Reviews (page 5 of 8)
might have missed something on this one reading other reviews. Will I listen to again: 25%
Enjoyed the middle section most, Everyone's Been Burned and My Back Pages in particular. Have changed from a 4star to 3star review on discovery that the later is a cover.
A not particularly cohesive mish-mash of styles and influences makes me question why this album features on a “must hear” list. Despite being released only 3 months before Sgt Peppers, this largely sounds like it’s from an earlier era with a few tracks such as “Everyone’s been burned” aside. Despite having liked The Byrds for decades, I’m struggling to justify giving this 3 stars as it’s just not a body of work I can ever see myself returning to.
Definitely recognizable. Would listen again.
3/5
that i was so much older than lyric is so bad it diminished the album for me
I did not listen to a lot of Byrds as I started to get into 60s music in my earlier 20s (I grew il in the 90s so grunge was my upbringing) so I was looking forward to this album. Some songs almost seemed unfinished, and while there were a few good standout songs, the rest was mediocre. Top 3 Tracks: 1. Thoughts and Words 2. My Back Pages 3. So You Want to be a Rock & Roll Star 6/10
a little overdone at times but good overall
Really interesting musically but don’t predict I’ll be back. Cool to think about where it is in relation to other music happening at the time
A lot of these late 60s psych rock albums have some really neat ideas that informed a lot of the music I enjoy today. Personally, I wouldn't put this album on just to listen to, but it was pleasant enough. Short too! More sub 30 minute albums please!
Fav: Have You Seen Her Face Least Fav: Mind Gardens Impressive for the 60s, but that’s it
Funky, upbeat. The Beatles vibes sometimes. I like the harmonies. Some odd instrumentals and sounds.
That was nice
I thought it was an interesting (but dated) album. There were a number of songs that definitely felt of the 60s. Partially that guitar sound, which they did so well. Having said that, there were some cool moments in there: the backwards guitar in "Mind Gardens" which took the song in a slightly unexpected turn for me. And their cover of "My Back Pages"... it's one of my favorite Dylan songs, so hearing them do it so well resonated with me. It was good to hear it as a part of history, and some of the songs resonated with me, but not enough to say I would listen to it again. Top tracks: "My Back Pages," "Mind Gardens," "The Girl With No Name"
I swear The Byrds must be the most ho-hum band of all the big influential bands that ever existed. I mean, I read so much about how they influenced this band and that one, this genre and that one. I skipped to this album because I just came off listening to a Big Star album. But to me, they're always just around average-sounding. Always at least average but I have to fight so hard to find a truly alluring song or aspect to what they do. So once again, 3 stars and moving on.
Some decent songs - nothing truly bad (although CTA-102 and the backwards guitar in Thoughts and Words come close). The Wikipedia entry talks a lot about bassist Chris Hillman contributing his first songs to the band, giving them a country turn. Unfortunately, I considered that a big negative for the album (and the band)! The Byrds also continued to dip into the Dylan well, turning My Back Pages from 3/4 to 4/4. While I'll say this version is marginally better than Dylan's original, I checked out some later Bob Dylan live versions and Bob does it better live than either the Byrds' version or his own original. Here's a great example: https://youtu.be/JWNaIXeHHzQ?si=02bGcukafuoCu5Z- Don't know if I'd revisit this album, but it wasn't bad to hear and I can see why it's on the list, at least from an historical perspective. Favorite tracks: So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star (classic track), Have You Seen Her Face (that classic Byrds sound), Everybody's Been Burned (I like the guitar line - it's the 007 progression!), My Back Pages.
Meh
Fun 60s hippie music
I've always liked their vocal harmonies and it's interesting to hear so much 12-string guitar everywhere. The psychedelic elements are pretty cool for their time, even if they do sound quaint by today's standards. Their cover of Dylan's "My Back Pages" is yet another example of a cover that's better than the original. This is probably a 3.5 star album. It's not a 4 star album, so I'll have to round down to 3 stars.
The perfect soundtrack to the Summer of Love, where sunny pop optimism begins to seem cliche ("So You Want to Be a Rock ’n’ Roll Star"--love the girl-screaming layered in) and gives way to Eastern-tinged psychedelic experimentation (“Mind Gardens”). ✌️ ❤️ 🙂 3.5
The Byrds usually keep things interesting to me. I liked this album. Good melodies and absolutely killer harmonies. I don't know a lot about their background, but some of the harmonies made me wonder if these guys were ever in a choir together. Have You Seen Her Face has some complex stuff going on in it.
I liked it a good bit, especially Mind Gardens and Thoughts and Words.
Ik krijg de eerste helft van Younger Than Yesterday nog niet zo goed gefit. De nummertjes klikken niet helemaal. En dat komt door het psychedelische karakter. Want het folk element en de samenzang is mooi, maar de timing en muziek pakken we niet. Wellicht wat meer luisterbeurten nodig. Dat draait voor mijn gevoel volledig bij My Back Pages. Na twee psychedelische trips (Thoughts and Words en Mind Gardens) is dat nummer een soort reddende engel. Het is prachtig, en het klopt en past! Ook de tracks daarna zijn mooi, maar veel album resteert er niet meer helaas. Daardoor niet meer dan een... 7/10 Highlights My Back Pages
Solides Beat Album der mid 60er mit einigen Country Elementen ohne aber eine Faszinationsbogen aufzuspannen. Gute Songs waren „My Back Page“ und „Have Yoe Seen Her Face“.
No private Spotify session used. Very much of it's time. Mellow, hippie somewhat trippy, not bad, but not my thing.
