233 - The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man

Fantastic debut that is a cornerstone to folk-rock. Mr. Tambourine Man consists of four Dylan covers along with some originals. The foundation of The Byrds' sound is McGuinn's twelve-string Rickenbacker and the vocal harmonies. And even though I know that "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" was covered by Tom Petty a few decades later, many of the songs sound to me as if it actually was Tom doing the lead vocals.

"Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" features a bit of the Diddly Beat. The Beatles' fingerprints are all over a lot of these songs. Overall, I found it to be a very...pleasant listen. I'm not enamored with the album but found each listen to be nice.

Songs I Knew I liked: "Mr. Tambourine Man"

Songs I Now Like: "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" (which I had previously enjoyed when covered by Tom Petty), "The Bells of Rhymney," "It's No Use," and "We'll Meet Again"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: None

232 - The Kinks - The Kink Kronikles

Kink Kronikles compiles 28 singles, B-sides, and rare cuts from the band, so it's not a straight-up greatest hits collection. I couldn't discern a rationale for the ordering of the songs. That results in some drastic shifts in sound and a somewhat lack of cohesion with a flow to the double album set. However, the quality of these songs is such that the 90ish minutes were quite an enjoyable listen for me.

Although the songs vary from garage rock to pastoral pop...and lots of songs that blend the two, there is a uniting thread of humor and joy.

Songs I Knew I liked: "The Village Green Preservation Society," "David Watts," "Sunny Afternoon," and "Lola"

Songs I Now Like: "Dead End Street" and "She's Got Everything"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: None