When Roger (then Jim) McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby met in Los Angeles in 1964 and decided to form a group, they originally called themselves the Jet Set. As the Jet Set they barely if ever performed in public, but they did record quite prolifically, as manager Jim Dickson could give them access to plenty of studio time. One early such recording--The Only Girl, a skeletal but charming acoustic track that sounded like a cross between the Beatles and the Everly Brothers--did surface on the hard-to-find compilation album Early LA years later. In the late 1980s, it was reissued on CD as part of Rhino's compilation of pre-Mr. Tambourine Man Byrds material, In the Beginning.

The Jet Set grew to five in 1964 with the addition of Michael Clarke on drums and Chris Hillman on bass; two of their recordings, Please Let Me Love You/Don't Be Long, were issued as a single on Elektra and billed to the Beefeaters (though only McGuinn, Clark, and Crosby appear on the tracks). In late 1964, the Jet Set changed their name to the Byrds, prior to signing with Columbia and becoming stars. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi