The Byrds - 1972-02-04 - Port Richmond, NY (SBD)

The Byrds 

1972-02-04

The Ritz

Port Richmond, NY

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Bugler 

02. America's Great National Pastime 

03. Chimes Of Freedom 

04. I Wanna Grow Up To Be A Politician

05. My Back Pages 

06. B.J. Blues 

07. Baby What You Want Me To Do 

08. Soldier's Joy > Black Mountain Rag 

09. Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms 

10. Chestnut Mare 

11. Eight Miles High 

12. Hold It 

13. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better 

14. Jesus Is Just Alright

15. Roll Over Beethoven 

The Byrds  - 1972-02-04 - Port Richmond, NY (SBD)

1970s - #2:  As the Byrds embarked ion their winter 1972 tour, few could guess that the band would be done less than a year later. While the line up of Roger McGuinn, Clarence White, Skip Battin and Gene Parsons continued to shine on stage, their fortunes in the studios were in decline. Neither of their 1971 albums, Byrdmaniax nor Farther Along, had fared well on the charts in either the US or the UK. Critical reviews of both albums were often times scathing. For example, Richard Green of the NME wrote "When the true history of rock comes to be written, The Byrds will get a deserved place of honour on the strength of tunes like Mr. Tambourine Man, Eight Miles High, and So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star. Hopefully the writer will not have listened to Byrdmaniax or he may drastically alter his opinion."  Eventually, the studio failures took their toll on the Byrds. Gene Parsons would be dismissed from the band in July 1972. Roger McGuinn would cancel all touring after February 1973.  An attempt to reunite the original 5 Byrds stalled when their album of new material was met with poor reviews. In July 1973, Clarence White was tragically killed by a drunk driver. That same month, McGuinn released a solo album, effectively putting an end to The Byrds. This soundboard recording captures The Byrds at the start of their tragic decline, in Port Richmond on Staten Island on February 4, 1972, 51 years ago today.