Don't get me wrong. I was totally exhilarated by the talent coming from the Brits. And the Beatles weren't just my favorite group, they were a major influence on me.
But man did I love The Byrds. I lived in a podunk little town just north of San Antonio when Mr. Tamborine Man came out.
And some DJ out of San Antonio taught me a lesson in nonconformity. Each weekday afternoon there was a
"Battle of the bands" segment where new tunes by new bands were played. And at the rate new bands and new tunes were coming out there was no shortage of material.
So the DJ would give a rundown on the bands and then spin the record. And it was The Byrds and Mr. Tambourine Man up against The Yardbirds and For Your Love.
And the DJ, whose name I don't remember, said The Byrds were a British group. And they won overwhelmingly.
And after the voting was done he told us that The Byrds were in fact an American group. And he told us this because the bias in favor of British groups was so great that most of us would have voted for The Yardbirds simply because they were Brits. And that this tune was exceptional and deserved a fair listening.
And he was right. I would have knee jerked voted for he Brit. group. That really hit home with me. Really made an impression on me.
So I got an important life lesson listening to a tube radio on a weekday after school.
What a ramble. Hope that made a little bit of sense anyway.
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