Co-founders Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are commemorating the Byrds‘ pioneering 1968 country-rock gem Sweetheart of the Rodeo on a new 24-song live album recorded with Marty Stuart.
Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Sweetheart of the Rodeo is out today via Friday Music. Exclusive bundles include a poster, T-shirt and concert laminate. See a complete track listing below.
Recorded during a 27-show 50th anniversary tour in 2018, the LP was previously only available as a limited-edition Record Store Day vinyl release. “It was one of the best tours — if not the best — I was ever on in 60 years of being in music,” Hillman said in an official statement. “Every night was exciting.”
READ MORE: Top 10 Byrds Songs
Singer-songwriter Gram Parsons and drummer Kevin Kelley, the other two official members of the Byrds at the time, have both died. So members of Stuart’s band, the Fabulous Superlatives, rounded out the lineup. “I love the songs and playing with wonderful musicians,” McGuinn said. “I loved playing with Marty and the Superlatives, and Chris too. It’s a great band to play with, and they are pros.”
Listen to the Encore Performance of ‘Eight Miles High’
What Songs Are on the Byrds’ New Live Album?
Songs for the live album were selected Stuart’s audio engineer Mick Conley, who also served as producer. They included the complete reading of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, as well as related songs like Hillman’s seminal “Time Between,” Bob Dylan‘s “My Back Pages” and the Hillman-McGuinn collaboration “Old John Robertson.” Instruments from the original sessions were also featured.
The shows typically ended with encore performances of two Byrds classics, “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Sweetheart of the Rodeo also includes a final-night rendition of “Eight Miles High,” performed for the first and only time during this tour.
Friday Music
Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Sweetheart of the Rodeo Track Listing
“My Back Pages”
“A Satisfied Mind”
“Mr. Spaceman”
“Time Between”
“Old John Robertson”
“Wasn’t Born to Follow”
“Sing Me Back Home”
“Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man”
“Mr. Tambourine Man”
“You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”
“Pretty Boy Floyd”
“Hickory Wind”
“Life In Prison”
“One Hundred Years From Now”
“Nothing Was Delivered”
“Blue Canadian Rockies”
“The Christian Life”
“You’re Still on My Mind”
“You Don’t Miss Your Water”
“I Am a Pilgrim”
“So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”
“I Feel a Whole Lot Better”
“Eight Miles High”
“Turn! Turn! Turn!”
Top 100 ’60s Rock Albums
Here’s a chronological look at the 100 best rock albums of the ’60s.
Gallery Credit: UCR Staff