by Mark Deming
Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, and Kevin Kelley all left the Byrds in wake
of the release of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, leaving Roger McGuinn to assemble
a new band from scratch. Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, the first album with
McGuinn as unquestioned leader (and sole founding member), was an interesting
but uneven set that saw him attempting to bring together the psych-tinged
rock of the group's early period with the pure country that Parsons had
brought to Sweetheart. The new line-up on this album was as strong as
any the band would ever have, with guitarist Clarence White sounding revelatory
whenever he opens up, and Gene Parsons and John York comprising a strong
and sympathetic rhythm section. But while everyone on board was a great
musician, they don't always sound like a band just yet, and the strain
to come up with new material seems to have let them down; McGuinn contributes
a few strong originals (especially "King Apathy III" and "Drug
Store Truck Drivin' Man," the latter written with Parsons before
his departure from the group), but the two songs he penned for the movie
Candy are just short of disastrous, and the closing medley of "My
Back Pages" and "Baby What You Want Me to Do" sounds like
padding. Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde proved there was still life left in
the Byrds, but also suggested that they hadn't gotten back to full speed
yet.
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