5cd Original Album Classics (Sweethe Art Of The RodeoDr. Byrds & Mr. Hyd EBallad Of Easy RiderByrd

Audio CD for listening to music - condition is very important .If there are scratches ? The laser only reads what the laser can see - read .Very happy with purchase

I kind of have to agree with M. Chapman on some of what he says here. I decided to give three of these original album classics a shot (Patti Smith, Byrds and Mahavishnu Orchestra). I am a collector of the japanese mini LP box sets. However the economy being what it is I have had to pass up a few of the one's I would have like to have gotten. In the case of the Patti Smith box, for example, we're talking about around $200 for the Japanese mini LP box vs a hair under $30 for the Original Album Classics box. I just got all three of the boxes I ordered in the mail today and all I can say is you will very definately notice every last one of those $170 dollars difference between the US vs the Japanese sets. And I do not mean that in a good way.Now I don't know what M Chapman is talking about with regards to any liner notes being out of date as these boxes include absolutely nothing beyond whatever the front and back cover artwork of the original albums were (and NO gatefolds by the way!). In the case of the Mahavishnu Orchestra discs that means you get the songs and line up's more or less and the occasional "I worship at the feet of the golden smurf" poetry. What you do NOT get are ANY sort of protective innersleeves - . I am not talking about the Japanese detail to the first pressings like the original CBS advertising inners. I am talking about anything at all that would have prevented 2 of the discs to fall right out of the covers when I removed them from the box and fall onto the pavement! For that alone I will dock this set 1 point - that is just unbelievably cheap and stingy on the part of whoever made these. Secondly you won't get the 1 sheet inserts that came with a few of the original albums: again: something that would have been SO inexpensive for the label to duplicate and inclue that the ommision of these is just stingy. There goes another point for that. Finally: Visions Of The Emerald Beyond... one of my all time favorite LP covers. One of my all time favorite GATEFOLD LP covers. And Columbia reproduces it as a cheap looking non gatefol issue here. In a box that purports to includes replicas of the original LP sleeves. In the case of the Mahavishnu box that means one less point. Would it have killed Columbia to make that ONE sleeve a gatefold?Finally the covers themselves are made of really cheap cradstock. This means they have minor scuffs on them from the moment you remove the shrinkwrap. This might not mean anything to the casual buyer who just wants to get 5 cd's cheap (and I WILL credit the US recod companies for that one small favour: at least these sets ARE cheap - because they certainly are NOT worth a penny over let's say $30, if that) but for a collector or for future resale value that kind of means that the packaging could never be called "Mint" or even a true "Mint Minus": and THAT pisses me off big time as a collector. Yet one more point. Leaving this particular Mahavishnu box as a 1 star rated box in my opinion. On the Byrds and Patti Smith's they were all single sleeved covers to begin with. In the case of the Patti's every single one of the original albums had lyric sheets - not one of these do. In the case of the Byrds set... well I have to give that point back because none of them were gatefolds and none of them came with inserts in the first place. So by that standard the Byrds box is the only one I can give a 2 star review to.And here's my main problem with the entire series: When I was a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's I remember the phrase "Made In Japan" as something that was a catch all phrase for when something would be an inferior and extremely flimsy and cheap knockoff of a US made product. Here the US record companies are taking an idea for boxsets that the Japanese pretty much invented and make so lovingly and caringly. And the US record companies make an EXTREMELY low budget flimsy and cruddy looking knock off. I won't be purchasing any further volumes of this series. You get what you pay for and as a collector it IS worth the extra $100+ dollars to get the well made Japanese mini LP box with the incredible attention to detail etc. Those are gorgeous to look at and they hold their value and they are worth every expensive penny they cost to buy. These one's here? They'll never escalate in value and they all but scream "Cheap Cheap Cheap!". The best thing I can say about them is that unlike 5 jewel box cd's they take up a lot less space. But at least in the jewel box versions you got nice booklets with all the artwork and great liner notes. You just do NOT win with these original Album Classics box sets. Which is really sad: for once the US record industry COULD HAVE gotten things right and created an inexpensive collectable that would have been something very cool to own at a great price. But once again they got just about every single aspect of the whole thing wrong and utterly fail to understand what makes the collector buy these sorts of sets in the first place. Yeah: you have the music and the music still sounds great. But you can get that music - and have been able to get that music - for years now in jewel box format with superior packaging. If these boxsets are geared towards collectors like me who were looking forward to replacing their jewel box versions of these cd's and hoping to save some money by not buying the expensive Japanese boxset equivalents then once again the US record industry did not even come close. It's true that you cannot play the packaging, but when you create a series geared towards the collector then to the true collector packaging is every bit as important as the music...

