There are about 30 titles in the Under Review documentary series; some of them dissect one particular album by an influential group while others, like this two-DVD set, take a look at a band’s entire career. And a good thorough look it is, too, starting with how the three core members of the original Byrds – Jim “Roger” McGuinn, David Crosby and Gene Clark – came together out of their folk backgrounds with the Chad Mitchell Trio, the Les Baxter Balladeers and the New Christy Minstrels, respectively.

The film chronicles the trio’s mutual desire to “answer back” to the Beatles, something they did in 1965 with their first single and first hit, the Bob Dylan-penned “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The band would often turn to Dylan for songs throughout their career, but Gene Clark would develop into a strong songwriter (“I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”), as would Crosby.

John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar were two of Crosby’s main influences and he incorporated their sounds into “Eight Miles High,” a tune often given credit for being the first hit to soar into psychedelia. Crosby would soon get kicked out of the band for getting a big head, and the Byrds suffered many lineup changes in a career that ended in 1971 with the release of >Farther Along.

This film is not sanctioned by the Byrds, and the only alumni who appear in the interview sections are John York and Gene Parsons (and Crosby extremely briefly). Lots of performance clips are included along with insightful comments from the likes of producer Van Dyke Parks and bluegrass musician Byron Berline.

Grade: B

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