Fifth Dimension

Nice album. Enjoyed the instrumental parts.

7.5 / 10

Byrd up

Cruisy listening Fave track: Eight Miles High

Is this the Americans attempt at ripping off the Beatles or something? Inoffensive and a bit bland. 2.5/5

Not too bad, 8 Miles High is probably the best, Hey Joe is disappointing.

No. 122 This is alright - nice album but nothing really stood out.

Four days ago, as part of this challenge, I listened to Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I thought it was terrible. So when Fifth Dimension came up next, I wasn’t exactly excited. Thankfully, this is a completely different listen. Gone is the heavy country and overt Christian folk feel. Instead, this album leans into psychedelic rock and jangly pop and it’s far more interesting for it. It feels adventurous, colourful, and much more in line with the mid-60s experimentation that makes that era so compelling. There’s a real sense of lift to the record. The melodies are strong sometimes dreamy, sometimes slightly trippy and you can almost feel that “being on a trip” atmosphere running through it. Lyrically, it’s often soppy and lovey-dovey, but in a way that suits the shimmering, spacey sound. Favourite tracks: “What’s Happening?!?!” is a great song, full of energy and hooks. “Fifth Dimension” captures that psychedelic edge perfectly, and “Wild Mountain Thyme” (listed here as “Wild Mountain Theme”) adds a softer, folk-tinged moment that actually works far better in this context. Least favourite tracks: None really, every song is worth a listen. Album artwork: Pure psychedelia. Bold, strange, and very much of its time Overall: A pleasant surprise. Inventive, melodic, and far more enjoyable than I expected. This is The Byrds leaning into psych rock rather than country / folk and it suits them.

01) 5D (Fifth Dimension) - 6,5 02) Wild Mountain Thyme - 7,0 03) Mr. Spaceman - 8,0 04) I See You - 6,5 05) What's Happening?!?! - 6,5 06) I Come and Stand at Every Door - 6,0 07) Eight Miles High - 7,0 08) Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go) - 6,5 09) Captain Soul - 7,0 10) John Riley - 7,0 11) 2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song) - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,73 (67/100) Current ranking: 543/836

Thoroughly middle tier. Not bad, just not interesting (to me). A 3 overvalues but a 2 is too low.

Fine classic rock

Learning i kind of hate the Byrds, one or 2 ok songs per album, otherwise this is bad

Kinda boring old 60s rock album but it definitely has some highlights like Eight Miles High so it ends up just being okay

All these songs sound the same.

Good, but kinda samey

the sort of album where nothing i hear sticks in my brain for more than about ten seconds. it sure is hippie music (value-neutral)

When I hear a description of "psychedelic", I expect more weird sounds going on, but this didn't come across like that. I thought it was easy-listening rock music with a folk feel, catchy and pretty accessible. I didn't mind the listen.

The song writing here is enjoyable, and the vocal performance and especially the harmonies are really lovely, but nothing really sticks with me specifically. Also of note is that the mixing on the instrumental layers of the tracks feels really muddy, even considering the era this was recorded in, and not in an intentional way. Maybe I need to reframe the way I'm listening to the tracks but it does take me out of the experience a bit. Fav Track: 1: 5D (Fifth Dimension) Best Three Track Run: 1, 2, 3

Психодел тех лет, интересная обёртка текста, но в исполнении это не так чувствуется. Напомнило дебютный альбом Pink Floyd, вышедший примерно в тоже время, поэтому есть с чем сравнивать. Некоторые песни содержат в себе интересные формулировки, но не более

Groovy baby, yeah!

3.5

maybe i was just having a bad day but i think it's pretty unremarkable. like B-grade Vietnam period piece ambience. not unenjoyable, and there are a couple of really neat songs to help tide you along. the Hey Joe cover was sick

Rating: 7/10 It’s a fine 60’s folky rock album, would go as far as saying it’s “pretty good”. Wait, these guys were doing this in 1965? You know what, this is great! The A side is an all around good time, the opening track being the highlight, an Eight Miles High should go into 60’s playlists for sure. Then we get to hear Hey Joe again, and I was into the groove of Captain Soul. Maybe it’s not quite a 4 for me right now, but this could be an actually cool Beatles-esque band to get into

Decent cowbell jangle, even better when putting it in the "released in the 60s" category. Good enough sound to have me like it, but not deep enough to get me to listen to it again 5.3/10

not bad

3.0 - Ok

3 Stars (8/15)

I’ve grown to respect the Byrds a lot more, there’s usually a few songs I enjoy even on my least favorite albums of theirs. This is one of my least favorite from them however. Even then they do tackle unexpected topics in their lyrics. Decent enough, but does feel like one or two too many of theirs on the list. Overall, it’s a pretty consistent record with the back half being a bit better than the front. Rating: 3.3

I get why The Byrds are important and influential but they’ve never been a favorite of mine. And do they really need five albums on this list? This one was pretty good though. Favorites were Mr. Spaceman, What’s Happening?, Eight Miles High, and Hey Joe.

Unremarkable but inoffensive.

Enjoyable album. Outside of Turn Turn Turn and Mr Tambourine Man, I'm not too familiar with their back catalog. This definitely utilized stereo production as drums were on one side and guitars on the other.

Mostly this album is solid. The Lear jet song is awful, though.

Ambient moody good bit of 60s 👍

First Byrds album I've liked as they develop a psychedelic sound.

I see how this was inspirational, but it’s just ok now. Also it sounds like this was recorded on a potato. Extremely bad levels.

Good time!

That went by quickly. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing lol

Schönes Lieder

1/26/2026. I need no fruit, I need no rice. I need no sweets nor even bread. I ask for nothing for myself. For I am dead, for I am dead. 6/10

I think I was expecting more. Nothing bad, but nothing that stood out.

More psychadelic rock that I will easily pass on. Its not awful, just tired. Wild Mountain Thyme was my favorite here, but I think only because I recognized the cover they play in Sinners. Outside that its your basic "only vibes here, man" music.