Yes, it's not the same lineup towards the end of the Byrd's canon, but it's still Roger Mcguinn at the helm and they sound just as good as ever. The only missing album from this collection would be their Untitled/Unissued album, other than that they're all here and all 5 albums sound great. I'm a Byrd fan, of both their early work and their later work, which style came with growth. It's a great band to grow with. I for one get the folk to country movement. They were country rock pioneers, and the music they came up with still resonates today more than ever.These albums showcase what they were trying to do in terms of change. I highly recommend The Byrds to everyone, both their early works and later. There's enough bonus tracks here that make this set well worth it.

Excellent item and service

The physical downside to this later period Byrds collection of albums is in the very cardboard sleeves themselves. But that should not dissuade you from purchasing these titles, in this convenient form, and at this very affordable price.The only real problematic considerations concern the music itself. First, these editions of The Byrds found here are instrumentally the strongest band they fielded in their history. Vocally the late-period Byrds were not quite the singing powerhouse found in the Jim (Roger) McGuinn, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, & Gram Parsons line-ups. Even the admitted lighter weight vocal abilities of these latter-day Byrds does not mean the performances are anything other than very acceptable. These Byrds were on par musically and instrumentally quite muscular.The songs, originals & covers, are generally quite good, but not all are classics. The lack of more than two good songwriters in the late-days group puts their contributions in a less favorable light than The Original Byrds, The Psychedelic Byrds, or even the down-sized Country-Rock Byrds. With these few and minor caveats, this collection should be owned by every Byrds enthusiast. This collection should be an essential purchase for any maven of better than good 70s country rock & soul.

This is a worthy addition to your music library, especially if you enjoy late 60's - early 70's rock. While I would not consider this to be the Byrds best work - it is pretty good. As with all of the original Album Classics box sets, there isn't an additional booklet with liner notes or elaborate packaging - each CD is in a cardboard sleeve with the original album art. You do get each of these albums + bonus tracks that were released on previous remasters. The set starts off with 1968's 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo', and includes 'Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde,' 'Ballad Of Easy Rider,' 'Byrdmanics,' and 'Further Along.' This is the period where the Byrds moved toward Country Rock while adjusting to numerous personnel changes. This is a natural choice for fans of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, & Eagles. An excellent value for the price.

This collection of the Byrds' five later albums--after the departure of original members David Crosby, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke--show the band moving in new directions under the influence of new members including Gram Parsons, Skip Batten and Clarence White. It's not the jingle-jangle folk rock one may be accustomed to from their earlier albums (there's an album classics collection of those as well); instead it shows a band evolving and exploring new possibilities. The package includes all of their later albums, with the exception of [Untitled] in facsimiles of the original vinyl LP dust jackets with the original track listings, not including the bonus tracks contained on the CDs. The full track listings appear on the outer slip case. All in all, this collection offers a whole lot of Byrds music for a very attractive price.

Back to the seventies in style! All five of the early Byrds album in one good package. Well worth having.

Prima Box...

