The Byrds - Preflyte : Rare Early Recordings (1964)

11 track compilation of early recordings culled from pre-CBS recording sessions. The songwriting of Gene Clark is prominent and 'Preflyte' includes demo versions of soon to be classics such as 'Here Without You', 'She Has A Way' and the song that made them stars 'Mr. Tambourine Man'

In 1969, Together Records released Preflyte, a collection of the Byrds' raw demos dating back to their earliest days in 1964 (Columbia later reissued it in 1973.) The release was timely, with the success of the Easy Rider soundtrack and spin-off groups like Crosby, Stills and Nash and the Flying Burrito Brothers. It was a chance for 1960s fans to hear their pre-"Tambourine Man" sound, including a couple of songs that never made it to the big-time (David Crosby's wistful "The Airport Song", Gene Clark's tender "For Me Again"). Alternative, gentler versions of later favourites like "You Won't Have To Cry" and the McGuinn/Clark composition "You Showed Me" (later a hit for the Turtles) are included, and already McGuinn's trademark jangling 12-string Rickenbacker guitar sound is apparent. The album was later reissued as In The Beginning with tracks added and deleted, but this Poptones version is as Preflyte originally appeared--a highly enjoyable slice of a great band in its embryonic stages.