Pretty bog standard psychedelic rock. I don’t think I even really dug this at my most weed smokiest

1966. A nice hippie album that captures the essence of the 60s

Phsycedlic folk rock. British invasion era Beatles, Dylan and Simon and Garfunkle somehow mashed together but less than the sum of its parts. Not sure I'd listen again but think I've a few other Byrds albums to go. 3 out of 5

This pretty much passed me by on my first listen. Usually I wouldn't bother with a second but i'd have had nothing to say about it otherwise. Second listen and I still don;t have much to say. It was fine, a generally non-distinct album from other similar artists of the time, Eight Miles High being the only track that stood out in any real way

Nothing super memorable - it had classic 60s sound but with a few instrumental tracks.

This album definitely makes me think 60s. I've heard of The Byrds but never listened to them. I enjoyed this album.

A very pleasant psych album. Not exactly groundbreaking, but straightforward and unpretentious, with a sweet and soothing vibe that just made me happy to be alive. But maybe I was in the right mood today. Compared to other drug-fueled projects from the same time period, the psychedelic aspect is quite discreet, you don't need LSD to enjoy it (although it would certainly enhance the experience). While I really think there's far too many Byrds albums on this list, I'll also admit that the 3 records I've listened so far are different enough from one another to avoid feeling too repetitive. It's a bit unfair that the Byrds were so massively forgotten after the 70s. 6/10

I don’t know why I started this record with such a strong negative bias, but I did. I’m still not sure it really deserves to be called an essential or to sit so high on this list. Still, on a quick morning listen, it goes down pretty easily. Nothing feels over the top. The melodies on 5D, What’s Happening?, and Eight Miles High are genuinely nice. Even the psychedelic and raga parts are well blended and actually help the songs. For once, the album feels fairly coherent … and clearly less boring than their other records we’ve had to endure. The slight Dylan touch doesn’t ruin the mood. The problem is that I can already feel this enthusiasm won’t last.

This list really should have allowed hits collections, some are absolutely essential and iconic. The Byrds Greatest Hits is one of those. A prime example of a band best represented by a collection, not any one record. And certainly not this one. Eight Miles High is the standout and it really does stand out. It's a phenomenal track amongst a lot of middling psychedelia and folk rock. It's all fine, hey I love the Byrds, so even their meh stuff is fun listening. But this is decidedly inessential

6/10 Favourite: Hey Mr. Spaceman Least Favourite: Wild Mountain Theme

*1966. *I always forget who's in the The Byrds - it's David Crosby. *Sounds very much like CSN&Y, which I dig. Although every song also sounds like Turn, Turn, Turn... *Enjoyed it, but wouldn't go out of my way to listen. RATING - 6.5/10

Ganz gut ohne besonders aufzufallen.

Ein großes Nichts: Nichts Positives und nichts Negatives fällt mir dazu ein.

Es ist irgendwie an mir vorbeigerauscht ohne viel Eindruck zu machen. Weder war da was schlechtes dran noch was was mich mitgerissen hat. 2,5 Punkte aber aufgerundet dann 3

Finally an album I'd consider listening to again. A good example of early-ish psychedelia. I liked that all of the songs were quick so they didn't drag on. 2-4-2 Fox Trot was odd. Never realized GD's I Know You Rider was a cover, but apparently it goes back even further than this version. 6.25/10 (3.125/5)

This album was ok but doesn’t inspire me enough to listen again really. I wouldn’t say there was any stand out tracks, obviously Eight Miles High is well known but I’d say that Wild Mountain Thyme is better. Concerning the Byrds as a band, maybe a best of is the best bet on this occasion, just cut the unnecessary chaff.

I mean, interesting and folk straight from the heart... but they are just a little whiny and too melodic. I get the pioneering and experimental heart that gave license to the Doors and others to push further, but still just a 3 for me.

This is fine. Bit boring in parts, but odd in other, overall … fine.

Very brief but fun album to listen to, full of the charm of the mid-late 60’s. Highlights for me are I See You and 8 Miles High. 3.5

Soothing...

2.5

Eight Miles High might be the song with the most perplexing difference in historical impact / song impact: banned from the radio for drug implications. supposedly the start of psychedelic rock. inspired interest in electric 12 string guitar. have listened so many times and found nothing to note about it. with so many Byrds inclusions you'd think I'd have a better understanding of the Byrds chronology & which times they were any good. I think I'm more confused than ever. congratulations Byrds on your very first album without Bob Dylan covers! you can do it! wait then they chickened out & named their next album after a Dylan lyric. see why this is confusing anyway this was alright. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

I’m running out of things to say about The Byrds. Rounding this up because I’ve given them three 2⭐️s already, and they’re better than a 2⭐️ band, and I did like this one a bit better than others. But come on there can’t possibly be five essential Byrds albums right

I wasn’t privy to this Byrds record, with the exception of Eight Miles High, because of Hüsker Dü. I liked about 90% of the songs alright, but I think they used too much 12 string electric. Still folksy, but edging on psychedelia.

Pretty Hippy Dippy, but it had its moments.

(3.4) 1.) Eight miles high 2.) Wild Mountain thyme 3.) Psychodrama city

I assume this is a pretty big landmark in popular psychedelia, but it doesn't do a lot for me. I don't hate it, though, it's decent enough background music if you turn it down a bit.

164 Es como una copia acuenta de los Beatles.

2,7/5

Not sure this belongs on the list. Its… fine

Psychedelic Rock x Country Rock…. 2 genres I like separately somehow not living up to the sum of their parts. Still enjoyed it though.

Some bangers but overall way too long. Curation!

it was ok, quite pleasant

After a couple listens I still can't find any edge to this album. The vocals are pretty, the harmonies are nice and the instrumentation is pleasant. I'll never listen to any of these songs again. I'm going to prescribe myself a generous dose of Jimi Hendrix to try to erase that polka cover of Hey Joe from my memory and hopefully the rest of this album with it.

