The Byrds: (Untitled) - 1970

This was an interesting and oddly-titled release, which contained one half of vibrant, chunky and powerful live performances which include a sixteen minute plus jam version of Eight Miles High that, oddly, contained no vocals and a studio half which began with the excellent country rock of Chestnut Mare. 

The remaining studio material - such as Truck Stop Girl and All the Things - is generally excellent too, as the group develop a more solid rockier seventies country sound. The laid-back Yesterday's Train is a fine track too as is the ecologically-aware and Dylan/CSNY-ish Hungry Planet. Just A Season harks back to those heady but carefree 1965 days and the solid bucolic rock of Take A Whiff On Me has the group sounding like The Band. 

The album is a bit of an underrated gem in the band's canon, superior to the two more homegeneous predecessors and well worthy of a listen. Critically it was well received too, both at the time and subsequently.

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