''The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II'' is the second

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the American rock band

the Byrds 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) remaining the sole con ...

. It was released in the United Kingdom and Europe on October 29, 1971, by CBS Records as a follow-up to the band's first compilation album, '' The Byrds' Greatest Hits''. The album appeared following the band's successful appearance at the Lincoln Folk Festival in England on July 24, 1971, and according to band biographer

Johnny Rogan John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He wrote influential biographies of the Byrds, Neil Young, the Smiths, Van Morrison and Ray Da ...

may have been issued by CBS as a reaction to the band's previous studio album, ''

Byrdmaniax ''Byrdmaniax'' is the tenth album by the American rock band the Byrds. It was released in June 1971 on Columbia Records at a time of renewed commercial and critical success for the band, due to the positive reception that their two previous album ...

'', having failed to chart in the UK. The album gathered together many of the singles that the Byrds had issued in the UK since the release of their first compilation in 1967, and as a result, it is the first album to feature the band's recording of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "

Lay Lady Lay "Lay Lady Lay", sometimes rendered "Lay, Lady, Lay", is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his ''Nashville Skyline'' album. Like many of the tracks on the album, Dylan sings the song in a low croon, rather than in the ...

", which had been issued as a non-album single in May 1969. Most of the tracks on the album were originally released between 1968 and 1971, but the song " The Times They Are a-Changin'" dated from 1965, despite that era of the band's career having already been covered by the Byrds' first greatest hits album. ''The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II'' failed to reach the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, but it peaked at number 1 in the Netherlands. The album's critical reception was generally warm, with the '' NME'' describing the compilation as, "an indispensable acquisition for any student of the cream of American rock, particularly of the roots and influences". Nonetheless, a number of contemporary reviews also made note of the album's inaccurate and misleading title, since among the twelve tracks included, only the song " Chestnut Mare" had been a genuine hit. The album has never been re-issued on CD and is currently out of print.

Track listing

Side 1

Ballad of Easy Rider "Ballad of Easy Rider" is a song written by Roger McGuinn, with input from Bob Dylan (although Dylan is not credited as a co-writer), for the 1969 film, ''Easy Rider''. The song was initially released in August 1969 on the ''Easy Rider'' soundt ...

" (

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As ...

) – 2:03 #*NOTE: Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider". #" Jesus Is Just Alright" (Arthur Reynolds) – 2:09 #" Chestnut Mare" (Roger McGuinn,

Jacques Levy Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist. Early life and education Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 1956 ...

) – 5:09 #" You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Bob Dylan) – 2:35 #"I Am a Pilgrim" (

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

, arranged Roger McGuinn,

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke. With frequent ...

) – 3:42 #" Goin' Back" (

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one o ...

) – 3:26

Side 2

#"I Trust (Everything Is Gonna Work Out Alright)" (Roger McGuinn) – 3:19 #"

" (Bob Dylan) – 3:17 #"Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" (Roger McGuinn,

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

) – 3:52 #"Wasn't Born to Follow" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 2:00 #" The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) – 2:18 #"Get to You" (

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

, Roger McGuinn) – 2:39 #*NOTE: The album erroneously credits "Get to You" to Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume 2 1971 greatest hits albums Albums produced by Terry Melcher Albums produced by Gary Usher Albums produced by Bob Johnston The Byrds compilation albums CBS Records compilation albums