''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 crea ...

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 Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

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 cons ...

. It was released in the United Kingdom and Europe on October 29, 1971, by

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...

as a follow-up to the band's first

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, ''

The Byrds' Greatest Hits ''The Byrds' Greatest Hits'' is the first greatest hits album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in August 1967 on Columbia Records (''see'' 1967 in music). It is the top-selling album in the Byrds' catalogue and reached number 6 ...

''. 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 Davies. ...

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 Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

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 C ...

, but it peaked at number 1 in the Netherlands. The album's critical reception was generally warm, with the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' 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 "Chestnut Mare" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy during 1969 for a planned country rock musical named ''Gene Tryp''. The musical was never staged and the song was instead released in September ...

" had been a genuine

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

. 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 a ...

) – 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 #"

" (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 "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song written by American musician Bob Dylan in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during the self-imposed exile from public appearances that followed his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident. A recording of Dylan performin ...

" (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 or ...

, 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 "Goin' Back" (also recorded and released as "Going Back") is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1966. It describes the loss of innocence that comes with adulthood, along with an attempt, on the part of the singer, to recapture th ...

" (

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 List of Billboard number-one ...

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 ...

) – 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