Fifth Dimension

a bit of a mix between different styles, from folk to psychedelics, can't really say i find any of the songs standout but nothing is really bad either.

Fun for the time, with good harmonies, but I'm still a little young/old for this.

Unfortunately a difficult listen. One dimensional boring psychedelic infused 60s pop chud. I don't know man everytime the Byrds show up on this list I get pissed off. I can't relate to what makes this special because its dated and is not timeless. 2 stars since its supposed to be a legacy act that inspired all my classic rock faves.

No me gustó ni lo disfrute

I, time and again, I fall for simplicity of 60s rock. The harmonies between the singers are nothing but beautiful and the “played-out” backbeat is music to my ears. I’m non-apologetic about this. What a good album. John Riley is also an extremely well told song, probably one of my favorite stories. I also love that this album is short, packs its elegance nicely.

I did my duty for the day and listened to this album

Very boring, very uninspired, very lackluster. It's trippy 60's psychedelic rock to the core of the definition. Nothing really stood out, nothing really impressed me, it's just a played out genre. 2/10

The album cover for this entry is very 1960s with its psychedelic look, while the music is part psychedelic and part folk rock. I listened to the original release, which has eleven tracks. Overall this is a short album, typical of mid-1960s music. The final track is one I could do without, although I understand why it’s there (see Wiki). There are a couple of singles off this album (“Mr. Spaceman, “Eight Miles High”).

Why Byrds and not Birds? Were they copying the Beatles? [several wiki skims later] Yes! It "echoed the deliberate misspelling of the Beatles"! Well, that's nice. Someone else on this list did 'Wild Mountain Thyme', but I don't remember who. However, I must note that Rufus has also sang it. (Sung it?) Other wiki discoveries, re: 'Mr Space Man' - "Upon its release as a single, the music press coined the term "space-rock" to describe it, although since then, this term has come to refer to a genre of rock music originating from 1970s progressive and psychedelic music" -- is that so?? First of all, why did the music press need a special term for this song which sounds exactly like all the other songs on this album? Is the simple word "space" enough to set the masses afrenzy?! The idea that "space rock" is used for some extension of 70s prog/psychedelia feels absolutely false; I feel like it's more electro than anything (or honestly just songs with space-themed words in them, which at least is true to its supposed origin). Either way, it's surely better than Lear Jet rock. I do like a song called 'What's Happening?!?!'. Put that one on the soundtrack to my life. Highlight: "drownded" (see, these past tenses & participles are a mystery to us all)

My third Byrds album, and this one sits neatly between the jangly, altogether OK 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and the wet turd that was 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo'. So was it a gradual decline, or did they fall off a cliff somewhere along the way? I suspect Gram Parsons may have had something to do with that cliff. 'Fifth Dimension' still has plenty of jangle, but you can hear the psychedelia starting to creep in. Or perhaps this was the point where The Byrds were helping invent it? Overall, I’m about 50:50 on this album. 'Eight Miles High' is great. 'The Lear Jet Song' is fucking terrible. And there’s a fair amount of filler in between.

First listen.

I knew the band. OK tunes. OK album.

Early American folk. Kinda dull. Not really my thing but not a terrible listen

I can do without the Byrds. I know I should love them, but I just don't. It IS a good album though, and it is a least 100X better than that horrible Sweethearts of the Rodeo album they made. 4/5

Didn't have any strong opinions on this one, very 60's which is okay for a change of pace but not something I'd listen to regularly.

Another Byrds album of the Byrds doing Byrds things.

Ok 2/5

Like most people, I probably just forever associate The Byrds with "Turn Turn Turn," which is a great song, but that kind of jangle folk from the '60s is something I don't tend to listen to that often. There were some other interesting directions on this album that I wasn't really anticipating: some of the more psychedelic influence and a little bit of extended jam-out that I DO tend to like. It was a pleasant surprise.

Great 60's folk. Hendrix's Hey Joe is beautiful.

