![]() However, after Gene Clark left the group, the instant bass player became an instant vocalist as well. Initially, Hillman did not sing in the Byrds. As his skill on the instrument progressed, he began weaving some omplex magical counterpoint on the bass, unlike anything else done at the time. On the older material, he is the quintessential basic bassist. Hillman's evolution as a bassist is vividly evident when you play these discs through in order. He was a virtuoso mandolin player who had his own bluegrass group called the Hillmen. Although he was the bassist in the original Byrds, he had never touched the instrument prior to joining the group. Hillman's musical background was in bluegrass and countr music. These new songs are scheduled for an upcoming Crosby, Stills and Nash album. As indicated in our interview, he feels that he has recently written some of the best material of his career. Engineered by Steven Barncard, this album has earned accolades for its sonic (as well as musical) merit.Īt the present time, Crosby is touring with CSN. For something lesser known, try his striking inaugural solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name (Atlantic SD 7023 or, even better, the British pressing, Atlantic K 40320). Of all the Byrds, Crosby achieved the greatest level of fame and success through his post-Byrds work in Crosby, Stills, and Nash. His work with the Byrds comprises some of the finest vocal harmony work in the history of rock. His crystalline high voice is absolutely gorgeous on these four discs. Not surprisingly, his musical background is permeated with jazz influences, which can be heard in the highly unorthodox harmonies he creates. He is one of the most creative harmony singers in rock in terms of experimenting with unusual harmonic intervals. Although not as prominent or attention-getting as McGuinn's signature twelve-string sound, Crosby's rhythm playing was a significant, integral (and neglected) element in the Byrds' musical mosaic.Ĭrosby was responsible for the Byrds' wonderful vocal harmonies. One of the benefits afforded by the sonic excellence of the reissue CDs is that Crosby's rhythm guitar work can be more easily detected and more greatly appreciated. His chunky rhythm work perfectly complimented McGuinn's elaborate baroque arpeggios. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" for the thousandth time.Ĭrosby's role in the Byrds was rhythm guitarist and high harmony singer. McGuinn avows that he wants to be free of the yoke of the Byrds, yet, paradoxically, he is the one who earns his living going around playing "Mr. ![]() It is worthwhile, but it spends too much time going over how to change strings and adjust the truss rod on a Rickenbacker 12-string, and not enough time dissecting his Byrds guitar work (which is surely the reason most people would purchase the tape).įor reasons known only to himself, McGuinn is vehemently opposed to doing any further work with the Byrds, much to the chagrin of David Crosby and Chris Hillman (see my interviews in this issue with McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman for more on this). Note to guitarists: McGuinn has an instructional guitar video available on Homespun Tapes ( "The 12-String Guitar of Roger McGuinn", Homespun VD-GUI-GT01). The vinyl version (AL-4648), if you can locate a copy, sounds much better than the compact disk. ![]() His previous album, Back From Rio (Arista AR-8648), was released in January, 1991. His most recent release, Live from Mars (Hollywood Records) is a compilation culled from his stage shows over the past two years plus two bonus studio tracks recorded with members of the Jayhawks. His stage show consists of an autobiographical excursion through his musical career. Since the Byrds, McGuinn has primarily worked as a solo artist, returning in recent years to his folk roots by playing small clubs accompanying himself on guitar. McGuinn also sang lead on many of the group's songs, including all of their Dylan interpretations. When this unusual picking pattern is done on an electric twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar, the resulting sound is a brilliant cascade of harmonic intervals and gleaming overtones. More from five-string banjo rolls than typical guitar scales. Lead guitarist McGuinn's unique style simultaneously employs a flat pick and fingerpicking patterns, drawing If you disassemble the complex tapestry of the Byrds' sound into its molecular underpinnings, McGuinn's distinctive voice and unique twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar are the nucleus. McGuinn co-founded the group with Gene Clark and was its nominal leader. ![]()
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