A nice album but quite boring sometimes when it sounds too much like the Beatles but it was the era !! My Back pages 3.5
Why important? 2,5
I've given the Byrds a lot of shit because this author saw fit to include seemingly every one of their albums on this list, but honestly this one wasn't so bad. Minimal country elements, and more psychedelic folk rock with lyrics, samples and instrumentals that subvert expectations. Still could be a bit more interesting by going much much further outside of the box, but much much better than I had expected. 3/5
Pretty decent. I added “time between”
Not bad. Nothing special
My Back Pages
Good
Da taucht mer vom erschte Takt a id Boygroup-Zyt vo de 1960er-Jahr ii. Vo Mexiko, über Indie und Countrymusic häts ächli alles. Im Grosse erinnerets mi scho au a dBeatles. CTA 102 hät ja sonen strange Schluss und Mind Gardens laht vorusahne, was in Rock/Indie na choo wird.
rock n roll star kooomisch langwilig. have you seen her face isch cooler, chords mached chli sache. cta 102 weeird. wiso sind ihr so byrds. wow ok da ding am schluss tönt wie en star wars alien hobla. renaissance fair isch roootz 60er komisch. time between isch premium byrds so mue country rock töne hammer. de song isch en stern bonus. everybodys been burned und thoughts and words sind etz ehner dehiplätscheret. mind gardens macht psychedelische shit aber viel akustischi gitarre links und rechts dasch guet. ok ich ha irgendwie meeega möse am text zuelose. komisch aber sehr pink floyd the wall. my back pages isch en dylan song wow meega text.
Ok
I like music of the 60s but I thought this was just alright.
That was pleasant but not especially memorable. The vocals were very soothing, and I liked the guitar work. Album cover: (B) Fun poses, but it looks like the used the grainiest, smallest photo they could find and enlarged it well past want looked good.
The center of the venn diagram made by Beatles/Dylan/CSNY with the twangle dialed up and some psych production flourishes. A bit of a transition between their jangle pop and country rock eras. Pretty sounds, an bright optimistic feel, hyperactive bass parts, cool harmonies, and very melodic - but nothing especially remarkable from the most over-represented band on the list. Not every 60s album with sitar is worthwhile!
Great harmonies with a dash of psychedelia and a sprinkle of country.
всё не могу ухватить в чьём жанре они работают и насколько это нравилось современным подросткам. по срезам одного дня кажется чем-то очень усреднённым
OK, a bit dated. Pretty forgettable really
This was a fine album overall. Reminded me through a decent amount of songs of The Beatles. There was a song or 2 that were bad enough to hit skip on, so can’t give it much higher than a 3. I don’t think its worth being on this list at all.
Non è funk sadge
A bit too on the lyrical soft rock side for my taste but I still enjoyed. Unsure if I'll be back
A little too much 60's silliness for me, but there's a couple of great songs on there.
Alguna que otra letra linda, algún que otro destello de psicodelia. Otro álbum que no es mi tipo pero no es terrible. Un 3 débil.
This was a nice enough listen, but I thought the only real standout was the Dylan cover (My Back Pages) so it's hard to give it a high score. 3.5 stars
Another Byrds album, another album with little to write home about. This is probably the best of the bunch we've had though, it's much more psychedelic rock and roll than it is folk or country, and that's definitely a good thing. Just about squeaks a 3/5.
A nice album from the 60s.
Imagine my curious bewilderment upon the opening track and having an odd recollection of something familiar. Where have I heard this before??? Well who else could have covered 'So You Want to Be...' and so on? Coincidentally I fanatically fixated on Patti Smith's 'Wave' this recently. She blasts out a blistering cover of a kind of scathing Byrds pop song along the way. Not that this is a Patti Smith review, but now I'm trying to recalibrate my assessment on The Byrds as a pleasant 60's folk/rock band. But this just makes me want to listen to 'Wave' again.
Another early psychadelic rock album. I actually found myself liking this one a lot- it had some hits and pushed the boundaries of where rock in the 60s was. There were also some elements that got stale (over-the-top trippy). Overall- decent album
There's some interesting musical and sonic experimentation scattered across this album that I appreciated. The Byrds play their instruments well, and the whole thing is listenable enough. After a while though, the songs all blur together for me, and there's not enough going on to encourage me to come back to it. I suspect they'll have at least one other album on here for me to listen to, so there's a chance yet they may win me over. Doubtful, though, given their 2 best known songs are covers, but I'm keeping an open mind about it.
I know who the Byrds are and that they're not the Yardbirds. I know very little about this album, but's a big dose of that folky/psychadelicy rock music from the mid to late 60's. Nice harmonies, which makes sense given the people involved. It had some things that definitely seemed Beatles-inspired, music looped backwards and the sitar in some songs. I'm sure I've heard a lot of these songs before but I didn't recognize any while I listened. I appreciate the people involved and the influence of the Byrds, and the Yardbirds for that matter, but found this one a little boring. If you're listening to this on Spotify the original album had just the first 11 songs. The additional 6 tracks are from the 1996 CD reissue, at least that's what Wikipedia says.
Bit of a difference starting this after Ringworm. "Have You Seen Her Face?" No, but I dig this song. "C.T.A. 102" - To review this song with one syllable: huh. I think I appreciate their branching out into the psych, but don't need it here.
nice favorite track: my back pages
Standard psychedelic rock album--nice sound that takes you back to the 60's, but no standout tracks.
Overall I enjoyed it. Nothing hit me as, "Wow this is so amazing, or different" but nothing was overtly offensive. It reminded me a lot of Beatles era music. I could have it on and enjoy it, but nothing about this album makes me want to seek it out again.
This album is VERY 60's. I especially liked So You Want To Be A Rock Star (great horns and bass). Also liked Time Between. My Back Pages is one of my favorite Dylan songs and they do a great job with it. It's a bit more rock'n than the original. I'm about a 3.5 with this album. It's good but not super great. They didn't need that part with the backward speaking aliens. And the song with the backward guitar was a bit too much of that.
This felt like pretty standard 60s fare. Nothing really grabbed me and made me love it. It was enjoyable enough in an average sort of way though.
Kind of forgettable but nothing is bad.
The byrds are a tight band, and it's very interesting how far tastes/accepted wisdom on the history and importance have swung away from Mcguinn, hillman crosby et al. Anyway, I liked 5d better, but there are some fair bangers.
