The 500 - #233 - Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #233
Album Title: Mr. Tambourine Man
Artist: The Byrds
Genre: Folk Rock
Recorded: Columbia Studios - Hollywood, California

Released: June, 1965
My age at release: 20 days before my birth
How familiar was I with it before this week: A few songs

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #287, down 54 spots since 2012
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better

To say "I like lists" seems a bit self-evident. After all, this is the  377th entry of a blog series working through Rolling Stone Magazine's compendium  of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. However, an  inventory of ranked items isn't the only list I like. Whether I am grocery shopping, planning a trip, or preparing school lessons for the week, I delight in the order that a catalogue brings. I've long struggled with sustained focus and attention. A list keeps me from burdensome multi-tasking, particularly when facing deadlines. In fact, the students and I use an inventory practically every day to plan our shared work periods. As well, I sequence priority  tasks we are working on. Below is an example from the week of December 18-22.

Psychologists agree that "our tendency to detect patterns is built into our cognitive process". Consequently, we like to bring order to information and tasks. Additionally, completing tasks on a list provides a dopamine release. Writing this blog post is on my "To Do List" today. I know I will feel a sense of  accomplishment when I set it aside for editing. Plus, I’ll get a dopamine hit for completing the blog and another for ticking off one more album from an ever -shrinking-list of records. Only 232 to go.

Last week, my mother gave me my Christmas gifts a few days early. Among the sugary treats, such as British wine gums and a Terry's Chocolate Orange, was the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, edited by Robert Dimery.

Unlike the graded 500 Greatest Albums, this book is an unranked compendium of 1001 albums, listed chronologically spanning 50 years (1955 - 2005). I prefer that tabulation method. Ranked lists are far more likely to rankle. My friends and I have had many debates about albums that "should" be on the list and we've wondered why each specific album falls where it does. For example, Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds is one rank higher than Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel. That just seems arbitrary. One isn't quantifiably better than the other. After all, we are talking about the sonic and cultural impact of an artistic endeavor, not an empirical measurement. But, as The 500 Podcast host, Josh Adam Meyers, often says, "The list is butt cheeks, but we abide by the list".

Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut release from Los Angeles-based folk rock band The Byrds. It is the first of four records from The Byrds to appear on the list, and it is one of five records by the band to appear in the 1001 Albums book. In 1965, The Byrds featured David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Chris Hillman and Roger "Jim" McGuinn. Clark was the drummer and the other four members were multi-instrumentalists who all sang. The album contains original material, but is mainly cover-versions of existing folk songs from Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and Jackie DeShannon.

The Byrds (l-r) Crosby, Clark, Clarke, Hillman & McGuinn (1965).

The Byrds pioneered the folk-rock genre by melding the contemporary sound of folk music (Dylan, Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary and The Kingston Trio) with the bands of The British Invasion, specifically The Beatles. Indeed, their decision to spell Birds with a “y” was a collegial nod to the Beatles’ decision to swap in an “a” for an “e” – as in Beetles.

The Byrds’ sound was characterized by a blend of "crystal clear harmony singing and McGuinn's signature jangly guitar". The sound was achieved with a 12-string, Rickenbacker guitar. McGuinn had become enamoured with the Rickenbacker after seeing Beatle George Harrison playing one in the film A Hard Day's Night. Harrison's model was a Fireglo, with a pointy end and cut-aways on the body. McGuinn could not find that style, but settled on a Golden Rickenbacker Mapleglo 360 version because he said the colour reminded him of a Palomino horse.

A replica of the 12-string Rickenbacker guitar played by McGuinn

McGuinn was already a talented banjo player, so he transferred that picking style to the Rickenbacker. The result was the gorgeous arpeggio (broken chord) sound that appears on some of The Byrds' biggest hits, including Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn Turn Turn. The instrument can also be strummed to create the pleasing "jangle-pop" sound. Jangle-pop is a term that emerged in 1965 and is attributed specifically to the sound of The Byrds and their version of Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man on this debut album of the same name. Remarkably, Dylan had only recorded the original, acoustic version of the song in March, 1965. The Byrds made it a number one hit the same year. Reportedly, this series of events partially inspired Dylan to "go electric" at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965 -- a controversial decision that was met with a chorus of boos from many of the folk purists in attendance. It is a story we will get to when we reach album #31, Bringing It All Back Home, in about four years.

Without a doubt, my favourite song on The Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man is the second track, I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better. It is one of only five original songs from Clark and McGuinn that appear on the record. Tom Petty recorded a version of the song on his 1989 album, Full Moon Fever. Disappointingly, Petty's record is not on The 500 list, despite being a commercial and critical juggernaut in the late‘80s and early ‘90s. Fortunately, Rolling Stone corrected the mistake on the 2020 version of the list where it appears at position #298.

So much for lists.

Except my current To Do list. As I write, – Christmas 2023 is two days away and I have so much to do. However, I can now strike this blog post off my task roster – and the first of four Byrds' records on The 500, Mr. Tambourine Man, is in my rearview mirror. The dopamine rush feels…ahhh!