Jangly 60s guitar pop. A few good tunes, some a bit less interesting. I don't dig their version of Hey Joe, but Eight Miles High, What's Happening, Mr Spaceman and 5D are great. Prob just short of 4 stars for me

60’s folk. Not my thing but understand the musical aspect.

All these mid sixties psychedelic albums by bands with 3 good songs who all bought a harpsichord and a sitar sound the same to me.

Cool enough

The hits are great

Ok

The highlight of the album is obviously "Eight Miles High" but there are some other good psych rock songs on here like "Mr. Spaceman" and "Whats Happening???" The covers are kind of boring though "Hey Joe" is played in a kind of frantic garage style very different from the Jimi Hendrix one. Overall, there are too many throwaway songs like the last one about the Lear Jet. Why? Still, I love McGuinns Rickenbacker guitar and his distinctive style.

Maybe I'm just a bit fatigued with 60s psych folk since the generator seems to be churning them out a lot lately, but this one kind of washed over me. I didnt dislike anything, and it was cool to hear the Eight Miles High instrumentals, feel like they were definitely ahead of their time. As a whole though, didnt enjoy as much as the Notorious Byrd Brothers record

It was fine, slightly different enough from trying to be like the beatles for the 3

I haven’t had a particularly good run of albums recently. It’s been a long time since a 4. Too many 2’s and 3’s, of which this one sits smack bang in the middle, but I’ll round it up because I feel kind today. Very little about Fifth Dimension appealed to my senses.

Pas vraiment d’intérêt pour cet album.

Fifth Dimension certainly isn’t exactly what I was expecting from The Byrds, much more psychedelic. A mix a lot a stuff but still folky at its roots. A decent album. Still a poor’s man’s Beatles

I think I'm byrded out

The Byrds, I'm afraid, are super one dimensional. They've got some licks that are ahead of their time, but their harmonizing gets old. Wish they would cycle lead vocals some more like the Beatles.

Alright

Solid classic psych rock album. Favorite track: Eight Miles High

This wasn't my favorite album by The Byrds. I do like it, and I especially like how they were creating and pushing psychedelic music in 1966. This album definitely has those cool psych elements that really take off at the end of the decade and into the 70s. I love the Wild Mountain Thyme cover, (one of my favorite Scottish traditional folk songs) and the Hey Joe cover is also really cool. Overall, it didn't really take off for me though. I enjoyed it, but there's other cooler records by The Byrds.

This album is the reason I paused this project for so long. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t particularly good either — it’s ultimately forgettable. It blends in with so many other albums from the era. The guitars have a slightly janglier edge, and the vocal harmonies are a bit nicer than average, but that’s about it. Ninety-five percent of this list feels like an endless stretch of peace-and-love, vaguely interchangeable music made by boring white people, and you have to push through ten albums before you find something that actually feels worth the effort. I suppose I’m unpausing now, hoping the next record is one of the ones that makes it worthwhile.

Quick and energetic, but a bit generic. Not bad though.

Most experimental album. The first one without any song written by Bob Dylan.

I don’t have anything to say it’s fine

I didn't love it and again, I don't take drugs so can't appreciate it in full, but it was actually pretty good.

Solid album 👍

3.0

Another Byrds album that is lovely but not astounding. Vocal harmonies and stacking continue to be their strongest aspect. I liked this more than ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ and less than ‘Younger Than Yesterday’ so will rate accordingly.

The initial few tracks sounded boring to me and I was quite resistant to them - they're like bob dylan, but not so great. But then I started really digging it as the album went on. If I was stoned in 1970 this would be an all timer. But, as someone sober in 2025, it's mostly just an 'okay that's fine' type album.

A forward thinking album that has that quintessential mid-60s SoCal sound. The record sounds like early CSNY demos more than a cohesive album. Enjoyed hearing once, but probably won’t revisit, given there are much more polished records with this concept and sound.

Pretty basic album, nothing too compelling here.

Yes 👍

Good.

Pleasant. Not earth-shattering.

Favorite Track: Eight Miles High

Very very meat and potato. Decent But not the sort of thing that would blow you away. Wild Mountain Thyme is a wonderful wonderful cover. Hey Joe not so much

Very 60s album. A bit up and down but overall ok. Middle of the road.

Definitely not bad but not super memorable. Good old 60s stuff but not a standout for me

“Eight Miles High” is nice and good to hear again, “Hey Joe” was cool… didn’t realize they covered it! But mostly a cosmic shrug. Feels like an artifact from a world I wasn’t quite born into.

Fifth Dimension is the fifth Byrds record I've received from this list and a tame one at that; though those five records varied in style and genre, I'm not left convinced that all five were needed to express this band's cultural importance.

Quite liked this. Absolutely despised Mr. Spaceman though. I like the album art too.

enjoyed this a lot more than the other byrds album ive had. very high 3

7/10

Kind of replacement level psych rock, though they were early to the sound that defined the late 60s so they deserve credit for that. A very pleasant if slightly underwhelming listen.

Commercial proto-psych pop. Not bad for what it is. Couple of gems. Could do without the “Hey Joe” rendition though.

There is nothing terrible on this album and Eight Miles High is an OK song. I don't know what it is about this style of music, I just don't like it very much. A big ol' meh of an album.

I like the Byrds but this is not my favorite

Surprisingly more enjoyable than my last experience with this band. I don't think it justifies 5 whole slots on a list like this, but I appreciate this one quite a bit. I really got into the energy, it was fun!

Alright in places. Not special or particularly well aged, production wise.

3 stars I don't remember most of this album except liking it sonically

This was fine. Their later albums make a noticeable improvement compared their beginning albums but still, this was decent. There's a couple of songs that seem like filler (more towards the second half) but honestly this is about as average as it gets with psychedelic rock. Not bad! 2.75-3.00/5

The first half of this album s really good in my opinion but the second half is just fine I guess. The Byrds have wonderful vocal harmonies that many other bands weren't doing in that time, but the few that were are The Beatles or Beach Boys, which did it much better, but The Byrds should not be out of that conversation and this album proves that.

