The latter-day line-up of the Byrds, featuring McGuinn, White, Parsons, and Battin, was regarded by critics and audiences as being much more accomplished in
concert than previous configurations of the band had been. This being the case, it made perfect sense to capture their sound in a live environment, and so two consecutive New York concert appearances were recorded. The first of these was the band's performance at
Queens College's Colden Center Auditorium on February 28, 1970, and the second was their performance at the
Felt Forum on March 1, 1970. Of the seven live tracks featured on the album, "
So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", "
Mr. Tambourine Man", "
Mr. Spaceman", and "
Eight Miles High" were drawn from the Queens College performance, while "Lover of the Bayou", "
Positively 4th Street", and "Nashville West" originated from the Felt Forum show. Byrds biographer
Johnny Rogan has suggested that the appearance of the band's earlier
hit singles "Mr. Tambourine Man", "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", and "Eight Miles High" on the live record had the effect of forging a spiritual and musical link between the band's current line-up and the original mid-1960s incarnation of the band. "Lover of the Bayou" is followed on the album by a
cover of
Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street", which would be the last Dylan song that the Byrds covered on an album until "Paths of Victory", which was recorded during the 1990 reunion sessions featured on
The Byrds box set. The remainder of side one of
(Untitled) is made up of live versions of album tracks and earlier
hits. In a 1999 interview with journalist
David Fricke, McGuinn explained the rationale behind the inclusion of earlier Byrds' material on the album: "The live album was Melcher's way of repackaging some of the hits in a viable way. Actually, I wanted the studio stuff to come first. Terry wouldn't hear of it." Side two of the live album is taken up in its entirety by a sixteen-minute, extended version of "Eight Miles High", which proved to be popular on
progressive rock radio during the early 1970s. The track is highlighted by the dramatic guitar interplay between McGuinn and White, as well as the intricate
bass and
drum playing of Battin and Parsons. The song begins with
improvisational jamming, which lasts for over twelve minutes and culminates in an iteration of the song's first
verse. Rogan has stated the opinion that the revamping of "Eight Miles High" featured on
(Untitled) represented the ultimate fusion of the original Byrds and the newer line-up. At the end of this live performance of "Eight Miles High", the band can be heard playing a rendition of their signature stage tune, "Hold It", which had first been heard on record at the close of the "
My Back Pages/B.J. Blues/
Baby What You Want Me to Do"
medley included on
Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. Additional live material from the Byrds' early 1970 appearances at Queens College and the Felt Forum has been officially released over the years. "Lover of the Bayou", "Black Mountain Rag (Soldier's Joy)", and a cover of
Lowell George's "Willin'", taken from the Queens College concert, were included on
The Byrds box set in 1990. Additionally, performances of "
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Old Blue", "
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "
Ballad of Easy Rider", "My Back Pages", and "
This Wheel's on Fire" from the Felt Forum show were included on the expanded
(Untitled)/(Unissued) release in 2000. A further two songs, "You All Look Alike" and "Nashville West", taken from the Queen's College concert were included on the 2006 box set,
There Is a Season. ==Studio recordings==