Untitled (The Byrds album)

Infobox Album | Name = (Untitled)
Type = Album
Artist = the Byrds


Released = September 16 1970
Recorded = Live disc: February–March 1970
Studio disc: May 26–June 11 1970
Genre = Rock
Length = 71:26
Label = Columbia/Legacy
Producer = Terry Melcher
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:7t6ompz09ffo link]
*Robert Christgau (C+) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+byrds link]
Chronology = The Byrds
Last album = "Ballad of Easy Rider"
(1969)
This album = "(Untitled)"
(1970)
Next album = "Byrdmaniax"
(1971)

"(Untitled)" is a double album by American band The Byrds, released in 1970. It marks the last change to the band's line-up, with John York being asked to leave in September 1969, just preceding the release of "Ballad of Easy Rider", so that Skip Battin could take his place.

The first LP includes concert material (the first official release of any live Byrds recordings), beginning with a new McGuinn original, "Lover Of The Bayou", a new Dylan cover, 1965's "Positively Fourth Street", and a medley of hits - "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star, Mr. Spaceman, Mr. Tambourine Man", culminating in a sixteen-minute rendition of 1966's "Eight Miles High" that was popular on progressive rock radio. McGuinn and White trade lengthy guitar solos before Battin and Parsons roll into a long bass-n-drums jam. After jamming for over 12 minutes, the band finally sings the first verse of the song and concludes the performance with a brief cover of the instrumental "Hold It"!.

The second disc is a new studio effort, consisting mostly of new original songs by McGuinn and Battin, produced by Terry Melcher. Also featured were songs by Lead Belly ("Take a Whiff on Me") and Lowell George of Little Feat ("Truck Stop Girl", featuring a vocal by Clarence White).

The album was a success, reaching number 40 in the United States during a chart stay of twenty-one weeks and number 11 in the United Kingdom, where it was bolstered by the surprise Top 20 hit "Chestnut Mare". Although contemporary reviews were not enthusiastic, "Untitled" is generally considered today to be The Byrds' best latter-day recording. It is also the only double-LP released by the Byrds during the band's active lifespan, and thus is the group's longest album by far; in fact, the studio LP on its own (at thirty-eight minutes) is longer than any other Byrds album - despite containing fewer tracks (nine) than any other Byrds album.

The album's title actually came about by accident. The group's original intention was to call the release something more grandiose, referencing their commercial and artistic "rebirth": "Phoenix", or "The Byrds' First Album". They had yet to make up their minds when the label pressed them for a title; producer Terry Melcher carelessly filled out a form requesting the album's title with the placeholder "(untitled)", and jackets were promptly pressed with that on them, including the parentheses.

Personnel

* Roger McGuinn - guitar, vocals
* Clarence White - guitar, vocals
* Skip Battin - bass, vocals
* Gene Parsons - drums, vocals

Track listing

Disc 1 (live)

#"Lover of the Bayou" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 3:39
#"Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan) – 3:03
#"Nashville West" (Gene Parsons/Clarence White) – 2:07
#"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Roger McGuinn/Chris Hillman) – 2:38
#"Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 2:14
#"Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:07
#"Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark/Roger McGuinn/David Crosby) – 16:03

Disc 2 (studio)

#"Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 5:08
#"Truck Stop Girl" (Lowell George/Bill Payne) – 3:20
#"All the Things" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 3:03
#"Yesterday's Train" (Gene Parsons/Skip Battin) – 3:31
#"Hungry Planet" (Skip Battin/Kim Fowley/Roger McGuinn) – 4:50
#"Just a Season" (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) – 3:50
#"Take a Whiff on Me" (Huddie Ledbetter/John Lomax/Alan Lomax) – 3:24
#"You All Look Alike" (Skip Battin/Kim Fowley) – 3:03
#"Welcome Back Home" (Skip Battin) – 7:40

"(Untitled)" was remastered and re-issued in 2000 as "(Untitled)/(Unissued)" with an extra CD of bonus tracks from its sessions and live performances from that era.

2. Track listing.

#"All The Things (alternate take)" [Studio] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 4:58
#Yesterday's Train (alternate take) [Studio] (Gene Parsons, Skip Battin) - 5:15
#Lover Of The Bayou (alternate take) [Studio] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Livy) - 5:15
#Kathleen's Song (alternate take) [Studio] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) - 2:37
#White's Lightning Pt. 2. [Live] (Roger McGuinn, Clarence White) - 2:32
#Willin' [Studio] (L. George) - 3:33
#You Ain't Goin' Nowhere [Live] (Bob Dylan) - 2:56
#Old Blue (live) It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) [Live] (Traditional, arr and adapted by Roger McGuinn) - 3:30
#It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) [Live] (Bob Dylan) - 2:49
#Ballad Of Easy Rider [Live] (Roger McGuinn) - 2:22
#My Back Pages [Live] (Bob Dylan) - 2:41
#Take A Whiff On Me [Live] (Huddie Ledbetter, John A. Lomax, Alan Lomax) - 2:46
#Jesus Is Just Alright. [Live] (Art Reynolds) - 3:09
#Wheels On Fire. [Live] (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) - 6:16

Singles

#"Chestnut Mare" b/w "Just a Season" (Columbia 45259) 23 October 1970

ources

* "(Untitled)" CD booklet essay, David Fricke, c.2000.
* AllMusicGuide.com
* "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c.2002.

External links

* [http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/untitled.asp Article about the album's title]