1001 Albums Generator
The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds

The Notorious Byrd Brothers

The Byrds

1968
3.04
Rating
23138
Votes
1
4%
2
21%
3
48%
4
22%
5
6%
Distribution
Genres: Rock, Country, Folk Styles: Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, Pop Rock, Country Rock

Reviews (page 4 of 8)

One that I can appreciate but not something I'd listen to

sonic youth owns man

a yawn and a half

decent album

I kind of know what to expect now whenever I get a Byrds album (this is my third one). Usually lighter psychedelic rock, with some country and folk mixed in. It's not bad, but also not particularly memorable. Experimental, but a bit dated. Interesting to hear that this was one of the first albums to use the Moog synthesizer though.

This tread the line between tedious (Dolphin Smile, Space Odyssey, fucking Moog Raga), and pleasant (Goin’ Back). Overall, not really impressed at all. ⭐️⭐️

wow, that was a whole lot of nothing.

Found this pretty tiresome

# 574 : The Notorious Byrd Brothers The Notorious Byrd Brothers – Experimental, but Not Exceptional Some interesting experimentation going on here—phasers, Moogs, and a horse on the cover—but none of it adds up to anything truly memorable. The playing is decent, the singing is fine, and the production occasionally wanders into cool territory. But the songs? They just don’t stick. This is the Byrds doing what the Byrds do: jangly guitars, harmony vocals, and a slightly psychedelic glaze. It’s a good representation of their sound, but not a compelling reason to revisit it. “Wasn’t Born to Follow” is the best of the bunch—spacey, loose, and a little more adventurous than the rest. But even that feels more like a highlight by default. Verdict: 2 Stars for effort. File under “textbook Byrds, but not the essential chapter.”

There's some cool songs on here, it's a very alternative folk sound, I do like hearing the psychedelic influence. I'm sure I listen to artists who've been influenced by this, be it this record or by other Byrds projects. It loses me on more than a couple of places though, very strong Americana that I can stomach, but still slowly annoys me. I wish those instrumental bonus tracks had been placed on the original track list. It is ahead of its time. It kinda feels like 1968, that's much stronger when you get a feel for the moog raga bonus track. Otherwise, original album sounds like an album I could've forgotten about from an indie band in 2018. 2.7/5

Really enjoyed this, I like the dreamy hippie stuff.

Insipid wannabe Simon and Garfunkel. I couldnt shake the feeling that this was just a bit of a pisstake. Reminded me of a song from Horrible Histories. "More than 50 words to leave your language to your liking..thank a viking." Baynton and Rickard are better songwriters though.

I liked *some* of the weird noises in this. The rest was a bit dull. Was thinking I was getting some trippy hippy fest, then it turned into a whistling stove kettle and a synthesiser falling down some stairs. It's like they're trying to capture an acid journey, but they just pretended to take it for cool points in the hippy circle. Could be better; could be worse.

this was nice!

Perhaps the most difficult one yet. I feel their soothing and sometimes even experimental sounds deserve 4 from me, but for no particular reason I don't see myself putting this album on any time soon again. Draft Morning & Tribal Gathering are personal favourites.

Torn between 3 and 4. Probably should give it a 4 based upon when it came out and how it played then, and it is definitely better than other albums I have given a 3 on here...

I swear I've already listened to this one

Only thing I can say is that the instrumental tracks is my favorite and the last track was unsettling with the commentary from the band.

It's not as transcendent as I thought when I was 15.

This album was fine, nothing spectacular. Decent playing and decent singing. Some experimental parts, which was cool, but nothing really stood out as spectacular or terribly memorable. The true definition of an average album.

Expected from the era.

Good fun, folky rock album. Similar to a lot of their peers, but nothing I didn’t like

Psychoyeehaw? Surprised that I liked this as much as I did.

the platonic ideal of annoying 60s rock experimentation. there's just not anything here for me no matter how important it was

accidentally listened to the extended versjon of this one which is great bc i love moog bullshit. might actually revisit this one sometime, 3.6

I'm glad they enjoyed the Moog but this felt interminable. And weirdly horny.

hot british garvage

Not bad, not great, just kind of meh. 2.75 / 5

It's okay not fantastic some of the instrumental are annoying and it's over long and dated I got a lot bored.

By 1968, The Byrds were already a band in flux, with lineup changes and clashing egos threatening to overshadow their music. The Notorious Byrd Brothers reflects that tension—it’s a record that flirts with psychedelic experimentation while still tethered to the folk-rock sound that made them famous. Unfortunately, the production feels thin and distant, with the instruments lacking punch and the vocals washed in reverb, giving the album a slightly hollow feel. Still, there are bright spots: “Goin’ Back” and “Wasn’t Born to Follow” shine with tender melodies, while “Change Is Now” showcases the group’s trademark harmonies at their most inviting. It’s a patchy listen, but those moments of clarity remind you why The Byrds mattered, even as they struggled to keep their wings steady.

I’ve enjoyed several Byrds albums on this list. This wasn’t my favorite, but has some great moments. Goin’ Back is one of my favorites from the band. Get To You is another highlight. It’s an album I’d like to buy on vinyl and play from time to time, accompanied by a joint and some nice smelling candles.

Psychedelic and country. It works!

