"I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds

I got into the Byrds very late, about 2003 or so, when I read an excellent feature of them in UNCUT magazine. It was then that I realized that far from being just Beatles clones (though they started out that way), the Byrds managed to tread their own distinct path in rock’n’roll history. This was largely down to their music and mesh of personalities. Roger McGuinn (then still named Jim, for reasons I will explain later on) is a brilliant guitar player, and his chiming 12-string Rickenbacker would inspire countless guitarists, Johnny Marr and Peter Buck among others. He also looked the coolest with his tiny square sunglasses. David Crosby has one of the finest voices in history, and before the liver and drug problems, he looked cuddly and cute in his raincoat. Chris Hillman, in the beginning was the stereotypical bass player, the one who always looked down at his shoes while playing, avoiding all kinds of eye contact. (on TV appearances, the camera almost never focused on him) Behind that shy veneer, it turned out that he was an accomplished banjo player and he then grew into a very accomplished songwriter. Michael Clarke, with his moptop and pouty mouth, cannot play his drums very well, but hey, he’s the most handsome of the bunch.
And then there’s Gene Clark.
Everyone has their own favorite ‘what-if’ scenarios. Me, I often wondered what would happen if Gene Clark didn’t leave the Byrds. The circumstances of Gene’s departure is a legendary rock story: When The Byrds are preparing to leave for a tour, Gene Clark suddenly suffered a panic attack and demanded to be taken off the plane. Some said he had fear of flying, while others said that it was just the drugs and alcohol that has taken their toll on the guy. Anyway, legend has it that Roger McGuinn said to Gene : “Well, you cant be a Byrd if you cant fly”. Maybe McGuinn didn’t have any intention of firing Gene, but the effect is immediate: Gene Clark was no longer a member of the Byrds.
Without Gene, the Byrds would scale some dizzying heights, but just imagine if Gene was along for the ride: He was a great songwriter, a great vocalist (he had an exceptional baritone voice), and to top it all off, he looked awesome, a journalist once coined him “Prince Valiant With a Tambourine”. During his time with the Byrds, they are still finding their feet at becoming a band, and most of their albums rely on other peoples’ songs (Dylan’s especially), but the handful of originals are mostly Gene’s.
“I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” is a timeless slice of tuneful power pop. It started with Crosby’s guitar which a couple of bars later was joined by McGuinn’s jangling 12-string. Then the vocal comes, delivering melodies to die for. This song managed to sound upbeat and sad at the same time. While the lyrics explore disappointment with a lover (“After what you do/I cant stay on/And I’ll probably feel a whole lot better/When you’re gone”), the music provide an irresistible backing : you cant help but shake your head and dance to it. The guitar break is also something very special indeed, with Crosby continuing the rhythm and McGuinn goes on all kinds of jangling guitar lines. I said that it’s ‘timeless’ is because if you don’t know beforehand who performed the song, you’d probably think it’s a new track from a ‘next big thing’. There’s at least one band from every decade that sounds like the Byrds : the ‘70’s had Big Star, the ‘80’s had Cheap Trick, the ‘90’s had Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, Super Deluxe, etc, the ‘00’s has Cosmic Rough Riders. But none of them can achieve the alchemy that the Byrds did on this song.
Weird fact: Jim changed his name to Roger because it was said that “Roger” would vibrate better with the earth. The suggestion is by someone McGuinn called “Bapak”. Yes, Bapak is an Indonesian, and McGuinn converted to the religion of Subud as taught by him. Unlikely, but true!