Critic's rating:
The most obvious evidence that the box set well is running dry may
be Columbia's second Byrds box: The label initially charted the Los
Angeles band's course from chiming folk-rock through jangly
psychedelia to progenitors of alternative country in back in 1990,
and the original "Byrds Box Set" is still a fine overview. Totaling
four discs and 99 songs, the new additions here include a DVD of 10
previously unseen TV performances, though they're all lip-synched,
so there isn't really much to get excited about. On the other hand,
the Byrds remain one of the most influential but most often
overlooked American bands of the '60s, and every serious rock fan
needs one great career overview in his/her collection, if not all of
the individual albums. For the new initiate, this is as good a place
to start as any.
The most obvious evidence that the box set well is running dry may
be Columbia's second Byrds box: The label initially charted the Los
Angeles band's course from chiming folk-rock through jangly
psychedelia to progenitors of alternative country in back in 1990,
and the original "Byrds Box Set" is still a fine overview. Totaling
four discs and 99 songs, the new additions here include a DVD of 10
previously unseen TV performances, though they're all lip-synched,
so there isn't really much to get excited about. On the other hand,
the Byrds remain one of the most influential but most often
overlooked American bands of the '60s, and every serious rock fan
needs one great career overview in his/her collection, if not all of
the individual albums. For the new initiate, this is as good a place
to start as any.