"Ballad of Easy Rider" is the eighth album by the American rock band the Byrds, released in November 1969 on Columbia Records. The album was named after the song "Ballad of Easy Rider," written by the Byrds' guitarist and singer Roger McGuinn (with help from Bob Dylan) as the theme song for the 1969 film Easy Rider. The title was chosen partly to capitalize on the commercial success of the film, though the majority of the music on the album had no direct connection to it. Nonetheless, the association with Easy Rider helped elevate the Byrds' public profile, making Ballad of Easy Rider their highest-charting album in two years, reaching number 36 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and number 41 on the UK Albums Chart. The title track was released as a single in October 1969, achieving moderate success, while a second single, "Jesus Is Just Alright," was released in December 1969 but only reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album marked the second recording by the Byrds' lineup of McGuinn, Clarence White, Gene Parsons, and John York, although York was fired shortly after its completion. Ballad of Easy Rider received mixed reviews upon release but has since become regarded as one of the band's stronger albums from their later years.
Recording sessions for the album were produced by Terry Melcher, who had previously worked with the Byrds on Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn!. The band had been dissatisfied with the production on their previous album, Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, and sought to work with Melcher again. His return to the Byrds' production chair began a collaboration that would last through Byrdmaniax in 1971. Melcher also took on management duties for the Byrds, after his previous conflict with the band's original manager, Jim Dickson, in 1965.
The song "Ballad of Easy Rider" was written for the film Easy Rider after scriptwriter and actor Peter Fonda asked Bob Dylan to compose a theme song. Dylan declined but offered a few lines of lyrics, which Fonda passed on to McGuinn. McGuinn then completed the song with his own contributions. Although Dylan was initially credited as a co-writer of the song, he later demanded his name be removed from the credits, possibly because he disliked the film's anti-hero themes or because he felt his name was being used to promote the movie.
The album includes several covers and interpretations of traditional material. One such cover is of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," a song the Byrds had tried to record previously. The 1969 version was slower and more somber than earlier attempts. The album also features "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)," a song by Woody Guthrie, and a gospel-tinged rendition of "Jesus Is Just Alright," which later influenced the Doobie Brothers' version. Another cover is Pamela Polland's "Tulsa County Blue," which was sung by McGuinn rather than York, despite York's contribution to the song.
Other notable covers include "There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)," written by country singer Vern Gosdin, and "Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins," a reflection on the Apollo 11 moon landing. The album also includes traditional songs like the sea shanty "Jack Tarr the Sailor," the hymn "Oil in My Lamp," and "Way Beyond the Sun," which had been inspired by the British folk band Pentangle.
The album also features the John York composition "Fido," about a stray dog York encountered while on tour. This song made Ballad of Easy Rider the second Byrds album in a row to feature a song about a dog, following "Old Blue" on Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. "Fido" is notable for featuring the only drum solo on any of the Byrds' studio albums. Parsons also contributed the song "Gunga Din," which tells two stories—one about a Byrds concert where Chuck Berry failed to show up, and the other about York and his mother being denied service at a restaurant because of York's leather jacket.
Overall, Ballad of Easy Rider blends a variety of musical influences, from folk and country to rock and gospel, showcasing the Byrds' ability to explore different genres while still maintaining their distinct sound.