It was pretty good. I really liked their cover of Hey Joe.

3,9

You can sort of hear some early psych influences among the songs on this album, and some of the songs are quite good, but this is another band that really shines on their best of albums instead of the originals because some songs are just so fucking terrible. I Come and Stand at Every Door, for example. WTF?

Most Byrds albums I’ve listened too are uneven. This one is too, but more solid than most.

Tsja, dit is zo lastig om te reviewen. Ik vind het nogal saai, maar dit komt uit 1966, oftewel ongeveer 60 jaar geleden. In hoeverre kan ik dan beoordelen of het saai is? Het klinkt prima, ik irriteer me niet ontzettend, Mr Spaceman klinkt heel nice. En ik merk dat de zang best wel goed klinkt. Het is meerstemmig volgens mij? Hm, tsja het is gewoon echt een prima rock n roll album. Je hoort misschien wel wat psychedelische invloeden, maar ik kan niet zeggen dat ik een echte expert op dat gebied ben. Wel weet ik dat The Byrds goed klinken, doen me soms inderdaad wat denken aan The Beatles en andere bands uit die tijd. (wetende dat dit vast en zeker een zeer controversiele mening is) Dus alles bij elkaar is dit zeker geen slecht album! fAVO: Mr Spaceman, I know my rider

Not bad, but kinda just typical old rock.

Another album by The Byrds… how are there 5 damn albums of theirs on this list. It’s so average. Yawn. 2.5 / 5

It's probably the best 60's psych folk album there is. That being said, it's just okay.

3.2 1x

About what I expected. Enjoyable enough.

It's a decent folk rock album with some neat touches of psychedelic influences here and there. Side one is really strong but side two is a letdown (despite opening with 8 Miles High) with 2 instrumentals and a typical cover of Hey Joe. Overall, half a great album.

Sounded a bit 3rd!

You know that birds aren't real, right? That they're CIA drones to monitor the population? Anyhow, I digress. Eight miles high isn't bad, the rest is rather bland and forgettable.

Odds and evens, I liked all the odd numbered tracks, I found all the evens a bit too folky for my tastes.

Funny how something that is very like another thing can have a totally different reaction. Mama's and Papa's album left me cold but the Byrds are okay. On my patented -100 to 100 scale where being tickled by someone you don't like is -60 but being tickled my someone who gives you sticky pants is +40 this is a 30

So, across this album. The instrumentals are quite nice. But the slow singing kills me. Which makes the songs, hey joe. Captain soul and 2-4-2 fox-trot stand out to me. The best of the three byrds albums this list has put me through

One of my favourite Byrds albums, maybe in large part because of how large the title track looms (alongside Eight Miles High). Definitely my first Byrds album where I started taking them seriously as something other than a glorified cover band.

Pretty standard 60s

Typical of the 60s and not outstanding in any way. 6/10

I like the Byrds generally, but this wasn't the peak of their music for me. This album was _very_ Byrdsy to me, and it was just a little too psychedelic in a sort of annoying way IMO. Their version of Hey Joe sounded rushed and weak kinda(?) and I didn't really love any of the other songs either. Overall I loved their harmonies, as always, and they are clearly very gifted musicians, but this wasn't the right album for me. Three stars.

There are so many Byrds albums on this project. But dang it they're all good. A relaxing 60s vibe

Fun enough for a 60s rock slog.

These guys are just B tier through and through

Pretty good, esp for 1966.

This is another album that was fine, even enjoyable to listen to, but it's inclusion on this list is suspect. It sounds like pretty generic 60s psychedelic folk to me, and as far as I can tell it didn't do anything original or groundbreaking for the style.

Looked back at the last album review we had for the Byrds and didn't find anything memorable. I could say the same for this album though it was decent background music. Right down the middle 3.

This album was about the epitome of "just fine" music. Nothing specifically excited or engaged me, but I didn't mind it being there. Only songs I look back with memory of are Mr. Spaceman (has a nice little hop to it and some quality harmonies), Eight Miles High (heard it a bunch of times before -- classic summer of love sounding track), and What's Happening? (probably my favorite individual song on here). Otherwise, I'll most likely forget this by noon. I'd say this straddles a 2/3 line. Going 3 because it was inoffensive.

Beatles-esque. Good stuff. Easy listener.

The Byrds be sounding like the Byrds on this one. Really disappointing I was hoping for some crazy psychadelic music on this album with the name being Fifth Dimension. Pretty standard 60s rock.

Honestly, this was okay, just too dippy for me.

I got through nearly the whole album without writing any notes. I guess it's that kind of album - just a nice, 60's, floaty kind of time. I didn't recognise a lot of the covers. The Hey Joe one I appreciate on the basis that it's a genuine different take on a classic, rather than just doing the same thing.

I can never seem to see the brilliance in much of what The Byrds did. It’s always just fine and dandy. 5/10

Good album lots of songs feel like the same. Although they did establish a unique sound that you can listen to any song and know its theirs whichbis tough. Great band

203/1089 - Eight Miles High was really good. The rest was competent but pretty dry.

Guitar noodling and harmonization. Loosely goosey but in a mostly talented way 3.3

Imo en del bedre end deres debut, de har tilføjet den rigtige mængde psykedelia!

One good hit, several average songs.

Pretty boring songwriting but still a pretty enjoyable listen

I liked this one more than I expected. It gave me some good groovy psychedelic rock, which I definitely love. Nothing crazy that stood out, but I definitely want to listen again.

33/1001 :: The Byrds - Fifth Dimension Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 5 Fav Tracks: Mr. Spaceman Never been a Bryds guy but I don’t hate it at all. Just sounds really 60’s. Jangly. Psychedelic What ever… That said loved the song Mr. Spaceman and also thought the Hey Joe interpretation was pretty cool. Onto the next…

pretty solid but i didn’t find anything special in it

Classics

I have an appreciation for the simplicity of this era of rock & roll. I listened to a good amount of Buffalo Springfield (Stephen Stills, Neil Young) when I was younger, so it's kinda fun to hear from David Crosby. Maybe I'll check out The Hollies soon to have background on Graham Nash before a CSNY album shows up on this list. Not totally sure how to feel about this album, it's a pretty light and fun listen but I didn't get a ton of impact. The biggest stand out for me was "Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)", but only because it was truly painful to sit through compared to the Hendrix version. Otherwise, I'll take the critics' word for how influential this album was on the beginnings of psychedelic rock and the rest of the 60s.

3.0

I listened this album four times. The first two times it felt very dull and stale, but with the latter ones I started to appreciate a little bit more, as I found this record to sound very pleasent. Apart from that, I do still think that this LP is very flat in terms of ideas and experimentation. There's some, but it could be more and better. Nothing more to add, this is just a decent album.

Was okay. Eight Miles High is one of those songs that instantly place you in the '60s, and is the stand-out on this album. Nothing to really bring me back though...

All over the place! Mostly fun. Some wild guitar.

Pretty good

It was a nice album, nothing special I don't think though. But Eight Miles High was definitely the best song. Wasn't a huge fan of the voice. 7/10

All songs sort of blended together but in a nice way

Hey Joe. There's a song that sounds like A minor jam. Une autre qui sonne comme les Beatles genre Rain ??????

I listened to about one song. The sound was a Beatles- esque folk music like sound. Non super catchy but good lyrics.

Great sounds, songs could be better

I liked the Byrds way back when I was young, but the whole psychedelic folk thing just doesn’t do it for me much now. I still appreciate their harmonies though. And Eight Miles High is great.

Actually really decent

A good album and it still hangs together fairly well after all these years. It was fun hearing the Byrds version of Hey Joe. I think I had learned at some point that it was a cover, but I didn't realize that other famous bands had covered it prior to Jimi's excellent, slower and more mind-bending release. I love the harmonies and hearing David Crosby at what may be his sweetest and most melodic phase on this album. However, this has almost zero replay draw for me. I can't see myself ever circling back to it, it holds no place in my memories but just stands in my mind for a precursor for amazing things to come.

Great album that I have never heard before. I have very little knowledge of The Byrds work, this is my first time hearing this album and it is not bad. Very chilled out rock vibes with nice lyrics and vocals. Some interesting music with nice variety. I'm going to put this on again when I want to chill out and vibe to some nice tunes.

Didn't really know this as an album, obviously know some of the stand out tracks. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but the adaption of traditional folk songs is quite interesting. Favourite track for me though is Psychodrama City.

Das dritte Studioalbum der US-amerikanischen Band The Byrds wurde überwiegend in den Columbia Studios in Hollywood aufgenommen. Die Aufnahmen zogen sich von März bis Juni 1966 hin, in einer Phase, in der sich die musikalische Ausrichtung der Gruppe veränderte. Die Band hatte kurz vor Beginn der Studioarbeiten einen personellen Einschnitt erlebt: Gene Clark, Haupt-Songwriter der frühen Phase, war ausgeschieden. Dies beeinflusste das Songwriting sowie die stilistische Ausrichtung spürbar. Musikalisch bewegt sich Fifth Dimension im Übergangsbereich zwischen Folk Rock und den sich entwickelnden psychedelischen Klängen der Mittsechziger. Der Song „Eight Miles High“ gilt als prägend für die Entwicklung psychedelischer Rockmusik, wobei er musikalisch wie textlich neue Wege beschritt. Weitere bekannte Titel des Albums sind „Mr. Spaceman“ und „I See You“, die mit rhythmischer Offenheit und erweiterten Klangideen experimentieren. Die Einflüsse aus Jazz und indischer Musik, die sich besonders in der Gitarrenarbeit von Roger McGuinn zeigen, markieren einen Bruch mit den stärker von traditionellem Folk geprägten früheren Werken der Band. Auch textlich zeigen sich Spuren des damaligen gesellschaftlichen und kulturellen Wandels. Insgesamt ist Fifth Dimension ein Album, das den Übergang von strukturierter Folk-Rock-Musik zu experimentelleren Formen dokumentiert. Trotz einiger Unebenheiten in der Produktion bleibt es ein markantes Zeugnis seiner Zeit.

6/10 - pretty decent Mr spaceman was just like Mr tambourine man

Does anyone sound more like the 60s than the Byrds do? Good album, but I’m not convinced it’s their best.

I expected to like this more than I did. My favorite genres, my favorite time period, etc. But I found this album sort of unremarkable. Not necessarily bad, but not good either. ha.

An enjoyable enough listen, though I wouldn't say I typically listen to this type of rock. It's definitely "of it's time," bringing a similar vibe as The Beatles. Maybe a 3 out of 5 from me. I could listen to it again, but I'm not sure I'd reach for it that often.

Why do we need five Byrds albums on this list again? Their first two albums, sure, but everything after doesn't really bring anything new to the sound except the country album which straight sucks. What's Happening? seems to capture my thoughts about this one being on the list. At least this is my final one. It is fine. Sounds like The Byrds always do, with a bit of psychedelic song writing. There is a terrible version of Hey Joe on this album.

3.0 I've had a lot of 60s recently, and this just blends into the middle of them. Not bad, not good.

Good

I think the Byrds sound a bit like a cliché for early 60s pop folk mainly because they influenced the genre so much.

It's pretty OK. I can see how they were influential and all that, but none of it really grabs me. This feels more like a prototype than a finished product.

It's fine, nothing super interesting here over all. Not the best version of Will Ye Go Lassie, Go?, definitely not the best version of Hey Joe, just okay.

Uneven as hell. A few tracks shine; Eight Miles High, Mr. Spaceman, and Captain Soul; but the writing often falls flat, and it fizzles out by the end. Cool ideas, shaky delivery.

I don’t know that I’ve ever listened to an entire album by The Byrds. Lovely in a lot of ways, but not anything I’m dying to listen to again soon. Glad they made the impact that they did though.

5.5/10

I enjoyed this album but wasn’t blown away by it. There were a few catchy songs but nothing was too groundbreaking for me with this one. But I would give it another chance and recommend it to others!