They strike a nice balance between rock and country, good vibe songs, nice harmonic singing, good stuff

Classic rock sound. Enjoyed it. Space oddity had a song that sounded like it utilized a kazoo

We've had a few albums by these guys and I feel like I'm hearing the same thing with each album. Yea, I couldn't get into this until I heard Mood Raga and I wondered, how's our old friend Shankar? I severely underrated his album back in the day. I guess the bright spot for this album was I thought of Shankar. Everything else was just one big, meh. Nothing memorable and nothing worth going back to relisten. Safe to say I'm not a fan of the Byrds. At least they made miss Shankar. 2

3 Throughout this entire list, I’ve been told that The Byrds are a sort of proto-psychedelic band, and I’m finally just now hearing it with this album… which is ironic considering the country/folk vibes given off by the cover. Granted, I’m pretty sure the horse is only there as a jab at ex-Byrd David Crosby, despite what the other members have had to say over the years - it feels pretty damn deliberate to me. I digress, I’ll finally concede that The Byrds have a psychedelic sound to them here… but is it a sound that was really all that formative for the genre? Surrealistic Pillow, Are You Experienced, and The Door’s debut were all already a year old at this point, and Donovan already had a few albums under his belt. Also, these guys ditched this exact sound not even a year later with their followup and actual country album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I know The Byrds had been around a hot minute themselves at this point, but I can’t help but wonder if their influence on the genre is perhaps a touch overblown. That said, I thought the overall sound of this album was enjoyable, and in particular, I liked how most songs flowed into the next. Still, this suffers the same problem for me that all of their other albums do, in that no one song in particular feels like a standout or really all that remarkable in any way. Given this is more of a psychedelic album, you could argue that’s not the point, you’re just supposed to unplug and enjoy the ride, but I found this ride pretty tame - if we were going based off the Cedar Point scale, I guess this would be like the gondola that takes you over the park. Maybe I’m just a little too young to understand their importance, but I don’t really think The Byrds are for me. They’re not bad, but I think you can find the same sounds captured on their records in better forms from other artists, some I’d be willing to concede they probably influenced.

#696. Starting an album off with a song about doing meth and killing the queen is a wild strategy. In fact, I'm going to give it an extra star just for that. 4/5: why not.

I didn't know what to expect, but I enjoyed this.

This should have been called every song sounds the same until they dont

Another Byrds album, and another album of pure nothing. Everything that I’ve heard from this band and a few adjacent releases has just sounded like band practice recorded with some good equipment. Everything once again melts into one, the chief exception being Tribal Gathering (which melts into Dolphins Smile anyway) and the closing Space Odyssey, which might actually be an OK song, though it’s hard to tell when it’s surrounded with all this. Thanks, Byrds. I can’t wait to hear more half-hour compendiums of your mediocrity! See you next time, for the many Byrds albums that are included in this list.

The American Beatles sounds like itself. Not much to say about this one. Maybe would improve after several listens, but for now, it just sounds like one of the many 60's pop records.

Lame but not bad at all.

Too much folk for my taste. I've liked some of their tracks with more psychedelic touch, but seem to run into this same problem with each release. Feels like our rating group is getting super fed up with this flood of American folk and 60's stuff, to the point that even I don't feel like finding out why said album is important or what it achieved to receive it's place in a list like this.

This is now the 2nd (3rd?) Byrds album presented to me and I think I can safely say that I could probably listen to any of their stuff!

Not bad, but not great. You can hear why it was influential but why they were falling off (that and the personnel changes).

Some interesting bits sonically. Solid instrumentation. None of the tracks popped for me. The components make me feel like I should like it more, but it is a bit too soft and ultimately forgettable.

I think I found this pretty interesting

I was too harsh on Meatloaf yesterday, shoulda been a 3. This is meh.

I fully admit that I was expecting to dislike this album based on the Byrds music that was played on the radio when I was young. But I actually quite enjoyed it! Pleasant surprise. I also never knew they were moog pioneers. Respect.

Peut être 5 étoiles avec le temps

surprisingly good

Cool album

Classic rock-folky stuff not really my style.

Il y a des jours, dans ce projet un peu fou des "1001 albums", où l'on tombe sur des pépites oubliées, des disques qui nous retournent le cerveau et nous rappellent pourquoi on aime la musique à ce point. Et puis, il y a les autres jours les jours où l'on se coltine un "classique", un "monument", une "pierre angulaire", et où l'on passe quarante minutes à se demander si la machine à remonter le temps n'est pas tombée en panne. Sur le papier, tout y est. The Byrds, les pionniers du folk-rock, les mecs qui ont électrifié Dylan et dont le jangle des Rickenbacker a inspiré des légions de groupes, de R.E.M. aux Smiths. L'année, 1968, le grand bordel psychédélique, l'année de toutes les audaces, où les studios d'enregistrement se transformaient en laboratoires d'expérimentations sonores. Le contexte ? Un groupe en pleine implosion, David Crosby venant de se faire virer avec la délicatesse d'un coup de pied au cul. Le chaos, souvent, ça donne de grands disques ou pas. Je vais être direct, parce que la vie est trop courte pour tourner autour du pot : je me suis fait chier et royalement. J'ai écouté l'album d'une oreille lointaine car il n'a jamais réussi à capter mon attention. C'est un fantôme musical, une relique d'un temps révolu qui, malheureusement, n'a pas eu la bonne idée de bien vieillir. Le livre qui guide mes écoutes parle d'une "synthèse céleste de mélodie et d'expérimentation, incluant des textures électroniques innovantes". "Textures électroniques innovantes" ? En 2025, ça sonne surtout comme les gadgets d'un Géo Trouvetou qui vient de découvrir le phasing et les bandes passées à l'envers. On sent l'effort, la volonté de sonner "moderne" pour l'époque. On entend les trompettes sur "Artificial Energy", les tentatives de collages sonores, mais tout ça sonne... daté, terriblement daté. C'est comme regarder un vieux film de science-fiction où les fusées sont en carton-pâte. Ça pouvait faire illusion à l'époque, mais aujourd'hui, ça prête à sourire, et pas toujours avec tendresse. L'album est un patchwork un peu bancal, le son d'un groupe qui se cherche sans se trouver. On sent les tensions, le départ de David Crosby, l'incertitude. Ils tentent de marier leurs harmonies vocales sublimes (il faut leur laisser ça) avec des expérimentations qui tombent souvent à plat. C'est un disque de transition, et comme beaucoup de disques de transition, il a le cul entre deux chaises, et finit par s'asseoir par terre. Il manque un liant, une âme, une direction claire. On passe d'une ballade folk-country un peu mièvre à une tentative de rock psyché sans jamais que la sauce ne prenne vraiment. Pourtant, au milieu de ce marasme temporel, une lumière, une seule, mais elle brille fort. Avec "Space Odyssey" on sort de la naphtaline, ce morceau, avec son Moog futuriste et son ambiance cosmique, est le seul moment où l'expérimentation ne sonne pas comme un gadget mais comme une vision. C'est un court instant de grâce où les Byrds ne regardent plus en arrière ou ce qui se fait à côté, mais droit devant, vers l'inconnu. C'est étrange, audacieux, et ça, pour le coup, ça n'a pas vieilli. C'est la seule piste qui m'a fait relever la tête et monter le son, le seul moment où j'ai eu l'impression d'écouter un classique et non une pièce de musée. Alors, au final, que retenir de ce "Notorious Byrd Brothers" ? Pour moi, qui ai grandi avec le post-punk et le rock indie, ce disque est une curiosité historique. Il fallait sans doute être là en 1968, en plein "Summer of Love" finissant, pour en saisir toute la portée. Aujourd'hui, il me laisse froid, c'est un album qui s'écoute comme on regarde un documentaire en noir et blanc : on apprend des choses, on voit comment c'était "avant", mais on ne ressent pas grand-chose. Un album à écouter avant de mourir ? Oui, si l'on est un archéologue du rock. Pour les autres, disons que ce n'est pas une urgence. La prochaine fois, j'espère tomber sur un disque qui me fera saigner les oreilles ou pleurer toutes les larmes de mon corps. N'importe quoi, mais pas cet entre-deux poli et poussiéreux. Note finale : 2/5 - Et c'est bien payé, juste pour "Space Odyssey".

