The Byrds - Eight Miles High

The Byrds are certainly one of the most influential and revered bands, merging the poetry of Dylan with the beat of the Beatles. Their trademark jingle jangle of an 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, and merged harmonies were so widely imitated.

The line up comprised of jostling egos and contrasting personalities - Roger (changed from Jim!) McGuinn the brains, Gene Clark the soul, Chris Hillman the groove,  and David Crosby the passion. They started as folk-rock, ended with country, but in the middle were the trailblazers for a new psychedelic genre, with the "Eight Miles High" single released in early 1966.

Describing their 1965 tour of Swinging England, the title coming from the altitude of their transatlantic flight (increased to 8 as homage to "8 Days a Week"), but also doubles as their new fascination with mind-altering drugs.

Like an acid trip, their tour was strange and disorienting -  from the mutual respect when meeting  the Beatles, the hostile press ("Nowhere is there warmth to be found"), inclement London  ("Rain gray town known for its sound"), to the fans' hysteria ("Sidewalk scenes and black limousines").

It was mainly written by Gene Clark (although McGuinn disputes this), with the sound heavily influenced by their tour bus tapes of Ravi Shankar and John Coltrane's "India". A revolutionary assault of noise proceeds, McGuinn's  Rickenbacker free jazz solos  attempt a sitar effect, the ominous bass, robust drums, and the sweet shared harmony vocals.

Strangely they needed to record it twice, as the original session was at an unapproved RCA studio, and Crosby still prefers the first.

"Eight Miles High" did not make the top 10 unlike their previous smashes, partly because of radio ban for its drugs connotations.  Like "River Deep, Mountain High", it was too dense, intense and ahead of its time.

Clark left very shortly afterwards, and Crosby a year later, as the new direction of country and Gram Parsons beckoned. The Byrds left a stunning legacy, and "Eight Miles High" a key landmark  in modern music history.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J74ttSR8lEg  and here is the original version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGbokn4r38o

Hear Next -  There are some excellent Byrds albums, especially "Sweethearts of the Rodeo", but a newcomer can chose from the multitude of the compilation albums.


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b