Fifth Dimension

An OK psych folk album, but there is just no reason to have 5 (!) The Byrds albums on this lyst, considering the criminal number of omissions.

This album was uninspiring enough that I can't even be bothered to write a proper set of listening notes.

FIVE STARS An all-time classic and a personal favorite of mine. Up to 1966, The Byrds had enough assets in their game to consider they had already established the perfect formula in their very first LP, *Hey Mr Tambourine Man*, and that there was no reason for them to veer off-course three albums in after the success they had. That formula is that cliché most listeners still associate The Byrds with today: use Dylan's shortest, catchiest tunes, cover them by adding melifluous vocal harmonies that are complete u-turns from Bob's rough, nasal timbre and inflexions, wait for those covers to hit the charts, and then cash in. Of course, you could still replace Dylan with Pete Seeger and The Bible (see "Turn, Turn, Turn"), traditional tunes or everything in between. But in its core, the formula didn't change a bit. Not that individual members of the band were frauds and impostors as they performed those skilled transformations. Coming themselves from the US folk scene, they had learned how to translate those folk staples into a more pop-oriented language, but thanks to their original background, they could also instill those rendition with a much-needed sense of authenticity. Both serious and commercial, folk and rock, The Byrds were at the crossroads of everything the sixties were all about. With Gene Clark, The Byrds also had a main songwriter in their ranks, admittedly, and the covers were interspersed with originals, too. But even if Clark seemed like a competent songwriter in his own right, this didn't fool audiences. As influential as The Byrds were on the overall sound of the mid-sixties, they were first and foremost seen as performers. And it was never a problem. The sixties going as fast as they did, it soon became one, however. Especially when Gene Clark left the boat at the exact moment when true authorship started to become a huge plus for pop audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. After Clark's departure, Jim McGuinn and David Crosby had no choice but to step in and increase their songwriting output. That some reviewers have considered that the two guitarists were still in the process of learning the ropes of that trade in 1966 is a little baffling given how the originals on this album could easily be deemed superior to most of Clark's endeavors. The original songs shine throughout the whole LP, leaving many earworms in their trail, from enticing opener "5D" to the John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar-inspired "Eight Miles High", a cryptic track (partly written by Clark before he left) about soft drugs--a tune logically banned on the radio--often quoted as the the first psychedelic rock song ever penned. *Psychedelic*. The word is like that magic carpet on which most of the band members sit Ali-Baba style on the album's front visual. It is a promise to fly to outer worlds of the mind, a promise that's also in keeping with the Sci-Fi themes in some of the songs. "Mr Spaceman" is for instance a tongue-in-cheek country-rock pastiche of sorts referring alien abductions. And the fifth dimension of "5D" is one inspired by Einstein's foray into theoretical physics, not lysergic drugs, contrary to audience's expectations at the time. But such misunderstanding is not necessarily a betrayal of what the song--and the album to which it inspired the name--is all about. Open your mind. Feel that awe (and possible terror, too) when the gates of perceptions are blown far wide. As hackneyed and cliché that philosophy may read today, what's impressive about the album is how fresh, effortless and spontaneous the results of that preliminary foray into a new world appear today. That pop freshness is partly explained by the fact that the Byrds were instigators of that psychedelic trend, and not mere followers of it (the rougher and more garage-oriented version of that trend exemplified by The 13th Floor Elevators came out in the exact same year, for instance). And like many other instigators they were not necessarily understood as they should have been. Short yet insistent bridges and breaks with reverse-tape-recorded guitars, raga-like flourishes and other sitar-inspired riffs abound during the record. The move was challenging for general audiences, yet The Byrds took their chances, catching some fans and even music critics off-guard. The covers were also more interesting and riskier than anything that the band had ever attempted (no Dylan anthem to be heard there). It's a risk that paid off, generally speaking, and nowhere did it pay off more brightly than on that mysterious musical rendition of a poem by Turkish poet Nâzim Hikmet, a quite obscure reference for western audiences. "I Come And Stand At Every Door" is indeed as hypnotic as it is slowly powerful, yet never does it come off as a pretention dirge, so beautiful its intricate harmonies are. At its core, it is a miniature lesson in patience and meditation, one that Crosby would use to great effects again in his own song "Everybody's Been Burned" on the next album. But it's mostly one of many tracks on the album that manages to transcend tts sixties psychedelic context to become something a little more timeless than that, and one can only regret Crosby didn't *really* explore this trend further later on. Obviously, opening your mind also encourages a spaghetti-at-the-wall approach. Even as recently as the last ten years or so, some critics have indeed complained of the topsy-turvy nature of this record marking the Byrds' transition from folk-pop translators of Dylan's repertoire into psychedelic adventurers. But complaining about any lack of cohesiveness here might be missing the point, since the twists and turns in the tracklisitng are part of the appeal here devised for receptive souls tired by standardized listening (and thinking). It's the sort of standard The Byrds had actually set upon themselves during the earliest part of their career, and one can guess they were tired, too. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to find a way out. After *Fifth Dimension*, The Byrds would even use what they had learned from the recording of this preliminary masterpiece to great effects on their two next records, often heralded as their very best. I sometimes wonder why those records, which are a bit of a mess themselves, are never judged as harshly as *Fifth Dimension*. Maybe it's because it takes *more* time for certain minds to open, and that contemporary critical reaction only caught up with The Byrds once Crosby was out of the picture, namely with *The Notorious Byrd Brothers*, leaving the two previous LPs with a more "difficult" critical reputation. But the magic carpet started flying here, with this very album. And to this mind also tired of standardized thinking, it has never flown more beautifully than when it soared like this to the lysergic skies, and beyond them. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 971 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 11 (including this one). Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 7 Albums from the list I will *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 9 Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list but it's because I recognize how culturally important they are): 2]

A little sloppy and a lot trippy. Eight Miles High is maybe the most 60s song there is. Interesting to hear a song with anti-war lyrics about Hiroshima and soon after a weird rendition of the gunning-down-my-woman song Hey Joe (so much cowbell).

Folk, blues and traditional. Fairly bland, felt a little like a contractual obligation album.

Exit pop stars The Byrds, enter psychedelic folk rock pioneers The Byrds. Very very good.

I feel like this album isn’t anything special. It is good, but I don’t get why it’s here

Not sure I’d consider this an essential Byrds record, “8 Miles High” is the pretty clear standout, and the singles are also highlights, but the version of “8 Miles High” on their 1970 record, (Untitled)/(Unissued), is probably the version to hear - they jam it out and play with an intensity that few of their peers, *cough* The Grateful Dead *cough*, could ever hope to match. Sorry for the coughing…the pollen is really bad this year. …and if you listen to that version, be sure to follow it up with the next track, “Chestnut Mare”, which, metaphorically speaking, is one of the weirdest songs ever written. 5D isn’t a “great Byrds album” for me, it’s a good one, for sure, but they hadn’t really transitioned into psychedelic folk/rock quite fully yet and I’m not sure 5D rises to the level of “must hear”.

Je croyais pourtant avoir été clair dans ma critique de la semaine dernière au sujet des Byrds et de leur incapable leader Gene Clark... Je vais donc devoir me répéter. Gene Clark et sa bande de joyeux singes n'apportent aucune plus-value à la musique. Ils reprennent un coup l'air de La Marseillaise (cf Eight Miles High), plagient ensuite le bon vieux Jimi (cf Hey Joe) même si ce dernier n'a sorti son tube que l'année suivante, et se permettent de clore leur album avec deux morceaux indisponibles dans votre zone géographique. En résumé, un immense foutage de gueule.

Fine, I guess.

That was a fun slice of time. Way more varied and sonically interesting than I would have expected. Hey Joe was a pretty wild cover.

Ho lala this week album selection is refined to my psychedelic tastes. LSD and carpet ride is all I have been aspiring to my whole life. Loved this album very much. So very mystically 70s!

only tambourine man but this is betta

Awesome - hadn't heard Mr Spaceman in ages! Love that guitar tone.

