In the Beginning (The Byrds album)
Encyclopedia
In the Beginning is a compilation album
by the American folk rock
band
The Byrds
and was released in August 1988 by Rhino Records
. The album consists of demos
, some of which were previously unreleased, recorded during 1964 at World Pacific Studios
in Los Angeles, before the band had secured a recording contract
with Columbia Records
. Material dating from the band's pre-fame rehearsal sessions at World Pacific had previously appeared on the 1969 album Preflyte
, but In the Beginning provides a more comprehensive overview of this period than the earlier compilation. Upon release, In the Beginning garnered mostly positive reviews from critics but failed to reach the Billboard Top Pop Albums
chart or the UK Albums Chart
.
During preparation for the album, Rhino Records elected to include as many previously unreleased versions of songs as possible, rather than simply duplicate the contents of the Preflyte album. As a result of this, of the seventeen tracks that make up In the Beginning, only five are exactly the same recordings that were included on the earlier compilation album. In the Beginning also includes six alternate take
s of songs that appeared on Preflyte, alternate versions of both sides of a one-off single
that the group released on Elektra Records
in 1964 (under the pseudonym of The Beefeaters), a primitive acoustic demo of "The Only Girl I Adore" that had previously been released on the Early LA various artists compilation, a previously unreleased early version of "It's No Use", and two recordings of the previously unreleased song "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away".
Noting the album's emphasis on newly released material, The Byrds' biographer Johnny Rogan
commented that In the Beginning took "the brave decision to include as many alternate takes as possible, irrespective of their quality" and concluded that the "CD captured the very genesis of The Byrds." Music historian and journalist
Richie Unterberger
, writing for the Allmusic website, has described the music on the album as "excellent, though more tentative and less polished than their 'official' Columbia work." However, Unterberger also complained that "some of the alternate takes are inferior to those on the original Preflyte album."
In the Beginning is currently out of print
and has been supplanted by the exhaustive double CD
compilation The Preflyte Sessions.
release only. The vinyl LP
omits the tracks "The Reason Why", "Mr. Tambourine Man
", and "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away" [acoustic version].
Additional Personnel
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by the American folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
and was released in August 1988 by Rhino Records
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
. The album consists of demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, some of which were previously unreleased, recorded during 1964 at World Pacific Studios
Pacific Jazz Records
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record label best known for releasing cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded by Richard Bock and drummer Roy Harte in 1952....
in Los Angeles, before the band had secured a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Material dating from the band's pre-fame rehearsal sessions at World Pacific had previously appeared on the 1969 album Preflyte
Preflyte
Preflyte is a compilation album by the American folk rock band The Byrds and was released in July 1969 on Together Records . The album is a collection of demos recorded by The Byrds at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles during 1964, before the band had signed to Columbia Records...
, but In the Beginning provides a more comprehensive overview of this period than the earlier compilation. Upon release, In the Beginning garnered mostly positive reviews from critics but failed to reach the Billboard Top Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart or the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
During preparation for the album, Rhino Records elected to include as many previously unreleased versions of songs as possible, rather than simply duplicate the contents of the Preflyte album. As a result of this, of the seventeen tracks that make up In the Beginning, only five are exactly the same recordings that were included on the earlier compilation album. In the Beginning also includes six alternate take
Take
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.-Film:In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup"...
s of songs that appeared on Preflyte, alternate versions of both sides of a one-off single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
that the group released on Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
in 1964 (under the pseudonym of The Beefeaters), a primitive acoustic demo of "The Only Girl I Adore" that had previously been released on the Early LA various artists compilation, a previously unreleased early version of "It's No Use", and two recordings of the previously unreleased song "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away".
Noting the album's emphasis on newly released material, The Byrds' biographer Johnny Rogan
Johnny Rogan
Johnny Rogan is an author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He has written influential biographies of The Byrds, The Smiths and Van Morrison. His writing is characterised by "an almost neurotic attention to detail", epic length and a sometimes hostile...
commented that In the Beginning took "the brave decision to include as many alternate takes as possible, irrespective of their quality" and concluded that the "CD captured the very genesis of The Byrds." Music historian and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
, writing for the Allmusic website, has described the music on the album as "excellent, though more tentative and less polished than their 'official' Columbia work." However, Unterberger also complained that "some of the alternate takes are inferior to those on the original Preflyte album."
In the Beginning is currently out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
and has been supplanted by the exhaustive double CD
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
compilation The Preflyte Sessions.
Track listing
NOTE: The following track listing is for the CDCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release only. The vinyl LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
omits the tracks "The Reason Why", "Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
", and "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away" [acoustic version].
- "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away" (Gene ClarkGene ClarkGene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
, David CrosbyDavid CrosbyDavid Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
, Roger McGuinnRoger McGuinnJames Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
) – 1:56 - "Boston" (Gene Clark) – 2:07
- "The Only Girl I Adore" (Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:26
- "You Won't Have to Cry" (Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark) – 2:16
- "I Knew I'd Want You" (Gene Clark) – 2:14
- "The Airport Song" (Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:03
- "The Reason Why" (Gene Clark) – 2:35
- "Mr. Tambourine ManMr. Tambourine Man"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 2:11 - "Please Let Me Love You" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 2:35
- "You Movin'" (Gene Clark) – 2:09
- "It Won't Be WrongIt Won't Be Wrong"It Won't Be Wrong" is a song by the American folk rock band The Byrds, which appeared as the second track on their 1965 album, Turn! Turn! Turn! It was written in 1964 by band member Jim McGuinn and his friend, Harvey Gerst, an acquaintance from McGuinn's days as a folk singer at The Troubadour...
" (Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 2:01 - "You Showed MeYou Showed Me"You Showed Me" is a song written by Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark of The Byrds in 1964. It was recorded by The Turtles and released as a single in 1969, becoming the group's last big hit in the U.S. The song has also been covered by a number of other bands and artists over the years, including The...
" (Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark) – 1:52 - "She Has a Way" (Gene Clark) – 2:26
- "For Me Again" (Gene Clark) – 2:32
- "It's No Use" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn) – 2:17
- "Here Without You" (Gene Clark) – 2:26
- "Tomorrow Is a Long Ways Away" [acoustic version] (Gene Clark) – 1:58
Personnel
The Byrds- Jim McGuinnRoger McGuinnJames Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Gene ClarkGene ClarkGene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, guitar, vocals - David CrosbyDavid CrosbyDavid Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
- guitar, vocals - Chris HillmanChris HillmanChristopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
- electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Michael ClarkeMichael Clarke (musician)Michael Clarke , was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the 1960s rock group The Byrds from 1964 to 1967. He died in 1993, at age 47, from liver failure, a direct result of more than three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.-Biography:Clarke was born Michael James Dick in...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Additional Personnel
- Ray Pohlman – electric bass (tracks 9 and 11)
- Earl PalmerEarl PalmerEarl Cyril Palmer was an American rock & roll and rhythm and blues drummer, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
– drums (tracks 9 and 11)