Recorded by Columbia engineers in February 1969, this is an early show by the first
Byrds lineup to feature only one original member: founding member
Roger McGuinn and
Clarence White on guitars,
John York on bass, and
Gene Parsons on drums. Despite the recent departures of
Chris Hillman and
Gram Parsons for
the Flying Burrito Brothers, the sound and repertoire are still very much in
the Byrds' country-rock phase, many of the 16 tracks coming from the
Sweetheart of the Rodeo and
Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde albums. The big mid-'60s hits are revisited in a medley, and a few other songs first recorded in the pre-
White days -- "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Chimes of Freedom" among them -- also show up. There are also covers of
Merle Haggard and
Buck Owens tunes that would
not show up on
Byrds albums. It's a pleasant but not outstanding set, probably of most interest to those who enjoy
White's guitar playing. He and
McGuinn work pretty well together here, but the timing of the band as a whole is sometimes tenuous, and the vocal harmonies are not as full as those of other
Byrds configurations.
–
Richie Unterberger, Rovi