The Byrds is a four-CD box set by the American rock band the Byrds. It features music that had previously been released between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, along with a number of previously unreleased tracks and some new recordings from 1990. The box set was issued on October 19, 1990, by Columbia/Legacy and reached number 151 on the Billboard albums chart.

Contents and history

The Byrds comprises 90 tracks and covers the band's career from 1965 to 1971 (a period when they were signed to Columbia Records) in roughly chronological order, but excludes material from their 1973 reunion album Byrds, which was released on Asylum Records. The Byrds' lead guitarist, Roger McGuinn, served as "musical consultant" during preparation of the set and also had a hand in deciding the final track listing. Of special interest to fans of both the Byrds and country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, was the inclusion of six previously unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of the Byrds' 1968 album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Author Johnny Rogan has remarked that in the years since Sweetheart of the Rodeo was issued, these "lost" Parsons' vocals had become near-legendary among fans of the band and their inclusion on The Byrds provided a major selling point for the box set. In particular, the exclusion of popular and highly regarded Clark-penned songs such as "Set You Free This Time" and "Here Without You" was interpreted by many fans as an attempt on McGuinn's part to downplay Clark's importance in the group. A single disc selection from the box set, titled 20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965–1990, was also released in January 1992. The first 16 tracks on this single disc collection date from the Byrds' 1965 to 1971 period, while the final 4 tracks are from the 1990 reunion.

The Byrds is currently out of print, but a later revised box set, titled There Is a Season, was released on September 26, 2006, by Columbia/Legacy. While this second box set is meant to replace The Byrds, each set contains some tracks that the other does not.

  1. "Oil in My Lamp" (traditional, arranged Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 2:02 ø
  2. "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:08
  3. "Way Beyond the Sun" (traditional, arranged Roger McGuinn) – 2:56 ‡
  4. "Tulsa County" [aka "Tulsa County Blue"] (Pamela Polland) – 2:46
  5. "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" (Woody Guthrie, Martin Hoffman) – 3:50
  6. "Lover of the Bayou" [Live] (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 4:24 ø
  7. "Willin'" [Live] (Lowell George) – 3:13 ‡
  8. "Black Mountain Rag" [Live] (Byron Berline/arranged Clarence White, Roger McGuinn) – 1:12 ‡
  9. "Positively 4th Street" [Live] (Bob Dylan) – 3:04

Disc four (Final Approach)

  1. "Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 5:07
  2. "Just a Season" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 3:49 #
  3. "Kathleen's Song" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:35 ø
  4. "Truck Stop Girl" (Lowell George, Bill Payne) – 3:20
  5. "Just Like a Woman" (Bob Dylan) – 3:58 ‡
  6. "Stanley's Song" (Roger McGuinn, Robert J. Hippard) – 3:11 ‡
  7. "Glory, Glory" (Arthur Reynolds) – 4:00
  8. "I Trust" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:17
  9. "I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician" (Roger McGuinn, Jacques Levy) – 2:01
  10. "Green Apple Quick Step" (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) – 1:47
  11. "Tiffany Queen" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:41
  12. "Bugler" (Larry Murray) – 3:05
  13. "Lazy Waters" (Bob Rafkin) – 3:32
  14. "Farther Along" (traditional, arranged Clarence White) – 2:57
  15. "White's Lightning" (Roger McGuinn, Clarence White) – 2:36 ‡
  16. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)" [Live] (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:51 ø
  17. Recorded live at the Roy Orbison Tribute Concert on February 24, 1990.
  18. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) – 2:32
  19. "All I Really Want to Do" (Bob Dylan) – 2:04
  20. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)" (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
  21. "5D (Fifth Dimension)" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:33
  22. "Eight Miles High" (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) – 3:34
  23. "Mr. Spaceman" (Roger McGuinn) – 2:09
  24. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 1:50
  25. "Have You Seen Her Face" (Chris Hillman) – 2:42
  26. "Lady Friend" (David Crosby) – 2:35
  27. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08
  28. "Goin' Back" (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) – 3:26
  29. "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan) – 2:02
  30. NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider".