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The Byrds - Ballad Of Easy Rider (1969)

Track listing:
  1. Ballad Of Easy Rider 2:07
  2. Fido 2:43
  3. Oil In My Lamp 3:15
  4. Tulsa County 2:51
  5. Jack Tarr The Sailor 3:34
  6. Jesus Is Just Alright 2:12
  7. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 4:56
  8. There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To) 3:32
  9. Gunga Din 3:05
  10. Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) 3:50
  11. Armstrong, Aldrin And Collins 1:50
  12. Way Behind The Sun 2:59
  13. Mae Jean Goes To Hollywood 2:47
  14. Oil in My Lamp [Alternate Version] 2:05
  15. Tulsa County [Alternate Version] 3:42
  16. Fiddler A Dram (Moog Experiment) 3:13
  17. Ballad Of Easy Rider [Long Version] 2:29
  18. Build It Up [Instrumental] 5:34

Notes

If Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde found Roger McGuinn having to recreate The Byrds after massive personnel turnovers (and not having an easy time of it), Ballad of Easy Rider was the album where the new lineup really hit its stride. Gracefully moving back and forth between serene folk rock (the title cut, still one of McGuinn's most beautiful melodies), sure-handed rock & roll ("Jesus Is Just All Right"), heartfelt country-rock ("Oil In My Lamp" and "Tulsa County"), and even a dash of R&B (the unexpectedly funky "Fido," which even features a percussion solo), Ballad of Easy Rider sounds confident and committed where Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde often seemed tentative. The band sounds tight, self-assured, and fully in touch with the music's emotional palate, and Clarence White's guitar work is truly a pleasure to hear (if Roger McGuinn's fabled 12-string work seems to take a back seat to White's superb string bends, it is doubtful that any but the most fanatical fans would think to object). While not generally regarded as one of the group's major works, in retrospect this release stands alongside Untitled as the finest work of The Byrds' final period.