The Byrds - Tonight Show, 07/25/67 Audio

[@littlecrow6484]

I've ALWAYS wanted to hear The Byrds playing in a live setting from this era.( They sound much better here than at Monterey Pop.) Thanks soooooo much for showing us this. Just thrilled by it. What an ERA of music !

[@bendyment4164]

It is a rare treat! I saw a picture on a forum of a tape reel containing a Fillmore show from September 1967, but apparently the owner refuses to share the recording.

[@LennoxHannan]

I agree! So much better than the Monterey Pop recording.

[@artiewithers6980]

Yea, Monetary Pop was a bit of a disaster. Crosby, being so obnoxious, didn’t help. Shame. This recording is really good. Thanks for posting.

[@jamesfitzgerald6636]

Ed Sullivan show, live turn turn turn is excellent although they turned Crosby’s rhythm guitar off as he pissed off Ed’s producer with a stunt earlier

[@thenowhere]

This is a tremendous historical document....it's almost better that no video or kinescope is known to exist, it kind of makes the imagination boggle. This was quite early in the run of late night talk shows having rock/pop acts as nightly musical guests, as would become de rigour over the next few years. As someone who wasn't around at the time, it's almost surreal to think of The Byrds, particularly in such a mythical artistic period, as being an active act that you could just see perform on late night TV, like Dinosaur Jr in the early nineties or something ;)

[@bendyment4164]

I wasn't around either but I feel the same way. The nature of clip compilations and the many missing episodes of talk shows has sort of created a lost history of band appearances in the 60s.

[@gaspersignorelli3724]

I saw this when it aired. For some reason I only remembered Ladyfriend, perhaps because of Crosby's "we tune because we care" remark which was in response to Newhart's saying. we'll just listen to the Byrds tune up. Great to know they played Have You Seen Her Face and Renaissance Fair. Boy did I love the Byrds...still do. Thank for getting all the songs out.

[@bendyment4164]

Thanks for writing, lucky you got to see it! The Byrds really were one of the best.

[@ragpicker006]

I'm pretty sure it's McGuinn saying 'We tune etc...' Not that it matters that much all these years later!

[@thomasbullock3894]

Ben, A great historical recording for Byrd's lovers. Thanks so much!

[@bendyment4164]

You are quite welcome! Now if only we could find some film to go with it...

[@Mandrake591]

Pretty mind blowing this was on national tv, God bless the person who recorded this!

[@mikefitzpatrick9501]

I saw this show the night it originally aired, I think it was 65 or 66. I was 11 or 12 years old. I think they only aired two songs, but what I do remember and have never forgotten was Crosby saying "We tune because we care". No band ever tuned up on live t.v. between songs. I'm glad to have found this video, now I know he really did say that, it wasn't just me remembering something that might not have happened.

[@bendyment4164]

Lucky that you got to see the performance! I believe the date is accurate as Lady Friend wasn't released until July 67. Renaissance Fair may in fact be from a different performance but without further info I can only go by what the source stated.

[@namcat53]

Fantastic! THANKS! Somehow I missed this broadcast as a 14 year old big Byrds fan. Everything was changing so fast back then; you can see the young audience still had many light years to catch up to The Byrds..at least in their outward appearance. Even most college kids back then didn't become full on hippies until a couple of years later. One look at a high school yearbook from 1967-1972 will show that. The Byrds sound pretty good live here.

[@bendyment4164]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@davidmurray2539]

Crosby's brilliance soars above the muddle. Worst decision he ever made for those who considered him rock's best ever high harmony singer was to hook up with Stills and Nash.

[@ragpicker006]

I agree. Nash's high voice meant he became the sandwich filler and though obviously he filled out the three-part harmony his distinctive voice got lost.

[@jacksilverstein3507]

@@ragpicker006 I never cared for CSN's harmonies. Reminds me of the Chipmunks. No match for the Byrds' beautiful harmonies, thanks in large part to David's contribution.

[@johnjackson8401]

The three part Byrds harmony between Clark, Crosby, and McGuinn circa 1965/1966 surpasses anything CSN ever did. And their harmony was one of the greatest ever and well noticed by the Beatles and Elvis. The harmony of Crosby, Hillman, and McGuinn circa 1966/1967 also surpasses CSN.

[@daveyvane]

Yeah, no success there 😂

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

NBC erased the video tape used to record their performance for the next nights show :((((

[@bendyment4164]

Unfortunately that's more or less the case for almost all the 60s shows, but there's always a possibility that a kinescope may exist - the Paley Center in Manhattan has a kinescope recording of the Airplane from the following year.

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

@@bendyment4164 Hmm.. worth a shot.

[@johnjepsen500]

Bastards!!

[@davegeisler7802]

Crosby is stoned again ... as usual 😂😂😂🤣🤣

[@donaldkelley5885]

I think the pictures from this video are from performances at the Whisky a go go late summer 1967.

[@bendyment4164]

Yes, I realized that but forgot to update the description, thanks - apparently 'Universal Mind Decoder' was in the setlists of that period.

[@jamesfitzgerald6636]

The vocals on HYSHF don’t sound right, deep voice from somewhere, not any the 3 singers have that sound

[@michaelgismondi9861]

I saw this when it originally aired. Boy, do I remember it differently from others on this list. The audience was laughing at them. They looked and sounded...wrong...old....freaky.... a bit ragged, chaotic even, albeit better than at Monterey. I loved the Byrds, and I was embarrased. Just my two cents. To be fair, they didnt sound as bad here as I had remembered.

[@bendyment4164]

Interesting, thanks for chiming in - did you see them at Monterey or just in the film?

[@michaelgismondi9861]

@@bendyment4164 just the film.

[@jonprude2557]

Great!... the last gasping breath of the original Byrds before folk-rock was no longer cool. Thx.

[@jonprude2557]

Yeah!

[@jamesfitzgerald6636]

This ain’t folk rock

[@jamesfitzgerald6636]

This wasn’t folk/ rock OK!