The Byrds discography

The Byrds discography
The Byrds in 1965
Studio albums12
EPs6
Live albums3
Compilation albums47
Singles29

The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964.[1] The bulk of the band's releases were issued on Columbia Records or its subsidiaries, except their final studio album, Byrds, and its associated singles, which Asylum Records released in 1973.[2] Before signing a recording contract with Columbia, the band released a single with Elektra Records in 1964 under the name the Beefeaters.[2]

The Byrds' discography was originally released on the vinyl format, as full-length LPs, shorter EPs, and singles.[2] Since the 1960s, the band's back catalogue has also been released on reel-to-reel tape, audio cassette, 8-track tape, CD, MiniDisc, digital downloads, and, most recently, as streaming media. Between 1965 and 1968, the Byrds' albums were released in both mono and stereo variations, with Sweetheart of the Rodeo being the first album to be released exclusively in stereo in the US (Sweetheart of the Rodeo and its follow-up Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde were both issued in mono and stereo formats in the UK).[2]

This article lists all of the Byrds' official studio albums, live albums, compilations, EPs, and singles. Unofficial, "bootleg" releases are not included.

Studio albums

Title Album details[A] Peak chart positions
US release UK release US
[4]
CAN
[5]
GER
[6]
NLD
[7]
UK
[8]
Mr. Tambourine Man
  • Released: August 20, 1965
  • Label: CBS
6 — 35 — 7
Turn! Turn! Turn!
  • Released: December 6, 1965
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: March 22, 1966
  • Label: CBS
17 — — — 11
Fifth Dimension
  • Released: July 18, 1966
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: September 22, 1966
  • Label: CBS
24 — — — 27
Younger Than Yesterday
  • Released: February 6, 1967
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: April 7, 1967
  • Label: CBS
24 — — — 37
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
  • Released: January 15, 1968
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: April 12, 1968
  • Label: CBS
47 — — — 12
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
  • Released: August 30, 1968
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: September 27, 1968
  • Label: CBS
77 — — — —
Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde
  • Released: March 5, 1969
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: April 25, 1969
  • Label: CBS
153 — — 6 15
Ballad of Easy Rider
  • Released: November 10, 1969
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: January 16, 1970
  • Label: CBS
36 40 — — 41
(Untitled)
  • Released: September 14, 1970
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: November 13, 1970
  • Label: CBS
40 15 — 3 11
Byrdmaniax
  • Released: June 23, 1971
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: August 6, 1971
  • Label: CBS
46 23 — 1 —
Farther Along
  • Released: November 17, 1971
  • Label: Columbia
  • Released: January 21, 1972
  • Label: CBS
152 41 — — —
Byrds
  • Released: March 7, 1973
  • Label: Asylum
  • Released: March 24, 1973
  • Label: Asylum
20 19 — 6 31
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ^ US and UK release information is per Christopher Hjort's book, So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star.[3]

Live albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[4]
CAN
[5]
NLD
[7]
UK
[8]
(Untitled) (sides 1 and 2 only)
  • Released: September 14, 1970
  • Label: Columbia
  • Format: LP, reel-to-reel, 8-track tape, cassette
40 15 3 11
Live at the Fillmore – February 1969
  • Released: February 22, 2000
  • Label: Columbia/Legacy
  • Format: CD
— — — —
Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971
  • Released: June 17, 2008
  • Label: Sundazed
  • Format: CD, LP
— — — —
The Lost Broadcasts
  • Released: June 28, 2011
  • Label: Gonzo
  • Format: CD, DVD
— — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

There have been many official compilation albums by the Byrds released since 1967, with the majority of these collections consisting of material recorded between 1965 and 1971, a period when the band were with Columbia Records. In addition, four compilations of material recorded before the group secured a recording contract with Columbia have been released under the titles Preflyte, In the Beginning, The Preflyte Sessions and Preflyte Plus. Two compilations of rare and previously unissued material have also been released as Never Before and Another Dimension. There have so far been two Byrds' box sets issued: The Byrds (October 1990) and There Is a Season (September 2006). Also, excerpts from the band's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival have been released on The Monterey International Pop Festival CD box set and among the extras on the Monterey Pop DVD.

