMBOURINE MAN’/’TURN! TURN!TURN!

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BYRDS: ORIGINAL 1965 FIRST PRESSING EARLY 45s OF ‘MR TAMBOURINE MAN’/’TURN ,TURN, TURN’
This week on Ebay we are offering up these 2 original first pressing 45s of the Byrds #1 hit singles “Mr Tambourine Man” and “Turn Turn Turn.” Two highly influential and important rock hits of 1965. Both are very clean and come with their original period Columbia sleeves.
ARTIST: THE BYRDS
TITLE:
‘MR. TAMBOURINE MAN’ b/w ‘I KNEW I’D WANT YOU’
LABEL: COLUMBIA
4-43271
RECORDED: JANUARY
20 1965
RELEASE DATE:
12 APRIL 1965
ORIGINAL RELEASE OF 3-TRACK MULTITRACK MIX TO MONO
ARTIST: THE BYRDS
TITLE:
‘TURN! TURN! TURN!’ b/w ‘SHE DON’T CARE ABOUT TIME’
LABEL: COLUMBIA
4-43424
RELEASE DATE:
1 OCTOBER 1965
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These 2 great hit singles "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" were both #1 hits in 1965 and were hugely influential to the whole west coast music scene and to the direction of sixties rock music in general.
These 2 45s were very important musical statements and are essential to own in any collection of 60s rock singles. They changed the course of rock music in the sixties.
It’s hard to underestimate the power that these 2 singles had on American rock music in 1965.
Turn! Turn! Turn!, along with Mr. Tambourine Man, served to establish the Byrds as one of rock music's most important creative forces, on a par with the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones.
These are both original first pressings on the early red Columbia ‘one eye’ label and are both in excellent condition. They both come with their original period Columbia company sleeves.
I’ve had these in my personal 45 collection for at least 40 years now, and it’s time they found a new home. I’m listing them together as, I believe, they should remain together as an important pair of Byrds hits from 1965.
Both the labels and the vinyl are very clean and they look and sound terrific. Bold, punchy 45 rpm sound. Mr Tambourine man was mixed down from a 3-track master, the best recording technique at the time, and sounds quite amazing for a 1965 recording. Nothing else sounded like this on the radio back then.
The ‘Turn’ single has a very small rim chip at 12 O'clock but it does not affect the playing grooves. The ‘Tambourine’ single has a small adhesive number sticker on the label. I did not try to soak it off, but I suspect it would come of easily with lighter fluid or any of the other typical removal methods. Honestly, it looks fine just the way it is.
All in all, very nice copies of these two very important singles from the history of sixties rock. They are a perfect time capsule of American rock music in the mid 1960s.
What was great about these 2 early singles and much of the Byrd’s earlier music was that they had an amazing ability to take other people’s songs and music and transform it into their own style. They took the sounds of the past and made it current, important, modern and popular to the teenagers and listeners of the time.
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE BYRDS UP TO 1966
The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964.
Although their time as one of the most popular groups in the world only lasted for a short period in the mid-1960s, the Byrds are today considered to be among the most influential rock acts of their era. Their early music is credited with defining the sound and the direction of much of the rock music that came after them.
Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar was perfect for the time period and they influenced the whole music industry, many songwriters and many bands, in their short stint at the top of the charts.
The Byrds pioneered the musical genre of folk rock as a popular format in 1965, by melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music on their first and second albums.
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The original five-piece lineup of the band consisted of Jim McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), and Michael Clarke (drums).
The Byrds met and formed in the L.A. folk scene that was centered around the famous Troubadour club, which went by the name 'The Folk Den' back then.
After some spontaneous singing on the back stairs of the Folk Den, which had great echo and acoustics, the nucleus of the Byrds formed in early 1964. Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby starting singing and playing as a trio.
All three had strong backgrounds in Folk music and all 3 had learned their chops by playing on the acoustic coffeehouse circuit during the early 1960s. They had all been in other folk bands before, which were all the rage on college campuses and the Hip clubs around L.A. McGuinn played with the Limeliters and the Chad Mitchell Trio, Clark with the New Christy Minstrels, and Crosby with Les Baxter's Balladeers. Mcguinn had even worked for a short while at the famous Brill Building in New York, writing songs.
Like so many artists of the time, McGuinn fell under the influence of the Beatles and started doing his own interpretations of their hits in a folk style. Gene Clark was also a Beatles fan and hooked up with McGuinn at the troubadour. The pair worked as a duo for a while.
Crosby, as he was known to do, was hanging out at the Troubadour and just invited himself into the duo to sing harmonies on top of their songs. The 3 voices and personalities jelled and they formed a trio called the Jet Set. Crosby knew many people in the L.A. music scene and introduced his new friends to Jim Dickson who had connections at the famous World Pacific Studios.
Dickson liked what he heard and started managing the band. He arranged for them to work at the studio, record and polish up their unique folky blend of Beatles pop and Bob Dylan-style folk. That was the beginning of their Folk-Rock sound, blending the sounds of the hip college Folk scene with the emerging electric Pop style of Dylan and the British Invasion. The Jet Set was able to merge the 2 styles into something new.
Drummer Michael Clarke was added to the Jet Set in mid-1964 as they needed another member who could keep the rhythm but also look hip and modern. Clarke was good looking and had a cool modern Brian Jones-esque hairstyle.
Eventually the Jet Set cut a single after Dickson got them a brief deal with Elektra, then a small local L.A. label. To connect themselves to the popular British Invasion bands of the time, they changed their name to The Beefeaters.
The single, which contained 2 original songs, "Please Let Me Love You" and "Don't Be Long", featured McGuinn, Clark, and Crosby, along with some studio musicians. It was released in October of 1964 but went nowhere.
In the summer of 1964, Dickson turned up an Acetate copy of Bob Dylan’s, yet unreleased, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’. The Jet Set took the song, changed the time signature to give it a more rocking upbeat feel and recorded it. Dickson even managed to get Dylan himself to come hear them play the song. Dylan was impressed.
Soon after, inspired by the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night, the band decided to equip themselves with similar instruments to the Fab Four. McGuinn started playing a Rickenbacker 360 12-string guitar to give the music a better sound and feel. He eventually switched to the better Rickenbacker 370/12 model, which had 3 pickups and allowed him to get any type of sound he wanted. That 12-string sound became a signature for the band for many years. Clarke upgraded from playing on cardboard boxes to a full Ludwig drum kit, just like Ringo. A Gretsch Tennessean guitar was picked out for Clark, although the story goes that Crosby grabbed the guitar, leaving Clark with only a tambourine to ‘play’ while he sang.
In the fall of 1964, Dickson found a bass player named Chris Hillman, who was working locally in Country bands as a mandolin player. The famous original 5-piece band was finally put together.
The story goes that Miles Davis told the band to sign with his label, Columbia, and to get a new hip name. Over dinner, they decided on The Byrds. It was hip, and purposely misspelled, just like the Beatles had done.
Columbia introduced them to Producer Terry Melcher who helped them record their first single for the label, “Mr Tambourine Man.” Melcher and Columbia didn’t think the Byrds had their sound and skills quite together yet and used studio musicians on the song, veteran players who would become known as ‘The Wrecking Crew.’ The song featured their clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly, twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar. The single was recorded in January 1965.
Meanwhile, in the spring of 1965, the Byrds became the regular house band at Ciro's Le Disc nightclub on the Sunset Strip. There they tightened up their sound, improved their playing skills and practiced performing in front of audiences. They also worked on lots of new material and in June, 1965 they released their first album.
News of the band spread quickly and they attracted many of Hollywood’s elite and hipsters to their shows. Even Bob Dylan showed up and joined the band onstage. Eventually, The Byrds’ shows at Ciro’s made them local celebrities and a must-see fixture on L.A.'s nightclub scene. Hordes of young, hip, bohemian teenagers filled the sidewalk outside Ciro’s hoping to get a chance to see the band. That scene at Ciro’s was considered to be the beginnings of the West Coast hippie counterculture.
"Mr. Tambourine Man" was finally released by Columbia on April 12, 1965. It featured the full, electric rock band treatment and, almost single-handedly, started the Folk-Rock style. McGuinn's melodic, jangling twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar playing was suddenly the hippest thing in town and became hugely influential. The single also featured their crisp tight vocal harmonies which were also very hip and very influential.
Dylan’s abstract, intellectual, literary lyrics, combined with the Byrds great playing, started a whole new direction in pop music and songwriting. Within weeks, "Mr. Tambourine Man" had become the first folk rock smash hit, reaching number 1 in both the US and the UK. The single's success fueled the entire folk rock boom of 1965/66, during which a number of Byrds-influenced acts appeared and also made chart topping music.
The Byrds quickly followed the single with their first album, also titled ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, in June. It sold well and firmly established the Byrds and Folk-Rock as a new and popular music style. The album smartly included several other Dylan covers, some re-workings of traditional Folk songs, modernizing them, and a few original songs, like "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", written by Gene Clark. The Byrds became quite popular and were one of the few American bands able to compete with the Beatles and the onslaught of the British Invasion.
The Byrd’s next single was their reworking of Dylan’s "All I Really Want to Do" with a modern sound and Beatle like vocals. Columbia rushed the single out on June 14, 1965, while "Mr. Tambourine Man" was still climbing the charts.
Sonny & Cher were regulars at the Byrd’s Ciro’s gigs and realized they could do something similar by re-working Dylan’s songs into something more upbeat and hip. Cher was all set to release her version of "All I Really Want to Do." on the competing Imperial label, but Columbia beat her to the charts with the Byrd’s version. Actually, Cher’s version sold much better.
The Byrds were suddenly hip, modern and very popular. To help feed their teen popularity, the band adopted cool unusual clothing and styling. They got their pictures printed in all sorts of publications and teen magazines at the time. They were the best example of the new look and sound of rock. The new rock stars.
Current bands, like the Beatles and other British Invasion bands dressed in proper suits and often all dressed alike. The Byrds broke that mold by being very individual performers and musicians. Crosby would wear flowing jackets, often with fringe, and weird hats. McGuinn sported his distinctive blue rectangular "granny glasses”, starting a hipster fashion trend. Hillman had a sort of cool urban cowboy look. They wore leather and turtleneck sweaters. They all had long hair for the time. They were the epitome of hip, California cool.
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The Byrd’s early records were very popular in England so the band decided to do a short tour over there. The reception was poor, and the press mocked them and their performances.
On the bright side, the band did get to meet up with some of the big names in rock music while they were there including the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The Beatles hooked up with the Byrds again when they came to L.A. in 1965.
The Beatles had a major influence on the Byrds, but more importantly the Byrds, and their music, strongly influenced some of the Beatles 1965 recordings. Songs like ‘Nowhere Man,’ ‘If I Needed Someone” and much of the ‘Rubber Soul’ LP had a very Byrds-like feel to it.
For their third Columbia single, the Byrds initially intended to continue covering Dylan and release a cover of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", but instead they decided to record "Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)", a Pete Seeger folk composition that Mcguinn fell in love with.
The Byrds' cover of "Turn! Turn! Turn!" was issued on October 1, 1965 and became the band's second U.S. number 1 single, as well as the title track for their second album. The single represented the high-water mark of folk rock up to that point. The song’s lyrics of Love, Peace and Tolerance was very popular in 1965, especially as the Viet Nam war and protests were in full swing. Young record buyers loved the song and it became a #1 hit.
The Byrds' second album, ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’, was released in December 1965. It sold well and established the Byrds and their folk-rock stylings as a major force in American music.
That second Byrds album had some great songs on it, mostly written by Gene Clark, like "She Don't Care About Time", "The World Turns All Around Her", and "Set You Free This Time" which have gone down in rock history as some of the finest music ever made in the Folk-rock style.
Tensions started rising in the band and among the band’s management by late 1965. The band’s heavy use of marijuana and the changing social climate of L.A. made them want to branch out from Folk-rock and explore new paths.
The band fired producer Terry Melcher and Columbia assigned a new producer, Allen Stanton. Stanton was OK with the band going in new directions and in December, the Byrds recorded their next single "Eight Miles High" at RCA Studios in Hollywood. The song represented a giant creative leap forward for the band and is often considered the first full-blown psychedelic rock recording. It was almost single-handedly responsible for transforming Folk-rock into the ‘new’ Psychedelic rock of the late sixties.
Columbia was miffed that it was recorded at a competitor’s studio and refused to release it. Columbia forced them to re-record it in January 1966 and used that second version as the single.
Gone were McGuinns folk chord changes and folky guitar strumming. Instead he was turned onto John Coltrane’s free-style of Sax playing as well as Ravi Shankar’s Indian drones and wanted to emulate them on his own records. The song's subtle use of Indian and jazz influences resulted in it being labeled as "raga rock" by the music press.
Upon release, "Eight Miles High" was banned by many U.S. radio stations, following allegations that its lyrics advocated recreational drug use. Despite it being a great and timeless song, it failed to chart well and was the beginning of a downslide for the band.
The Byrds next album, 1966’s ‘Fifth Dimension’ was a step towards Psychedleic Rock which was the direction that much of rock music was heading towards at the time.
Later on, the Byrds also played a pioneering role in the development of country rock, with the 1968 album ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ one of the best of the genre.
Several former members of the Byrds went on to successful careers of their own, either as solo artists or as members of such groups as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, and the Desert Rose Band.
In 1991, the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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