Another fucking Byrds album? There are 5 total? Is one even worthy? I don't think so. Then there are still 3 more albums of solo efforts post Byrds by Gene Clark and David Crosby?🙄

I think listening to "The Yardbirds" unfairly prepared for this album to be boring, but it was anything but. This is definitely one of the better 60s albums I've heard on here. I found the proto-psychedlic sound to be really interesting and thought there was a lot of depth to the record. The vocals are kind of weak overall, but not terrible. I also learned that "Hey Joe" wasn't written by Jimi Hendrix (or The Byrds, as it turns out).

I tried it listening to it twice. It's uninteresting. First track sounds like a bad Dylan cover.

My favorite of all the Byrds albums ive listened to so far.

Disclaimed I like the Byrds, I mean really like. The Byrds are/were one of the most influential bands of rock/pop/psychedelia/ country rock/ folk rock. That isn’t me saying that it’s people who know much more than I do. They had reciprocal relationships with the Beatles and Dylan, beyond acts they later influenced. Funny how because they aren’t one of the buzz bands these days their music is underplayed/valued on this site. Yet others who obviously influenced by them are lauded. Well whatever, sheep. They are for me the prototype rock band, carrying the DNA of what music would become. Simultaneously looking backwards and forward. They pretty much changed with most albums while staying themselves. Impossibly cool while geeky, eccentric and just gloriously imperfect. And as dysfunctional as bands it seems must be. I mean who in ‘66 would try to channel Coltrane in a rock song. The enigmatic Eight miles, the trad old English folk of John Riley and the futuristic ( at the time im guessing) of the sound effect heavy Lear jet song. All in 30 odd minutes. Not a baby boomer but still one of my favourite bands, 5 Star

I have a soft spot for The Byrds as in my mind, they are indelibly linked to that late ‘60’s flower power, Easy Rider, Jimi Hendrix period that is so evocative for me. You can spot their sound instantly, just like the Beach Boys. Good album.

Sympa rien de particulier. La dernière musique est marrante au niveau de l’instru (2-4-2 Fox Trot)

a lot of good songs here. I had heard the eight miles high (did not know who sang it) but all the rest were new to me. sort of standard 60's folk rock but very nice. I would definitely listen to this again - probably going to listen to it again today

JL : 1, What's Happening?

Some truly awful songs on this bit thankfully they are only 3 minutes long!

This is the fifth missive from The Byrds and thankfully less country than the last. It starts off a bit Dylanesque, but then he always has been a better writer than performer. But then it also gets rather psychedelic especially with the fabulous Eight Miles High. And their rendition of Hey Joe was extraordinary to say the least. On the whole I really liked this album certainly one of their better ones. I'm giving this a 4.

Quite liked the opening 2 tracks, a lovely folky vibe. But the rest didn’t do it for me.

I dont mind early period Byrds, its what I listened to in my teens, Eight Miles High, Mr Spaceman, all decent classic early psychedelia tunes here. As my friend pointed out, the Bob Dylan penned tracks really worked out well for them, they were much better musicians than old trampy Bob. Where did it all go horribly wrong for them? That has been one of my big learnings from this 1001 project. Adopting the Country sound of course, its a suicide note for me.

Enjoyed

lovely!

They have a thing for airplanes, huh? This album is all over the place but still a solid ride. lottttts of clear Beatles inspo going on too. Interesting to read the history that most of this album was written without their primary songwriter from past albums. Also hilarious that Eight Miles High was banned from some radio stations; it's sooo harmless.

I'm a nyrd for the Byrds. My only issue with this stylistic grab bag it is that the lushness on the melancholy numbers takes away from the punch of the earlier records (seek out the mono version of "Turn Turn Turn" - it sounds like a stampede). I never get tired of "Eight Miles High" - it's kind of a perfect song, but can do without their anemic "Hey Joe". "Captain Soul" is as close as the Byrds ever got to funky and "Mr. Spaceman" is them at their most fun.

Despite a couple non-essential tracks, this album’s best moments comprise a master class on chiming 12-string guitars, bittersweet vocal harmonies and anthemic songs that capture the late-60s countercultural zeitgeist. Standouts are “I See You,” the title track and the irrepressible “Eight Miles High,” which has spawned excellent cover versions by the likes of Hüsker Dü and Leo Kottke (and probably more I’m not aware of). The twangy guitar plucking on the latter, and the odd version of “Hey Joe,” seem to prefigure the band’s turn toward country a few years later.

