The Byrds

These two clips are supposed to be from takes of the long lost Byrd's songs "Milestones" and David Crosby's "Flowerbomb Song."

Milestones starts first and is used as the background music for some old documentary.

Flowerbomb Song starts at around 0:41 and is abruptly cut off after about two minutes into the song.

I don't have any other info except that the songs are probably from around 1966, recorded by the original lineup, and no master tapes have ever been located.

Comments

13 years ago

newenglishsound

@TheByrds1965 It's more likely than not that the tapes were recorded over. Sundazed reissue label went through McGuinn's tapes and found one labeled "Milestones" with other songs on it. That being said, Milestones is an ambitious jam and I have a feeling that after this 30 second clip of the distinctive opening, the Byrd's version may deviate into something either mundane or else into total chaos. Keep in mind where they were instrumentally in 1965, when they would have been doing this :)

13 years ago

Graeme Jukes

How i long to hear The Byrds version of Miles Davis` "Milestones" - this only hints at it. The tapes went missing and are probably lost in the TV studio vault - forget Flower Bomb etc "Milestones" is THE missing Byrdsong

13 years ago

MrClearlight

@bound4tucson Yes it is from that April '67 documentary,which i havent seen since.Doesnt seem to be on the internet.

13 years ago

newenglishsound

@johnnyscouser I like Lady Friend myself, Oh! Susanah is a joke, but it was so clearly done on purpose as a joke, it helped solidify their initial image/gimmick of "we're an electrified folk band," and I've met plenty of people that liked it's inclusion on the album. The inst. for Flowerbomb doesn't sound bad, but Crosby has dismissed the song in interviews saying it had the absolute worst lyrics he'd ever written. He also offered it to Jefferson Airplane and they turned it down.

13 years ago

newenglishsound

@johnnyscouser David's songs, unlike Roger's and Gene's, hadn't been confirmed commercial successes. Roger had the Dylan formula, and Gene had success with his originals... David didn't have any credibility... in the eyes of the management, I'm sure the thought was something along the lines of "if we put a David song on here, we might be taking out room for the next Dylan cover/Gene Clark assured hit. We can't afford to do this." I'm sure it didn't help that lady friend and others bombed.

13 years ago

HIghFlyinByrd

@newenglishsound You wouldn't???

13 years ago

Peter E. Rose

Wow! It is amazing to hear this after all these years. This sounds like a clip from a one hour special on TV from 1966 or 1967 called something like The Music Makers or The Song Makers and was something like a crash course for the general public on the great things that were happening in music and the counter culture at the time. I've always wanted to see it again. Thanks for posting!

13 years ago

newenglishsound

@DhunamiCE Good news my boy, you can! Check out the outtake/unreleased song Psychodrama City from the mid 60s 5th Dimension sessions and tell me they aren't tripping and improvising. - I really wouldn't call it their best moment.

13 years ago

Wildberry Jam

I would love to hear the Byrds in 66 stoned and tripping acid and just jamming on endless freeform improvisations

14 years ago

Keith Brought

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

14 years ago

captainsoul1953

it sounds like its from the Turn Turn Turn sessions...1965...along with the other backing track to a Crosby song....Stranger in a strange land...maybe the lyrics werent up to much though they did use the feeble Wait ans see