I thought I was going to stay on a roll and have another 60s album ranked at 4 or higher, but this one just didn't do it for me. Nothing really stood out like I thought it would. It was still an easy listen though. 3/5.

Когда-нибудь я куплю себе пикап и буду ездить по полям под такую вот музыку... Но пока - ухи у меня болят от безжалостного панорамирования 60х. Барабаны вправо, гитара влево... Но музыка приятная, эдакий балладный кантри-рок

A couple great tracks. Decent listen. Overall not very inspiring.

Heavily influential to the 70s shift towards fantasy imagery and the eventual rise of hard rock and metal. Well worth a listen.

It was an alright album. There's nothing that makes it special. I've forgotten most of it already. "Fifth Dimension" was like its contemporaries in the mid 60s. I'd like to know how The Byrds managed to get 5 albums on this list. 3 stars for "Fifth Dimension".

Sounds like an early Monkees album. Well produced, quality musicianship, but too clean for my preference.

decent

By the time this album finished I didn't remember having listened to it. I'm sure it was jangly.

Eight Miles High is a banger, but the album is all over the place, lurching from covers of contemporary songs to resurrecting old folk songs, with the band also writing some of their own material. I'm going with 3 stars, because it's largely inoffensive stuff.

Solid 3.

3.25

Its twee and old fashioned and slightly too fluffy for my liking. But id the mark of a good album is that you sre humming the tunes an hour later then this is ok by me.

#572. Another solid pseudo-Beatles album from the Byrds. Pretty solid all round. 3/5: acceptable

Tuned in songwriting with divine vocals at times, bland and meandering old man rock at others. More to like than dislike.

This is an interesting one. Of course I know the Byrds and their hits and I think I probably heard their first two albums in full. This is an interesting album, it follows their breakthrough albums and without knowing a ton about the band you can feel they’re in a flux, exploring their sound. The beautiful vocal harmonies and folk rock are still there, and even though they don’t cover Dylan here his spirit is still around. You also get explorations into psychedelic rock which are very cool and blend into the band’s core sound well. Not earth shattering but definitely a good entry on the list. Three stars.

Another 60’s

Early 60’s rock

Interesting, I guess, but not very interesting.

Folksy, hippie rock. Beach Boys meets Simon and Garfunkel. Not a huge fan.. Also country style (Mr Spaceman) Trying to be the Beatles in places? Or does it precede? Interesting dissonant end to I See You Best Track - 8 Miles High, a moody, atnospheric track Picks up from 8 Miles High John Riley is nice

Love the byrds and their sturdiness.

Very very uneven. "I See You" and "Eight Miles High" are really good though.

Did all bands sound like this in the 60s?

Des bonnes passes de guitare tout croche, le riff épique de Eight Miles High entre autres, pour moi c'est comme l'hymne national du psyché. Le drum dans What's Happening? 👌 La version de marde de Hey Joe fait perdre une étoile. Bonne prod overall mais les voix souvent trop en avant pour rien. Les harmonies à tout prix même si ça blend pas avec la musique? Meh. Vraiment un contraste bizarre entre des voix super contrôlées et un band pas tout le temps tight. Plusieurs tounes assez ordinaires. Je vascille entre 3 et 4 étoiles.

It's alright. Inoffensive psych rock.

Psychedelic rock that sounds like psychedelic rock. 5/10

good early era byrds album with the trademark harmonies typical of any band david crosby is involved in.

It was nothing special

Итс окэй [3] Лучшая песня - Eight Miles High.

Álbum pionero del rock psicodélico de los 60. Incluso se dice que "Eight Miles High" podría ser el primer tema de rock psicodélico. Uno de los aspectos que más me ha llamado la atención es la inclusión de sonidos folk de la India a lo Ravi Shankar. En cualquier caso, a pesar de que muchos de los temas son versiones, es un álbum súper influyente a la vez que entretenido. Merece buena nota, aunque a día de hoy no suene tan especial.

What's happening is a great song, eight miles high is an REM song 15 years ahead of its time. Great guitar tone! Rest of the album pretty scattershot, including some of the singles - the fourth measure of "why" just neuters all momentum, feels like self-sabotage 3 but good to hear the influences

This album started off incredibly strong but ended up droning on. I know that the Byrds are iconic, but this album was middle of the road. 5D was great but the rest of them kind of blended together. Also, the 16-minute long instrumental version of John Riley was a choice. It was cool hearing this casual conversation but maybe it just didn't resonate with me because the album wasn't my favorite and I don't have any emotional ties to the band

Decent.

ok.

This is pretty good. Flitting the fader back and forth from old world folk to west coast psychedelia

Byrds doing Byrds things without Gene Clark. A few moments stood out during my listen, but nothing stuck.

There's a lot of Byrds on this list.. not sure it needs 5 albums + Gene Clark solo work as well. But anyway the slightly more psychadelic lyrics and guitar playing is cool and something different from the other ones I've heard. They also retain some more folky elements on certain tracks.. I'm a sucker for nice vocal harmonies I can see why it got criticised for being all over the place, as the styles as slightly mish-mash. I was leaning towards a 4 in the first half, but the second half is quite forgettable so 3 seems fair for a decent album

This album shows both the strengths and weaknesses of The Byrds. Tremendously innovative, and when it works (Eight Miles High), it's absolutely iconic. When it doesn't work, it's largely forgettable.

Ok But I Prefer the actually Dyllan/Beatles

The Byrds have an instantly recognizable, unmistakable, and unique sound. Unfortunately, on this album, they aren’t putting it to any good use. The songs are fine, mostly. None of them are insulting, but it’s all fairly forgettable. I enjoyed each song, independently, but as a whole album, it’s sorta, like, what’s the point? Fine work. 3/5

If I could go back in time, I would make it illegal for these producers to turn the pan dial more than like 30%. Please for the love of god save my right ear from engine noises for 2 minutes while the actual music plays in my left. Anyways, this was still a fun album.

