The Byrds brand of electric rock paved the way for a generation of American folk musicians to enter the rock and roll genre with a soft landing in the 1960’s. Composed of folk cover songs (four of them penned by the legendary Bob Dylan) and a bevy of originals from guitarist/vocalist Gene Clark, Mr. Tambourine Man was America’s answer to The Beatles and served as the first example of an American band being able to crack the charts amidst the deluge of British Invasion bands which had effectively taken over the airwaves in the continental United States. It has all the hallmarks of traditional folk music– buoyant chord progressions, multi-layered complex vocal harmonies, and introspective lyrics that doubled as poetry when read aloud. And when mixed with the jangly electric guitars and 4/4 standard rock backbeat that would define rock and roll for decades to come, it was a recipe that proved successful.
A final note– it’s clear that Tom Petty listened to a lot of records from The Byrds during his lifetime considering how much his vocal style mimics that of The Byrds. If you close your eyes and listen to the first verse of “Spanish Harlem Incident” I’m not sure you’d be able to tell the difference between Petty and Byrds lead vocalist Jim McGuinn.
Standout Songs: “Mr. Tambourine Man”, “Spanish Harlem Incident”, “It’s No Use”
