1965 - December - The Byrds - Turn Turn Turn

Brian presents the second album by The Byrds as they continued their folk rock mix of vocal and twelve-string guitar harmonies originally explored in their debut album released earlier in the year. There are two songs from Bob Dylan - "The Times They Are A-Changin' and "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" - along with a number of other covers. Join us as we explore the album Turn! Turn! Turn! as well as the famous title track and several other excellent songs from The Byrds. “Oh! Susannah” This Stephen Foster cover was originally intended as a joke, but they received a positive reception regardless. There aren't too many songs originally written over 100 years prior. “Set You Free this Time” This track features the 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, common in many of the songs from The Byrds, and has a San Francisco feel. The Byrds were originally from Los Angeles. “It Won't Be Wrong” This brief track showcases the vocal harmonies of The Byrds, reminiscent of The Mamas and The Papas. “Turn, Turn, Turn” The well-known title track was written by Pete Seeger and originated in the book of Ecclesiastes from the Bible. There was a guitar solo in this song, a rarity at the time. It is a reaction to the tumultuous times of the mid-60's. "A time for peace - I swear it's not too late." ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: “Christmastime Is Here” by Vince Guaraldi Trio The first airing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" occurred this year. STAFF PICKS: “Fever” by The McCoys Originally recorded by Little Willie John and covered by lots of people, most famously by Peggy Lee, The McCoys were moving up the chart with this cover at the time. The McCoys featured Rick Derringer who would go on to play in the Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter bands. “Seesaw” by Don Covay Wayne's pick goes into the R&B genre. Aretha Franklin would chart even higher with her version of this Don Covay original. There is a great horn section in this track. "Your love is like a seesaw." “Flowers on the Wall” by The Statler Brothers Rob's pick goes into the country genre with this debut single. Check out that bass voice in the vocal harmony. The Statler Brothers were members of Johnny Cash's band at the time that this song was recorded. The name "Statler" came from a brand of tissue in their hotel. “Let's Hang On” by The Four Seasons Brian closes out Staff Picks with the distinctive high tenor that can only be Frankie Valli. He was recording both with The Four Seasons and his solo work at the time. LAUGH TRACK: “The Drinking Mans Diet” by Allen Sherman Allen Sherman was a precursor to "Weird Al" Yankovic - a comedian who produced spoof songs like this track. "Drink, drink, everyone drink!" Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel. Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share. Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform! **NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.