From their earliest days as 12-string-wielding folk-rockers, to the thrilling psychedelic excursions of their raga-rock period to their 1968 birthing of country-rock, the Byrds were always accorded a hero’s welcome in England.What better place to record founding Byrds member/guitarist/singer Roger McGuinn’s new version of the band—featuring fretboard ace Clarence White, bassist Skip Battin and drummer Gene Parsons—than London’s Royal Albert Hall!

Rescued from a tape that had sat forgotten in McGuinn’s climatized garage for decades, this stellar 1971 set, featuring live versions of the current band’s studio faves (“Lover of the Bayou,” “Chestnut Mare”) as well as adventurous reworkings of Byrds classics (“Mr. Tambourine Man,” “My Back Pages,” “Eight Miles High,”“So You Want to Be a Rock‘n’Roll Star”) might be the most accurate and stirring live performance yet of the legendary Los Angeles combo. By 1971, the guitar interplay of McGuinn andWhite had become a jaw-dropping highlight of their live performances,as had their stripped down, acoustic mini-set and peerless four-part vocal harmonies.

As McGuinn, in typically understated fashion, says of this new Sundazed release, available now on both compact disc and as a high-definition vinyl, double-gatefold LP: “It was a great night, so I’m happy there’s a record of it!”