Thursday, September 22, 2011

R.E.M. and The Byrds do Dylan (And More!)


Well as the title implies this is a meeting of two massively influential forces in American music that occurred on 5/11/88. On that day, ex-Byrd Roger McGuinn joined 3/4 of R.E.M. (more HERE) and the band ran through a set of Byrds classics including, not surprisingly, three Bob Dylan covers ("You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Mr. Tambourine Man and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"). Of course other Byrds' classics like "Turn, Turn, Turn", "Eight Miles High" and my personal favourite, "Feel a Whole Lot Better" as well as then-new McGuinn songs like "The Tears" are well-represented ".


Michael Stipe, as he did when the band backed up The Troggs, Warren Zevon et al,  absented himself leaving just the Southern Gentlemen (Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Peter Buck) to give McGuinn wings on this fine-sounding bootleg.



Over El Vagon Alternativo McGuinn himslef dropped by to speak tersely of this release, "This is a bootleg. They did not release this recording under any name. The guys showed up at a Roger McGuinn show and sat in for a few songs."

    Track Listing:

        1. 
            Sunshine Love    2:27
        2. 
            The Tears    3:30
        3. 
            Chestnut Mare    5:33
        4. 
            Tiffany Queen 2    3:11
        5. 
            You Ain't Going Nowhere    3:37
        6. 
            I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better    2:46
        7. 
            Mr. Spaceman    2:43
        8. 
            The Bells Of Rhymney    3:38
        9. 
            Mr. Tambourine Man    2:40
        10. 
            Turn, Turn, Turn    3:57
        11. 
            Eight Miles High    5:00
        12. 
            Knockin' On Heaven's Door    5:16





What do you make of this meting of the generations?  Let us know in the COMMENTS section (which is where you'll find the 'REMember the Byrds' link).



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14 comments:

  1. ~



    Well


    this


    little


    oddity


    is


    surely


    worth


    a


    word


    or



    two


    .


    N'est


    pas



    ?



    http://www.mediafire.com/?9tukk8nxkb8a45p

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a real gem of a find. Buck always did owe his early jangly guitar style to McGuinn and used to say so in interviews. Sad to see REM hang up the spurs, but personally, I think they should have done it a few albums ago. Their legacy is huge. Thanks for this unusual tribute.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a real gem of a find. Buck always did owe his early jangly guitar style to McGuinn and used to say so in interviews. Sad to see REM hang up the spurs, but personally, I think they should have done it a few albums ago. Their legacy is huge. Thanks for this unusual tribute.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow.

    I've been following those guys closely since buying Reckoning from the new release section in 1984. How is it that I've never ever heard of this? Here's hoping the recent end of R.E.M.'s remarkable run brings more unbelievable rarities to light!

    Thanks for introducing me to something "new" from some dear old friends!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm appreciating your current REM posts. Excellent stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As noted above, a lot of the early R.E.M. owed a debt of graditude to the Byrds, so I'm quite looking forward to hearing this.

    As usual, many thanks for uploading everything you do!

    Mark

    ReplyDelete
  7. You keep producing them my son, another fantastic effort, many thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is weird, wild stuff. I've never been a huge Byrds fan, preferring the bands who were influenced by the Byrds (i.e. REM, Tom Petty, etc.), so I'm very interested in this meeting of the minds! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks, great piece. I've been looking for more info on this stuff for a while. Keep it coming! DK.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Tim/Lakecog
    As you say, Maybe should've happened a while but still a great legacy!

    Johnny Hank
    You're welcome after all introducing you to something "new" from some dear old friends is one of out missions here!

    Eric
    Hope you enjoyed the whole series!

    Mark
    That guitar sound sure did owe a huge debt to the Byrds but Stipe brought something completely different to the table.

    Old Pa
    Will do, Pa!
    ("Good night John Boy..."

    TNM
    I'm sorta with you there. I love lots of Byrds songs but as a whole I've got mixed feelings about the band.

    Anon
    You're welcome.

    DK
    Glad to help you dig deeper into the musical undergrowth.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks a million. R.E.M. and the Byrds - two of my favorite groups!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's dead. Franco from Poland

    ReplyDelete
  13. Can you reupload this record?

    ReplyDelete

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