Ride easy back to the main Byrds page by clicking on this link ... Ballet of Easy Rider Overall Album Score: 7.9 out of 10 …and now, the Byrds decide to slip back into quiet and comfortable territory… They’re still doing country-rock, though! For me, that stinks! Country = poo. Just the same, this is a solid album, and I’ve got to give it credit for that. There are really only two songs on here. The rest, I feel like just ignoring. The first is the most memorable “Ballad of Easy Rider,” which is an utterly breathtaking and gorgeous song (that, frankly, I wasn’t expecting The Byrds to be able to do at this stage in their career). The secret of its success has to do with the return of the 12-stringed guitar, and the utterly lucid melody. That song is completely and totally lovely in every aspect, and it is certainly one of the greatest songs to appear on a Byrds album. The second EXCELLENT song on here is “Gunga Din,” which succeeds for the exact same reason as “Ballad.” Other people would tell you that “Jesus is Just Alright” is another song that appears on the album, but I really don’t think it’s that special. So I’m ignoring it. “Jesus is Just Alright” does not appear on Ballad of Easy Rider. There are only two songs. … Well, two songs that matter, that is. We’ve got wild marijuana growing in our lawn. I always get like this after mowing the lawn. Sorry. Overall Album Score: 7.9 out of 10 (Well, I’m sure that you weren’t expecting anything super spectacular out of the Byrds with only one original band member left. But this is passable, undoubtedly.) Average Song Score: 8.1 (Two *REALLLLY* good songs amidst a bunch of mildly good country-rock songs. Oh well. At least the two -- "Gunga Din” and “Ballad of Easy Rider -- give me much joy!) Album Tilt: 8.0 (It needed more excitement, but this was technically a well-made and resonant album. It’s not for my tastes, but it might be for yours.) Artist Rating: 7.5 (Ordinary! … Apart from those two GREAT songs, that is.) Track Reviews Ballad of Easy Rider 10/10 Absolutely gorgeous! This might also just be Roger McGuinn’s masterpiece. This is a more excessively produced rehash of the band’s Mr. Tambourine Man era (we hear the 12-stringed instruments and the smooth, harmonic vocals). This is a short song, but it’s sweet. It’s a very strong 10. Almost a 10plus, but I can’t muster up enough guts to actually do it. (This song was featured in the film “Easy Rider” … in case you had a question about that.) Fido 8.5/10 This is a more regular rock-and-roll number, and it’s pretty good. Written by new band member bass player John York, this is pretty strong if forgettable. (The drum solo in here is pretty good, though, and they rarely ever are.) Oil in My Lamp 8/10 Country rock. The melody here is pleasant and lucid. It’s not really noteworthy, but it’s an entertaining diversion. Tulsa County 7.5/10 Country music!! AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE! NO ME GUSTA EL COUNTRYO MUSICO! … Oooooooooooooohhhhh! My poor ears have to suffer through country music! I feel sorry for my ears. I’m going to pamper them tonight, I think, with some Paul McCartney. Until then, “Tulsa County” is a pretty solid country music song, but it’s too unremarkable to get an 8. Jack Tarr the Sailor 7.5/10 Wow. Well, at least it ain’t country music. This is a slowly-paced old sea dog song. And so … uuuuugggggggggg … this is a bit boring, but it’s listenable. Jesus is Just Alright 8/10 Heck, this ain’t really my particular cup of tea. It’s a nice piece of gospel-rock (I suppose that’s what I might categorize it as), but I’m not sure what the grand appeal of this song is. Oh well. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue 8/10 This is a really good song. (It has to be! It’s a Bob Dylan song!) Just the same, I’m not too completely thrilled about The Byrds’ dreary, countrified production of it. The Dylan version rules completely over this … but at least the singing here is thoughtful (and probably easier to listen to for the non-seasoned Dylan listener). There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To) 7.5/10 This is another resonant, kind of boring, countrified rock number. Technically speaking, this is a good song, but it’s not nearly exciting enough for me. Gunga Din 10/10 When in doubt, bring back the 12-stringed guitars!! It worked for that phenomenally gorgeous title track, and it’s working again for “Gunga Din.” What an utterly beautiful song! Not only the 12-stringed guitar is luverly … the melody is as lucid and alluring as they ever were. A very very nice one!!! (This is a weak 10 … the second best song of the album.) Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) 7.5/10 More slow, quiet, and COUNTRIFIED doo-dah. Technically well done, but … not my TEA. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins 7/10 Neil Armstrong … Buzz Aldrin … Phil Collins … This is an under-two-minute country-folk song about the two astronauts and the bald 80s pop star. Unnecessary and boring. BONUS TRACKS There are bonus tracks! And there’s a lot of ‘em! The first is a rather fun R&B-played song called “Way Beyond the Sun.” It’s alright, but inessential. The second is a country-music track called “Mae Jean Goes to Hollywood.” Honestly, I’m getting sick of all this country music. This song is alright. It would have fit in the album well, but I probably would have given it a 7 or maybe a 7.5. After that, there are alternate versions of “Oil in My Lamp” and “Tulsa County.” Then, there’s “Fiddler A Dram (Moog Experiment).” Sounds a bit like countrified bagpipe music! Interesting. They ought to have put this one in the album. I don’t particularly think that it’s GREAT, but it would have served to spice things up a little bit. And then there’s a “long version” of “Ballad of Easy Rider” even though it’s a few seconds short of the original. (I’m not sure why it’s called a “long version” if it’s shorter than the regular version. Somebody was on crack.) Finally, there’s “Build it Up,” an instrumental country-music jam extravaganza. For a jam, this is tops. Really. It’s pretty entertaining and skillful. To be sure, it ain’t phenomenal, but it does prove that Roger McGuinn at least had a talent for choosing worthy band replacements. After that, we hear some nerd praise everything about this album. Oh, shut your stupid face. I've got a feeling deep inside that you are going to leave your comments about this album here!

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. Whenever he dyes his hair red, he would like you to call him 'Nona.'