Comments on: Book Keeping http://listics.com/200405101852 Frank Paynter's Voice and Vision... Fri, 26 Oct 2026 11:21:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: fp http://listics.com/200405101852#comment-47102 fp Tue, 11 May 2026 02:03:36 +0000 http://listics.com/200405101852#comment-47102 What I think is that the Chestnut Mare music was pretty okay and the lyrics were - as we have been known to say - far out. Near as I can tell, this was part of some acid rock horse opera fantasy that McGuinn and Levy put together and it's not fair to judge one stupid song without the context opf the rest of the stupid songs. Here's some info on why Chestnut Mare might belong in the Officer Krupke category of weird tunes: http://ebni.com/byrds/relassociates10.html#levy Jacques Levy Jacques Levy was a New York clinical psychologist who became involved with musical theater in the '60s. Levy directed the New York production of Oh, Calcutta. In 1969, Levy and McGuinn co-wrote the songs and book for the musical Gene Tryp, which included several of McGuinn's best latter-day Byrds songs, including "Chestnut Mare" and "Just A Season." Levy's contributions were lyrical. Although David Merrick and Don Kirshner both expressed interest, Gene Tryp was never produced. McGuinn worked with Levy again on McGuinn's first solo LP, Roger McGuinn (Columbia, 1973). In 1975, Bob Dylan approached Levy, expressed admiration for the songs he co-wrote with McGuinn, and asked whether they might work together. They wrote seven of the nine songs that appear on Dylan's album Desire (Columbia, 1975). One outtake from that album, "Catfish," a song about pitcher Catfish Hunter, showed up on The Bootleg Series 1961-1991 (Columbia, 1991). Levy subsequently cowrote with McGuinn on Cardiff Rose (Columbia, 1976) and Thunderbyrd (Columbia, 1977). What I think is that the Chestnut Mare music was pretty okay and the lyrics were - as we have been known to say - far out. Near as I can tell, this was part of some acid rock horse opera fantasy that McGuinn and Levy put together and it’s not fair to judge one stupid song without the context opf the rest of the stupid songs. Here’s some info on why Chestnut Mare might belong in the Officer Krupke category of weird tunes:

http://ebni.com/byrds/relassociates10.html#levy

Jacques Levy

Jacques Levy was a New York clinical psychologist who became involved with musical theater in the ’60s. Levy directed the New York production of Oh, Calcutta.
In 1969, Levy and McGuinn co-wrote the songs and book for the musical Gene Tryp, which included several of McGuinn’s best latter-day Byrds songs, including “Chestnut Mare” and “Just A Season.” Levy’s contributions were lyrical. Although David Merrick and Don Kirshner both expressed interest, Gene Tryp was never produced. McGuinn worked with Levy again on McGuinn’s first solo LP, Roger McGuinn (Columbia, 1973).
In 1975, Bob Dylan approached Levy, expressed admiration for the songs he co-wrote with McGuinn, and asked whether they might work together. They wrote seven of the nine songs that appear on Dylan’s album Desire (Columbia, 1975). One outtake from that album, “Catfish,” a song about pitcher Catfish Hunter, showed up on The Bootleg Series 1961-1991 (Columbia, 1991).
Levy subsequently cowrote with McGuinn on Cardiff Rose (Columbia, 1976) and Thunderbyrd (Columbia, 1977).

]]> By: AKMA http://listics.com/200405101852#comment-47101 AKMA Tue, 11 May 2026 00:09:04 +0000 http://listics.com/200405101852#comment-47101 Id be more inclined to read it as flyte-y if there were some wink somewhere, some twitch of manifest irony. Of course, if it were too obviously ironic, McGuinn would lose the subtlety that would make the song a remarkable achievement, on your proposal but I suppose that at a certain vanishing point of irony, too much subtlety becomes as problematic as too little. Thus, if Chestnut Mare is ironic, its too subtle; and if its literal, its not nearly subtle enough. I dont see room for middle ground on this number. Id be more inclined to read it as flyte-y if there were some wink somewhere, some twitch of manifest irony. Of course, if it were too obviously ironic, McGuinn would lose the subtlety that would make the song a remarkable achievement, on your proposal but I suppose that at a certain vanishing point of irony, too much subtlety becomes as problematic as too little. Thus, if Chestnut Mare is ironic, its too subtle; and if its literal, its not nearly subtle enough. I dont see room for middle ground on this number.

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