McGuinn’s solo career hasn’t been bad, either he’s played with Dylan, Springsteen, Tom Petty and Bo Diddley.

Musically influenced by Ravi Shankar and John Coltrane, the song was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelic rock, raga rock, and. The following year’s Eight Miles High, propelled by McGuinn’s dizzying Rickenbacker riff, ushered in a new era of space-rock, while 1968’s Sweetheart Of The Rodeo album brought country to the hippie crowd. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Similarly, authors Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz have commented that although the White-era Byrds failed to achieve the commercial success of the original line-up, the group were a formidable live act and a consistently in-demand attraction on the touring circuit. 'Eight Miles High' is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (a.k.a. Journalist Steve Leggett has noted that, although the original line-up of the Byrds gets the most attention and praise, the latter-day version, featuring McGuinn and White's dual lead guitar work, was regarded by critics and audiences as much more accomplished in concert than any previous configuration of the band had been. This arrangement can be heard on the double LP '(untitled). Battin & Parsons also engaged in a bass/drum duet for a while. McGuinn supported by guitar wizard Clarence White, bassist Skip Battin and drummer Gene Parsons would jam for about 20 minutes. 'The White-era version of the Byrds, featuring McGuinn, White and Parsons, along with bassists John York (September 1968–September 1969) and Skip Battin (September 1969–February 1973), released five albums and toured relentlessly between 19. Barry from New York, Nc In 1970 the Byrds turned 'Eight Miles High' into a jam warhorse. I'm no guitar player but you could see in that video he really had something going on regarding his finger-picking.

He was 29 years old.įrom that Wikipedia page I found that he actually was a renowned bluegrass musician. Not long after leaving the band he was loading equipment into his van after a gig in 1973. He toured and recorded with the Byrds for four years, 1970-1973. I hadn't heard his name mentioned in many, many years so kind of suspected he may have been yet another young drug casualty. And it's true that this misses some other fine album tracks that could have stood with pride alongside those selected, like 'I Knew I'd Want You,' 'John Riley,' and 'Dolphin's Smile.' Within the confines of the two-CD format, though, it's a very well-chosen career overview.I was so impressed by the musicianship of this Byrds lineup that I had to do a little research, particularly Clarence White's Wikipedia page. That's a small reservation considering that the two-fer adds many first-rate songs not on Greatest Hits, from non-hit singles like 'Lady Friend' and 'Goin' Back' to standout album cuts like 'Renaissance Fair,' 'Natural Harmony,' 'Jesus Is Just Alright,' and 'Chestnut Mare.' There are no surprises here even the songs that eluded inclusion on albums for many years, like the early B-side 'She Don't Care About Time' and 'Lady Friend,' have been commonly available in the CD era. Inevitably, that means that disc two - which goes, roughly, from mid-1967 to 1971 - isn't as good as the first half, and that the last four tracks in particular are by far the least impressive, tagged on mostly so that the release spans the Byrds' entire Columbia catalog. While the all-killer no-filler single-disc The Byrds' Greatest Hits remains the best distillation of their classic songs, The Essential Byrds is a smartly assembled double dose, including all 14 of the 1965-1967 tracks on Greatest Hits, but expanding its reach into their entire Columbia output, going as far as the early '70s.

Eight miles high roger mcguinn