The Byrds were just a little bit ahead of their time. By releasing six genre-defining albums in three years, their transformative powers took electric guitars to traditional folk music, brought jazz into psychedelic pop and helped introduce what we now know as Americana, being the first major rock band to embrace the sound of Nashville. They were heralded as the pioneers of folk rock, acid rock and country rock, not to mention space rock, abstract electronics and all the inter-genre crossover material that defines most of their albums. They influenced so many of the musical movements that followed as they constantly progressed, hungry to push the boundaries of popular music.
This book examines each one of the band’s 12 studio albums, highlighting the many high points, especially from their mercurial 1965 — 1968 era, and the less successful later years when the law of diminishing returns took over. Also discussed within the ‘Connected Flights’ part of each chapter, are the band’s contemporaneous non-album singles and B-sides. Previously unreleased tracks that were later released as part of their extensive reissue campaigns will also be covered, making this book one of the most extensive guides to The Byrds’ music yet produced.
Andy McArthur is a retired teacher, who, in a previous life, worked in finance. He now works part-time in the education charity sector. Having always loved writing, he previously contributed to a national newspaper’s football fanzine section. This is his first book. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, Karen, and daughters, Amy and Zoe. When not walking Mojo the dog up the Braid Hills, Andy loves listening to music, watching Ayr Utd and drinking zesty ales in pubs (where he bores people by telling them how The Byrds changed popular music three times in the space of three years).
