THE BYRDS – TURN! TURN! TURN! LP – VG+ 1966 ORIG MONO

The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn!
(CBS Records  1966  BPG62652  MONO)
UK Pressing

Flipback Front Laminated Sleeve in Excellent condition
– some wear to edges/corners – back cover has some discolouration and name written on left
Original CBS Inner has a small split in the bottom

Vinyl in Very Good+ condition
(there are quite a few surface marks visible on the vinyl which do give some clicks/crackles but sound quality is excellent overall)

The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the sole consistent member. Although their time as one of the most popular groups in the world only lasted for a short period in the mid-1960s, the Byrds are considered by critics to be among the most influential rock acts of their era. Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn’s jangly 12-string Rickenbacker guitarsound was “absorbed into the vocabulary of rock” and has continued to be influential.

Turn! Turn! Turn! is the second album by the folk rock band the Byrds and was released in December 1965 on Columbia Records. Like its predecessor, Mr. Tambourine Man, the album epitomized the folk rock genre and continued the band’s successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar. The album’s lead single and title track, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, is a Pete Seeger adaptation of text from the Book of Ecclesiastes that had previously been arranged in a chamber-folk style by the band’s lead guitarist Jim McGuinn, while working with folksinger Judy Collins. The arrangement that McGuinn used for the Byrds’ version utilizes the same folk rock style as the band’s previous hit singles.

The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and went to number 11 in the United Kingdom. The “Turn! Turn! Turn!” single preceded the album by two months and topped the chart in the United States. Another single taken from the album, “Set You Free This Time”, was less successful and failed to break into the U.S. Top 50.

The album marked an increase in McGuinn’s songwriting output and rhythm guitarist David Crosby received his first writing credit on a Byrds’ album. However, the band’s prolific songwriter Gene Clark still contributed most of the original material. The album also included two Bob Dylan covers: “The Times They Are a-Changin'” and the then-unreleased song, “Lay Down Your Weary Tune”. Turn! Turn! Turn! would be the last Byrds’ album to feature the full participation of Gene Clark until the release of the original quintet’s 1973 reunion album, Byrds.

Track listing

Side one

1. “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)” (Book of Ecclesiastes/Pete Seeger) – 3:49
2. “It Won’t Be Wrong” (Jim McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) – 1:58
3. “Set You Free This Time” (Gene Clark) – 2:49
4. “Lay Down Your Weary Tune” (Bob Dylan) – 3:30
5. “He Was a Friend of Mine” (traditional, new words and arrangement Jim McGuinn) – 2:30

Side two

• “The World Turns All Around Her” (Gene Clark) – 2:13
• “Satisfied Mind” (Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes) – 2:26
• “If You’re Gone” (Gene Clark) – 2:45
• “The Times They Are a-Changin'” (Bob Dylan) – 2:18
• “Wait and See” (Jim McGuinn, David Crosby) – 2:19
• “Oh! Susannah” (Stephen Foster) – 3:03

Personnel

The Byrds

• Jim McGuinn – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Gene Clark – rhythm guitar, harmonica, tambourine, vocals
• David Crosby – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Chris Hillman – electric bass (backing vocal on “Lay Down Your Weary Tune”)
• Michael Clarke – drums (tambourine on “He Was a Friend of Mine”)

Additional personnel

• Terry Melcher – organ on “He Was a Friend of Mine”