On this day in 1965 The Byrds began recording “Turn! Turn! Turn!”.

The main differenece between this recording and their first hit “Mr Tambourine Man” is that they all p[layed on the abysmal “Turn! Turn! Turn!”.  On their first single only Jim Guinn had played all the other instruments being played by session men.  At about this time I femember saying to my best friend that if we paid someone else to play and sing on it we too could have a hit single and solive the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.  For some reason he thought that would be cheating.

Later in their career The Byrds would record the reasonable “Eight MIles High” and the satyrical “So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star” released on the “Younger Than Today” album.  “So you Want to be….” was an attack on manufactured bands, principally, the Monkees. (Not just on bands that don’t play on their own records, then?)

At Least The Byrds gave Patti Smith material for one the best covers ever recorded.  Actually Patti did not so much cover “So You Want to be…” at grab it, devour it and make totally her own.