The Byrds - Lady Friend (live on The Tonight Show, 1967)

[@TheMafrand]

most underrated Byrds song. Crosbys masterpiece.

[@jmulvey371]

This recording rebuts the claim that the original Byrds weren't great musicians. A knockout performance of a great song!

[@lucasoheyze4597]

Like The Beatles, they struggled to overcome the technical limitations of the time, particularly singing harmonies without adequate monitor speakers etc,

[@rp7356]

there's no claim made against the ethereal beauty of the Byrds' sound, worshipped even by Einsturzegende Neubauten who used steam hammers onstage

[@littlecrow6484]

The Byrds had no peers when it came to making beautiful music .

[@davidzimmerli489]

I remember taping this performance on a tape recorder when it was originally broadcast. Bob Newhart was the guest host that night, and it was obvious that he didn't appreciate or understand the new music that was beginning to take over the air waves ..... but I did ........

[@unstrung65]

Right on brother ----- somehow - I seem to remember Joe Garagiola being in their somewhere .

[@davidzimmerli489]

@@unstrung65 I can't say I remember Joe on the show that evening, but you could well be correct. I do remember Joe being a guest on the Tonight Show, probably more than once, and I think he may have guest hosted the show at least once or twice. A belated Happy New Year to you, Doug ....

[@chrisfriedrich6830]

He was the guest host the night Lennon & McCartney were the guests, announcing the formation of Apple Records. @@davidzimmerli489

[@artyfarty7508]

I vaguely recall watching an old clip of an interview Lennon & McCartney did on the Tonight Show while Garagiola was filling in as guest host. Also on as a guest that same night was the actress Tellulah Bankhead. I think the two Beatles were talking about TM and the Maharishi. So, either: you are recalling that forgetting that it was Beatles not Byrds; or… for some reason Garagiola had a knack for interviewing top rock acts; or, very possibly i’m the one who’s got it wrong

[@surfwriter8461]

This is very interesting, a pretty lively performance in which the band manages to be reasonably coordinated in terms of playing and singing. They were notorious for ragged live performances, but part of that is due to the subtlety and complexity of their sound which is hard to fashion in a live performance.

[@almishti]

and probably also bad pa systems of the time :P

[@unstrung65]

Was sky high waiting to see my heros , The Byrds performing live on The Tonight show. But living in Detroit at the time they broke into a news bulletin about the Detroit riots of 1967 just as they started to play and only returned to the show as the lasts notes of this song faded out -------------------- they did the same exact thing , on purpose i'm sure , for their second song . The bulletin was just repeating information that was already known . I have NEVER forgiven those bastards ! Was great to finally hear it on You Tube all these years later , even though it was quite an uneven performance .

[@raymondkitchen6137]

The riots didn't start til the 23rd of July. It says this program is from the 13th.

[@unstrung65]

@@raymondkitchen6137 I'd have to check the dates - but believe me - I was there -- and what I'm saying is 100% true .

[@unstrung65]

@@raymondkitchen6137 I think the actual date was July 27th - becuse Bob newhart was hosting the show -- I do remember also Joe Garagiola making a wise crack about The Byrd''s on the show . . . Jane Morgan was the musical guest on July 13th . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson_episodes_(1967)#July

[@stivklif]

It's crazy to look back and see how scared the authorities were of rock music/the youth at that time. Sorry you missed it

[@unstrung65]

@@stivklif Thanks ---- I am quite sure that those in the Detroit local station's control room were just having a laugh - cutting out the long hairs - and then cutting to a bulletin that just rehashed what was already known . Their bulletins were completely inserted over both songs - I believe the second song was 'Renaissance Fair ' ---- I was so mad - I could kill - since they were --- and still are my favorite band . They were never all that good 'live' and as one can hear from this post -- were in parts out of tune - off pitch - got behind and ahead of themselves . Still - they were 'magic' in the studio !

[@OldDunc]

Wonderful! I remember this program, and Crosby's "We tune because we care." The song knocked me out. For a long time I was frustrated because it was so hard to find the studio recording. I have a sense that I recorded it off the TV onto a little 3" reel to reel recorder we had, but I'm not sure of that, let alone whether the tape survives. But it's great to hear this again.

[@PC3900]

Wow, it's fantastic that someone preserved this private recording for so long.

[@danieljudge4787]

I was a diehard Byrds fan and saw them that night.As I remember it, this was the second song of a 2 song set.The tuning was done between songs in order to produce the unique chord sequencing.It took a few nerve racking seconds to accomplish which caused Newhart to comment on the delay.

[@750drums]

They did 3 songs: Renaissance Fair, Lady Friend, and Have You Seen Her face.

[@andrewfrancisco2327]

The Byrds were only human. This is better than some polished bands.

[@johnpauljones6549]

This is why the internet exists. THANK YOU for whoever preserved this recording, and THANK YOU LZNDCDNZL for uploading it! HOTDAMN.

