Review: Turn! Turn! Turn!

 Turn! Turn! Turn! - Byrds

Rating: 7/10 (Solid)

Track Listing (highlights are bolded):

1. "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

2. "It Won't Be Wrong"

3. "Set You Free This Time"

4. "Lay Down Your Weary Tune"

5. "He Was a Friend of Mine"

6. "The World Turns All Around Her"

7. "Satisfied Mind"

8. "If You're Gone"

9. "The Times They Are a-Changin'"

10. "Wait and See"

11. "Oh! Susannah"

Review:

McGuinn must have realized that the band had struck gold with their sound, so why mess with the perfection? This record is pretty much exactly like its groundbreaking predecessor except with fewer highlights and weaker filler. The formula is beautiful as can be, but this time, McGuinn didn't want to take a single risk and stuck to the same old folk rock. If you found Mr. Tambourine Man breathtaking, you ought to hear this one too. However, if you valued the songwriting and inventiveness of the band more than their stylistics, prepare to be a bit disappointed.

See, the reason the debut was still fairly entertaining was that there was a slightly larger pool of ideas and influences. 4 Dylan covers and a variety of standards kept the cover material somewhat varied. Along with that, Gene experimented with different approaches on Tambourine Man, from the Beatlesque excitement of "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" to the raging riff of "It's No Use" to the waltz of "I Knew I'd Want You." In contrast, McGuinn made sure every single song on Turn Turn Turn is in the same style with a higher percentage of folk standards. Even Clark's songwriting seemed to be filtered through this paradigm since his three compositions are much less diverse. Fewer Clark originals and Dylan covers (two less than last time each) means you're missing a great deal of what made them unique, and it gets tiresome. Once again, you won't notice what I am complaining about if you really love this type of music. But even as a big fan of this band, I listen to Mr. Tambourine Man much, much more than this one.

Though, does it matter when this album contains possibly the finest Byrds song? The texture of their jangle was perfect for producing earthy spirituality (remember "Bells of Rhymney?"), and on the title track, that power was unleashed. In the song, the Byrds shed off their young, human bodies and become angels from heaven, coming down to Earth to enlighten us mortals about the grandness of earthly life. The real magic of the cover lies in the lyrics and how they are performed. The song throughout juxtaposes conflicting elements of life (love and hate, war and peace, laughing and weeping, etc.), but the band sang each one with the same level of compassion and warmth, as if the duality of life is beautiful no matter what side it is on. It covers an immense range of human experience, yet with that small touch, it fits that range into a much bigger cosmic feeling of peace and acceptance no matter what the circumstance. Few rock artists have ever been able to touch at such profound universalism in such a humanistic way.

It's no wonder that the rest of the material pales in comparison, but thankfully, there is no seriously offensive filler. "It Won't Be Wrong" is a minor success, featuring a booming riff and a proto-psychedelic feel (the beginnings of Fifth Dimension are here). On the other hand, the two Dylan covers,  "Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Lay Down Your Weary Tune," are pretty timid and underwhelming, though not problematic because of the strength of the sound that carries them. Really, no song in this style will ever fail because the record is just one long song, stagnant but ever pleasant. 

If there is one aspect that isn't pleasantly stagnant here, it is Gene Clark's growth as a musical presence. I hesitate to say he is improving as a songwriter (he's never written a melody that has surpassed "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better"), but it is clear that his heart and charisma are becoming increasingly evident. "If You're Gone" is ethereal, engaging in solemn introspection and serenading a lost love simultaneously. It's hard to pinpoint what makes his clean, smooth voice so resonant. Somehow, allowing himself to strain his voice in small, controlled amounts makes his powerful persona come out in full force. The tender "Set You Free This Time" and upbeat "World Turns All Around Her" also bear the stamp of this personality, giving them a depth that his previous originals sorely needed.

After all is said and done, the greatest outcome of this album was Gene Clark discovering the limitations of staying with the Byrds. He must have realized that his remarkable personality was his main strength, not songwriting. However, the Byrds jangle not only drew attention away from this but also didn't allow him to experiment with arrangments and production. The developments here were largely responsible for Clark leaving the band, and although he went largely unrecognized thereafter by the public as a whole, his solo career was very fruitful artistically. His departure led to McGuinn, Crosby, and later Hillman having to step up their songwriting game, and who knows? Maybe we wouldn't have gotten the greatness of Fifth Dimension and Younger Than Yesterday without this push. So, even if this record is a significant step backward in terms of artistic development, it is just as much laid the ground for not one but two great artists to come.