“McGuinn in particular felt that if the song was played on radio there was a possibility that extraterrestrials might intercept the broadcasts and make contact. However, in later years McGuinn realized that this would've been impossible since AM radio waves disperse too rapidly in space.” - Wikipedia McGuinn went searching for little green men and found Jesus instead, I read later. Ah, the Sixties! Stupid like now, but with fewer Fascists! For original songs, this has one banger, “8 Miles High”, which I’ll drag with me to my grave. Mostly, this is baroque delivery of overwrought message. I enjoy the Byrds more in the moment to moment, especially McGuin’s chirping, morse-code solos, which I’ve never heard elsewhere and wish had been built upon. Including a Nazim Hikmet poem about a victim of the Hiroshima bombing is somewhat wild, but maybe not groovy!

Quite a modest effort, redeemed by "Eight Miles High", for which the guitar still sounds extraordinary today. Mark - as we're here, check out Roxy Music's cover. Slinky yacht groover or excess parmesan catastrophe? You decide!

Maybe the vey moment the 1960s took off for the psychedelic flight that added a crucial dimension to rock/pop music. Lovely record, timeless, beautiful and wholesome. Still love it.

Half of this album sounds like renaissance faire choral music and the other half sounds like the most drug-induced psychedelic noodling ever. Luckily, I'm here for both.

magnificent, chiming, psychedelic explorations of sound - great melodies, harmonies and arrangements

Unexpected as to how much I enjoyed this album. It was like discovering an unreleased album from a band you love. In my case The Jayhawks. So much influence this sounds has had though on bands that I’ve listened to countless times. I’m shocked that I’ve never heard more than just the ‘singles’ from this album. Definitely one I’ll be returning to.

Excelente

What a difference a tab makes. Totally out there and taking on some concepts that almost feel alien to the same band that did "Hey Mr Tambourine Man." The cover of "Hey Joe" is great fun as well.

God only knows how much I needed to listen to a Jingle Jangle this morning! The Byrds is one of the bands from the 60s that I have listened to least. Of course I knew the cover of Tambourine Man, but I had never stopped to listen to a whole album. Two interesting things: 1 - The first time I listened to Mr. Spaceman, it was in the voice of my fellow Brazilian, Raúl Seixas - Father of Brazilian Rock. His version is called "S.O.S" and came out on his second album "Gita" (1974) 2 - A version of Hey Joe older than Jimi Hendrix's. Interesting, but obviously Jimi's is superior. But this one is also very cool! I'm going to give it 5 stars today! Where have I been all this time that I hadn't listened to these guys before...

Welcome to the revolution

*****

Yes

Kinda shouldn’t be as good as it is.

Wunderbarer Gesang, könnte den Byrds stundenlang zuhören.

So many recognizable songs that stretch pop in new directions. Great time.

i love byrdsmaxxing

Loved it

Great album with some of my favorite tracks

The Byrds had such an amazing sound. It’s sad they weren’t around too long. Their harmonies were so pleasant and their style was such a beautiful blend of folk and rock. I loved this album!!

Fifth Dimension represents a pivotal shift towards psychedelia, blending folk rock with experimental sounds and introspective lyrics. Released in 1966, it features standout tracks like Eight Miles High and Fifth Dimension, showcasing Roger McGuinn's distinctive 12-string guitar and the band's harmonious vocals amidst a backdrop of innovative studio techniques. Despite initial mixed reviews, the album has since become a landmark in psychedelic rock, influencing generations with its adventurous spirit and musical exploration. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 9 STAND OUT TRACK - What's Happening?

This popped up on my screen and for a brief moment I was ecstatic! I hadn’t imagined that this list would acknowledge The 5th Dimension… Wedding Bell Blues! One Less Bell To Answer! Up Up and Away! I had thought that the closest I’d get to this was the Laura Nyro album “Eli and the Thirteenth Confession” album we had some time ago where we heard the original “Sweet Blindness”. Never mind… This is Fifth (not 5th) Dimension by The Byrds. Oops. This was quite good. Pretty much what I expect from The Byrds by now but I really liked it. The bonus tracks were pretty great too. Still, I can’t help but think one could trim down those five albums from The Byrds to make room for The 5th Dimension.

Was very happy when this popped up. I grew up with the Byrds and love this - great music, vocals, harmonies.

Cool

Folk rock, psychedelic rock. Lovely harmonies, a very calm and peaceful album. I really liked the atmosphere of the songs, just mellow and almost hypnotic. Incredible guitar work, with drums and bass really flowing together. Pretty cool learning that this album is thought of as the first psychedelic album ever released. Also worth mentioning that this album as produced masterfully, everything is so clear when it needs to be, my only gripe is that it's mixed where pretty much each instrument is panned to one side or the other. And it doesn't stay consistent either. That aside, everything about this album was beautiful. Absolutely loved it all. Might listen again, I think visiting this bands other albums would be cool as well. 4.5/5

New favorite Byrds album of the book so far! I'm clearly way too young to be making this declaration, but this album must have been considered ahead of its time...I'd actually probably suspect most Byrds albums are considered as such. I never realized how important they were to music until this boom though. Favorite track: Eight Miles High

When "Notorious Byrd Brothers" came around as album #13, I had of course heard of them and their Tambourine Man but I'd been largely ignorant about who they were and what they actually did. Some jangle pop folk rock, no? That album ended up in my favourites. So does this, even more so, because I've also since realized how much I like David Crosby ('Notorious' should have been a 4 probably, but I don't care, this isn't a contest). Bottom line: when The Byrds were like *this*, they were possibly the best 60ies band that side of the Atlantic.

Great

I like this album quite a bit, it's one I listened to semi frequently before I started the 1001 albums thing and it's one I'm going to continue listening to after. It's fascinating to listen to music from a birth of a genre and that's exactly what you get from 5th dimension with psychedelic rock. Tropes that would become staples are first taking shape here.

Had never listened to the Byrds but I really enjoyed this ablum! A mix of styles and sounds, but all a great listening experience

Now you’re talking.

Classic

Psicodelia na dose certa, a guitarra do Crosby garante o envolvimento da viagem entre o folk e blues.

Great guitar work here. Harmonies slick as always. The more Britishy folk vibes are here. Would have given it 4 but giving it 5 cause the haters made me love it more.

Amazing, loved it <3

absolute genius. 1966 and what a blend of voices and harmonies, rock, folk and some Shankar inspired sounds... Thought provoking and hopeful lyrics. Love it

I honestly love David Crosby the more I listen to him. Hell yes to the tightness on display too.

Psychedelic folk by some of the greatest. Love it.

Top echelon stuff, this. A touch of absolute genius, when it comes to arrangement.

PREFS : 5D (Fifth Dimension), Wild Mountain Thyme, Mr. Spaceman, I See You, What's Happening ?!?!, I Come and Stand at Every Door, Eight Miles High, John Riley MOINS PREF : Captain Soul

Really solid folk rock album. I enjoyed this immensely. Rest in peace David Crosby.

Very good harmony and rhythm. Really liked this one!

There is such a thing as 1D chess, 2D chess, 3D and 4D most well known. But The Byrds were out here playing 5D chess, way back in 1966! From beyond far out, they proved themselves to be less interpreters of the increasingly mercurial Dylan but as the more consistent American rock band of their age (Beach Boys notwithstanding), giving us indelible gems that not only became emblematic of their era but also stood the test of time. Fifth Dimension is an important step forward.

That was sweet! Such a trip!

The Byrds is another band I grew up with and loved. Memorable Bob Dylan covers included My Back Pages and Mr. Tambourine Man. Fifth Dimension is the first Byrds album that did not include a Dylan cover. However, it does include some traditional songs such as Wild Mountain Thyme and John Riley. The progression from the traditional songs to songs like Eight Miles High and Mr. Spaceman is what makes this album stand out. The Byrds' experimentation and innovation may have helped generate the Psychadelic Rock genre. However, they always kept their folk rock roots. The harmonies of McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman are beautiful. It is no wonder that Crosby, Stills, and Nash followed with great harmonies. Finally, McGuinn's 12 string Rickenbacker adds to the signature sound of the Byrds and is in evidence on this album.

A fantastic album, just an absolute joy to listen to

Really good 4.7 stars

great

Du bon vieux rock qui s'écoute tout seul

This list for me into the Byrds but this album first side is good but lags in the second half.