I knew absolutely nothing about this band before, and I didn’t expect much from what seems like a very dated psychedelic folk band. But it was a pleasant surprise, and I quite enjoyed the album. Sounds a bit like Simon & Garfunkel, but softer and trippier. Some songs are a bit too country for me, but there’s always an interesting psychedelic twist somewhere that make them worthwhile. This is not usually my kind of music, but for some reason it seems to work here (not sure if it’s the band itself or my receptive mood today), and by the end of the album I was almost ready to buy a Volkswagen van and join a community. It gets a bit repetitive – a longer album would have been boring, but this one is really short with mostly 2-minutes song, so it didn’t bother me.

Good music. The Byrds have a very distinctive sound with the chimey guitar and ethereal vocal harmonies . The anti-war song "draft morning" is captivating.

The Beatles but not as good, nice, pretty, poppy. Not love at first sight, but yeah, it must have influenced. Vocal harmonies sound nice, and some songs like Tribal Gathering are excellent with a delicate touch of rock. Kinda too folky for me… especially since Cheap Thrills, we just had yesterday and from the same year, feels much more exciting. Yet I might give it another try.

Album 878 of 1089 The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968) Rating : 2.5 / 5 This was another one where I expected more. I seem to remember liking The Byrds, but this album didn’t reinforce that at all. It struck me as pretty drab. The vocals were nice, the musicianship solid, but the songs themselves - while some were quite pleasant - just didn’t do anything for me. I know they have better in their catalog, but this one left me underwhelmed.

My third Byrds album in this challenge and a very noticeable change from their earlier work. The overall feel of the album is very experimental. The Byrds were one of the first bands to incorporate the Moog synthesizer into their music, which is already pretty bold. But this is also a key album in the direction of the California sound, mixing folk, country, and psychedelic rock. It makes "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" a very bold album and a big step from their poppier early days. These sessions also saw a major shake up from the band, with the dismissal of David Crosby, which would further change their future going forward. Regardless of the personal drama behind the scenes, this remains the most distinct Byrds albums I've heard yet. It's not quite my favorite one, but I really do appreciate the spirit of the album.

I really liked this. My only real experience of the Byrds was Turn, Turn, Turn. This was fun and a little groovy.

Great music that was ahead of its time.

scale(s): 1 - skipping if heard it again/actually skipped it 2- meh can be skipped/reaches point to skip 3 -nothing wrong/easy listen/not seeking out 4 - would listen to again 5 - must listen "saying the name of the song early scale" (SNSES) Will be accounted for when I can remember. Artificial Energy: 3 Goin Back: 4, Excellent rating on the SNSES, Natural Harmony: 3 Draft Morning: 4- 0/5 on the SNSES Wasn't Born to Follow: 3 Get to You: 2 Change is Now: 3 Old John Robertson: 3 Tribal Gathering: 3 Dolphin's Smile: 2 i genuinely did not remember listening to this soo Space Odyssey: 2 Moog Raga: what the fuck 1 Bound to Fall: 4 Triad: 4 Goin' Back AGAIN!: 4 Draft Morning- alternate end: 4 Universal Mind Decoder: really like the minutes of silence and dont think i can rate this one. Ok actually 10 minutes in is hilarious they're just bitching at each other so this gets a 6/5 overall 3/5

scale: 1 - skipping if heard it again/actually skipped it 2- meh can be skipped/reaches point to skip 3 -nothing wrong/easy listen/not seeking out 4 - would listen to again 5 - must listen Artificial Energy - 2.5 Goin' Back - 4 Natural Harmony - 3 Draft Morning - 3 Wasn't Born to Follow - 4 Get to You - 3.5 Change Is Now (Single Version) - 3.5 Old John Robertson - 3 Tribal Gathering - 3 Dolphin's Smile - 2.5 Space Odyssey - 3 3.2/5 for first 11 Extended Album: Moog Raga (instrumental) - 2 Bound to Fall (instrumental) - 2.5 Triad - 2.5 Goin' Back (Extended Version) - 4 Draft Morning (alternate end) - 3.5 better ending Universal Mind Decoder (Alternate Backing Track) - 1 - I'm sure it is interesting if youre a big fan of the band and like silence and them talking to each other 2.97/5 with extended

Very chill, great for background noise. 7/10

It was pretty good, very psychedelic flower rock. I could totally dig it and have listened to and enjoyed similar sounds from more recent artists.

Apparently important but I just found it to drag. A few interesting bits but overall I wanted it to end way before it did

3.5 but let's round up because was an agreable surprise. Psychodelik folk something like that.. some songs I really appreciated.

