Live recording from the vaults can be a tricky proposition.  Performance and sound quality (especially from the sixties and seventies) are usually big issues, with the “historic” nature of a particular concert often giving the artists considerable leeway in judging the merits.  The recent release, Byrds---Live at Royal Albert Hall doesn’t disappoint.  As a veteran of numerous Byrds concerts (sadly---I never got to see the original group), this release showcases the latter day Byrds as a killer live band.

It’s interesting to note that the concert takes place at the Royal Albert Hall in London---1971.  6 years earlier, the original Byrds left England with their tails between their legs after a series of disappointing shows that panned America’s answer to the Beatles.  Along comes 1971.  Picture this…McGuinn is the sole remainder of the original Byrds.  They hadn’t had a major hit since 1966 (despite the release of three of the greatest albums in rock history, Younger than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, and Sweetheart of the Rodeo).  McGuinn’s latest version of the Byrds now includes virtuoso session guitarist Clarence White, Bassist Skip Battin (formerly of Skip and Flip), and drummer Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram).  In their time away from the limelight, the new Byrds honed their performance skill through a grueling tour schedule, mostly on College campuses.  While the songs included a dose of the early hits, this version of the band proved to be especially adept at reinterpreting the classics in many ways.

The concert starts with the brooding minor chords of “Lover of the Bayou”…Clarence soars on this song with his Fender Stringbender, and McGuinn’s vocals are especially viscious.  The song was one of about 20 that McGuinn wrote in collaboration with Jacques Levy for a musical adaption of Peer Gynt (called Gene Tryp---never went into production---although hardcore fans haven’t given up hope that all of these songs will see the light of day).

Next comes “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”.  This isn’t the staid but dignified version featured on Sweetheart.  Instead, we’re treated to a rollicking, upbeat excursion where Clarence move easily between some Country and Jazz picking. 

Clarence has some vocals featured on the next song  “Truck Stop Girl” (written by Lowell George of Little Feat).  I may be biased here, but I feel like this entire album was put out to showcase Clarence White….I can still see him on stage, almost hesitant to step into the spotlight, but his presence was felt immensely.  McGuinn was the mainstay, but Clarence was the engine of this band.  McGuinn deserves a lot of credit for stepping back and letting Clarence shine.  Another of his vocals on “Jamaica Say You Will” is especially heartfelt…note the effective, but slightly off key harmonies.  They’re perfect for the moment.

After some Byrds hits, the real twist on the band’s concerts involved an acoustic set…everyone gets a moment.  White’s bluegrass licks during the extended version of an acoustic “Mr. Tambourine Man” leave you dumbfounded.  Parsons shows his multi-instrumental prowess on banjo and harmonica.  Too bad we didn’t get a live version of “Gunga Din”.  Clarence leaves McGuinn in the dust with his blazing licks on “Black Mountain Rag/Soldier’s Joy”.   The showstopper in the acoustic set was Leadbelly’s “Take a Whiff on Me”.   At some point they changed the lyrics to “Hey Hey, Spiro, Take a Whiff on Me”…never failed to bring the crowd to their feet.

The band returns to the stage for a greatest hits medley of sorts with an 18 minute version of “Eight Miles High”, featuring some far out guitar work by Clarence that brought Django Rhinehart to mind.  Yes…the bass and drum solo are present in their entirety.  I had a difficult time with that part of their concerts, but over the years, I’ve come to appreciate just how important the rhythm section of this Byrds version was.  We get “So You Wanna be a Rock & Roll Star” and “Mr. Spaceman” (both transformed by Clarence) to close it out.  Encores are pretty pedestrian (“I Trust” and “Nashville West”. But the place explodes when McGuinn rips into the Chuck Berry intro to “Roll Over Beethoven”…You didn’t try to figure that one out…you were to bust on your feet…dancing…clapping…digging McGuinn as he’d do a little can-can kick across the stage.  Man!, What a way to close.  The crowd is just berserk.  They won’t give up another encore, even when the house lights come up.  Finally, the 4 Byrds come back on stage without their instruments and break into an accapella version of “Amazing Grace”…no other word suffices other than…magical.  (BTW…this is a longer version than the bonus track released on the “Untitled” CD).

It’s amazing how those moments can come back after so many years, just as fresh as when they happened.  Previous live cuts released by the final version of the Byrds never had much of an impact.  They seemed to be over produced or out of context mixed in with studio cuts.  Byrds---Live at Albert Hall, 1971 has to be regarded as a powerful concert document of one of rock’s greatest bands.  It’s ironic that they had their second coming at this show in London, England, the scene of their first Napoleonic defeat in 1965.  I understand that McGuinn turned over a veritable treasure trove of tapes to Bob Irwin at Sundazed Records.  Here’s hoping we have a steady diet of Byrds material for the future.  You might want to check out Sundazed’s web page…they have an outstanding collection Byrds and related material (including vinyl!).