Byrds aren't real

I see why they called it "Fifth Dimension " weird 8 out of 10

Thoughts before listening: I enjoy most of what I have heard from the Byrds. They were early to the game with the folk rock sound and were a huge influence on bands that I enjoy quite a bit. Looking at the tracklist, I only recognize "Eight Miles High" and what appears to be a cover of "Hey Joe", but I am sure this will be good. Review: This is cool. The Byrds were really young when this album came out, and it has the vibes of a psychedelic garage band...which is because thats basically what they were. There's a sloppiness to these recordings that I really like. The best song on here is "Eight Miles High", but I have added quite a few tracks to my playlist. 4-stars

The Byrds will probably go down in history as one of the most influential bands of the 60s, not counting the Beatles, of course. While they weren’t the only ones shaping the future of music, they made a significant mark. This album, in my opinion, is more of a folk rock album that definitely leans towards the direction of psychedelic rock, even though that genre wasn’t fully established at that time. Their track “Eight Miles High” is considered one of the very first true psychedelic songs ever made. Also, they deserve credit for that jangly guitar sound, which had a huge influence on music moving forward, especially in the 80s with the indie rock that came out of that scene.

This album starts pretty slow and forgettable, but goddamn do those 4 songs in the middle absolutely BANG! I mean, how influential and crazy is that guitar playing on "Eight Miles High"? Gets a 4 for that alone, what an album saving run. It ended fine just not as exciting as the middle

Retro, mood specific

My biggest complaint is this album is far too long, there's definitely some duds that could be scrapped, but apart from that, pretty enjoyable psych-folk album, a few songs I enjoyed, decent would probably listen again.

these guys are always a good listen. on that early edge of country/rock/psych and i think they do it well

Initial three-track run is ELECTRIC man sm good stuff jam-packed into that trio of songs... Unfortunately it kinda starts to run out of steam the further you get into the LP, which is not to say its a BAD album but I think sometimes the experimental sounds that the group were hoping to explore don't always pay-off (i.e. 2-4-2- Fox Trot). Still great, and so important to the development of the folk and psychedelia sound that The Byrds helped shape in the mid to late 60s. For ME, I lean a bit more towards their early-70's country/bluegrass stuff, but this I still really really like! :)

Album has its moments. Like the vibes but not completely my jam.

BEST SONGS: - What's Happening? - 2-4-2 Fox Trot - Eight Miles High

I have heard of The Byrds, but I was shocked by just how much I enjoyed this record. There’s some fun tunes with beautiful harmonies and killer instrumental lines. I don’t love the guitar solos, but they did grow on me a bit.

Yeah no there are too many Byrds albums in the list, especially considering there's 2 Gene Clark and various Cros stuff as well. I'd have left this one out even though Eight Miles High is majestic and various parts of the album show the seeds of Psych.

Loved it

8/10

This one starts with two beauties, especially the opening track, which does manage to express the joy and realness of psychedelic experience: 'Oh, how is it that I could come out here / And be still floatin' / And never hit bottom and keep falling through / Just relaxed and paying attention?' That is precise, and superb. But then it drags quite a bit. Tho I admire the austerity of 'I Come and Stand at Every Door,' nothing impresses until the still innovative 'Eight Miles High.' Up next, the speedy and frantic rendition of 'Hey Joe' doesn't do it for me (it's admittedly hard for any to 'do it' after Hendrix), and the rest is good, but not great. When psychedelia snubs melodic variety, it can fall flat - this has that handicap. But it was widely influential and has some greatness in it. For that, I go higher.

Pretty nice. Favourite songs: 5D, I see you, What’s happening, Captain soul,

Pretty solid album! A bit folk-ish, but still all the songs were worth listening to. Even listened to the extended version for a few different versions. Solid 3.5/5 - will round up.

As i was listening this album I thought if asked to generate a 60s psychedelic rock album the AI would come up something like that. It is fine but also quite generic. I enjoyed it though.

Day356 - roger mcguinn is the overlooked genius. great lyrics and harmonies

Good songs for the most part with great performances. The one or two tracks emulating Bob Dylan bring this down to four stars.