Enjoyable, but the Byrds have never successfully hooked me.
It’s cute. But it’s pretty heavy handed. They had a lot of fun getting high in the recording studio. The harmonies are nice and the music is well written. But sometimes it sounds like folky, trippy Monkees.
Previously rated: Fifth Dimension (3/5) The Notorious Byrd Brothers (3/5) ************************************* Another mostly mediocre one. Some good harmonies of course, and that CTA 102 alien song was kind of wild for the time - wasn't expecting it. They leaned a little too heavy on the backwards stuff, copying the Beatles, no doubt. And the super psychedelic folk sound of Mind Gardens was off-putting to me.
Quite mediocre. There are one too many The Byrds albums on this list.
Light, Beatlesy, enjoyable for the most part. 6/10
Liked it
Some of it I loved, some of it I didn’t. Overall, it gave me a pretty good feeling. 3
Liked it, didnt love it. 2.8
The Byrds’ second album of 1967, “Younger than Yesterday” is supposedly one of their all-out, summer-of-love, full-blown psychedelic efforts alongside “Fifth Dimension”. I’d never heard it before, but was really impressed on first listen. The trouble is, I’ve come back to it after a few weeks of putting off this review and realised very little of it has stuck with me. Where “Renaissance Fair” was gently hypnotic, it now feels rambling and aimless. Where “Mind Gardens” was intriguing, its overwrought lyrics and vocals (suggesting an inferior Tim Buckley) are now more annoying. I’d entirely forgotten “Everybody’s Been Burned”, a limp and toothless dirge. And then there’s “Why”: far too strait-laced and straight-faced a closing track. That said, there are a fair share of sterling moments here. Of course, we have the obligatory Dylan cover in “My Back Pages”, one of the band’s best and for me the definitive version of the song. “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star” is a great way to open, starting a through-line for power pop across the next sixty-plus years, and “Time Between” and “The Girl with No Name” see promising steps towards country. Sure, “CTA 102” may be a little dated nearly sixty years on, but it’s incredibly catchy and I was still taken aback by the sudden perspective switch, as we hear the band’s recording filter and a gang of “aliens” jibber and jabber over it. Interesting stuff. So “Younger than Yesterday” has some really intriguing moments, but it does feel like it doesn’t really land most of its diversions from The Byrds’ jangly formula. Having reviewed “Notorious Byrd Brothers”, and just revisited it, I think it represents a much more successful step forward for the band and their branch of music than this one.
Just the sound of the '60s - lil folky, lil poppy, lil country, lil psychedelic.
Definitely a band of their era. I liked this album even though it's not unique or stands out particularly well, the vocals were better than decent and overall the sound is good. Give it a try.
Solid for me. Enjoyable listen
Seemed like radio friendly 60s pop and then it went a bit mental- kinda enjoyed it though
Came in expecting a Beatles rip off and it started out that way but turned a lot better in the end, mostly because this was surprisingly experimental. After that, it became a weird mix of classic and experimental that was quite interesting. 7/10
3.5
Enjoyable, but not remarkable.
Jag trodde att jag inte hade hört the byrds förut. Sen kände jag igen flera låtar. Hippie rock. Är väl ok antar jag. Ingen musik som berör mig men det är bra skval
Chill music. Easy listening with a couple catchy songs.
I would say it’s average byrds
Certainly a reference work for this timeframe, but it's only inspired in places.
Kinda fun and silly. Once we get into the goofy alien baby voices in "CTA," you know you're in for silliness. Not much real substance, but it's amusing.
What's with the image quality on the cover? anyway there are three more albums of this on the list please just shoot me
Favorite Track: So You Want to Be a Rock N Roll Star
Actually had a decent time with this one, not the greatest but, the after the first few songs not doing it for me, it really picked up.
Sound like The Beatles. Sometimes I hear Bob Dylan, too. Their sound is a bit fuzzier than The Beatles, and I was surprised by the psych-elements. This must have been so innovative at the time. C.T.A, for example, sounds like an early Beach Boys song at first, and then devolves into this wild, Pet Sounds in a void type sound. 1967. I'm coming to understand more where a lot of new music stemmed from. Psych-rock can be traced back to bands like The Byrds. At the end of the day, I wasn't all too impressed with the instrumentation. Production is mint, granted, but I wasn't blown away by the rest of it all. Favorite Track: Thoughts & Words
fine
...
I liked the weird thing whispering in my right year at the end of one of the first songs, but that's about it
Pleasant jangly 60's rock. A couple of nice songs but more background than life changing.
Enough with the Byrds already
This was probably super mind blowing back-in-the-day. Some good. Some bad. But they’re really trying things out which is cool. Respect ✊🏻
So I put this album on the same level as The Monkees. The San Fran hippie version of rock desperately trying to channel The Beatles. They were working off the already released Revolver and Rubber Soul albums. I can see how the release of Sgt Pepper in the same year as this album must have blown them away. Still its inventive, original, and enjoyable enough to make it worth a listen and be on the list. I enjoy the mix of psychedelia and folksy styles. In fact I can hear Jefferson Airplane in some of the tracks. This probably owes to a contemporaneous rather than a derivative creation. But The Airplane did it better IMHO. Mind Gardens exemplifies this most but they don't have the gravitas of the voice of Grace Slick to pull it off as well. 3.4
The Byrds are ok; I always feel like I've heard it all before. The (lofi) girls screaming in the opening track kinda took me out. 3*
It’s easy to see how at the time these guys may have been seen as America’s version of the Beatles. I can also see how they didn’t quite reach that level. There are a few really good songs on here, as well as the roots for better music to come.
It's fine. Another older album that I probably would have enjoyed more if I were of the same era.
The Bryds - Younger Than Yesterday 1967 7/10 I'll start off by saying I love how quick this album is - I love records that are crammed full of quick little ditties and over in like 25 minutes, it's really difficult to make a song memorable and do 'enough' in (often on this record) 2 minutes, which I really do commend. This is very much of its era with a Beatles/Monkees kinda vibe, but with a little bit of a country edge thrown in. They also seemed to experiment with backwards loops (both vocals and guitar) and other sound effects which is fun to hear on an album that's almost 60 years old. The band also cover Dylan's "My Back Pages" which is actually a real highlight, and overall the album sees itself in and out with catchy, foot tapping songs. 7/10
This was okay but not as good as the last album of theirs I heard on here.
I find it hard to listen to mid 60s albums because they usually all sound the same. This one, however, does a good job of innovating in some weird places. I personally love the gremlin speaking in my ear during the third track. My favorites were Have you Seen Her Face and The Girl With No Name.
This is a concise set of songs where I think the individual songs are better than the album as a whole. I would not have a problem going back to this, but likely wouldn’t choose to do so on my own. The weird alien voice on C.T.A. -102 was kinda odd. Favorites here were So You Want To Be A Rock N Roll Star, Have You Seen Her Face, Thoughts And Words, and My Back Pages.
I heard on another byrds album that they were interested in making alien contact and they definitely leaned into that here lol. Lost of buzzy whirring alien background noise paired with very airy flowy guitars and lyrics.
This album struck me as something predictable and expected from the Byrds....but then the end of C.T.A.-102 and the song Mind Gardens interrupted my relatively passive listening stance and made me re-listen to the whole album again. Upon a second listening, it became apparent just how diverse this album is, how its psychedelic urges led to experimentations that were so bizarre at times that they preserved the odd freshness of the experience. The mixture of expected folk-rock sounds and these unexpected other growths suggests that this is either an album of transition, or--if we assume that all art is a footprint record of transition and transformation--then it's a record of exploration, of journeys familiar and unfamiliar. Not necessarily coherent as an album, but more like a party where there are many different and diverse people in attendance, but all share a few common denominators. I probably won't listen to this again, but it's added depth and texture to my understanding of the history of this band and the evolution of sound and music through the late 60s...
Usually not my thing but there guys did it best. Some great tracks here.
I mean. It's fine.
Another album from them that's a bit too scattered for me. I do like a lot of the individual songs though. The sci-fi studio goofiness of C.T.A.-102 is very forward thinking.
I thoroughly enjoyed some songs, but some not much. I didn't listen all the way through.
3.2/5 listened 1x
I think I've never heard any of these before, some were great some were so so
It's fine. I do feel there are too many Byrds albums on the list.....and I can't remember rhe other ones
Nice to listen while cooking brekkie but prolly not again
I liked this. great vocal harmonies, singing and jangly guitars.
Period piece! Good bit of musical complexity.
no strong thoughts.
this was fine. i don't know any of these songs and i don't think i really needed to listen to this many byrds albums before i die but oh well. favorites: so you want to be a rock 'n' roll star, renaissance fair, everybody's been burned, my back pages
The original album was pretty short at 29 minutes - something of a blessing since this is pretty dull. At least the country/folk aspects aren't too strong for this record.
I've had The Byrds before and when I did I gave that record a 1 star review. And, yet, I find Younger Than Yesterday to easily be 2 stars better than Sweetheart of the Rodeo which was released a year later. Younger Than Yesterday is not a masterpiece but it's a solid 3 star outing. I think the "pre-country" rock, pop, and psych sensibilities on display here speak more to me than when they had more firmly shifted their sound in that countrified direction. Sometimes its the small things that make a difference.
Not my cup of tea. But you can definitely hear the Crosby, Stills, & Nash precursor sound. Folk rock just ain't for me.
Helt sköna 60 tals vibbisar, kort skiva med korta spår.
Chris Hillman's presence changes the direction here for the Byrds. His songs always struck me as some of the more meaningful ones. And of course, that they only have one Dylan song shows their moving out of his enormous shadow and achieving their own credit. 3/5
Beatles at home
Psychedelic rock band constantly chasing the high of their debut album — and failing. (Looking at you, The Byrds.)
It was a solid album, but I wouldn't choose this over many of my favorites from this decade
Not bad. Just not really my favourite thing.
Not their best. Can't be helped, but Ren Fair Hippie nonsense does not age well.
Leans a bit more into the psychedelic moment of the late 1960's, but is not out to break any ground. A good listen and good Dylan cover
A collection of songs that complement the bands discography well. This album doesn’t add to their reputation, but certainly didn’t take anything away from it. Ultimately, the whole thing is a little forgettable. Nice enough though. 3/5
Pretty good.
Go byrds. It started off good and has a solid classic rock feel, but meanders a little to the point where idk that I’d go back to the album but more individual songs
My knowledge of The Byrds is Turn Turn Turn and to me, everything sounded like that song. Which isn’t the worst thing
Sounded Beatles-y
A mixed bag. I liked the county-ish "Time Between", and Crosby's "Everybody's Been Burned". But I really disliked "Mind Gardens", also a Crosby song. A low three.
01) So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star - 7,0 02) Have You Seen Her Face - 7,5 03) C.T.A.-102 - 7,0 04) Renaissance Fair - 7,5 05) Time Between - 7,5 06) Everybody's Been Burned - 7,0 07) Thoughts and Words - 6,5 08) Mind Gardens - 6,5 09) My Back Pages - 8,0 10) The Girl with No Name - 7,5 11) Why - 7,0 TOTAL: 7,18 (72/100)
Oddly, my favorite song on the album is the Bob Dylan cover. Still, a very good album.
Väldigt trevligt album, väldigt inspirerat av beatles så det blir pluspoäng Bästa låtar: Thoughts by words, My back pages
Alright
3.5 You know what, there was a lot more going on in the album than I initially would have thought. The originals on the album were pretty good and there was a few psychedelic-leaning songs that I enjoyed.
It was okay. Songs where catchy enough. But I probably won't come back to this.
Psych-era-Beatles meets Country played by Dylan-fanboys.
Pretty good.
It was good but some of the songs were a little weird and too experimental for me - 6/10
Pretty standard rock stuff with some psychedelic mixed in. The rock was fine, didn’t love the other stuff. 6/10
5/10 - It was alright, I did not love it but did not greatly dislike it. My back pages was a great song which explains why it has the most plays by 17 million.
My third Byrds album on this list. The sound is ok, some beat, some country/folk, some psychedelic. Trying out new and different sounds and instruments gives it a kind of unique touch.
It's okay
Great album, not incredible but a great album
3.5
haha alien noises. Cool album, rediscovered a song I hadn’t heard in yonks!
I love "Mind Gardens"! It reminds me of a tiny, itty bit of Psychic TV—just a smidge. It's a fun, driving album full of twists and turns and unique trippy sounds. Was that an Oboe?
Orate
Short and sweet sixties rock album
De har bättre
It was a 60s album. It was ok
This is pretty ok. Not blown away by it but did like some of the tracks. On first listen I liked Have You Seen Her Face, Everybody's Been Burned, and Mind Gardens. I could see some more of it growing on me but don't think it will be a favorite.
I didn't mind this but it did get samey after a while.
Groovy
It was just ok
Some good songs, great harmonies, very hippie
Not as fun as most psych rock but pretty decent nonetheless
This was a great throwback sound -- very Byrds. Almost had a Kinks sound to it too. I didn't really recognize any of the songs but the sound was instantly recognizable. I really liked the more psychedelic but the whole this was a solid listen and very flavorful. Three stars.
very nice
More excellent harmonies and guitar, but pretty boring. Straight up thought an ad started playing on some forgotten tab open on my computer halfway through C.T.A - 102. Have You Seen Her Face was my favorite but I'm only halfheartedly saving it.
I had previously heard this album and others by The Byrds. This album is interesting because it takes a step forward in experimentation. It still has the trademark Byrds harmonies and jangly guitar sounds, but this album adds backwards tapes and similar such sounds. It makes for an interesting listen. Maybe it is not something I would specifically seek out, but would not mind hearing it.
Het balanceert een beetje tussen standaard jaren zestig-hippiemuziek en net wat experimenteler spul. Muziek achteruit gedraaid, stemmen versneld ('Rot effe op met die smurrefe!'), dat soort dingen. Niks daarvan werkt echt. De rechttoe-rechtaandingen klinken het best, en het hitje van Bob Dylan is misschien wel het leukste nummer.
Na het meer folky geluid van hun eerste albums, zochten ook the Byrds blijkbaar hun toevlucht in psychedelische middelen. Dus wordt de muziek ook wat psychedelischer. Soms geeft dat fijne resultaten, maar op andere momenten zijn ze in de ban van aliens of andersoortige gekke geluiden die ze er doorheen willen gooien. Ik vind het toch fijner als ze het bij hun folk of desnoods folky rock houden, met meerstemmige zang. Het beste nummer is dan ook van Dylans hand, iets waar the Byrds al eerder succes mee hadden. Wat ze wel goed doen, is dat ze amper 30 minuten vullen met muziek. Dan luisteren we zonder problemen die 1996 reissue bonus tracks er wel even bij. Maar verder dan een 3 komt dit voor mij niet.
Jsuis pas très impressionné, ça sonnait comme « les p’tits gars de la chorale s’essaye au psychédélique »
A good 60s album with strong Beatles influences. I'm glad it hasn't got an electric jug unlike the 13th Floor Elevators. The Byrds are average songwriters akin to Lennon-McCartney. The Bob Dylan cover was nice, despite the fact that I never listened to the original. An essential psychedelic rock record. 3 stars for "Younger Than Yesterday".
It mostly just sounds dated to me. I never really got into the byrds
Can do without ever hearing the Byrds or Bob Dylan again…. Standouts: So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star, My Back Pages, 3.5
Alright, Dimery, I think that’s enough Byrds for me. I’ve had an entire flock of their albums now…har har har! *crickets*
6.5/10
For me, just a little bland. I enjoyed Why (definitely heard it before) and Everybody's Been Burned. Strange as I like this kind of stuff normally, lightly psychedelic folk rock, but it didnt do anything. The line-ups of The Byrds though, what a parade of legends.
Decent album, probably much better 60 years ago. Doesn’t hold up as well today
Good album
It was ok
Good and this style is what I tend to lean towards, but I'm not so sure it's even the best thing I've heard from The Byrds.
Definitely influenced by superior mid 60s psychedelia like Revolver and Pet Sounds. Some cool songs though. "Renaissance Fair", "Mind Gardens," and "My Back Pages" are the stand outs. You can definitely hear some early Crosby, Stills, and Nash in some of the songs, which makes sense given that David Crosby was the Byrds' lead guitarist.
Good if not great. Some interesting concepts like C.T.A.-102.
The Byrds, with some David Crosby hippy-ness.
I love The Byrds in general but they never really blow me away. This one is no exception.
Generic 60s psych, but good vibes comes from it nonetheless!
I can't say it's a masterpiece, but listening to the Byrds is always a pleasure.
A bit too bland to keep my attention but some fun stuff
2.8 - Yeah...3rd album now from the byrds and I just don't vibe with it
Bonus points for covering one of BDs best songs not once but twice. Not great covers though. The psychedelic bit in the middle of the album was different.
This is pretty good, but only a few songs really stand out to me. For the rest it just kinda washes over me.
This one is not nearly as catchy or memorable as some of their other releases. It has some good tracks, some great tracks and some tracks that simply don’t hang with the rest of the band’s discography. Overall this is fine.
Having 2 60s albums in a row put this one in perspective. Just ok
Very hippie-60s album, with some psychedelic attempts at bent notes in the voice and a sitar-like guitar sound. Ambitious, but didn't age well. My Back Pages, Why, So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star are probably the best tracks.
This wasn't bad, but I do feel like this kind of album (and also The Byrds) are overrepresented on this (relatively) short list.
Too much too soon from the bird men if you ask me. This was not as good Tambourine Man but was fine.
Wow another album by the Byrds so soon! This has to be the last one. I thought this was fine, with the first track being the strongest. A great lampoon of rock stardom (and I think the Monkees). I also liked "Everybody's Been Burned", which highlighted David Crosby well. Finally, in "Time Between" you can hear the beginnings of the Flying Burrito Brothers as Chris Hillman starts looking towards country music for inspiration. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Maybe I’m too cynical or too stupid because this just sounds like another 60’s rock album to me.
I feel like I should like this more than I did
Pretty good! Nothing super standout-ish
It's not a terrible album. Very much a product of the 60s British Rock invasion sound. I don't know if I'd purposefully seek it out again, but it wasn't bad.
Okay
4ème album d'un band de rock américain que je en connais pas. Donne des vibes Bob Dylan / The Beatles par moments. Doux, mais pas malade.
Good album. A bit repetitive at some point but at least 4 really really good songs. Overall works as an album with the order. Its well produced. Thumbs up for sure
3.5.
Some good diverse sounds- psychedelic rock with a bit of folk maybe? It's a good listen although no big hits. A nice, well produced album.
Not really much to say. Just some nice country-infused pop tunes.
It’s a good, strong, technically sound 3. There’s definitely some fun ones on this album, and when everything clicks, it clicks really nicely, but it just never retains that for super long on here, whether it’s the vocals not matching the lyrics or the lyrics not matching the instrumentation for a few extended periods. I think instrumentally, the biggest thing this album suffers from is simply the time period it’s in; Thoughts & Words would be an even more awesome track if the drums were mixed in to stand out better, and that applies to other instruments on some of the other tracks. C.T.A.-102’s ending is sick as hell, though. Ultimately, what’s here is fun and it’s short, and each song has its own distinct flavor, which means the album doesn’t really tire itself out. Good listen, definitely some songs to come back to, but nothing higher than a 3.
Never been much of a fan of the Byrds. This album didn't convert me.
I enjoyed “My Back Pages” and “The Girl with no Name”
I've always sort of dismissed the Byrds as another 60s manufactured Beatles-wannabe band, that happened to have a couple decent songs. This album surprised me with its more experimental sounds.
I’ve heard better by the byrds, but still good. You definitely hear Peter buck and Johnny greenwood in there.
I think some of their experiments were a big miss, but there’s still a core of solid rock and roll there so it’s pretty good
7. Easy to listen to and holds up, but no major hits. Their cover of my back pages was good, but would have preferred them not to have just done their best Dylan impression on vocals.
Leuke muziek, maar ik krijg er niet een heel bijzonder gevoel bij. ***
Classic rock is classic but this is an alternative version of classic rock - there’s a ton of LSD and hash evident in this disc as well. Some of it is almost unmanageable (Mind Gardens *ahem*), but the minor chord stuff hits a melodic sweet spot. I’d still rather be listening to Hendrix if I’m getting my 60s fixties.
Honestly fine, didn't blow me away. Felt like I had already heard it throughout this album-a-day journey.
Standard 60s stuff
- Pleasant. The Byrds' sound is nice and peak 60s rock. Nice to listen to. - On the flip side, it is just that: pleasant. Do not feel anything challenging here. It sounds a lot like earlier work from the Beatles, but a few years behind.
Was kinda a mixture of Cream and Beatles.
I like the Byrds. But this full length is jangling into oblivion and only persuading in moments. Their experimental parts are fun (end of C.T.A.). The harmonies common and beautiful, yet a bit too much in the focus of the songwriting that breaks out of its role as backing the lead very rarely.
Don’t really have any notes for this one. Requires a second listen, can’t name any songs off of it
Sometimes the impact of older albums that laid the foundation for future sounds don't have as big of an impact for modern day listeners. That's how this album feels to me. There's some solid songwriting, but I don't get a lot out of it personally.
I love the production. Crystal clear guitar sounds and excellent use of stereo gives it a really organic, and liveish sound. The songs are uneven in quality, i dont really fancy the more acid influenced stuff. But Everybody's been burned is an utterly brilliant song, and shows off a darker side than their biggest hits.
It was ok nothing blew me away
Budget beatles type. Not very interesting just standard oldie tunes
Another album I've already heard! I gave it a second listen, though. I don't think many songs stood out, but I also didn't really dislike any songs. In general, the Byrds are pretty good even if this particular record doesn't have that many shining star songs. High 3.
Psicodelia de finales de los 60's. Woodstock ?. Frescos, con muchos coros en las voces. Lo volvería a escuchar.
Rock-folk, ensemble folk... whatever. Reflection of the world at that time.
Rating: 7/10 Very good album overall. Enjoyed the acoustic and pop elements of the album, very catchy. The songs are written well and the album is very well produced, some nice studio engineering tricks implemented as well. This was a pleasant album to listen to but I think The Byrds are not doing anything unique compared to their contemporaries. Favorite songs: So You Want A To Be A Rock N' Roll, Have You Seen A Face, Renaissance Fair, My Back Pages, The Girl With No Name, Why. Worst song: Time Between.
#99. This one seemed kind of generic. Not bad by any means, but not really much there that would make you want to listen to it again. Back Pages was pretty good and probably the most interesting song here. 3/5: acceptable
Seems like I can’t escape 60’s rock albums on this list and so far I’ve learned they’re very hit or miss for me so I did go into this open minded, also not knowing who The Byrds are helped, so I could decide whether I was going to love or hate another 60’s rock album. This was really a mixed bag of songs, it subtly reminded of the Velvet Underground project I got a while ago with its somewhat futuristic almost experimental takes on some songs yet also keeping a classic feel in the atmosphere of the album. As usual I enjoyed some of the more classic sounding cuts but struggled with the more left field ones, for example, the opening track was a smooth track on wanting to be a rock ‘n’ roll star, an interesting way to open the album but it was nice and yet 2 songs later I’m hit with a futuristic song riddled with synths about life on other planets, it doesn’t really make much sense in context with the rest of the album and I don’t think it’s that great of a track. I could say the same about “Mind Gardens” which features this awkward reversed instrumental and some howling vocals at times that really don’t compliment the album well. There’s some catchy songs on here such as “Thoughts and Words” and “My Back Pages” which are good songs but I wouldn’t be surprised if these get very stale after getting familiar with them. Some tracks I did like were “Have You Seen Her Face” and “Renaissance Fair”, both are equally unique songs that don’t rely on the chorus for replay value. My main takeaway from this album is actually that I appreciate the Velvet Underground record more due to how 2 dimensional this one is at times. There’s some good tracks, and overall there’s nothing too bad about this album it just wasn’t great that’s all.
Good listening, but did not attract my attention specially.
Not a single one of the 5 Byrds albums I've listened to so far has convinced me this band deserves the emphasis it gets on this list. +1 star for combining different styles into an album and coming in at a runtime less than 30 minutes.
Overall it's a nice record. There's some interesting experimentation and some weird old sounds in here, but also some solid, well-crafted 60's tracks. Favourite tracks: Thoughts and Words and My Back Pages.
I'm liking this album. It has that great sound of the 60s for sure. Haven't heard any of the songs before so far.
Interesting, but not solo great.
Mid album Top tracks: The Girl With No Name
3.5
A couple of classics; otherwise meh
I feel like they tried to push the envelope a little past their prior album (5th Dimension), but didn’t really succeed.
Super interesting album for the 60s - it feels really modern. At times almost like King Gizz meets Bob Dylan, balancing each other out to make something that's not super bombastic but distinctly unique in the landscape of pretty plain 60s rock and roll music.
Fine
Mind Garden was pretty terrible, but I enjoyed the rest of this album
Another fourth studio album. It's a conspiracy now. The sixties were all about harmonies, it seems. Very good harmonies, but very single tone throughout. Good for a single listen.
Though it does have a couple of standout hits, the album is a bit dated sounding and ho hum throughout much of the album. CTA-102 stands out as being bad, but the rest are fine.
3.5/5. Pretty good, I enjoyed this. I would not mind listening to this again.
Should I have been high listening to this? It feels like I should have been high listening to this.
The start of something.
Un peu copié sur les Beatles, un peu copié sur Bob Dylan, j'ai l'impression. Sinon à l'écoute c'est globalement pas mal, même si ça ne vaut pas l'original. Quelques chansons que j'avais déjà écoutées individuellement par ailleurs et que j'étais content de réécouter.
FUCK Byrds
Kinda boring. Soft 3
Better than ‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers’, but probably only marginally. Not sure how it compares to the remaining Byrds albums in the book (there’s five all up) as I haven’t heard them yet but suspect these two are the picks of the bunch. ‘Younger Than Today’ is interesting enough overall, but I’m not seeking it out to listen to again anytime soon.
Jangly pop from the 60s. Not offensive, but also not all that compelling to me. Contains no hits like Mr Tambourine Man or Turn! Turn! Turn!
v 70s
Sounds fairly generic 60s music. Can hear the influences that would follow David Crosby in music going forward
meh. Would listen as backgroudn music.
Blind album, only know the artist by name. Surprisingly enjoyed this, and I don't know why either... but not my favorite.
Meh, not bad just doesn't do a whole lot for me
It's fun, but it gets boring.
i like it ! downloaded :)
Kinda good
I've heard a few tracks from The Birds before, including two of the more popular singles from Younger Than Yesterday. I enjoyed the album enough. David Crosby was lucky to work in two talented groups, although Crosby, Stills, & Nash (and Young) are more of a favorite for me. This album had some interesting history. There were bridges between some of the psychodelic, folk, and early (not quite ROCK and roll) rock. A track or two sounded like they could have inspired some of the song writing for the Monkees, firmly in the popular genre of the times. I enjoyed the album. Perhaps if there had been more of the energy from "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" spread through a few more tracks I would have rounded up to 4 stars. There were no bad tracks, but the periodic low, flower-child energy ("Everybody's Been Burned") makes the album feel like I don't need to come back for a re-listen.
Fine
Very jolly. This unmistakably sounds like the Sixties to me, in a good way. You can clearly hear the band's influence on Rubber Soul, for example. The songs didn't speak to me particularly, but it passed some time in my working afternoon very pleasantly. The opening track is probably my favourite here, as the subject matter seemed less obscure than the rest of the album.
It's clear how this album influenced future bands. Most of it was great, there were a few tunes that didn't really do it for me but I can see how those tunes influenced future bands I really enjoy.
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. I like psych rock, but I find that psych music, particularly from the 60's, all sounds very similar. They are all rooted in similar characteristics. So I went into this with that mindset. And I actually found a lot to like. The guitar on songs like "Renaissance Fair", "Everybody's Been Burned", and "Thoughts and Words" was actually far more advanced and well played than I thought it would be. "Thoughts and Words" specifically has this really cool reverse effect on what sounds like a guitar. It definitely fits the psychedelic label. I think that is something this album actually excels at. The album feels legitimately psychedelic in some places. I think the vocals also fit the more relaxed sound really well. The only song I have any real distaste for is "C.T.A. - 102". It has these weird synth sound effects in a later part of the song, and then the song just cuts out and transitions to the outro where someone is talking with a weird alien effect over their voice. Nothing about this song is cool in my mind. The effects just seem obnoxious and novel. The last three songs on the album aren't anything special either. Something I noticed while listening to this was the way everything was panned. All of the instruments are panned either hard left or hard right, and the vocals were set in the center. Which means if you are listening to this with headphones or earbuds, and you take one out, it instantly ruins the listening experience, since parts of the song are missing. This seemed to be a thing they did in the 60's when mixing albums, and it always confused me. Not sure if it was due to a technical limitation, or if it was a creative decision. I love when an album pleasantly surprises me. It's nice to not expect much and get something far more interesting than you imagined. Of the two 60's psych records I have reviewed so far, which both conveniently came out in the same year, I enjoy this one the most.