Overall: 6/10 This is my first real exposure to The Byrds. The harmonies on this album are so incredibly beautiful. The best part of it by far. There's a bit of a country feel on these songs, but I'd still call it a rock album. I actually think some of the songs would have benefitted from being a bit longer, as a lot of this album feels unfinished. Fav Song: Goin' Back

The Byrds have always been an interesting novelty to me without ever really connecting. I can appreciate all the genre mixing and experimentation, but none of it really elevates any of the songs, wch on this album probably play better stoned.

I can hear how they influenced The Beatles and other musicians, etc. It’s ok.

i like this a lot ! mix of beatles and beach boy vibes

This is more like Simon and Garfunkel and The Beach Boys than Led Zeppelin. I really thought there would be more to these guys. It’s pure harmonizing, which is a talent, I’m just surprised. I fear this is an album of mediocrity. I was really looking forward to listening to these guys. There isn’t much memorable from this album. I liked where “Wasn’t Born to Follow” was going but then the thing went back to that mellow toned harmonizing style. That’s it. That’s this album in a nutshell.

I could listen to the Byrds sing pharmaceutical disclaimers.

Sounds like cowboy ghosts. What's not to like?

Rather generic 60s folk rock with a hint of country. Not much of note here, except for the last track being a shift in style to a more psychedelic sound.

Not too bad

Maybe not my favorite album by theirs, but you can't go wrong with any Byrds-album. It's a really short album that seems to fly by in a moments notice. It's nice and comfy Folk rock that was quite a trailblazer at the time. The Byrds don't often get mentioned in discussions, even though people love them and they're included multiple times on this list. I'll gladly listen to more of them.

The chefs in the kitchen were making some nice simple mashed potatoes and steaks and then some dumb ass sous chef said "but what if we just deep fried the entire kitchen" and then everything burned down.

Total Drama Island core, in a good way. Also what in the fuck was Moog Raga. That shit threw me so off guard. Also I don't like the flexing at the end of the album where they say how awesome they are for all the instruments they use. Like shut the fuck up. But other than that I enjoyed listening. Fave song: Wasn't Born to Follow Honorable Mention: Goin' Back

Hella mid ngl. The insturmentals songs near the end was quite unique and completely different to the whole album. Favourite Song: Goin' Back Honourable Mention: Moog Raga, Bound to Fall

i enjoy the weird psychedelic rock stuff but when the singing hits i fucking hate it. and most of it is just that folk singing so this gets a 2

Dogshit tasteless nothingfood music :)

J’ai du rattrapage à faire, ça sonne comme tout les albums rocks oublié des années 60, mid, on passe au prochain

This was inoffensive folk rock. I have nothing against it but it was nothing to write home about.

This is a soft pop record. They don’t have flutes and glocks and crap but they do sing ‘La la la la’

This is about what I expected from the Byrds. At least Space Odyssey wasn't a bad cover.

Not too bad, not my favorite Byrds album but it’s fine

I dig it.

Aside from 'Artificial Energy' having a great usage of horns, 'Space Odyssey' being the most experimental track, this album is nothing special. I mean, they sing and play well, and the production sounds good, but I feel that this is just another decent album from the 60's. Maybe for its time it was revolutionary. However, I honestly don't care.

tried to dig it but could never get into it

This was better than I expected. Laid back sort of psychedelic. A few skippable tracks but yeah good

stare dobre byrdsy, chodzily dzisiaj po glowie beatlesy, to do posluchania czlowiek dostal ich hamerykanska wersje, prawie pol godziny przyjemnego rokowania o psychodelicznym zabarwieniu jednak stojacego na ziemi, bo nie zabraklo dobrego przekazu pacyfistycznego, to chyba ich ostatni przed przerwa krazek z crosbym na pokladzie i chyba najbardziej zmoogowany w ich dyskografii, nie chodzi tylko o bonusowego traka moogowana rage, ale spora czesc kawalkow na juz typoowo krotnim jak dla nich albumiku ma jakies elementy syntezatora, ale nadal jest to lajtowe brzmienie w ktorym chodzi glownie o brzdakanie gitarkowe, na plejce juz mialem jeden z ich najpopularniejszych kawalkow czyli wasnt born to fallow, a po tym odsluchu dodam openingowego artificial energy

There are some decent tracks here but not enough to keep your interest going. Not a big fan of the use of the moog synth on this - although it was still in its experimental phase. The whole album sounds too fragmented and lacks cohesion.

While it had a few good songs, the album was all over the place and I found it to be a weak link to the overall magnificent music the Byrds produced.

Good not great. The classic rating.

5.5 / 10 - pretty cool album, fairly middle of the road

triad, artificial energy and dolphin smile are my favourite songs on the album. Its very musically diverse with some interesting ideas, it just didn't hit me for whatever reason. maybe if I relisten again at some point I might enjoy it more

Was not too bad. Had a couple moments that stood out for me Will I listen to again: 31%

Prima Niet heel bijzonder Weinig stand-out tracks (Old John Robertson was nice) 3/5

Surprised at how experimental it was for its time. Had some good moments throughout.

Not their best. Too experimental and just got bogged down a bit.

The best of these samey songs are the country sounding ones, so it makes sense they followed with a country album

A pretty enjoyable blend of pop and psychedelia. Never listened to a whole Byrds album before, despite knowing they were super cutting edge. You can hear the experimentation but it's still subtle enough that it feels like they weren't just trying to push the envelope, they were just trying to make great music.

This is just an all around solid psychedelic folk record full of great harmonies and interesting sonic experiments that never felt out of place. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one, but probably not going to return to it ever.

Decent. The psychedelic and folk elements don't blend well at times.

Cool experimental psychedelic rock

Sounded like late 60’s typical folk music. Not bad, but not great

Typical meh album

It’s fine I guess. It was also super influential I suppose. Didn’t really do anything for me. They feel like The Doors where I know I’m supposed to appreciate them and how they influenced music but I can’t. I don’t really get it. It is nice and short though.

another "meh" folksy/psych rock album.