Cool album. Standout songs: Mr Spaceman Eight Miles High Captain Soul

good songs and interesting covers

Un gran álbum que explora el rock y el country, o el rock psicodelico, o el rock y los coros y voces, una experimentación constante y creativa que dejó huellas a seguir. Agradable experiencia, muy agradable

Not much to say besides it being decent psychedelic. Solid 4 in my eyes.

I’m at a 4. Well, it’s definitely a much more engaging album than “Younger than Yesterday” was, mainly because this album finds a more distinct musical identity (early prototype psychedelic rock) and really plays around with it in a variety of ways. It doesn’t always succeed, but it does take some pretty good swings, and when it clicks, it really clicks. The album only ever lost me on one track, which was “I See You”. Past that, everything else ranged from good to great, but it never really reaches an upper echelon of making me drop my jaw or anything. The biggest flaw this album suffers from, is that even with its experimentation of a relatively “new” genre, it tends to just… settle. Too many tracks find their rhythm or their melodic hook, and then go stagnant. The worst offender here, and I hate to say it, is the ode against the atomic bomb “I Come and Stand at Every Door”, which has a great message settled in front of an ultimately really flat melody that pretty much undermined my desire to listen to it. The other issue is simply in the track order, and I only say this because 2-4-2 Fox Trot not being immediately before Eight Miles High is criminal from a synergy standpoint – it’s a decent track that’s sorely misplaced as the final track, and it makes the album end on a flatter note than if it had finished on literally any other track on the second side. I did enjoy this though – it’s under 30 minutes, so it flies by, and most of the tracks are at least an interesting listen, mostly in the instrumentals, but sometimes the lyrics hit really nicely. I liked it a lot, save for a few perceived flaws, but those are easily adjustable, and partially limited by the mid-1960s. It’s a pretty darn good 4.

I think I just like The Byrds’ early era. While I loved Mr. Tamborine Man, I hated Sweetheart of the Rodeo, but that’s an unfair comparison, since that’s essentially a Ship of Theseus band by that point. Fifth Dimension, on the other hand, still sounds like the Byrds, with a little something extra. I may not be the biggest fan of country rock or psychedelic rock, but those genres are very obviously being invented here, and so the difference between experimentation and pandering is palpable. Plus, I just love The Byrds’ guitar tone and approach to harmony. Fifth Dimension isn’t a perfect album, and the psychedelic shit and traditional songs do border on annoying to me, but overall, I still find this very enjoyable, despite my normal tastes, even if I wouldn’t reach for it super frequently. The fact that it’s a progenitor for multiple genres also warms me up to its inclusion in the book. This said, this is 100% where I jump off The Byrds train, so I am not excited to learn that I have two more of their albums to get through.

I am surprised by how current these songs are! Super enjoyable tunes with an eerie touch. I love the first half of the album, the second did not grabbed me at the same level, still liked it. Will go back to this!

I really like this album! Just kind of a weird but still very pleasant sound…I don’t know enough about production to describe what it is but it almost sounds like I’m listening to a band play in a very open warehouse or something. It had an airy/clangy sound to it? I already had about half these songs saved and I added more this time around. It’s the perfect length and has good variety. It also made for great background music to walk outside on a crisp autumn day so thanks for that you guys. Fav tracks: What’s Happening?; Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go); I See You

Interesting album, full of good songs.

Guay a secas

jfc, I Come And Stand At Every Door is a laugh a minute, huh? I like a lot of this. The vocals are 100% Wonder Years. Most of the music was really good, much of it made me realize what Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention were making fun of, especially the weird guitar noodling. I would definitely listen to this again

I liked it!!! Felt similar to the beatles. It’s just refreshing to hear something i enjoy loll

Previously rated on RYM. 4 stars

8.2 ★★★★

3.5/5

I think the band has a really cool sound on this album and it really foreshadows a lot of 90s alt-country. They're working withing the folk rock framework, but adding a lot of really interesting elements and taking it in new directions. Highlights for me are the title track, "Mr. Spaceman", "What's Happening!?!?!", and of course "Eight Miles High". Second side of the album isn't quite as strong as the first -- I'm not super high on their version of "Hey Joe", but overall, it's probably my favorite Byrds album. 4.5.