Als je de hoes ziet, met het lettertype, de kleuren en de mannen zittend op een tapijt, dan weet je gelijk in welke tijd dit album gemaakt is. Qua muziek laat het een beetje van alles wat horen. Er zit hippie in, de gebruikelijke Dylanesque muziek (dit keer geen cover blijkbaar), maar ook wat meer progrock. Met Eight Miles High, wat we in Nederland kennen van de cover door de Golden Earring, hebben we het hoogtepunt te pakken, maar ook een aantal andere nummers hebben absoluut potentie. Ik lees op de wiki dat de reviews destijds ook een beetje in de war waren, doordat het een beetje een ratjetoe aan stijlen was. Ik vind dat wel extra vermakelijk moet ik zeggen, al zijn dus niet alle nummers even sterk. Gek genoeg vind ik door het contrast de oudere meer folky nummers wat gezapig klinken en juist de experimentelere meer rocky nummers wat toffer, terwijl ik bij het album wat hierna kwam in mijn review schreef dat ik dat andersom vond. Wellicht sloegen ze daar iets door in hun experimentele kant, en hadden ze het moeten laten bij wat ze hier doen. Al met al een vermakelijk plaatje. Net niet genoeg om er 4 sterren aan te geven, daarvoor is het net iets te rommelig. Maar wel leuk rommelig, prima 3 sterren.

I don't think I have listened to a Byrds album all the way through before. Of course, I have heard various tracks but never a whole album. Interesting. This was a proper curate's egg. Hints of brilliance, then at times humdrum. I enjoyed it, so 3/5

Easy listening - not their best or most noteworthy

The first 7 tracks were classic Byrds sounding tracks and then it seems like they took eight miles high literally during the break and came back as a psychedelia band. Luckily, I am down for both sounds.

So the Byrds go from a Bob Dylan cover band that apes the Beatles sound to a real band. Or that's how the wikipedia entry seems to describe them. I don't know much about them other than that David Crosby started here before Crosby, Stills and Nash. Definitely psychedelic elements here that sound like they probably inspired Jefferson Airplane, which is cool. Just not quite as polished or epic in the songwriting. More like fourth dimension, where Hendrix, the Doors and Jefferson Airplane are the fifth dimension... May listen to this again though, parts definitely give me that "worth coming back to" vibe.

Mostly not my thing but I still found a lot to like

Feels a bit same same but I can see why they would've been huge when they first dropped (people were morons back then)

Enjoyable but not life changing - probably wouldn't seek out again. Not dissimilar from the Beatles

Very boring. Too Beatles-like.

Not sure

If I wanted to listen to Duran Duran, I would have…

Nice and mellow. I would happily have the Byrds playing at most times. Certainly a good listen.

There are a few very good Psychedelic-Folk songs here. There are also a bunch of mediocre tunes as well. Gene Clark's songwriting is sorely missed and it's no surprise that the album's best song (and biggest hit), "Eight Miles High", includes Clark with a writing credit. This record gets stars primarily for its strong influence on later artists. Roger McGuinn's jangly Rickenbacker guitar tone and David Crosby's vocal harmonies birthed the sounds used by R.E.M., Tom Petty, and many others. "Eight Miles High" was adapted in the mid-80's by Husker Du as a feedback-drenched screamfest that keeps the original psychedelic flavor. Drop an extra half-star on this one for its brevity (less than a half-hour!)

3.5. More and more I listen to the Bryce the more and more I really like them

A very forgettable album that I probably couldn't hum a single melody from. It sounds good, there's nothing that puts me off, but there's just nothing special here. Maybe the guitar and bass playing was a bit progressive for the year? There were some nice licks and bass lines throughout, but also a lot of uninspiring nothingness.

Listenable but not my thing

I didn't find myself that interested in it, but for 60s psych/folk rock it's really probably pretty good and well-written. I feel kinda bad that they (presumably) never got to meet aliens. Reading about this album did lead me to find out that there's a 1994 Kermit the Frog album called Kermit Unpigged (Mr. the Frog covered "Mr. Spaceman"), so that's worth something.

This band jams so well. Enjoyable!

more upbeat and enjoyable than most albums i've had on here from the 60s

Nice album, Eight Miles High is a banger but it sounds samey 3/5

Pretty enjoyable. Not sure if I’d revisit.

The crossways between the Byrds earlier jangle pop of Mr Tambourine Man and Turn Turn Turn and the more adventorous stuff on Younger than Yesterday and The Notorius Byrd Brothers. I would give it 4 stars, if the album included the great bonus track "Why", as the first side is stellar psychedelic folk. However the 2nd side loses its luster quick after the best song "Eight Miles High".

8 miles high is a really great song. The rest is just okay enough to give it a 3. 3/5

I surprised myself and liked this one.

mostly fine, sometimes the scrangly guitar started getting on my nerves. 2.5

This can have a third star STRICTLY because of the song about aliens and the narration I accidentally listened to that said they hope aliens hear it since they're probably listening to TV and radio waves.

Mr Spaceman is pretty catchy.

Very strong opening that absolutely nose dives with "I Come And Stand At Every Door", and then never recovers.

I once loved The Byrds. There's a lot of beautiful stuff here, but it's kinda boring too.

Good musicianship but never loved the Byrds

I tended to like it. It's folk rock, and I get how itfits in the evolution of rock, but I don't know how much it holds up on its own. A lot of this list is the "Citizen Kane" problem. Citizen Kane, today, by itself, is a pretty good film. It's not the best film of all time, because every good filmmaker has seen Citizen Kane, and learned from it, and iterated on it, so what makes Citizen Kane important is no longer unique. It's just how movies are. Anyway, I'm rating this how I am, but for a lot of albums from the40's to 70's, sometimes they matter more for how they affect the language of the medium.

...

Nettes Album Ich will aber eig mal wieder n tollen Brecher hören :/

Not a huge Byrds guy - but ok.