First reaction; not impressed. 2/5

Just boring.

Strong boomer sound here, have to fight through my distaste to find the quality, which there is to some extent. There's musicianship and some decent arrangements here and there, but it kinda all blends together in an unexciting blissful oblivion. The wiki article about the recording sessions is more exciting than anything on this album.

Robe wearing music

Booooring

I didn't love this one. Maybe just not my style. 2 stars.

Thumb up

A really pleasant listen with varied instrumentation and pretty vocals. It worked just fine as background music, I might get more out of it if I revisit and focus on the music with some better headphones, in a better environment. 3 stars for now.

this is good 60s stuff, had to skip the pissing about with synthesizers though

An interesting mix of country and folk-sounding music with some psychedelic shit mixed in. I really dug what was going on here.

They made some interesting choices the production of this album. Super washy and the instruments are panned super wide. It made a difficult to listen to somehow. This could have been a good one. I also noticed his album has none of their hits on it. There are like 10 other albums more popular this one.

mehhhhhhhhh

I’m always down for a steel guitar in a rock song, and this delivers in spades. Has some great moments of both instrumentation and vocal performance. But overall I found my mind unable to stay focused on the track.

Melodies in search of songs. Very tweet and a little bit half baked. Going back is an excellent song amongst the navel gazing. Ideas from the beatles and simon and garfunkel are cribbed to no avail. Tedious to the point of distraction.

An absolute stunner, like a country tinged Velvet Underground. You can hear shoegaze, proto-heavy metal, baroque psych, space rock. A gem!

Very strange indeed, I have tried numerous times with the Byrds and I just can't hit it off with them, hence my lonely life in the dark abyss and my constant membership of several dating sites

I like the Laurel Canyon sound, and this record has some good tunes on it, but I’ve always felt the American music press over-hyped The Byrds.

Gee, do I WANT to listen to the fecking soundtrack to every gotdamn Vietnam War movie ever? Not really. Look I respect them but this stuff really aint my jam. Kinda hate it.

4 - really good country psychedelic folk

I enjoyed most of the tracks on this record. I liked how each track blended into the next. The only things I didn't enjoy were the heavier, distorted sounds in the latter tracks. Favourite Track(s): Get to You Least Favourite Track(s): Goin' Back, Natural Harmony, Old John Robertson

Great overall sound, but unique across each song across the album. Moog Raga instrumental is terrible.

no estuvo mal

1.5 Shouts to Carol King, but this is some of the most boring “drug music” I could imagine.

This was a very interesting album. I am already familiar with The Byrds, but was not familiar with most of the material on this album. I only knew "Wasn't Born to Follow" prior to listening. The sound here is very lush and rich, and the harmonies are excellent. The album takes inspiration from other genres like country and psychedelia. I enjoyed this quite a bit and I would listen again.

Keeping it simple, this genre/era of music is simply not my thing, too poppy & high pitched for my liking.

Sounds like a very typical Byrds album. There weren't any stand out tracks for me on this one. It’s fine but I think they have better albums. Not one I'd go back to listen to again that's for sure.

This is not my favorite time period and genre of music. First impression: It all sounds like the same bland hippy-ish rock from the late 60's to mid 70's. Lots of bland lyrics (yes even the Carole King co-written song) about generic enlightenment or anti-establishment vibes. After full listen: first impression mostly stands up -- there is a little more variation, a little country in there and early synth touches but still a big no for me.

While not as famous as The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, The Byrds were just as important and influential.

2.5 rounded down

I like the way that it really kind of straddles the jangle, psych, and upcoming Americana sound. (8.6) ★★★★

A few great songs ("Goin' Back", "Wasn't Born to Follow"), the rest merely good. 3.5 stars

I've always been kind of lukewarm on this album, and not totally sure why it's considered their best (or one of their best). I think the two Goffin/King songs are easily the best things here, but after that it gets a bit messy. With Gene Clark and now David Crosby out of the band, McGuinn and Hillman are forced to do a lot of the heavy lifting and I'm not that crazy about them as songwriters. The aforementioned Goffin/King songs and "Draft Morning" are the highlights for me. 3.5 stars.

A notedly un-notorious Byrd Brothers collection. It’s particularly patchy and underpowered even for them and has some incredibly drab and dirge like cuts. The best tracks are all the bonus ones such as the rejected David Crosby threesome ballad Triad and the jivesome Moog Raga.

Good album

Zzzzzzzzzzz. Zzz. Zzzzz. Zzzz.

Not their best

Can’t hate the Byrds

The Beatles influences are transparent horns in Artificial Energy, The psychedelic vocals in Get to You, Moog Raga's use of the Moog to simulate a sitar, and the harmonies throughout. Unfortunately, I am not sure it all works. They are better when staying in their lane in Wasn't Born to Follow and Goin't Back. The CSN influenced Triad is a strong offering as well.

Yeah, not excited about this.

Not bad, but not great.

Pretty uninteresting listen. Not that it's bad or anything. But don't know if it deserves to be included in the list.

What a weird album. Some of it didn’t age suuuper well but most of it hit pretty well for me. Some sweet heavy, spacey riffs

This had much more variety than I was expecting out of a Byrds album. I might need more time with the album but after a couple listens I was left with a "just fine" feeling.

Strong 60's rock backbone with some of trippy, experimentation mixed in, this album goes by in a breeze, and really captures the desire for escape in the late 60s. No one will mistake this for Rubber Soul, but the Byrds (Version 1.0) ended on a strong note. 3.5

Nice enough, I didn't dislike it. I wouldn't mind if it came on again in the background.

Jangly guitar pop that influenced a lot of bands that I really love.

Good album. Variety of musical styles and new for the time recording tech. If you get the extended version, it’s fun to listen to the last “song” which is them in the studio putting g together a song.

Tredje plattan med Byrds. Känns som den svagaste.

God i'm really not in the vibe for this atm

Nach der Emanzipation von Dylan, angeblich nur in Teilen mit David Crosby. Herrlich verspult und versponnen und sehr psychedelisch, aber ohne die ganz großen Songs. Wenig überraschend überzeugen vor allem die Goffin/King-Kompositionen.

Less jangly than I’m used to from the byrds! But overall about the same level of enjoyment - it’s decent but nothing really grabs me.

Don't think I've heard this album. I liked it. Doesn't have as much of the "jangle" sound that I associate with the Byrds. Good early "country rock". No Eagles without this.

Probably the worst Byrds album we've heard so far, and we've heard a lot. Still decent though and maybe jsut a reflection of the turmoil the band was going through at this time. In desperate need of remastering.

Classic early British Rock with just a touch of psychadelia

Some of this was excellent and some of it was silly-

Ah the 60's what a time that must have been. And so much good music came from that decade.

Nice album but not as distinctive as I thought it might be.

This was inoffensive at best I suppose. Didn’t light no fires, and I was kind of oblivious to it? Then Moog Raga comes along and slaps you right in the tits with how crap it is.

This isn’t a Byrds album I would’ve picked for this list. Or maybe it is. I listen to it fairly often. It’s spiteful (they fired Crosby mid-session and replaced him with a literal horse on the cover), spacey, and kinda great. The sound of a band politely imploding. And tucked right in there is Wasn’t Born to Follow, a clear signpost toward Sweetheart of the Rodeo, where they finally got their act together for five minutes and accidentally invented country rock.

Extremely underrated on this website.

Not terrible, but not great either.

A mash up of country, pop, folk, and psychedelic rock with a ton of harmonizing - and it all comes together oh so moderately. Nothing is great but nothing is bad. The harmonies are nice, but every song is the same harmony. The folksy psychedelic rock just isn't very inspiring either. I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling listening to the back half of the album, it almost felt like the album beckoned me to my bed so I could long at the ceiling to have the deep thoughts of a 14 who just smoked a joint for the first time. I can see the appeal of this album/genre but it’s just not my bag. I know The Byrds are a forgotten hero of 60s rock and need to be brought up more often when The Beatles and Boob Dylan are mentioned, because The Byrds had just as much impact and influence on the coming decade(s) of music as the former two. The influence only goes so far, and if this were a random album by some band that’s trying to make it and not The Byrds, it would be a 3/10 but I get the historical vibe of this album. But this was towards the end of the peak of TB, they already pushed the psychedelic rock thing forward before this album and were just kind of riding that same wave here. I know there are 5 total TB albums on this list, and I think it should probably be 2 at most - and should be between any of the first three albums, as long as one of them is Fifth Dimension. 5.2/10 74/1001

I wrote two reviews, before and after I listened. Before: This is more interesting to me sociologically than musically. The Birds are boring, but they did three very important things for popular culture: 1. Translate Bob Dylan's music for pop ears. 2. Introduce the electric 12-string guitar to rock and roll, and with it the chimy sound that inspired jangly bands like Big Star and REM. 3. Give Gram Parsons a platform. But their sound was on the wrong side of the sixties, the Mamas and Papas side, not the Hendrix side. After: Only heard this once and already my favorite Byrds BY FAR. I love it when my priors are forcibly adjusted and looking forward to playing again.

Well, I'm now more than halfway through the Byrds allotment in this collection (#3 of 5), so that's a positive. And this is a decent late 60s time capsule, so definitely not as awkward as, say, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", or quite as monochromatic (or as cover-filled) as their debut album. That said, despite all the styles they've blended together in this album, and new (to them) instruments, there's not a lot that distinguishes the tracks from each other (although "Tribal gathering" and the pre-Kubrick "Space odyssey" are definitely outliers on the album); I thought the semi-Pink-Floyd-esque "Natural harmony" and the Beatles-inspired "Change is now" were probably the best of the lot. But I guess on the whole I'm not a big fan of their sound, so this was neither a disappointment or a revelation. And pretty funny to read about how David Crosby tanked his space in the band by being both a jerk and lots of "creative" differences with the other band members; I'm not sure what it says about any of them that Crosby died on the sword of wanting to have a menage-a-trois song on the album instead of a remarkably tepid cover version of "Goin' back". (It's not as if Crosby went on to be a muscial or lyrical powerhouse with Crosby, Stills, and Nash (and Young). But hey, only two more Byrds albums to go!

solid 60s sound--> don't think I'd listen again but didn't mind listening to it this morning. Only the first song about speed was familiar to me because it was on an album I got for Hanukah when I was a kid: "Do It Now" --a sentiment I always thought was a little weird coming from my parents

Favorites: Artificial Energy, Draft Morning, Change Is Now The first Byrds record without David Crosby, and likely the last really beloved Byrds album. Not everything clicked for me, but I still found it a pleasant listen.

I spent all of side 1 waiting for a song to catch my attention. 5/4 caught my attention; That song was alright. Then Side 2: What the hell? Another song in 5/4? This song is great. I almost like Dolphin's Smile but something comes short. The synth part at the beginning certainly softened my heart to it. Listening to Space Odyssey I figured it must just be his voice

Bit boring but I do love the Byrds. They musicality never fails to impress me. Just not my fave

I was going to say this was cut-rate Beatles style psychedelia influenced by Sgt. Pepper’s, but a friend told me that timing didn’t quite work and Eight Miles High was kind of like this too (my Byrds knowledge is pretty limited.) Either way, it’s fine. Goin’ Back might stand out to me the most and that’s a cover so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

This list has too many Byrds albums. I have nothing against the Byrds, but doing this project is kind of making me hate them. Update: after hearing "Dolphins' Smile" I have something against the Byrds. Ugh.

Liked this much better than Sweetheart of the Rodeo but I suspect not as much as any earlier albums that may be yet to come in the project—some annoying sound effects and the Spotify version includes bonus tracks that are frankly annoying.

At the risk of 'damning with faint praise', this was ok.

Background music to me

To me this album is just an aimless rambling pile of music looking for a decent song to emerge. 2 stars or D.

Blah. Average 60s stuff. 2.5.

Experimental, but not in a good way.

