The Byrds-"I Knew I'd Want You"-5/8/65

At long last, after a ten year search, here it is. :-)

Lip synching Gene Clark's BRILLIANT & GORGEOUS MASTERPIECE, "I Knew I'd Want You", which was the flip side of "Mr. Tambourine Man".

Unique for a "Pop" song of the time to be in the metre of 6/8; somewhat like The Beatles "Baby's In Black".

David Crosby's harmonies here are among the most inventive that he ever did in The Byrds.

Beautifully double tracked by Terry Melcher, the intervals he sings above Roger & Gene's unison tracks are nothing short of "Spellbinding Space Age", ESPECIALLY for the time.

Very clever the way the song is in the key of "Em", yet ends on "E Major". A strong classical influence here.

I've often wondered if Justin Hayward's "Nights In White Satin" was influenced by this, as the chord progression, key, & feel are so similar. :-)

There is a common thread with all four of the "Shiv...." performances; the band always mimed to the "A" AND "B" sides of their latest single/45.

EXCEPT for the the band's 3rd time on the show.

The "Flip song" should have been "She Don't Care About Time", but rather, it was "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better", even though they ALREADY mimed the song on their 2nd appearance!

I'm wondering if there was more here than just the "Resentment of Gene's royalties" by McGuinn & Crosby??

Why didn't they do a different "Alternate" song on the 3rd show, like Roger & David's "Wait & See", ESPECIALLY if McGuinn & Crosby wanted more "Air time"???

Instead, they did one of Gene's songs, but twice in a row.

This tells me that perhaps the band as a whole wasn't crazy about "She Don't Care About Time", even though it's one of their finest.

Of course, "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" was a VERY POPULAR dance tune, and one of the greatest "Pop" songs of all time. :-)

On all the rest of the band's TV appearances, (Besides "Shiv....") they often played "Album cuts", like "The Bells Of Rhymney", "Chimes Of Freedom", & "The Times They Are A Changin'".

Three days after this appearance, the band would make their debut on "Hulla....".

This is the ONLY time "I Knew I'd Want You" would be performed/mimed on Televison.

Join us at the Byrds Yahoo! group:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/byrdmaniaxlist/

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Byrds
• Roger
• McGuinn
• David
• Crosby
• Gene
• Clark
• Chris
• Hillman
• Michael
• Clarke
• folk
• pop
• rock

[spoiledbigtime]

Gene was the man! He is still love by his "mutual" home towns of Bonner Springs, Kansas and Mendocino, California. The real deal.

[violetjm]

@frizzlefrap - Yes, I have always loved those songs, and after Eesgranpa recommended Gene Clark to me, I became a fan. Took me a long time to discover him. (Just a few decades.) Songs like "Gypsy Rider," "Full Circle Song," "For a Spanish Guitar," and "One in a Hundred." I didn't know about these gems. He was an amazing writer and singer. Now I understand why people rave about him.

[MsFitzzzz]

See the Searchers on Ed Sullivan show.. They could not reproduce their single Needles and Pins... The Byrds sound much better!

[ronfowlermusic]

RIP, Gene.

[voidforpurpose]

"Nights In White Satn" is a complete rip-off of this.

[ChrisCurtisFan]

Fortunately, The Searchers invented the sound of high harmonies, 12 string guitars. :-)

[49kasey]

@BigStar303 Ahhh! My mistake, why did I do that? Then again, I always assumed they were brothers! I didn't own their albums but had them on reel to reel tape so... But this is a great video, even though a lip synch. Having go-go dancers is a riot! I especially like the intro, I was like, "What's that? Something psychedelic?" And the camera zoomed back and it was a cymbal. Very cool.

[BigStar303]

@49kasey I agree totally with everything you say...but you should spell Gene's name correctly. ;) No worries, mate...I'm just smiling at the memory of the magazines of the day, who could never seem to get Gene Clark/Michael Clarke down correctly!

[madelefant05]

This reminds me of Knights in White Satin

[49kasey]

They were altogether a very seminal rock group. Gene Clarke was the most special part of it. If you can find his album "No Other", buy it! It should have been an absolute smash but apparently it wasn't promoted properly.

[TheBabyboomkidof53]

crosby's voice just sores high over the others so beautifully. their hamonies as a group with the combination of gene's writing and mcguinn's rickenbacker 12 string guitar playing makes them I-con's of the time period. and still viable in their timelessness.

[ejectorerector]

what the fuck was happening at the end???!