Not usually my thing, but a pretty solid effort that has aged well.

Definitely feeling the loss of Gene Clark, though he left them with “Eight Miles High”. A strong, but somewhat uneven album, the follow up “Younger than Yesterday” is outstanding.

I just cannot get into the Byrds

3 out of 5. Two psychedelic albums in a row, with Sunshine Superman yesterday, but this one comes out on top for me.

Unexpectedly affected by I Come and Stand at Every Door.

3/10

I guess this is on the list primarily because of Eight Miles High - which is probably one of the first, if not THE first psychedelic songs. The rest of the album wears a little thin on me, and while I like the electric 12 string sounds, the use on this record got a little boring.

Favorite songs: 5D (Fifth Dimension), Mr. Spaceman, What’s Happening?!?!, Eight Miles High, Captain Soul

The jangle and chime of folk rock, with the Byrds getting all chaos squiggly amidst droney sitar-esque layers. Some good songs on here: 8 Miles High, 5D, but some real garbage as well, the Hey Joe just shows how much better Hendrix's is, David Crosby is a stoney idiot, and the instrumental is pure filler. Uneven, if interesting.

Divine harmonies and lilting but restrained melodies, except when they let loose a little. Their version of “Hey Joe” is worth hearing.

Interesting album. I think of The Byrds as being among the grandfathers of anything jangle such as Paisley Underground. They feel more like a band with hits than albums, and that’s what I discovered with this one. There are some great songs here. Classic songs. Those are what I added to the playlist instead of the album.

Pretty basic. Good genre. Certainly nothing to write home about

Love this groovy, psychedelic shit. Could listen to this all day

Eight Miles High is a classic, the rest of the album less so. I don’t like their take on Hey Joe, with added lyrics and no menace, the pass at a Scottish folk song is bland and the rest sounds like they’ve thought about what a Byrds record should be and made that.

silly little album, i love mr spaceman.

Хороший

It's OK

There's better album by The Byrds. This isn't bad, just kinda lacks some of the soul.

Weird ending. 3/5

A fine listen that is probably much better if done while under the influence. Could have done without a 16 minute vocal track at the end. I fail to find the essential nature of this album given there are four other Byrds albums to get through here. Always a bit suspicious of bands with a single frontman that remains consistent and an ever changing lineup of other musicians, even a man with a distinguished first name. As Raylan Givens reminds us, you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole.

Psychedelic folk - great harmonies, occasionally dissonant instrumentation, socially aware lyrics that sometimes don't bother with things like scansion or rhyme. It's fine.

A third star only for Eight Miles High - otherwise a bit bland, despite allegedly being a pioneering work in the history of psych.

Super spacey super jangly. Fun record

Psychedelic folk-rock that was pretty jarring in 1965. Doesn’t really work for me except for a few songs. “Eight Miles High” is classic, “Mr. Spaceman” and “2-4-2 Fox Trot” are weird fun. But Jim McGuin’s vocals are too often soporific droning, and it just kind of drones through my head.

i think the longer i listen to this, the more i like it. i recognize this could also be a hypnotic spell invoked by the creator of this website who put nearly every fucking byrds album in their book. however, in either case, i'm glad we got this one today. i understand this one is a bit of a black sheep because of the gene clark thing, but aside from that weird riff in "I See You" that happens every so often, i still feel like this is a really solid album (seriously, what the fuck, who heard that guitar part and greenlit it?). i'm weird with 4 star reviews because this is a 4 star review for an album whose re-listenability is somewhat suspect. i dunno when i'll listen to this again. but i do think it's a 4. that's weird for me because most of my 4s are easy relistens. idk man it's just a groovy record

I just can't get into the old school tin-y singing from this era. There aren't any albums that I can remember enjoying it on, and it didn't work for me here. I enjoyed the instrumentals well enough, but I'm sympathizing with others that have had previous issues with singing styles because this turned into an hour and 1 minutes of skips.

I expected this to be a bit more psychedelic based off of the name and cover. Nothing special but not offensive. Jimi’s version of “Hey Joe” is undefeated.