A relaxing listen for a relaxing day

Ive been meaning to listen to something involving david crosby for a while so finally listened to this and before this listened to rheir debut album and both pretty good but this is really good. I can see myself revisiting this. Good first listen.

One of the easiest 5s I'll ever give on this website, I've loved the Byrds ever since I got into music, and this is certainly their most ambitious album. It's got this amazing blend of psychedelic rock and country that no one else can do quite like them, like every time I hear a steel guitar and phasing at the same time I fall in love all over again. Unfortunately, it's a Byrds album, which means it ends with a bunch of nonsense. Space Odyssey is the clearly weakest song on here, even as it's probably one of their better closing tracks. Doesn't hurt that it maybe has Gene coming back to do backing vocals on it (that might be him you're hearing in your left ear! I go back and forth on this myself).

giving this one the byrd.

Even if only for the cover, where the remaining Byrds replaced David Crosby with a horse following his exit from the band, The Notorious Byrd Brothers deserves five stars. Sure, it’s of its time, but it’s the weirdest, heaviest and most psychedelic the Byrds would get in their career. It ranges from pastoral psych, acid fried country to heavy duty, brain burning psych over the course of its songs. Just listen to “Change is Now”. When the band hits the solo section, where fuzzy reversed guitars kick in and the syncopated, metronomic backbeat of the drums anchors the song down, The Byrds sound more like Can than what you would expect from a West Coast psych band. That song is heavy duty, man. Add in “I Wasn’t Born to Follow”, “Goin’ Back”, “Old John Robinson”…The Notorious Byrd Brothers is a classic that shouldn’t be overlooked.

There’s nothing wrong with this album. They’re obviously excellent musicians but I don’t like the music.

folk, psychedelic, country-rock genreblending album. inspirerede eagles og pink floyd blandt andet. og nogle andre jeg ikke kender enndu :)

I like The Byrds but has never listened to this album: it does everything you'd expect from them really, intricate guitar and beautiful harmonised vocals.

Might have scored slightly higher but in one song they mugged off Elvis calling him a racist. I ain’t having that!

Some interesting songs here: drums, droning melodies, lyrics.

Perfectly pleasant listen with nice harmonies and some groovy influences.

Pleasant. The sound is dated, not necessarily in a bad way, but also not something that I grew up listening to so it isn't nostalgic either. It's interesting that something that was once cutting edge now feels old fashioned. Similar to the Beatles but lacking something, possibly just my familiarity. I like the guitar melodies, and the instrumental parts. I liked Draft Morning.

An interesting historical album from a band I wasn't very familiar with. The troubled history of the production made for a good read. A lot of the synth effects sound somewhat dated, but were certainly groundbreaking for the time. My favorite track was probably Born to Follow, the psychedelic breakdown 1 minute into it is awesome, and then that country bass just picks right back up again. I can see how the country-folk-electric sound was super influential, but not much here was particularly memorable to me.

It was enjoyable listen if you’re into that late 60’s, Summer of Love, Hippie/Folk, Chill Rock sound. 3.5 ⭐️

Psychedelic folk? This is a cool listen. That last track is pretty out there, especially for 1968.

i will never get this band or why there's 300 of their albums on this list

Podoba mi się eksperymentowanie, szukanie własnej ścieżki i mieszanie gatunków na tej płycie. Tekst i wokal tworzą jasny, korentny obraz, ale mimo wszystko czegoś mi brakuje. Nie porywa tak jakbym chciała. 6.5/10 równane w dół.

I really liked the country album that came after this, and their early stuff is better. You can hear the older stuff along with the country, but this isn't good.

Went into this knowing (unfortunately) nothing about The Byrds, but I have heard of them. This had good production (especially with stereo headphones), cool synths, and it was pretty unique for its time. Space Odyssey was cool because they were talking about the distant future of 1996 from 1968, which would be like a song written about 2044 in 2026. Unfortch (maybe fortch) their prediction was not accurate lol. Moog Raga really stuck out to me because they played with those synthesizers so artfully and interestingly. It was ahead of its time and I'd be impressed to hear synths like that even in 2026. Many songs, but especially Moog Raga, were so alien and outer space-sounding. Idk how I felt about the Universal Mind Decoder backing track but I think I liked it? I enjoyed hearing the behind the scenes stuff and it humanized it and gave a look at the creative process, it just overstayed its welcome a bit in the way the rest of the tracks didn't. Not quite 5 stars but good psychedelic rock. Standout tracks: Goin' Back Draft Morning Moog Raga Standout lyrics: "Wander through the forest where the trees have leaves of prisms and break the light in colors that no one knows the names of" - Wasn't Born to Follow "I think I'm returning to those days when I was young enough to know the truth. Now there are no games to pass the time, no more electric trains, no more trees to climb." - Goin' Back

Surprisingly disappointing. Not the Byrds best stuff. None of their popular songs and it seemed very experimental in a way that was more failure than success.

The Notorious Byrd Brothers is the fifth studio album from the Byrds, and was recorded while the band was in transition. David Crosby was fired early in the recording sessions, and Michael Clarke left briefly during recording, and permanently after the album was finished. The album was not a commercial success and does not include any of the band's biggest singles, but is regarded in some critical circles as the band's best work. The album includes the single, "Wasn't Born to Follow," which was featured in the soundtrack for the film, "Easy Rider." These songs showcase the band's songwriting and their fusion of psychedelic rock with harmonic folk.

loved this. great stuff byrd boys. Draft Morning is my fav on here. moog raga was interesting, i liked it. its no Hunky Dory, but this is probably my second favorite album so far.

