When leader Jim (later Roger) McGuinn's vocals - pitched halfway between John Lennon and Bob Dylan - combined with Gene Clark and David Crosby's beautiful harmonizing and the chiming sound of McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker guitar on the single "Mr. Tambourine Man", The Byrds became the first U.S. group to rival the artistic and commercial dominance of The Beatles. They also gave the song's composer Bob Dylan his first international No. 1 hit, inspiring him to go electric and kickstart the folk-rock movement.
The Mr. Tambourine Man album, expanded on the sound of the single containing three more souped-up Dylan covers including sophomore hit single "All I Really Want To Do". It also introduced the extraordinary songwriting talent of Gene Clark. He contributed the quintessential Byrds rocker “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better" (later covered by Tom Petty) and wrote or co-wrote a further four tracks, including the tender, poetic love odes "You Won't Have To Cry" and "Here Without You". The Byrds nodded to their folk roots with the sublime "Bells Of Rhymney", which directly inspired The Beatles' "If Needed Someone". Elsewhere, as a thank you to Byrds champion Jackie De Shannon, they covered her "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe", adding a Bo Diddley beat, and bizarrely tackled Vera Lynn's WWII anthem "We’ll Meet Again" from the Dr. Strange soundtrack, an early live favorite.
The Byrds' jangling guitars and soothing harmonies have endured, inspiring countless contemporary outfits, The Pretenders, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, R.E.M., and Primal Scream, to name but a few.
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