57. The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)

1. Mr. Tambourine Man*

2. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better*

3. Spanish Harlem Incident

4. You Won't Have to Cry

5. Here Without You

6. The Bells of Rhymney

7. All I Really Want to Do*

8. I Knew I'd Want You

9. It's No Use

10. Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe

11. Chimes of Freedom

12. We'll Meet Again

A

Listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits for the first time was an "Ah hah!" moment. Suddenly, I had come across the point of origin for so much music that I loved. And the Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man is another such moment. It's not so much that this music has been influential, as it's become a part of the very DNA of rock music. The sound of this album - jangling, chiming, twelve-string guitars, a steady English-influenced beat, wonderfully odd harmony singing and an elevated position for the bass guitar - is everywhere in the music that came afterwards. I can't imagine Love, Big Star, Tom Petty or REM existing without this music as a bedrock for their various styles. And by extension, it makes sense to tip the hat to the Byrds as the progenitors of what we now consider indie rock, even if everyone always points to the Velvet Underground.

Influence is one thing, quality is another. And this album is great from start to finish. It's mostly covers, and mostly covers of Bob Dylan, but they're all done wonderfully, and are highly idiosyncratic. A good example is the title track, which strips the Dylan original of its metaphysical elements and presents it as a straight piece of drug-worshipping sunshine pop. Then there's second single "All I Want to Do", the verses for which honestly are virtually indistinguishable musically from Tom Petty. It's not all covers, though. Gene Clarke steps up and presents the magnificent "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", which would have to be one of the most marvellous kiss-offs in music, and the melancholy "Here Without You".

In a lot of ways, this is the point where the 60s really arrived. The jangly guitars and stoned-out Beatles-inspired harmonies are trippy without being overtly psychedelic. The cover, obviously inspired by Bringing It All Back Home, shows the group reflected in a convex mirror, dressed in casual, hippyish street cloths instead of the suits favoured by most A-list bands at the time. The whole folk rock thing - meshing modern rock with intelligent lyrics and musical experimentation - helped to drag the counterculture into the spotlight. I mean, this is pre-internet. Mr. Tambourine Man helped to bring hippy culture into the suburban bedrooms of teenagers across the world. 

I guess I sound like I'm gushing, but the point is that this is the first album in quite a while that features music in a style that I genuinely like, and would listen to voluntarily outside the confines of this list. It's not a perfect album (the cover of "We'll Meet Again", for example, leaves a bit to be desired), but it is an incredibly good one. The thing I really love about it is the sound. Just the sound of this album makes me feel good. And what's more, this is a signpost on the outskirts of one of my favourite periods in music. It's been a bit of a struggle at times so far, but we're finally entering into the modern era of rock and pop.

Apparently the Byrds would go on to better music and significantly worse commercial success. I'm really looking forward to hearing from them again.