The Byrds

The Byrds went through many phases; from the first folk/rock/psych quintet, to the Gram Parsons-driven country mods and then finally the bearded intergalactic purveyors of proto-Americana. In 1973, their classic lineup reunited for a one-off recording of latter-day Byrds songs (no 12-string Rickenbackers here) and a couple of Neil Young tunes.

Back in the mythic '60s, the Byrds got rich off Bob Dylan and made him richer in the bargain: "Mr Tambourine Man" was their first hit and his second, after Peter, Paul & Mary's "Blowin' in the Wind." The Byrds's world-turning folk-rock chime added trippy texture to "All I Really Want to Do" and "My Back Pages," and on 1968's Sweetheart of the Rodeo they deadpanned a definitive "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere." But no one has any need for Roger McGuinn's dull interpretations of "Just Like a Woman" and "Lay Lady Lay." Not for nothing is this man now plying the folk circuit. You want great Dylan covers, remember this title: Lo and Behold!, by forgotten folk-rockers Coulson, Dean, McGuinness, Flint, from the less mythic '70s. (Grade - ***)