If Dr.
Byrds & Mr.
Hyde found Roger McGuinn having to re-create the Byrds after massive personnel turnovers (and not having an easy time of it), Ballad of Easy Rider was the album where the new lineup really hit its stride.
Gracefully moving back and forth between serene folk-rock (the title cut, still one of McGuinn's most beautiful melodies), sure-footed rock & roll ("Jesus Is Just All Right"), heartfelt country-rock ("Oil In My Lamp" and "Tulsa County"), and even a dash of R&B (the unexpectedly funky "Fido," which even features a percussion solo), Ballad of Easy Rider sounds confident and committed where Dr.
Byrds & Mr.
Hyde often seemed tentative.
The band sounds tight, self-assured, and fully in touch with the music's emotional palette, and Clarence White's guitar work is truly a pleasure to hear (if Roger McGuinn's fabled 12-string work seems to take a back seat to White's superb string bends, it is doubtful that any but the most fanatical fans would think to object).
While not generally regarded as one of the group's major works, in retrospect this release stands alongside Untitled as the finest work of the Byrds' final period.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballad of Easy RiderRoger McGuinn | The Byrds | Play | 02:07 | 4 MB | 14 MB |
| 2 | FidoJohn York | The Byrds | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | Oil in My LampGene Parsons, Traditional, Clarence White | The Byrds | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | Tulsa CountyPamela Polland | The Byrds | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Jack Tarr the SailorTraditional | The Byrds | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 6 | Jesus Is Just AlrightA. Reid Reynolds, A. Reynolds, Arthur Reynolds | The Byrds | Play | 02:12 | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| 7 | It's All Over Now, Baby BlueBob Dylan | The Byrds | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)Revin "Rebe" Gosdin, Vern Gosdin | The Byrds | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 9 | Gunga DinGene Parsons | The Byrds | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)Woody Guthrie, Martin Hoffman | The Byrds | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 11 | Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins | The Byrds | Play | 01:50 | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| 12 | Oil in My LampGene Parsons, Traditional, Clarence White | The Byrds | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 13 | Tulsa CountyPamela Polland | The Byrds | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 14 | Ballad of Easy RiderRoger McGuinn | The Byrds | Play | 02:07 | 4 MB | 14 MB |
| 42 mins | 96 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 257 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | J. Browne | Composer |
| 2 | Jackson Browne | Composer |
| 3 | The Byrds | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Bob Dylan | Composer |
| 5 | Revin "Rebe" Gosdin | Composer |
| 6 | Vern Gosdin | Composer |
| 7 | Woody Guthrie | Composer |
| 8 | Jerry Hochman | Engineer |
| 9 | Martin Hoffman | Composer |
| 10 | Roger McGuinn | Composer |
| 11 | Gene Parsons | Composer |
| 12 | Pamela Polland | Composer |
| 13 | A. Reynolds | Composer |
| 14 | A. Reid Reynolds | Composer |
| 15 | Arthur Reynolds | Composer |
| 16 | Traditional | Composer |
| 17 | Clarence White | Composer |
| 18 | John York | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |