Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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.
A pleasant listen. The best song (by far, in my opinion) is the Bob Dylan cover. I am grateful to these musicians to provide shoulders for many others to stand on. Waffling between 3 & 4 stars...
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.
I generally love The Byrds and this is no exception. Fantastic album top to bottom. “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star,” “Have You Seen Her Face,” and “My Back Pages” are my favorite songs on it, but every song is really enjoyable. It’s just good, fun 60s folk rock.
Won over by the weird alien voices
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
Alkaa lupaavasti, Mind gardens sitten muistuttaa siitä, että ollaan 60-luvulla ja vielä haetaan psykedeliaan tasapainoa. Tunnelmanvaihdos on hippasen liian iso, vaikkei muukaan levy toki ole täysin hörhöilysoundista vapaa. Ei jätä muuta muistijälkeä.
Dylan-vetonaula: check. Melodisesti perinteisempi B-puoli: joo. Vakavaa vuoden 67 oireilua läpi LP:n: jep.
Psychedelic rock band constantly chasing the high of their debut album — and failing. (Looking at you, The Byrds.)
Meh
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.
trotos
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
Fine but unremarkable
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
Pretty cool psych rock record that sounds influenced by some of the other psych bands of the time but not like a rip off. It seems like they were doing some experimental things to make it sound more psych which I really appreciate. Overall quite an enjoyable listen for me.
Classic! This is a cool record. Its fun to hear how they pulled together Rock, Folk and Psych into the music in 1967. Some moments feel like The Beatles, where other songs feel very Dylan. You can also see where Crosby broke off and formed his own thing. The psych songs are pretty weird, but really cool. I really love how they included horns in some songs, but then also just weird sounds. This was fun! I love the Bob Dylan cover, "My Back Pages." I use to jam this one hard in high school.
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)
Another band my dad loved and played all the time when I was a kid. Really talented group that exemplify the sound of their time.
Oddly, my favorite song on the album is the Bob Dylan cover. Still, a very good album.
Cool
Liked the singles. B side probably is preferred. There were some songs that were auditory torture on my heard phones. Will not listen to the album in full again to avoid those songs.
Tyckte detta var tråkigt men inte direkt jättedåligt. Några okej låtar och några bajslåtar, t.ex Mind Gardens. Fett meh. Favvolåt: Have You Seen Her Face
Väldigt trevligt album, väldigt inspirerat av beatles så det blir pluspoäng Bästa låtar: Thoughts by words, My back pages
Alright
Title track was catchy, otherwise forgettable in my opinion
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.
Nah. Old 60’s “rocker” sound but also some bagpipes?
4.5
Yep, an album hugely influential on tonnes of stuff I love, whilst also being absolutely fantastic itself.
New album for me, but some songs I know from cover versions, really nice album
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
Listened to this when I was biking around, which was fun. It was pretty much what I was expecting.
Im p sure I listened to this the day it was generated but I forgot to rate it so here after listening round 2. I like this album. also has me relistseneing to mr Tamborine man bc they also ate w/ that. 8.5/10
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.
Just another Byrds album. Why they have 5 albums on this list is beyond me, but the albums we’ve had have all been enjoyable listens so far
This is now the third 60s album in a row. I suppose this is the best of the bunch, I enjoyed the more psychedelic elements compared to the more typical beatles-fare from this time. Still pretty boring though.
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.
4/5 Fav Track: Mind Gardens Honorable mentions: It Happens Each Day & Thoughts and Words
Yet another Byrds album today. They are experimenting with playing tapes in reverse with this album.... It's weird. Favourite songs: My Back Pages, Time Between, Have You Seen Her Face, So You Want To Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, Old John Robertson Least favourite songs: Mind Gardens, Everybody's Been Burned 4/5
Nowhere near what I thought it might have been, no wonder they all went off and did better stuff
It's okay
Great album, not incredible but a great album
Of all the releases in the Crosbyverse, this may be my favorite: a solidly psychedelic rock 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?
An album I am very familiar with from a band that I am very familiar with. Everybody's Been Burned was my entree into truly understanding the band - and all that is good and bad. See the problem with the Byrds is that - while being highly influential - arguably more influential than bands that are held in much higher esteem - they are a bit goofy. A pitfall of the psychedelic era that counted them as but one among many who had similar missteps. But even looking at them in context of the era - I give you Mind Gardens as uniquely bad. CTA - really? I know aliens were big as was turning knobs just for the sake of turning them but...it's just silly. I feel like you could make an album of all there wacky experiments across this 3-4 year period and it might actually work. Similarly - if you gather up the remaining actually songs you have some unmitigated classics. Maybe you do anyway but at least they would have less caveats. And the Byrds are all about caveats. Taking this album at face value - some of my favorite Byrds songs are included (EBB, My Back Pages) and one of my all time faves - like from any band - Lady Friend - didn't make they cut and was only released on the reissues. Apparently that decision lead to David Crosby's leaving the Byrds - again - you put Mind Gardens on there but couldn't find a way to release this splendid rush of emotion. I say all this at someone who loves the Byrds and loves this album - with some caveats...
Orate
Short and sweet sixties rock album
I mean I love beatlesy 60s pop and this is a damn good 60s pop album with a lil dose of psych and folk thrown in. Super pleasant listen with no real skip tracks imo. Didn’t know David Crosby was the byrds guitarist so that’s pretty sick. Fav songs : Have you seen her face, do you want to be a rock n roll star, everybody’s been burned, thoughts and words, why
More catchy, lightly psychedelic tunes… I can’t hate on that!
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'd heard of the Byrds and thought they had some bigger names with them than I see. Maybe I'm thinking of the Yardbirds. Right away the first track sounded like people burning alive. It is pretty amusing how the song takes a jab at a band like the Monkees while I was thinking the same thing about the Byrds while hearing this track. Irony? As I continued listening I thought it's probably already been done, but a fun article title would be 'The Byrds and the Beatles' to talk about their similarities or rather the failure of an attempt by the Byrds to approach that level. This album just stinks. CTA-102? I get the idea, but it's all so shallow compared to other bands at the time. Favorite track "Why?" Has some interesting guitars 1.5/5
I didn't mind this but it did get samey after a while.
I also feel younger than I was back then
Groovy
The vocal harmonies here were just made for country, but they insist on playing all this psychedelic crap. Gram Parsons was the best thing to happen to this band.
It was just ok
9/10. Was between 8 and 9. This didn’t stand out on one specific but I really enjoyed the balance between creativity and chill vibes. And almost every single song was enjoyable.
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.
I feel like this may have inspired Sgt peppers. Scratches a psychedelic crossover itch I didn’t know I had
A little bland, I’ll probably forget about this album tomorrow
Excellent. I was going to buy the CD but I checked my library and I already have it :-)
I didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it that much either. All the songs sound kind of the same. I am well aware of how influential this band is, but personally I don't see why.
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.
One of the better albums I've heard from a decade and set of genres I don't really care too much for. Crosby's songwriting is brilliant, and the others are enjoyable. Also pretty cool to see two South African jazz legends on here.
Laurel Canyon might be just another place on map if not for the Byrds. Tom Petty and countless others were steeped in the jangly sounds of McGuinn and company.
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.
Ik snap dat je af en toe je nieuwe speeltjes wil uitproberen. Maar dit is af en toe niet om aan te horen. Dan is er weer een ratel, alleen links. Dan is er een zendamateur opgenomen, afwisselend links en rechts. Lachen dat stereo effect joh. En zo komen er nog meer muzikale proefjes voorbij. Niet dat je zoiets nooit kan doen, maar al dat geëxperimenteer past totaal niet bij de samenzang. Wat mij overigens ook al jeuk oplevert. Maar dat is smaak.
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 was weird. Maybe I don’t like psychedelic rock.
It mostly just sounds dated to me. I never really got into the byrds
ok album, good gutar but that's about it, nothing memorable
Folk rock, psychedelic rock, pop rock. What a lovely follow up to Fifth Dimension. I mentioned in that review I wanted to listen to more of their albums and here we are. A poppier take than the previous, YTY feels like a proper continuation. Better songwriting, better mixing. Still great harmonies and amazing guitar work, this album is full of catchy tunes. I think overall it's more refined that Fifth Dimension, feels like they know what they're doing. But there was a certain charm in being a little more raw. There's some weird stuff at the beginning of the album but it clears up and it's just boo after bop. Big fan of this album, like it about as much as the previous. Might relisten, really impressed by this band and would love more. 4.5/5
slightly more edgier the beatles. i dig it.
Wow. What a psychedelic trip. Hard to believe this album is older than I am. (Not by much)
I’ve never really listened to The Byrds before and this album served as a phenomenal introduction! I love the psychedelic/trippy vibe and plan to do a deep dive into their discography now.
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
A sort of cross between the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, but not in a good way.
My Back Pages is a 5 which brings a 3 album to a 4 rating
My 6th grade history teacher’s name was Mrs. Bird, but my dad always spelled it Byrd. Maybe this is why. Or maybe he was just old
Samey as hell but enjoyable
Alright, Dimery, I think that’s enough Byrds for me. I’ve had an entire flock of their albums now…har har har! *crickets*
Another from 1967 which I enjoyed more than yesterday's. Familiar tunes and familiar 60's Brit-pop sound by American boys.
6.5/10
Decent this, better than I was expecting. Better than The Beatles too in my humble opinion. That whole pysch/pop/rock/folk thing can be hard to pull off but they do it well for the most of this. Never strays too odd for it not to be accessible. Not sure whether I’d be back but glad Ive heard it, and I reckon I’d have been all over this when I went through a pysch phase in me teens. 3.5
Sort of a Beatles clone, didn't really do anything for me. The best song was a bob Dylan cover and it largely blended into one. It was short and inoffensive and that's about the best I can say about it.
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.
I liked parts of this album but it mostly felt like I was listening to a poor mans Beatles. Highlights: Have You Seen Her Face My Back Pages
Considerably better than I expected, not what I thought they sounded like mostly. Quite a few different styles going on here. While some did sound dated, others sounded pretty interesting. Enjoyed the more psychedelic ones I think . There's definitely a touch of the Beatles on parts, but without copying them. Better imo. I know that opening lyric to so you wanna be a rock n roll star from a counting crows song, didn't know it was borrowed! Enjoyed it enough to listen twice. Must've been pretty exciting at the time Highlights: Have you seen her face My back pages Don't make waves 3.5 but better than kings of Leon so 4
Decent album, probably much better 60 years ago. Doesn’t hold up as well today
A rare example of an album who's second half is much stronger than the first. The Byrds are at their best when they go introspective and personal. Everybody's Been Burned is beautiful and mysterious song with a lyric that reflects on the nature of love. Crosby's odd phrasing works perfectly in the song making it sound like he has deeply meditated both emotionally/spiritually on whether it is worth it to become vulnerable in the face of love with inevitable brevity and pain that certainly comes with it. Mind Gardens is also a fantastic song with with reflects on coping mechanisms in a very fresh and different way. The song builds perfectly along with the lyric, holding you the whole time. There are times where the Byrds can sound just pleasant and not particularly interesting or deep, but Crosby's compositions elevate the album and give it a different dimension. It's a shame the album consists mostly of other writer's compositions. Most of the album is a 3, but because it has a couple incredible songs I'm going to round up to 4 Best songs: (in order) Everybody's been burned Mind Gardens My Back Pages Renaissance Fair
The Byrds are just a bit dull, aren't they. The exception being the alien voice at the end of C.T.A. - 102 which is incongruous in it's weirdness. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: My Back Pages Date listened: 26/04/24
Nice, very 60’s…nothing stood out that much, I could listen again for sure…
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.
Liked it throughout but wasn’t blown away by it. Rating: 3.7
Definitely cutting edge of the 60's, I new sounds everywhere
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.
Love The Byrds, but I can't quite give this particular album a 5. My favorites are "My Back Pages" and "Have You Seen Her Face". Great music.
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
I like the wacky breakdown in CTA. "Why" was a bonus track on the last Byrds album we had, and it was my favourite track on that - still a bop. In turn I really quite like the bonus tracks on this one too ("It Happens Each Day", "Don't Make Waves"). The Bob Dylan cover is nice too, though I don't suppose it really adds much on the original. This is a weird one - its really quite similar to Fifth Dimension, but I think this album is miles miles better. Fave Tracks: So You Want to be a Rock n Roll Star, CTA, Time Between, My Back Pages, Why 4.4/5
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.
Oof I did not really enjoy this one. The sound and melody wore on me pretty quick. I hate most psychadelic type music so this definitely didnt help. Pretty easy pass.
A groovy album baby yeah
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.
Buen álbum! Los primeros temas excelentes pero luego se torna un poco monótono. Se deja escuchar completo!
Enjoyed the memories. Wish radio DJs would have played more of these cuts than just “Rock and Roll Star”. And I’ve heard “Tambourine Man” a few hundred times more than necessary. Thanks for this one.
This wasn't bad, but I do feel like this kind of album (and also The Byrds) are overrepresented on this (relatively) short list.
Sounds like a discount version of the Beatles, not a fan.
Too much too soon from the bird men if you ask me. This was not as good Tambourine Man but was fine.
Haven’t really listened to the Byrds before. Enjoyed it a lot. Kind of Beatlesesque but with their own style
Really well produced album that capitalizes on the great harmonies, jangly guitars and strong, poppy lyrics. Quintessential Bryds music
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.
i dont care
Another mediocre 60's album, nothing really stood out to me aside from the most popular track, My Back Pages. I'm sure it was influential for its time but in this day and age it's another a blip in the vast musical ocean.
Real music for real people. None of this crap you need a Doctorate in Fine Arts to grasp.
Maybe I’m too cynical or too stupid because this just sounds like another 60’s rock album to me.
Same with the young bloods. Too 60s, not interested at all. Even less interested than in the young bloods bc they do that group sing thing.
This was a good album with some great harmonies and really nice instrumentation. It was also tastefully psychedelic. My only complaint is that it’s very much trying to do what the Beatles were doing at the time
Has it all for a 60's album. Rock, folk, psychedelia. Love this one!
I loved "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" when it came up on this list so I was quite happy to see this one come up. However unfortunately this just was not it for me. I liked the last one because it seemed like a nice take on psych rock which almost sounded a little like early shoegaze in parts. But this one just feels a little like a simple pop song compilation with a few quirky bits to keep the psych rock label. That wouldn't be bad if they were great pop songs but not many really stuck out to me they were just alright, and it doesn't help the fact that the best song and the song that relates to the album title "My Back Pages" is actually just a cover to a Bob Dylan song? I don't mind that they use songwriters, Carole King wrote a few songs for them too and that is okay, but the title track being a cover not just written for them but someone else's song, permission or not, does not feel like a good characteristic for an album. I sound harsh but I still enjoyed the sound just not enough, 1 star would be too harsh so 2 is fine. Stand out songs: Have You Seen Her Face Renaissance Fair My Back Pages Edit* So I looked up the ratings on rym and people love this album. What am I missing? I haven't seen many good points only ones I disagree with but it is all subjective I guess. No one has changed my mind.
Overrated. Too much Harmony. Folk Rock should not be encouraged.
It seems this was quite ambitious for the time, however I don't think that carries over to the modern day.
I feel like I should like this more than I did
Nobody knew it at the time but this was the end of The Byrds as a world beating entity that was relied on as the American answer to what the British Invasion had sought to change, as they would splinter off into much more successful offshoots and influential reinventions that would help redefine what rock and roll would be capable of in the coming years. Younger Than Yesterday sounds rather apt for an album title, for not only The Byrds sound invigorated by new sounds informing their palate but they became fully formed by additional writing contributions from various band members. Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this release is that it was overshadowed by all the other rock albums that came out the same year this did yet if it came out in any other year, it wouldn't have had any chance to stand. Just goes to show what The Byrds were now up against as the tides began to turn. Still a wonderful showing after fifty plus years, however. Favorites: So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, Have You Seen Her Face, Renaissance Fair, Everybody's Been Burned, Thoughts and Words, My Back Pages, It Happens Each Day, Lady Friend, Old John Robertson.
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
Feels very mid? It has some good parts, but I don't want to listen to this again.
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.
Didn't finish. Wasn't keen so far.
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
Disclaimer: For most of my life, I was content to, at best, merely annoyed by The Byrds. "Turn Turn Turn" was supposedly a deep song; it always seemed to play everywhere and somebody would opine about the Summer of Love, and for the next interval, you were forced into rose-tinted news footage of hippies and peace signs, knowing that you'd had missed something, but unsure what and wondering why Reagan was the president and why the bloviator had, more often than not, totally sold the fuck out. Also, David Crosby always bugged me as a pompous ass. I did really love "Eight Miles High" because, well, it's druggy as shit, and even when I was a kid, I was drawn to that sort of music. Much later, I found my way to Sweethearts of the Rodeo, and that changed things for me. So, I circle back, and found myself really enjoying it. Probably because of the drug influence clearly evident in the lyrics, music and production. It has aliens talking. It's provocative, decidedly not "Turn Turn Turn". "So You Want to be Rock n Roll Star" invents Big Star inventing REM and late stage Replacements. "My Back Pages" does Dylan justice, which most covers do not. "Everybody's Been Burned" world weary lyrical delivery and an arpeggiated guitar (the intro would be home on Ride the Lightning) evoke a languid resignation, a kind of Existential "fuck it". "C.T.A" makes me want to dance. I dig it a lot. And Crosby died a pompous tool.
3.5.
Dylan style but no big songs. I liked it.
I never listened to the Byrds when I was growing up and they were active, but I'm glad to get a chance to make up for that now. A beautiful mix of psychedelia, jazz and country, and holy crap, that twang! Music like this is one of the reasons I've always been a huge fan of Rickenbackers, Telecasters, and Danelectros. A perfect late 60's time capsule.
meh
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.
I like. First song was funny
This was a fun album. It took a few listens for me, but it’s really grown on me. At first, I was half listening while doing other things and the tape distortions on the more experimental tracks were a bit grating. But it was a completely different experience when I sat down to actively listen and read the lyrics. This might actually be one of my favorite albums on this list so far. I may even try to find an old vinyl pressing for my collection. I only really knew “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and their cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man” before hearing this album. It had a lot of variety, ranging from the straight forward pop of early Beatles, the more whimsical and experimental side of Hendrix, the free love hippie music of Donovan and the Mamas and Papas, to the more psychedelic dirges of Jefferson Airplane and later Indian-influenced Beatles. “The Girl With No Name” could easily be a Tom Petty song. As a big Cure fan, I can see a straight line from this band to them. Lots of jangly, 12-string guitar, heart on its sleeve vulnerable love songs, and psychedelic jamming. “Why” even has a very similar chord structure to “Boys Don’t Cry.” Favorite tracks: C.T.A 102, Time Between, Everybody’s Been Burned, My Back Pages, Why 5/5
Other bands did the psychedelic thing better. Like A LOT better. If this is their response to Revolver, they fell way short in their reply.
C'était pas vraiment aussi cool que c'que j'pensais.
Kinda wish I had more thoughts on this album, but I'unno. The jingle-jangly guitar just really appealed to me. And reminded me a lot of the first song off of The Monkees' HEADQUARTERS, which, hey, that's a good thing.
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.
Good but not as good as the other byrds album! 4/7
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.
Меня удивило, что между вполне приятным кантри проскальзывают какие-то психоделрок приколы (особенно концовка песни cta 102). Не думал, что говно мамонта вкусное
I get that some of the stuff might’ve been seen as innovative at the time but I just don’t like it and I don’t think it’s very good. I tried to keep in mind that this stuff was in the late 60s, but then I went back and listened to a sampling of some other bands’ albums that were released about the same time, the beach boys, the Mamas and Papas, Motown artists, and this album doesn’t measure up to their contemporaries
All-in-all, this was probably pretty sweet for 1967… Not a huge fan of their sound, but I can see how they likely inspired many others who followed… I liked that there was a fair amount of diversity among the songs – as opposed to very song sounding like every other… The top 2 songs are the ones that I knew going in – “So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star” – which apparently was a slam about “manufactured” bands like The Monkees, and is really well done – though years later, I really enjoyed the version that Nazareth did, where they worked a decent section of it into their song “Telegram”. The other is the cover of Dylan’s “My Back Pages” – and like most Dylan songs, I almost ALWAYS prefer the way other artists cover his songs, and really enjoy The Byrds cover here… “CTA-102” is a pretty good experimental song, and I also thought “Everybody’s Been Burned” & “Why” were among the strongest tracks on the album.. Glad I listened, but other than a historical marker for other artists, I doubt I will be going back to this one… If we had gradations, I’d probably give it a 2.25 – the extra 0.25 for the likely influence it had on other artists, but for me it just seems dated… There is a lot of music from that era, that still stands up today (i.e. Hendrix, Doors, The Who, Yardbirds, etc.) but most of this album does not IMO… Solid 2 for me…
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. ***
A 60s classic which has certainly stood the test of time. Folk rock drenched with psychedelia. Incredible songwriting throughout, and great performances across a host of instruments, I loved the jangly guitars, and the sitar-like guitar playing on tracks like 'Why'.
This album was delightful.
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.
Beatles but weirder kinda fun!
Appreciated some of the psychedelic touches, but mainly a pretty flat album
I really enjoyed this. I can understand why some people may think this is derivative of other artists of the time but to me they sound very much like their own thing. Experimental while still be listenable, good fusion of psychedelic rock and folk with a hint if jazz. Def above avg summer of love fare. Favorite songs: renaissance fair, my back pages, it happens each day. S/o to the alien at the end of CTA
Чем-то похожи на Beatles. Слабее, конечно, но все равно хороши.
The Byrds are a very influential band. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is a great album. I like jangly folk/country rock. Plus, I'm sure 60’s teeny-boppers appreciated being able to hear Pat Boone versions of Dylan songs so they could feel like they were super groovy without having to listen to the voice of the voice of their generation. But Younger than Yesterday is not doing it for me. A fair amount of this album is straight up lame (looking at you "Mind Gardens"), and when it isn't lame it just isn't substantial enough to warrant being on a list of 1001 albums you must hear before you die. I'm not discounting that the Byrds are an important band that made some great songs and inspired some of my favorite bands of all time (REM, Big Star, The Jayhawks), but this album is not very good.
Honestly fine, didn't blow me away. Felt like I had already heard it throughout this album-a-day journey.
Not 100% what to make of this. A cross between early-to-mid-period Beatles (Beatles for Sale/Help/Revolver/Sgt. Pepper) and early Pink Floyd but with an overall sunny outlook. It’s intriguing, really, I just don’t know what to do with it. The songs are short (mostly shorter than 2 minutes) but it’s a very well produced sound and it almost doesn’t matter that the album itself isn’t even half an hour long. The highlights for me are “My Back Pages” (a Dylan cover), and “It Happens Each Day.” But honestly, it all went by so quickly it’s hard to tell you if there’re more gems here. I felt like I didn’t get to know any of these songs. A couple of side notes: “Why” sounds like “Heatwave” in its chord progression; CTA - 102 is creepy and I did not like it bad touch Overall this is a great demonstration of the songwriting and musical talent the group had, but I definitely need to hear more of this to know for sure. 3.5 stars (rounding up to 4). Standout tracks: So You Want to be a Rock n Roll Star, Time Between, My Back Pages, It Happens Each Day
Love the Byrds and also Buffalo Springfield, as the group evolved. Great old music!
Standard 60s stuff
Apart from a few interesting songs, this project did not strike me as interesting at all.
- 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.
Wonderful, classical album by The Byrds, certainly one of important bands in the history of "modern" music.
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.
Really loved the psychedelic/folk blend a lot. A solid album front to back but not enough to push it into 5 status but would definitely listen again. Stand out tracks: So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, Everybody's Been Burned, My Back Pages
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.
Okay so, I really loved this album. It didn’t actually feel like I was listening to my album of the day, just my usual playlist. I found it had a similar style to the Beatles and chuck berry at points. Amazing.
It's not really my style, even with the random alien voices. Biggest problem that I have with highly influential bands from the early era of rock is that I like the bands that they influenced more.
Excellent harmony, vocals. Classic.
More and more Byrds :(
I fear I may have dismissed The Byrds too harshly after Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. There were elements of the Country sound they’d adopt in that abysmal experiment in Younger than Yesterday, but it was gentler, more of a seasoning than it being the main dish. But yeah, I enjoyed this one. It’s possibly not completely essential, but it was a fun half hour distraction
SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR is a great way to open an album HAVE YOU SEEN HER FACE is a clear example of how the Byrds were so important in transitioning popular music from folk (the harmonies are traditional folky) to rock (jangle 12-string, the beat). WTF is happening at the end of C.T.A.-102?!?!? [You learn something every day - "Chillman" gets a songwriting credit on many songs here. Looked him up and found that it's Chris Hillman - why he didn't use his full name is curious; Christopher Hillman also gets credit.] This album is flush with early psychedelic guitar and production tricks. Early hints of "country rock," likely due to Hillman. Love it. David Crosby had a wonderful voice and wrote some absolutely great songs. Sometimes, though, he could get a tad pretentious. MIND GARDENS is a perfect example. Was he tripping? How did the band allow this in the album? There are a handful of dogs in this album, but most of them have quality guitar and harmony components to redeem them. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ __________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 23 🎧 LPs left to review: 978 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 5 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list: 7 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine: 7
Some of these songs are good, and although I've tried, I just generally don't like The Byrds very much. Too twangy folky for me. Very skilled musicians and they had quite an influence on their contemporaries as well as countless bands that followed. Just a matter of personal preference. Not my thing.
Was very easy/nice listening
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.
Kinda nice
p118, 1967. 4 stars. Quality 60's West Coast folk-rock that's aged really well. Point deducted for the filler, but this shows why they could have been contenders.
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.
Perhaps I’m in the minority who enjoys the more typical poppy tracks here, but overall a very enjoyable classic 60’s rock album Fav Songs: Have You Seen Her Face, The Girl with No Name, So You Wanna Be Rock’n’Roll Star
#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 Song added to playlist: My Back Pages I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
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.
A full notch below the other Byrds records here – and maybe two notches below Sweethearts and Notorious Bros. Still awfully good because it's you know the Byrds.
Good listening, but did not attract my attention specially.
1a
Classic folk-rock with psychedelic and experimental aspects; good singles; fairly cohesive as an album; Chris Hillman emerges as songwriter; 8/10
Incredible album all the 3ay through. Beautiful guitar work and poignant lyrics. Standout song is my back pages which is so good that it's in the album twice
Mostly great, except for the weird alien skit and Mind Gardens. My Back Pages is one of my favorite songs
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.
Fun album with some great hooks
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.
Great! I really enjoyed it. The last track, Why, is my favourite.
Interesting, but not solo great.
Mid album Top tracks: The Girl With No Name
du country / folk / rock des années 1960. rien qui me fait plus aimer le groupe qu'auparavant. 5.5/10
3.5
A couple of classics; otherwise meh
4.5/10
I feel like they tried to push the envelope a little past their prior album (5th Dimension), but didn’t really succeed.
Foundational. Amazing.
More psychedelic than other Byrds albums. Always love the harmonies.
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.
