April 11th, 2022 - Greatest Byrds Hits Of The Great Salt Lake

 

Good evening my friends... the Meista here pairing another great craft brew tonight with another great album!  This evening I'm going with the folk-rock stylings of The Byrds and their wonderful "The Byrds' Greatest Hits" album along with tasty and unique Gose from the fine folks at Fisher Brewing Company! 

Album Info:

• Artist: The Byrds
• Title: "The Byrds' Greatest Hits"
• Recorded: January 20th, 1965 through December 8th, 1966 at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, California
• Release date: August 7th, 1967 (1st compilation album by The Byrds)
• Record company: Columbia Records
• Production: Terry Melcher, Allen Stanton, and Gary Usher 
• Album cover art: Sandy Speiser (photography)
• Personnel: Gene Clark (tambourine and vocals), Michael Clarke (drums), David Crosby (guitar and vocals), Chris Hillman (electric bass and vocals), and Roger McGuinn (guitar and vocals) 
• Additional musicians: Hal Blaine (drums on "Mr. Tambourine Man"), Jerry Cole (rhythm guitar on "Mr. Tambourine Man"), Larry Knechtel (electric bass on "Mr. Tambourine Man"), Hugh Masekela (trumpet on "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star"), Van Dyke Parks (organ on "5D (Fifth Dimension)" and "My Back Pages"), and Leon Russell (electric piano on "Mr. Tambourine Man")
• Musical style: Rock, pop, folk rock, psychedelic rock 
• Sound: Blending Dylanesque and Peter Seeger style folk music with pop, rock and a little psychedelia, The Byrds created a unique, wonderfully melodic, and captivating sound that has brought be joy ever since I first discovered them as a youngster.  This greatest hits album is most certainly one of the definitive sounds of that era and definitely the definitive sound of the Clark/Crosby era of The Byrds.
• Major themes: Delving into counter-cultural values, themes on the album include freedom, higher consciousness, truth, music, rock and roll, peace, life, drugs, aliens, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man"
2. "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better"
3. "The Bells Of Rhymney"
4. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)"
5. "All I Really Want To Do"
6. "Chimes Of Freedom"
7. "Eight Miles High"
8. "Mr. Spaceman"
9. "5D (Fifth Dimension)"
10. "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star"
11. "My Back Pages"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com//
• Brew: Fisher Gose
• Style: German-style Gose
• Serving: 25-ounce crowler can
• ABV: 5.0% 
• Pour: The Fisher Gose pours a cloudy golden yellow hue with a bright white, 1+ finger, frothy head with good retention and lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, spicy, slightly tart, and slightly salty.  There are aromas of banana, cloves, lemon zest, orange peel coriander, light pear, and light salt. 
• Taste: The taste of the Fisher Gose follows the nose with lots of fruity, spicy, tart, and slightly salty flavors.  There are notes of cloves, pear juice, soft banana, orange peel, lemon zest, and salt.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, tart, bubbly, slightly spicy, yet very smooth with a dry, slightly salty and tart finish.
• Notes: This "German-style Gose was brewed to celebrate the amazing ecosystem of the Great Salt Lake. A portion of proceeds from this entire batch of beer benefits the @friendsofgreatsaltlake, a group dedicated to protecting unique place."

Overall pairing: The complex and bold, yet very crushable, very drinkable, refreshing, and slightly salty tastiness of Fisher's Gose is perfect for an evening of classic rock and roll with the amazing music of The Byrds!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!