  • NOTE: The four compilation albums with the title The Very Best of The Byrds (released in 1983, 1997, 2006, and 2008) are not the same and each features a different track listing.
  • NOTE: The three compilations titled The Byrds Play Dylan or The Byrds Play the Songs of Bob Dylan (released in 1979, 2001, and 2002) are not the same and each features a different track listing.
Title Released Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[4]
NLD
[7]
UK
[8]
The Byrds' Greatest Hits August 7, 1967 6 — —
Preflyte July 29, 1969 84 — —
The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II October 29, 1971 — 1 —
The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II November 10, 1972 114 — —
History of The Byrds May 18, 1973 — — 47
Return of The Byrds May 7, 1976 — — —
The Byrds December 1978 — — —
20 Golden Hits July 1979 — 20 —
The Byrds Play Dylan November 1979 — — —
The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1 August 8, 1980 — — —
The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2 February 1982 — — —
The Very Best of The Byrds November 1983 — — —
The Byrds Collection September 1986 — — —
Never Before December 1, 1987 — — —
In the Beginning August 1988 — — —
The Byrds October 19, 1990 151 — —
Full Flyte 1965-1970 February 1991 — — —
Greatest Hits - 18 Classics Remastered 1991 — 26 —
Free Flyte 1991 — — —
20 Essential Tracks From The Boxed Set: 1965-1990 January 14, 1992 — — —
Definitive Collection 1995 — — —
Nashville West May 1996 — — —
The Very Best of The Byrds June 23, 1997 — — —
Super Hits July 21, 1998 — — —
Byrd Parts September 15, 1998 — — —
Sanctuary July 18, 2000 — — —
Sanctuary II December 19, 2000 — — —
The Byrds Play the Songs of Bob Dylan May 28, 2001 — — —
The Preflyte Sessions November 2001 — — —
Sanctuary III December 11, 2001 — — —
Sanctuary IV May 21, 2002 — — —
The Byrds Play Dylan June 11, 2002 — — —
The Columbia Singles '65-'67 November 1, 2002 — — —
The Essential Byrds April 22, 2003 — — —
Byrd Parts 2 May 2003 — — —
Mojo Presents...An Introduction to The Byrds September 22, 2003 — — —
Cancelled Flytes September 2004 — — —
Another Dimension April 26, 2005 — — —
America's Great National Treasure January 31, 2006 — — —
The Very Best of The Byrds June 2006 — — 82
There Is a Season September 26, 2006 — — —
A Collection July 9, 2007 — — —
Playlist: The Very Best of The Byrds October 21, 2008 — — —
Greatest Hits March 16, 2009 — — —
Eight Miles High: The Best of The Byrds January 25, 2010 — — —
The Complete Album Collection November 14, 2011 — — —
Setlist: The Very Best of the Byrds Live December 27, 2011 — — —
Preflyte Plus February 27, 2012 — — —
Original Singles A's & B's 1965-1971 May 30, 2012 — — —
The 60s: The Byrds September 9, 2014 — — —
Turn! Turn! Turn!: The Ultimate Collection October 16, 2015 — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

CBS Records released two Byrds EPs in the UK during 1966, featuring tracks taken from the band's first three albums. Then, in 1971, Columbia Records and Scholastic Books released an EP in the United States to tie-in with the publication of Bud Scoppa's biography of the Byrds. A further three EPs were released in the UK between 1983 and 1990 on various record labels.

Title Released
The Times They Are a-Changin' February 1966
Eight Miles High October 1966
The Byrds 1971
The Byrds September 1983
Solid Gold May 1989
Four Dimensions December 1990