I never really took to the "pop" sound of the 60's and this is what's on this Album. Did find two good songs - Everybody's been burned and Thoughts and Words. So, for those two redeeming tracks it gets 2 stars rather than 1
Five stars for the extraterrestrial message on C.T.A. - 102.
Nice listening
This was an enjoyable listen, but not particularly appealing to me in any one direction. I appreciate this album and the musical dexterity and creativity on display, but I didn't ever get in to the groove with it.
Pressed play with no expectations and got a great mix of psychedelia and folk. The Byrds had been a big gap for me until then. I’d been hearing about them since I was like 10, but never had the motivation to listen to them. This was a great intro to their work. I can definitely see why it is part of the list.
Good folk rock
Should I have been high listening to this? It feels like I should have been high listening to this.
The start of something.
It was alright. My Back Pages was fine. I don’t think any songs will go on my playlist tho. Maybe will listen again.
Byrds? Magpies more like. I don't think I've ever heard a band that wears its influences on its sleeve more visibly than the Byrds. Quite apart from doing an extraordinary amount of (mainly Bob) covers - including the super My Back Pages on here - you can really here the impact of the Beatles I think. That's both positive and negative - Have You Seen Her Face could be on Rubber Soul and not seem out of place, while Mind Garden sounds like someone attempting to recreate Tomorrow Never Knows without any clue about what it is that makes the original what it is. A mixed bag, but generally it's very easy to listen to and will bear repeat listens
En train de découvrir que /So you want to be a rock 'n roll star/ n'est pas de Patti Smith à la base : mindblown. My back pages est très bien aussi. Globalement toute la vibe de la musique évoque immédiatement le flower power, une époque sans la menace du changement climatique et des temps plus heureux. Would live in this album.
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.
Better than I expected. Good paychedelic sound
3.5/5
Great psychedelic rock. Came out right before Sgt. Peppers. 60’s is still the best decade for music.
FUCK Byrds
Kinda boring. Soft 3
Some good tunes but this album is way too long
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
Добротно и оч интересно
Being more familiar with their folk rock oriented music, this seemed like a change in direction. Direction. Still great harmonies, still good melodies but elements of psychedelic rock are creeping in with sitar like sounds and even a little bit of sort of a country oriented rock as well. CTA -102 sounded pretty conventional until the explosion sound and took a very psychedelic turn. Thoughts and Words and the alternate version of My Back Pages are my favorites.
tries to bring in some interesting sounds and instruments I guess but just becomes irritating
It’s the Byrds! When things get weird, I start to tune out, but when the big jangle comes, I’m all in!
Sounds fairly generic 60s music. Can hear the influences that would follow David Crosby in music going forward
This "project" has made me hate The Byrds. Yes, they have some all-time great songs and even at their worst they aren't that bad, but overall I find them to be pretty "meh" and I'm so sick of getting their albums. Enough already. I already hoped that the last one was the final entry but I might scream if I get another.
Un poco rollo.
meh. Would listen as backgroudn music.
Need to go back and dive deeper, but I fucked with it. Definitely got some trippy psychedelic sounds on top of some garage rock
Good album. Similar music to grateful dead.
Listenable
Definitely has some grooves and is an enjoyable album all the way through. Lots of early Beatles vibes. Really listenable. Not something I'm probably going to pick back up and listen to again, but I'm not going to turn it off if it comes on.
That's a really solid album. In fact, I thought it was going to be a 5-star album for several tracks. But it's just not quite there. While there are several absolute bangers here, there are also several head-scratching duds. Like, what's up with "Mind Gardens"? That doesn't belong. Get that out of here. Anyway, it's a good album. But it's not a great albums.
Blind album, only know the artist by name. Surprisingly enjoyed this, and I don't know why either... but not my favorite.
Un poco rollo.
Meh, not bad just doesn't do a whole lot for me
It's fun, but it gets boring.
The vocal harmonies are a bit too much at times, some of the spacey sound effects are annoying, but most of this album is really good. Favorite song: Everybody's been burned.
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
Great bluesy pop rock. Favorite track was "Time Between"