Love the Byrds, love this set. What do we find here? Firstly, there is Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the hinge between the old Byrds and the new. Sweetheart has been regarded as a Masterpiece for a long time now, the Mother of Country Rock albums, inspite of its lukewarm reception at the time. As customary with the Byrds, there was strife, Gram Parsons' vocals were substituted by McGuinn's for contractual reasons (none other), and the band fell apart soon after. Like the other four, this album is the updated, augmented edition with the extra tracks, in this case the songs with the original Parsons vocals. The other four albums are four of the five offerings by the latterday Byrds - the least successful ones, critically and commercially, as the magnificent 'Untitled' is missing. None of these four are masterpieces, but they have grown on me since the dust of expectations settled. The latterday Byrds feature Clarence White - a guitarist with such a distinctive sound and technical prowess that the world of music was much the poorer when he was cut down by a drunken driver soon after the Byrds folded. Even the over-polished Byrdmaniax is suddenly fine. Yes, the choirs, strings and organs don't help, but the opening trio of Glory, Glory, Pale Blue and especially 'I trust' excite me very much. This is the new Byrds, with McGuinn dominating as he should, but with sufficient space for Clarence White, Skip Battin and Gene Parsons to contribute songs and sing. McGuinn essentially withdrew as leader on 'Farther Along', which followed Byrdmaniax. I remember I regarded it as a breath of fresh air at the time. Now I find it a nice album, but without focus. Highlights, perhaps, were the pair of odes to women, Antique Sandy and Precious Kate. In this reissue, I especially enjoyed 'Lost my driving wheel', 'Bag Full of Money', both of which appeared in rerecorded versions on McGuinn's first solo album, and 'Born to Rock and Roll', which appeared on the reformed original Byrds' album. All of these without White, so really post-Byrds recordings. Of the remaining two, 'Ballad of Easy Rider' is the best known and best selling album of the lot. And great it is, if not consistent. Finally then, the album worthy of reappraisal is Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde, the first album by the latterday Byrds. There is consistency here, purpose, a 'progressive', darker sound (the 'Moog') and some great and/ or interesting songs. 'This Wheel's on Fire', a worthy Dylan and the Band cover, 'Your Gentle Way of Loving Me', 'Child of the Universe', 'King Apathy III', 'Bad Night at the Whisky'. --- For the price, this set is a must have. Beatles, Band, Beach Boys - the Byrds are up there.Only one regret - the Original Album Classics series are omit the Liner Notes that David Fricke produced for the Byrd reeditions. I'd have paid a bit extra for a bit of extra paper.

Epochal, ohne Zweifel, und für diesen Preis sollte man eigentlich nicht meckern. Trotzdem zwei Anmerkungen:1) Bonus-Tracks:Warum muss auch diese Edition durch "Bonus-Drecks" verhunzt werden? Ich will das Original-Album hören, vom Anfang bis zum Ende, und nach dem letzten Stück sollte Schluss sein. Vielleicht bin ich naiv, aber: ich gehe immer noch davon aus, dass sich die Künstler seinerzeit bei Songauswahl, -reihenfolge usw. etwas gedacht haben. Ich habe nichts gegen eine Extra-CD mit zusätzlichen Songs, meinetwegen für einen Fünfer Mehr-Wert-Zuschlag, zusätzliches Material kann ganz interessant sein. Aber lasst bitte die Originalalben in Ruhe. Oder wollt Ihr die Sixtina auch noch zusatzlich mit Skizzenblättern von Michelangelo tapezieren, weil die Fresken alleine noch nicht Event genug sind?2) Re-Mix:Langsam wird anscheinend das Sich-Verabschieden oder die Nicht-Mehr-Auffindbarkeit der alten Bänder mit den Originalabmischungen zu einem generellen Problem. Grosse alte Alben, die z.T (auch, und nicht zuletzt) für ihre innovative Soundtechnik bekannt waren und sind -z.B. "Sgt. Pepper", die ersten Hendrix-LPs, um nur einige zu nennen- sind schon seit vielen Jahren nicht mehr in ihren ursprünglich von den Künstlern authorisierten Klangfassungen erhältlich.Ich habe nicht grundsätzlich etwas gegen Klangverbesserungen, die womöglich erst jetzt, durch modernere Studiotechnik, möglich sind, v.a. wenn die Künstler sich selbst beteiligen (wobei ich jedoch z.B. das Vorgehen von Robert Fripp bzgl. "In The Court Of The Crimson King" durchaus grenzwertig sehe: Bei der 30th CD-Edition ist plötzlich etwas Lärmiges vorangestellt, das es auf keiner mir bekannten Vinylpressung gibt (und ich hatte einige im Lauf der Jahrzehnte: alle beginnen unmittelbar mit "21st Century Schizoid Man"), und zum 40sten kürzt er das bezaubernd-wunderbare "Moonchild" gleich um ein Viertel).Oberste Prämisse sollte aber immer sein: klar kennzeichnen, dass es sich nicht um die Originalfassungen handelt, und, wo noch möglich, die klangliche Urfassung mit all ihren Mängeln irgendwie weiterhin zugänglich zu halten.Ansonsten bleibt nur zu sagen: seid froh, ihr, die ihr eure Vinylsammlungen nicht auf dem Flohmarkt vertickt habt, und hütet die Original-LPs wie euren Augapfel, damit ihr -zumindest gelegentlich- den Original-Sound hören könnt. Und die CDs kaufen wir uns dann zusätzlich für Feste und für das Auto. Funktioniert gerade bei den Byrds und bei diesem Preis ganz wunderbar.

