The Smiley Smile Message Board

FYI: http://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Byrds-Gene-Clark/dp/B004SATYKK?ie=UTF8&tag=winkscoll-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969

Man, that's great news, Howie!  Have you heard it yet, & if so, how is the quality, and how are the performances?  Trying to recall by memory what I can of some of those individuals that I knew back then, and the various states they were in around that time...  Seems to me Danko was still in pretty fine form in those daze, in spite of staying wasted most of the time.  He still stayed devoted to playing & recording constantly, and was always popping in and jamming in little L.A. clubs, if he wasn't gigging with Blondie and Butterfield.  Didn't really decline until the '90s; not that he ever stopped before he dropped...

Here's a video of Blondie doing Sail On Sailor in Connecticut just the other day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reP5gImvF-c&feature=related
Not the most energetic performance I've seen him give the song, but it's nice to get the feeling that Blondie's still just finishing warming up!  Hat's off to a fellow vampire, who also refuses to age - well, mentally, at least!   

Wow, hadn't seen this one before:

I was under the impression that the 80's "reunion" shows were the pits? Or was that just the Michael Clarke led version I'm thinking of?

Funny enough, I was just thinking about Clarke when you posted this, trying to remember who, and when, he briefly opened for The Boys on the road.  Pretty sure it was a Hillman/Clarke thing, and I'm sure Jan & Dean were flying with us, so I think it must have been '79...  I do remember there was a hell-of-a-lot of tension, and it was very short-lived.  (Also have strong memories of him being a major A-hole!)  In fact, that might have been when Jan & Dean jumped to be the full-fledged opening act, as opposed to being 'guest artists' on the tour.  (Think they might have been testing the waters to see if Jan was up to it or not.)
Here's what wiki has to say about the tour troubles: In 1985, following the breakup of The Firebyrds, Clarke and Clark again joined forces for a series of controversial shows billed as a "20th Anniversary Tribute to The Byrds".  Other musicians involved in this project were John York, another ex-Byrd from the late 1960s line-up of the group, ex-Firefall singer Rick Roberts, ex-member of The Beach Boys early 1970s line-up Blondie Chaplin, and Rick Danko, formerly of The Band. Many clubs simply shortened the billing to The Byrds, and the pair soon found themselves involved in acrimonious court battles with Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman over use of the group's name.