The Byrds are cool and very important in the canon of "jangle pop." That's about the extent of what I can say about them. I think I enjoyed everything about this album but I can't really remember it. They managed an astounding ZERO Dylan covers on this one though.

This one is a mixed bag. It starts off strong with the first 3 songs, but after that is very hit and miss. I loved 8 Miles High, but nothing else on here really compares to that.

oddily sounds pretty recent

The octave noodling in Eight Miles High sounds weirdly a lot like The Mars Volta. And then there's a lot of pointless and noisy guitar playing going on in Psychodrama City. I have never understood or enjoyed psychedelic music and I've never liked folk country stuff so this just isn't for me. Some of the stuff wasn't too bad but overall I didn't like it.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-byrds/fifth-dimension/ Fine album. Some nice psychedelic tracks. Does get a bit dull at some point, so lost interest relatively quick.

entertaining

A classic!

This was alright if largely forgettable. The country influence was not bad

That was very bland!

Mr. Spaceman Eight Miles High

Most of this is too busy for my preference (E.G. "I See You" with all the noodling in the background). Other than that, kinda meh folk rock. I suppose I can hear the psychedelic influences here and there. Doesn't help make it any more interesting to me. Not terrible, but not particularly for me.

I hear a bit of bands like The Strokes in songs like What’s Happening and I See You, with the ringing guitars in the background and a more drum forward drive, but there’s also a whole lot of inspid nothing on this. Another reviewer said this feels like an album created to fulfill a contractual obligation to a record company, and I agree. It’s whatever songs they had laying around left after the previous album. There’s also a really weird rendition of Hey Joe, and by weird I mean bad. ⭐️.5 verging on 1 star

Could jump no future listens.

Contains a lot more surprises than I expected

I can't really be bothered tbh

I have a bit of Byrds/ 60s rock fatigue from this list but this is an enjoyable record on the whole. The closing song with the plane is rubbish though

As someone who has only listened to The Byrds because of this project, holy shit "Eight Miles High" is perfection and this album gets a 4 for that song and the harmonies in other songs alone. I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to hear more from this band!

60-luvun hipahtavaa folk rockia ja psykedeliaa. Levy etenee vaivattomasti mutta pieni epätasaisuus laskee pisteitä. Harkitsin neljää tähteä, mutta mennään kolmella tällä kertaa.

Meh

Saved? ✅ Would listen again? 🤔 Would recommend to anyone? ❌ Would buy on Vinyl? 🤔

Пишу спустя пять или шесть альбомов после прослушивания этого, и не помню, о чём оно было. Вот вам и оценка

like shes good but i wouldnt check out this book again

no mg

Would probably listen to something else before coming back to this

Thought this was pretty dull, not interesting enough for psychedelia or full on enough for rock

Own it but not heard it for a bit. 8 Miles High is an absolute classic. One of the best pop songs of the 60s. I come and stand at every door is interesting, if a little morbid. The Byrds take on Wild Mountain Thyme is excellent. Their take on Hey Joe is not. And the rest of the album is kind of just there.

A strong release from this group after a key member moving on to a solo career. Eight miles high eas a landmark single and they developed the space cowboy sound.

alright

It’s literally just whatever

music that can be played

Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 as far as how good it is, but I will forget I ever listened to this. This is a pretty good neutral example of what music is to show aliens, if they ever ask

I think the first part of the album was better than the last, I think it became too jazz-like on the second half for me to really enjoy it. That said they play well and the music sounds good Standouts 5D (Fifth Dimension) 3/5

Hippie nonsense.

It’s got 8 Miles High and Mr. Spaceman, but unless you’re a fan, stick to the greatest hits.

Despite having the most limp dick version of “Hey Joe” I’ve ever heard, this album is phenomenal and peak Byrds. The harmonies are on point, and it’s folky and psychedelic in all the best ways. “5D” is also an absolutely epic opening track. Probably the best from The Byrds.

As the band works towards shedding the image of a Bob Dylan cover band, they continue to build their own voice and become more competent songwriters. I'm a sucker for the jangly sound of these Byrds albums.