Fünf Byrds- Alben in einem Boxset für unter 15 Euro - das sind in jedem Fall fünf Sterne.Aufpassen muss man nur, welche Version der Box man erwischt. Da gibt es in einer blauen Box die ersten fünf Alben (Mr.Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn, 5D, Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers). Eine andere Box in sehr ähnlicher Aufmachung enthält (bis auf Untitled) die späteren Alben (Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, Dr.Byrds & Mr.Hyde, Easy Rider, Byrdmaniax, Farther Along). Die erste, frühere Box gibt es auch in einer weißen, nicht ganz so stabilen Pappschachtel. Alle Versionen enthalten außer den regulären Albumtracks noch eine ganze Reihe Bonustracks (meines Wissens nach ist bis auf das instrumentale "Flight 713" und die Soundtrackversion von "Easy Rider" wirklich alles Nennenswerte enthalten).Für Gelegenheitshörer: Die Byrds begannen in den Sechzigern als Mischung zwischen den Beatles und Dylan, von dem sie auch viel coverten - charakteristisches Soundmerkmal war die zwölfsaitige Jangle- Gitarre von Roger McGuinn. Mit dem dritten Album wurden sie psychedelischer, mit dem sechsten (nach einigen Umbesetzungen) countryrockiger. 1973 löste sich die Band auf, zu diesem Zeitpunkt war McGuinn das letzte verbliebene Gründungsmitglied. Ein selbstbetiteltes Reunionalbum in Originalbesetzung floppte noch im gleichen Jahr.In beiden Boxsets nicht enthalten sind das hervorragende "Untitled"- Studio/Live- Doppelalbum und das 1973er- Reunionalbum. Es gibt noch eine Komplettbox mit elf Alben (inkl. Untitled, aber ohne Reunion), diese ist jedoch aktuell teurer als beide 5CD- Boxsets plus Untitled zusammen. So kann der Fan entscheiden, ob er die komplette Vollbedienung will, ob ihm nur eine Bandphase gefällt, oder ob ihm gar eine Greatest Hits- Sammlung auf Einzel- oder Doppel- CD reicht.Roger McGuinn betreibt seit über zwanzig Jahren das "Folk Den"- Projekt und die zugehörige Webseite, wo er jeden Monat einen eigenen Song kostenlos zum Download stellt. Dabei handelt es sich um aktuelle Einspielungen traditioneller, urheberrechtsfreier Folksongs. Wer die Byrds mag, sollte da mal reinschauen.