Win Bowie In Berlin and The Byrds: Under Review DVDs | 25 September 2008

As a pre-Xmas treat our friends at Chrome Dreams have given us a couple of DVDs that tie in with two recent Jawbone titles to give away to one lucky reader...






By the mid 1970s David Bowie was the biggest pop star in the UK, but his personal life was in turmoil. In a bid to escape the chaos of his drug problems and to flea from the media spotlight, the singer eventually found his way to Berlin, where he started to work on what would become some of the most memorable and critically lauded recordings of his entire career. David Bowie Under Review 1976-1979: The Berlin Trilogy features live and studio performances by Bowie, rare interviews and a host of other features, all interspersed with independent review and criticism from a panel of esteemed experts.






The Byrds Under Review is a documentary film, which explores in detail the music, career and background of arguably America's most influential band. Inventors of folk-rock and country-rock, and with a sizeable investment in what became garage-rock (and ultimately punk), The Byrds could barely write a song without creating a new genre. With the aid of many who were there at the time, as either part of the group or close at hand, this 2-DVD set is a celebration of one of Rock 'n' Roll's truly great bands.

Features include
- Rare and classic performances re-assessed by our panel of experts;
- Footage and interviews from then and now;
- Exclusive and extensive contributions from Byrds members John York and Gene Parsons, plus further enlightenment from collaborators such as producer and arrange Van Dyke Parks, LA scenester and Wrecking Crew guitarist Jerry Cole, fiddle player Byron Berline and country guitarist Vern Gosdin;
- Opinion, review and critique from; The Byrds esteemed biographer Johnny Rogan; ex-Rolling Stone editor Anthony DeCurtis; legendary music historian and author of Eight Miles High: Folk-Rock’s Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock, Richie Unterberger and British music journalist and author Nigel Williamson;
- Seldom seen footage of pre-Byrds collectives Live and studio recordings of Byrds classics such as 'Mr. Tambourine Man','I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better', 'Eight Miles High', 'Mr Spaceman', 'So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star', 'Hickory Wind', 'Chestnut Mare' and many others.

Extra Features include
- Gene Parsons demonstrates his "StringBender" -- the guitar effect he invented for Byrd Clarence White
- Jerry Cole recalls -- tales of Phil Spector, Charles Manson and other LA notables
- The John York Page
- Contributor Biographies

To win both DVDs answer this simple question:

What was the title of the Roger McGuinn solo LP that ex-Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson produced and played on?

Email your answer to Jon and the first entry received will win these two fact packed DVDs tailor-made for the music lover.


The Byrds Day-By-Day tale OUT NOW! |

This is the story of the influential and popular American group The Byrds, beginning with the recording of 'Mr Tambourine Man' in January 1965 and ending with the brief re-union of the Original Byrds in 1973.

As a taster for the book author Christopher Hjort mulls over the group's history...

The book is the latest title in the acclaimed day-by-day series that already includes books about The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, and Eric Clapton & The British Blues Boom.











By 1965 The Byrds had a worldwide smash with Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man', opened for The Rolling Stones in the US and hung out with The Beatles; undertook a disastrous tour of Great Britain but still capped the year with second US chart-topper 'Turn! Turn! Turn!'

In 1966 The Byrds' released the groundbreaking 'Eight Miles High', but stress caused original member Gene Clark to leave.

The following year, The Byrds, now a quartet, performed at the seminal Monterey Pop Festival in June (following promotional tour of Europe) and released critically acclaimed Younger Than Yesterday album, before David Crosby left at the end of the year. 1968 began with the release of The Byrds' masterpiece Notorious Byrd Brothers, before they changed tack and hired Gram Parsons to pursue highly influential country-rock direction. A successful tour of Europe was followed by ill-fated visit to South Africa.





Meanwhile, David Crosby formed Crosby Stills Nash & Young, while founding Byrd member Chris Hillman quit -- to join Gram Parsons in The Flying Burrito Brothers. Roger McGuinn defiantly kept the Byrds name flying with new recruits Clarence White and Gene Parsons; the group visited Mexico and was a hit at US festivals in 1969, also contributing to the soundtrack for the Easy Rider movie. In 1970 The Byrds visited Europe again and restored commercial and critical potential with double-album (Untitled) amidst US touring commitments. Next year's experimental Byrdmaniax album was not wholly successful, but in 1972, The Byrds -- by now a highly potent live attraction -- toured Europe twice, played numerous concerts in the US and put out Farther Along. At the end of the year the Original Byrds re-united although just for recording purposes. The touring Byrds limped to the finishing line and play last concert in February 1973, while the highly anticipated reunion album of McGuinn, Clark, Crosby, Hillman & Clarke was met with mixed critical reviews. Two tragic deaths signal the end of an era when Gram Parsons and Clarence White die in separate incidents, and thus bring the story of The Byrds to a close.

The storyline also documents the many tangents in the tangled Byrds family tree, including Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Manassas.




Praise for Christopher Hjort's Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & The British Blues Boom 1965-1970:

"This will stay by your side like an encyclopaedia which you will study and refer to for years to come." Blues Matters

"The author traces Clapton's guitar-hero ascent through The Yardbirds, Cream, and Blind Faith in a maniacally detailed chronology." Rolling Stone

"Meticulously compiled ... an info-freak's dream." Mojo

"A tireless researcher, Hjort notes hundreds of gigs, recording sessions, television appearances, and all else trivial or important." Down Beat