[@ThePdiggy123]

A pop music masterpiece

[@Jefferson1969-u4s]

Any live Byrds performance is gold. I was in Thailand and quite happy when I learned Crosby had died. I listened to Suite Judy Blue Eyes and cried for about an hour.

[@stevewaller7]

Magical moment, however raw. These make life worthwhile. Many thanks Higher Power for bringing us the gift.

[@ivocoser]

Superb, a masterpiece. Congratulations for post this!

[@trfesok]

I put this version in my playlist with the demo, the mono single and the 1987 remix. Thanks for the upload!

[@victorherstein7998]

the 2 guitars sound magical

[@obnoxiousoboe]

RIP David Crosby

[@johnmitchelljr]

Thank you.

[@spacecaptain87]

Thank you for this

[@sequentialscenery]

Neato - only heard this listed as happening, but glad to have the audio, if not video.

[@tony22745]

This actually sounds like 1967!

[@SylentEcho]

Superb upload!

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

Do you have the SECOND song they sang on Tonight show--Crosby did a beautiful rennaissance fair!!

[@mfnpjparty]

Amazing!!

[@chorn82]

AWESOME!

[@thesurfhotrodscene4060]

Interesting to hear this live version. Gary Ushers production is SUPERB with a Wall-of-sound of guitars and voices (no drums) and high volume allover. Really unique idea to mix it like that.

[@SylentEcho]

Yes, but not very single-friendly. That's why it probably didn't even make top 20, sadly.

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

Do you have the SECOND song theydid... Crosby sang (no joke) Renaissance faire!

[@will2741]

holy shit, I'd do terrible things to a pomegranate to hear that

[@DodgeDartSongs]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4K6dKqDj5eHirM

[@DodgeDartSongs]

@@will2741 kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4K6dKqDj5eHirM

[@closertotheheart]

Even with this lo-fi offering the harmonies and the Rickenbacker really stand out. And as basic as he played, I liked Michael Clarke's drumming, gives these songs more of a rock feel when they played live.

[@jonny1251]

Wow I was searching this for the longest time and this is great. So this episode doesn't exist anymore? I once heard it was on some sort of Tonight show DVD package.

[@schmozzer]

Another wow. Wow.

[@Timophonic1]

Thanks buddy

[@movingon4ever]

Thank you kindly for recording and preserving this jem. Some joker in the CBS studio must have been using earplugs, when he dubbed those annoying horns which appear on this 8/67 single release of this song. Another major Hack job done to the Byrds, was in early '69, when they cut Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", and went out to play gigs. Second CBS clown dubbed about thirty Church Choir singers, drowning the efforts of McGuinn to finally followup "My Back Pages", the Gosple single stiffed.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

Actually, the joker was Crosby himself. He was pretty much out of control by that time, and McGuinn, Hillman, and Clark were fed up with him. So, he commandeered the studio after the basic tracks were laid down, and proceeded to make a mish-moshed mix of his own song. Nevertheless, it's still a great song, despite the mix. We played it in a band I was in at that time, and with clean 4-part vocals and a 12-string, it soared. I still love the song.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

When the single came out in 1967, I loved the song but hated the mix. Crosby did too; he called it “mush”, and blamed it on producer Gary Usher. I don’t know about that; I wasn’t there. But Usher was an experienced producer and knew how to make great-sounding records. Crosby reportedly had a lot of control over the final mix, so go figure. Nevertheless, despite the chaotic mix, the power and majesty of the Byrds driving, chiming guitars and soaring vocals still came through. The song has tremendous energy, great motion in the melody, and would have - should have, actually - revived the Byrds’ Top 40 fortunes if Columbia hadn’t essentially abandoned them by that time. Truth be told, the Byrds never recovered from the vicious smear campaign against _Eight Miles High_ by the douche bag DJ who started the lie that it was a “drug song”. Columbia (owned by CBS) was spineless for not defending the Byrds on that one. The fraud campaign succeeded, and the Byrds’ reputation as a mainstream act never recovered. _Lady Friend_ was effectively Crosby’s swan song as a Byrd. Tensions in the band were already near the breaking point, and the commercial failure of _Lady Friend_ pushed everyone over the edge. They fired Crosby, and Mike Clarke was gone soon thereafter. I was sad to see it happen, but their legacy speaks for itself. Their work still influences many other musicians to this day. 😎

[@will2741]

Yeah it's veeeery doubtful that the murkiness was down to Gary Usher given the standards of the other stuff he produced around that time. Much more likely that he was thoroughly sick of Crosby and it just ended up coming out with the faders pushed up to about the same level.

[@alanfrost6145]

Vito Tuxedo I actually like the song and recording, David had the chance of glory producing the reformed Byrds , it's a shame Gary Usher didn't produce that album !