Singles

Title Date[A] Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US release UK release US
[12]
AUS
[13]
AUT
[14]
CAN
[15]
GER
[6]
NLD
[7]
NZ
[16]
UK
[8]
"Please Let Me Love You"[B] /
"Don't Be Long"[B]
October 7, 1964[17] January 1965[18] — — — — — — — — non-album single
"Mr. Tambourine Man" /
"I Knew I'd Want You"
April 12, 1965 May 15, 1965 1 3 3 2 2 3 1 1 Mr. Tambourine Man
"All I Really Want to Do" /
"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"
June 14, 1965 August 6, 1965
42 — 11[D] 27 — 8 4
"Turn! Turn! Turn!" /
"She Don't Care About Time"
October 1, 1965 October 29, 1965 1 34 — 3 8 15 1 26 Turn! Turn! Turn!
"Set You Free This Time" /
"It Won't Be Wrong"
January 10, 1966[E] February 11, 1966[F]
  • 79
  • 63
  • —
  • 78
—
  • —
  • 20
— — 14 —
"Eight Miles High" /
"Why"
March 14, 1966 May 29, 1966 14 99 — 9 — — 16 24 Fifth Dimension
"5D (Fifth Dimension)" /
"Captain Soul"
June 13, 1966 June 29, 1966 44 — — 44 — — — —
"Mr. Spaceman" /
"What's Happening?!?!"
September 6, 1966 October 14, 1966 36 — — 29 — 18 — —
"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" /
"Everybody's Been Burned"
January 9, 1967 February 17, 1967 29 — — — — — — — Younger Than Yesterday
"My Back Pages" /
"Renaissance Fair"
March 13, 1967 May 23, 1967 30 — — — — 18 16 —
"Have You Seen Her Face" /
"Don't Make Waves"
May 22, 1967 — 74 — — — — — — —
"Lady Friend" /
"Old John Robertson"
July 13, 1967 September 1, 1967[G] 82 — — — — — — — non-album single
"Goin' Back" /
"Change Is Now"
October 20, 1967 December 29, 1967 89 — — — — — — — The Notorious Byrd Brothers
"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" /
"Artificial Energy"
April 2, 1968 May 3, 1968 74 82 — 55 — — — 45 Sweetheart of the Rodeo
"I Am a Pilgrim" /
"Pretty Boy Floyd"
September 2, 1968 October 11, 1968 — — — — — — — —
"Bad Night at the Whiskey" /
"Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man"
January 7, 1969 March 7, 1969 — — — — — — — — Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde
"Lay Lady Lay" /
"Old Blue"
May 2, 1969 June 6, 1969 132[H] — — — — — — — non-album single
"Wasn't Born to Follow" /
"Child of the Universe"
— September 26, 1969 — — — — — — 10 — The Notorious Byrd Brothers
"Ballad of Easy Rider" /
"Oil in My Lamp"
October 1, 1969 — 65 — — 68 — — — — Ballad of Easy Rider
"Jesus Is Just Alright" /
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
December 15, 1969 February 20, 1970 97 — — — — 13 — —
"Chestnut Mare" /
"Just a Season"
October 23, 1970 January 1, 1971 121[I] — — 77 — 13 — 19 (Untitled)
"I Trust (Everything Is Gonna Work Out Alright)" /
"(Is This) My Destiny"
— May 7, 1971 — — — — — 17 — — Byrdmaniax
"Glory, Glory" /
"Citizen Kane"
August 20, 1971 October 1, 1971 110[J] — — 55 — — — —
"America's Great National Pastime" /
"Farther Along"
November 29, 1971 January 1972[K] — — — — — — — — Farther Along
"Full Circle" /
"Long Live the King"
April 11, 1973[L] June 22, 1973 109[M] — — — — — — — Byrds
"Things Will Be Better" /
"For Free"
— April 24, 1973[L] — — — — — — — —
"Cowgirl in the Sand" /
"Long Live the King"
June 1973 — — — — 62 — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ^ US and UK release information is per Christopher Hjort's 2008 book, So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star,[11] except where noted.
  2. ^ a b Released under the pseudonym the Beefeaters.[2]
  3. ^ "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" peaked at number 103 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.[2]
  4. ^ RPM magazine listed the Byrds' version of "All I Really Want to Do" at number 11 on August 9, 1965.[19] In the following week's issue, the Byrds and Cher's versions were listed jointly at number 11.[20]
  5. ^ The single's release may have been delayed by a week. Soon after its release, Columbia began promoting "It Won't Be Wrong" as the A-side.[21]
  6. ^ A week later, on February 18, CBS began promoting "It Won't Be Wrong" as the A-side.[2][22]
  7. ^ In the UK, the single was instead backed with "Don't Make Waves".[18][23]
  8. ^ "Lay Lady Lay" peaked at number 132 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.[2]
  9. ^ "Chestnut Mare" peaked at number 121 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.[2]
  10. ^ "Glory, Glory" peaked at number 110 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.[2]
  11. ^ Hjort writes that the single was possibly withdrawn before being released in the U.K., but its European release went ahead in West Germany and the Netherlands.[24]
  12. ^ a b "Full Circle" was released in the UK with "Things Will Be Better" as its B-side on August 8, 1975.[25][26]
  13. ^ "Full Circle" peaked at number 109 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.[2]

References

General
  • Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
  • Hjort, Christopher (2008). So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-906002-15-2.
  • Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Pop Albums 1955–2001. Hal Leonard Corp. ISBN 0-634-03948-2.
  • Whitburn, Joel (2008). Top Pop Singles 1955–2006. Record Research Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7.
  • Brown, Tony (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-7670-2.
  • "Byrdmaniax Discography Pages". Byrds Flyght. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  • "The Byrds' chart data". Ultimate Music Database. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
Specific
  1. ^ "The Byrds Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 541–554. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
  3. ^ Hjort 2008, pp. 40, 74, 102, 120, 157, 187, 206, 226, 254, 279, 289, 317.
  4. ^ a b c "The Byrds Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  5. ^ a b "Results: RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  6. ^ a b "Discographie von Byrds". Offizielle Deutsche Charts (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  7. ^ a b c d "Discografie The Byrds". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  8. ^ a b c d "Byrds full Official Chart History". Official Charts. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  9. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  10. ^ a b c "British certifications – Byrds". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 March 2023. Type Byrds in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  11. ^ Hjort 2008, pp. 29, 39, 67, 79, 82, 87, 96, 108, 118, 125, 145, 149, 167, 189, 201, 210, 222–223, 229, 257, 275, 283, 290, 318, 320, 321.
  12. ^ "The Byrds Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  13. ^ https://www.top100singles.net/
  14. ^ "Das österreichische Hitparaden- und Musik-Portal".
  15. ^ "RPM Weekly: Byrds – Top Singles". RPM. Retrieved June 9, 2024 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  16. ^ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-08-21.pdf pg. 35 https://flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qartistid=554#n_view_location https://flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=554#n_view_location
  17. ^ Rogan 1998, p. 543.
  18. ^ a b Rogan 1998, p. 541.
  19. ^ "RPM Play Sheet". RPM. August 9, 1965. Retrieved June 9, 2024 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  20. ^ "RPM Play Sheet". RPM. August 16, 1965. Retrieved June 9, 2024 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  21. ^ Hjort 2008, p. 79.
  22. ^ Hjort 2008, p. 82.
  23. ^ Hjort 2008, p. 145.
  24. ^ Hjort 2008, pp. 290, 294.
  25. ^ Rogan 1998, p. 542.
  26. ^ Hjort 2008, p. 321.