I had only ever heard a few random hits from The Byrds before, and I never paid them much mind. I've got to say though—grainy cover art aside—this is an intriguing album. It's difficult to pin down the genre and the era that this fits into, and I completely understand that this isn't going to be for everyone. It starts with a fairly normal sounding 60s era rock & roll number (with more untethered bass than a certain Simon & Garfunkel album, I might add... ahem). But you know what, including that trumpet and guiro is an interesting choice—that's not "normal" rock & roll. The next tracks kind of mellow in the 60s a bit longer before taking the listener back to the sounds of the 50s. And then BAM! What the heck is this—folk rock? And country rock? I think the message from the artists here are, "Stop trying to put us in a cage!" [Tangent] In track six, Everybody's Been Burned, I can't help but wonder, did the Broccoli family fire some Byrdshot at them for using that cord progression? Okay, next up, stuff gets weird. Like, what is this voodoo? As prog fan, this is kind of mind-blowing because I had no clue this type of experimentation and electronic modulation was happening in this era. Did these Byrds themselves excrete and scatter the seeds of giants to follow? Or, am I simply ignorant of others doing the same? Here's what I do know: lyrically and aurally Mind Gardens casts a spell that compels me to add Rush's Witch Hunt to the end of this playlist. The rest of the album continues to hop back and forth between these sounds: folky, rocky, country... Byrdy. This album is perhaps a bit much to digest all at once. I mean, I like pizza, and I like Mexican, and I like Lebanese, but I don't think I'm up to eating it in the same meal—at least not every day. But I'll be hot-danged if I don't try it from time to time.
This is the closest I've gotten to a 4 so far. Didn't quite get there, largely due to a really good point Kevin made in his ABBA review: I can't help but compare this to more contemporary music that I like and find it lacking. I bet I would have given this a strong 4 if I had been born in 1960.
Key things to note. This record sounds better over loud speakers. The mix is very peculiar, the vocals are fairly centered, but most of the instruments are about 90/10 either left or right. I imagined it was how it might sound to be around a campfire. My favorite tracks were My Back Pages and C.T.A. - 102 Over all enjoyable but I don't know when I would be itching to spin it back up.
Nice beachy, old school rock n roll album. Easy and pleasant to listen to! CTA - 102 was interesting, and I thought it was going to mark a drastic change in the style of the album, but then it just went back to its regular sound. Nothing too crazy about this one, but it was good.
This album was a great combo of classic 60s rock and then some pretty trippy songs it was a nice balance to stop any repetitive sound. My highlights were Thoughts and Words and Mind Gardens for the psychedelic aspect. Then followed with the ending of My Back Pages and Why for the rock
Weird as hell. Not too great to listen with a hangover. Backwards sitars and actual ayyyyliens chattering in my ear.
Quite good fun 60s jangly and occasionally psychedelic music, before the Byrd's got too country.
Classic early Byrds.
I feel about this album the same way that I feel about the previous Byrds albums, which is to say that it's not bad, but I also don't like it very much, and I'm happy to have completed this review so that I can stop listening to it, though it's perfectly fine if you like it because, again, it's not bad, and it has artistic merit, it's just not for me 3/5 Please let this be the last Byrds album on this list (monkey paw curls and another Randy Newman album appears tomorrow)
Quality sixties, 3.5 stars
Best Song: Everybody's Been Burned. It's got a sort of suave, Bond-song energy to it. Worst Song: C.T.A. I bet that alien bit at the end was fire back in 1967, but now it just sounds goofy in a bad way. Overall: An old album from the origins of rock that sounds more important than it sounds good.
I think we've had an album by the Byrds before. Maybe it was the Yardbirds, I'm not sure. Anyway, I had a slightly negative mindset going in, but this was pretty cool. Shows that preconceptions can be wrong.
For all that I've heard about The Byrds, was pretty disappointed in this. Really felt like nothing special for the mid to late 60s. 2.5/5
It was an alright album, I didn't recognize any of the songs other than the cover of Bob Dylan's My Back Pages. Basically a typical 60s folk album
These guys brought it here, sounding like the Beatles, sure, and doing the beatle-thing, but we'll enough. Kept things interesting as can be for the time and place
an enjoyable listening experience.
Yeah, not bad. It feels familiar. It's like finding a jacket like one you used to love while at a thrift store.
It’s fine.
Was ok, not loved
Rating: 6/10
It is a short album. Nothing sounded really recognizable. It was not a bad album, but it was not a particularly good album. I do question why there are so many Byrds' albums on this list. They aren't that good. I guess , it is better than a two but not really a three.
Solid sixties album with My Back Pages and Rock N Roll Star as obvious highlights. Rest of album is pretty solid bar the awful Mind Gardens, which prompted me to start a discussion on a forum about bands who went 'full maharishi' who really shouldn't. Three and a half.
Another album that’s just ok
We have Pet Sounds at home.
Great record from a definitive 60's band.
Fairly uninspiring.
Just okay, not much to get your teeth into.
Some decent songs, some terrible songs
когда увидел входные данные, готовился на 1-2, а в итоге вполне вкусное, приятное
Wow, they had some good drugs.
3. I quite enjoyed this. Might listen again but wouldn't buy.
Should be a 3.5.
Some great songs, worth more listen with headphones and weed.
I'd give a 3.5 if I could, pretty good standard rock
An interesting listen. They were clearly exploring new things and wtf is with C.T.A. - 102. Came outta no where. But it doesn't quite completely work for me. 3.5/5
Ok
4th Byrds album?? Man, they must've been hugeeee in the 60s. (very telling of my age)
I quite like the rocky stuff, I quite like most of the psych stuff. The silly tape noise, I really did not like. And the country stuff can absolutely get in the sea.
Seems to be transitional, some stuff works, some stuff is miles off. The Dylan cover is the best thing here.