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@@alanfrost6145 Yeah, and in my view it was equally shameful that McGuinn & Crosby didn't contribute better original material to that album. It seemed to me that they were saving their better meterial for their own solo efforts. In my opinion, the best songs on that album were the two written by Gene Clark. They're also the tracks on which The Byrds sounded more like a real band with their own sound, instead of a bunch of studio cats guest-starring in each other's songs.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@@will2741 HAR! I got a good chuckle out of your comment, which I could easily believe is spot on. Even a consummate pro like Gary Usher must have had a limit on how much infantile behavior he was willing to tolerate. And by the time the Lady Friend session happened, the other Byrds had lost all willingness (let alone ability) to keep a leash on Crosby's craziness. Crosby has always been a bit too busy serving his ego, to the detriment of his working relationships with others. But perhaps that comes with the territory of musical genius, which he clearly has. Of all the ex-Byrds, he has been the most prolific, the most versatile...and to me, the most musically interesting. 😎

[@davidgardiner6123]

IT wasn't Usher's idea to take off Chris and Roger's vocals and overdub his own. Nor to submerge the sound so it sounded like it was recorded in a toilet. This performance is why they were being overtaken by other bands, such as Buffalo springfield.

[@53plaat]

Thanks very much for uploading this great song. So Masakela was also there to do the trumpetparts?

[@markboyd9275]

Are the other tonight show songs posted on KZbin?

[@abbdabs67]

shame video doesnt exist of this show...or does it?

[@TJamesBell]

None of the early Tonight Shows out of New York from the 60's are available. Johnny found out in the 70's that some ass at the station erased all of them to make room for more so they wouldn't have to buy new tapes. True story. Once Johnny found out who the idiot was, there's no question he was immediately fired as well as his superiors, and probably never worked in 'the business' another day. Only a few clips survive from that era, but not the entire shows.

[@genericgeorge]

Tiny Tim still exists

[@abbdabs67]

also wish they would find the byrds on joey bishop shop as well

[@THEScottCampbell]

Any particular reason they did TWO Crosby songs for something as big as "The Tonight Show"? Crosby also erased McGuinn's guitar track from the single, leaving Jim completely off the song while Crosby refused to appear on either "Goin' Back" or "Don't Make Waves".

[@schmozzer]

You can hear Crosby calling the song a masterpiece at the end of 'Don't make waves'.

[@thomasrobinson182]

Crosby replaced McGuinn's and Hillman's background vocals, so it's essentially a Crosby solo recording.

[@Maxx-s7d]

Scott knows the facts !

[@jimmcgrath9494]

Good to hear this without the clutter of the orchestration though the band is a bit rough, and the harmonies very dodgy. Great though, and the chiming 12 string is magnificent.

[@artiewithers6980]

So much better than that mess at Monterey Pop.

[@bobquack1]

too bad there's no video not even a photo of this.

[@charlesoliva8174]

7/13/67 - Roger McGuinn’s 25th Birthday.

[@trfesok]

The horns were, at least in part, Crosby's idea.

[@gary4610]

second only to The Lee Shore

[@deaconjones2243]

I saw this on TV.I shall never forget,"We tune because we care" from McGuinn.Johnny Carson was an ass to them.Very condescending,I thought.Best group ever.

[@rogers8818]

best group - awesome group, much too short a life span....still adore 8 miles high/why & good to finally hear the alternate versions

[@TJamesBell]

Wow. That's a shame that Johnny didn't 'get it' and was an ass to them. I'm disappointed.

[@robertnesfield6321]

I don't think Johnny was being malicious. He was very much on the liberal side of things and was himself a drummer. I think he was just making a joke and perhaps some people took it the wrong way.

[@jgraham140]

It wasn't Carson, but Bob Newhart, who was sitting in for Johnny.

[@anthonybrancale4855]

It wasn't Carson. It was Bob Newhart. Man, it even says that in the description. Jeez

[@thomasrobinson182]

Crosby wiped the others voices off the master tape.

[@elirosen1391]

Who's on harmony alongside Crosby?

[@Elvis-Pelvis03]

elirosen1391 Chris Hillman

[@masterbaker1]

sounds like Chris and Jim to me

[@章二-k1h]

裸のラリーズみたいだな

[@genericgeorge]

Honestly, as nice as this song is, this sounds like a dodgy TV talent quest performance from a wannabe band. But it is still an invaluable artifact that's been preserved. Thanks for taping it.

[@bobquack1]

It's typical of the Byrds at that time. Their performances were very erratic onstage. They wouldn't rehearse much because they didn't like each other and their egos thought they were doing fine.

[@jgraham140]

You realize of course that this was a reel-to-reel tape recording from someone's TV set. It sounds great considering the circumstances.

[@genericgeorge]

@@jgraham140 I wasn't criticizing the recording quality. It was the actual performance

[@artysanmobile]

I have never heard a single person say they weren’t great musicians. Your making this up for your comment is pretty lame. Even odder is the fact this is one of their worst performances.

[@neldinsky]

It was Roger with the tuning comment. N

[@namcat53]

Nope. David.

[@neldinsky]

@@namcat53 Wow all these years. And it was David! thanks! N