Niki N. Phaser

Ok, so maybe your San Francisco gran would spit in my eye for calling The Byrds ignored-gold, but the truth remains that you have to be into 60′s music in order to be well acquainted with this band. They are known, but they just haven’t had the luck of Oliver Stone making a movie about them. Though not a fan of their rodeo-Nashville Mr. Hyde, I can’t help acknowledging the timeless quality of songs like Child of the Universe and Eight Miles High.

But, right off the bet, I must clarify that I’m reffering to the orchestrated version of Child of the Universe, as it appears on the end titles of the 1968 sex-comedy, Candy. Also, I should mention that, despite a cast including Marlon Brando, Richard Burton or John Huston, this song is probably the best thing about that movie, though one must admit that the peeks at Ewa Aulin anatomical highlights gives one a retro hard-on. I guess the real thing about The Byrds, as with many bands of their time, is the vocal harmonics they achieved in both of the songs mentioned. Still, maybe Child of the Universe has more charm because of its flower-power-esque lyrics, like “Love for anyone who needs her, Innocence is all that feeds her” or maybe because of the Krzysztof Komeda-like arrangements (including male choir), done most likely by Dave Gruisin, who co-wrote the song with Roger McGuinn. However, Eight Miles High contains some of the most studied vocal harmonics, because their effect creates a sound that could hardly be characterized. But, don’t take my word for it, listen to both songs:

Child of the Universe Eight Miles High

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