It's not bad by any means, but a bit scattered and unfocused. The few solid tracks (8 Miles High especially) struggle to stand out compared with the amount of other meh material here. Probably not totally deserving to be on the list. 09/01/24

3/5

few familiar tunes. Same psychedelic sound.

Liked it and another one that reminded me of the Beatles.

Yeah it’s ok. Pretty okay if you ask me

Generally fine - some cool songs but sounds like everything else that came out in the folk rock genre in that decade.

ok

Much like the radio stations, I also thought the song 5D was a reference to psychedelics. After reading the Wikipedia article, I think I need to make another pass through that song and listen for the theory of relativity..? 2-4-2 Foxtrot is so very annoying. The high pitched engine noises behind the chanting of the same 7 words is almost equivalent to torture Overall, this wasn't bad. It was neat, experimental, transitional, and influential on a lot of other stuff I like. 3 stars

Best Byrds album I've heard so far. But there's still far too many Byrds albums on this list.

Maybe not in 60s but ordinary today

For me, this is the 4th Byrd's album on this list. Some nice songs, but the rest is not noteworthy.

A bit whacky 60s

jahas viidettä albumia viedään näiltä, ehkä pikkasen ylenpalttista edustamista nyt tällä listalla, kuitenkin puhutaan aika monotonisesta trendejä-seuraavista pottatukka paskiaisista kuitenkin.. kaikennäköistä on kuitenkin ykkösestä neloseen vaihteluvälin pituus ihan kiinnostava bändi ollut vaikka vituttaa tämmönen (pistää pikkasen muuten vihaksi). tämä rentoilua semmosta ja tällästä ehkä sitä kolmosta kiuaaseen mietoa, mieto lämppä päälle ja juttelua juttukaveria saunaan kun ei kerran edes keuhkoihin polta kun mietomaito lämppä päällä selkä suorana kun ei edes elämän tarkoitusta mietitä kun niin mukava lämppä yllä huohhouoijjakkahaas... eight miles high

Paisley folk rock. Jangly guitars. Multi-instrumental including some harmonica. Psychadeliac at times. Bit repetitive with songs sounding very similar. 6/10.

A couple of good tracks, nice cover of Wild Mountain Thyme, awful cover of Hey Joe. Adequate album.

Listenable

Fifth Dimension is the best album we've had from The Byrds but even then it's still only a 3/5 effort, it's happy-go-lucky middling soft rock, easy to listen to with a coupla songs like Mr Spaceman that stand the test of the time, but the rest is forgettable. Between Neil Young and David Crosby we've had FIFTEEN albums and I could've done with maybe two of them at most.

Another album from The Byrds - I like this one more than some of the others, for sure, but it's still not particularly inspiring. This one claims to be critical in originating psychedelic rock; maybe it was, but I'd prefer to listen to the ones that came after that took this to another level, rather than this thing that's stuck in the middle of folk, psychedelia, and rock, and doesn't take the best of any of it. But, there's something to it, it was influential, and it's not a bad listen, just not a particularly good one. Straight down the middle, 3/5.

Didn’t love this.

Bland and boring. But then there is Eight Miles High. Worth the cost of the album.

A classic but listening to the other tracks they're a bit 'One dimensional' (geddit?) Not much variation in style or content but it's ok I guess. Includes a version of 'Hey Joe' which is a bit odd.....

Honestly, I kind of struggled to figure out what I wanted to say about this album. And not for lack of a hook or perspective; by everything I've written, this is commonly considered the original psychedelic rock album. Heck, "Eight Mile High" is apparently, according to a lot of folk, **the** first psych rock song ever written. Which, y'know, I take claims like that with a bit of "If it hadn't been that, it would've been something else" — but still, it can be hard sometimes not to marvel at the thing that started it all. And yet, here? I'unno. I didn't dislike this album as I heard it, but after taking a few minutes before starting this review... I can't recall a lot of it; nothing specific I can bring up for this review. Like, sure, after one listen I'm not gonna have the whole thing completely memorized, but still, I should be able to come up with **something**. As I sit here, though, my mind keeps flashing through a bunch of other songs I heard today — "Savoy Truffle", Peter Griffin singing "Memories" — but not really anything from **this** album. At most, I suppose, there's "2-4-2 Fox Trot", which is kind of an odd closer. I mean, I understand the concept and I don't really fault its execution, but I imagine it's a song that would've improved with better stereo mixing. I mean, take out an earphone: y'wanna hear the band, or jet whining and someone talking over a radio? All the while the band stands in the cockpit chanting "I WANNA RIDE A LEARJET." Second time I've heard about these things in a song, and this ain't no "Money". I'unno. I can appreciate this thing's place in history, and in the moment it's good, but... Mm, I'unno. During the album I was feeling a 4, but just for the fact that I forgot so much and that it's not exactly compelling me to give it a second listen... 3. It's an "it's fine" 3. Jus', I'unno. That's just how it is. Maybe if there **had** been another Bob Dylan cover, who knows?

I completely lost track of this while I was listening to it. Generally unremarkable but enjoyable.

Aight

Pretty tight. They had a sound. Crazy the winds of change - in terms of cultural and monetary cachet these guys weren't too far off from the beatles contemporaneously but in hindsight have been erased to a whole different tier. Anyway the psychedelic shit is fun, and they are competent musicians (not sure if wrecking crew was still helping out) reaching out to eastern and hippy and other influences, and doing so while preserving that cool ass jangly sound.

nice mellow album of late 60's folk rock. Really decent, but not feeling it.

I'm not a fan of The Byrds, but at least they gained a bit of my respect with "Hey Joe". I liked guitar solos on this album, which were pretty revolutionary of 60s, I think. But otherwise, it's just another older album that is interesting only because it was different at the time. Not something one would listen to nowadays.

Hippy, but it is the 60's. What can you expect? About what I expected. I particularly liked "I See You", and the rest were fine. Some were a bit kooky. Alright album, not entirely my style but bits I liked

there were good songs, I really liked Mr Spaceman and I see why it was influential. Reminds me of beach boys but with a tad more edge which is nice. But some songs were also tiring