Cool as hell that they have a horse in their band. Get To You > Tribal Gathering > Change Is Now > Artificial Energy > Draft Morning > Old John Robertson > Dolphin's Smile > Goin Back > Wasn't Born to Follow > Space Odyssey > Natural Harmony Gonna keep being a stinker in my ratings haha. If you're telling me I need to hear this fifth Byrds album before I die, before I have lived a full life of experiencing all the beautiful art the world has to offer, I'm gonna shrug a bit! Some nice stuff and some silly stuff, glad I listened to it. Perfectly fine. It's a 2.

wait were they actually brothers ? the brothers byrd? update: no. haha so silly that I would think that! the wiki for this is wild though: The recording of The Notorious Byrd Brothers, during the latter half of 1967, was marked by severe internal dissolution and acrimony.[4] The Byrds began the recording sessions as a four-piece band, consisting of Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke—the same line-up that had recorded their two previous albums.[17] By the time of the album's release, however, only McGuinn and Hillman remained in the group.[5] The first line-up change occurred when drummer Michael Clarke quit the sessions after having played on several songs, over disputes with Crosby and the other band members over his playing ability and his apparent dissatisfaction with the material the three songwriting members of the band were providing.[18][19] Though he remained a band member and continued to honor his live concert commitments with the group, Clarke was temporarily replaced in the studio by noted session drummers Jim Gordon and Hal Blaine.[18][19] this has got to be a 5!!!! I love the birds, I love wasn't born to follow, I love this whole album :) sorry to the boys that there was so much drama – worth it babies!!!! okay now that I've finished the album, the end kind of loses it a bit but I don't care. still a 5!

Seems repetitive but tuneful

Good instrumentals but not my taste

I've gained a new appreciation for The Byrds because of the 1001. I was only really familiar with a couple of their big hits, but it's clear they had an outsized influence on the music of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lots of different styles, great songwriting, and good musicianship.

this was pretty good.

Vanilla Beatles.

From totally generic folk rock to unlistenable noodling on a MOOG synth this is an excruciating album.

This was ok, kuddos for the experimentation. Somewhat interesting listen but didn’t blow me away.

The amount of band members and players that came and went (and came back again) to make this record rivals the amount of Spinal Tap drummers. The signature harmonies are still as timeless today, but there was less jangle and a slight overuse of studio effects. Still, this was a fine listen that it seems is probably more of an influential bridge to other artists than standing out on its own.

I liked this, didn’t love it. Lacked any super memorable songs, and a lot of this kind of started bleeding together.

Sure. It was fine. About what I expected but nothing really stood out and had me wanting more. 2.75

This is good but didn’t really do much for me. Shrug emoji. 3.25/5

Groovy. Far out. Keep on trucking. Mellow times. *holds up album to face, silly walks, weird voice*: “Look at me, I’m a boomer. Twang twang twang twang twang.”

Another nice slice of slight psychedelia from the 60s. Not quite as many standout tracks here, but overall I really liked this. Bonus: if you listened to reissue with bonus tracks you got to hear some real footage of the band fighting!

Some pretty run of the mill 60s folk/psychedelic rock.

Some pretty nice psych type stuff and some country twang on some songs. Alot to unpack here. But i listened to it in the worst way. Kinda unfair. My right earbud died like 2songs in. Then it the left died at trck 10 or so. Then I finished the rest later. Couldn't have been worse foe this record. I'll give it a 3 for fairness of all that

Yeah this was lit af! Psychedelic folk??? Sign me tf up no mushrooms tho

I respect Nirvana and especially this album for what they started and inspired

"The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is the eighth studio album by American rock band the Byrds. Critics cite it as "the pinnacle of their late 60's musical experimentation, blending elements of pyschedelia, folk rock, country, electronic music, baroque pop and jazz. The recording was scattered with strife as rhythm guitarist and vocalist David Crosby was fired due to his opinion of the song selections, drummer Michael Clarke left during the recording and former guitarist and vocalist Gene Clark returned for a bit. The other remaining bandmembers included Roger McGuinn (vocals, lead guitar, Moog synth) and Chris Hillman (vocals, bass, guitar, mandolin). A host of other musicians and instruments were also used. Commercially, the album reached #47 in the US and #12 in the UK and, critically, it is considered one of their best. Loud, layered horns lead off the album in "Artificial Energy." Layered vocals as well, piano and a big sound. Almost in the bluesy soul realm. A contrast with a happy sound and darker lyrics telling of the dark side of taking amphetamines. Continuing the contrast theme is the next song "Goin' Back," a Carole King/Gerry Goffin cover. This is more traditional with Byrd's guitar sound and dreamy vocals and harmonies. Rejecting adult cynicism and replacing with childhood innocence. That happiness doesn't last long as they sing about the horrors of the Vietnam War in "Draft Morning." Softer and trippy and there's gun shots and explosions. On the start of the second side, they foreshadow their next album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" with a few songs with twangy and countryfied guitars, pedal steel guitars and fiddles in "Change is Now" and "Old John Robertson." Despite being his last album David Crosby delivered a few great songs. "Tribal Gathering" has a weird drum beat and guitars with a pyschedelic and a really dark edge. Very Crosby, Stills and Nash vocal harmonies. And, of course, the song was inspired by a hippie gathering in LA. There's a lot to like in this album. The album is very sort at 29 minutes and the songs just fly by. That helps since they're constantly changing styles and instruments (pyschedelia, country, baroque, soul and even electronic music with the Moog synth). Varied lyrical themes (peace, ecology, freedom, drug use and alienation). Sometimes, the music sounds like the typical Byrds with jangly guitars and harmonies and, other times, something completely different. This is solid all the way through (no fillers). A high recommendation.

60’s era harmony folk. I love Wasn’t Born to Follow. The rest is a bit boring. Peace and Love are good things, but no amount of grass will keep me interested in this band.

Would like to give this a few more listens before ranking. Unfamiliar with “later” Byrds material but I rather enjoyed this up until a couple of songs towards the end.

More Byrds, hooray

Reminds me of Yeasayer. Not bad all around, but nothing amazing either. A pleasant listen, but nothing to write home about.

For the byrds.

Worth listening to and great for its time, but is a bit dated. Standout songs: Artificial Energy Get to You Dolphin's Smile

I thought (hoped) I was long done with the byrds it’s not like they’re dreadful they’re just OKAY. Honestly I find the amount of byrds picks a worse problem than the costello picks. Theres some nice songs here like goin’ back is incredible 3/5

One of those bands I think I SHOULD like but reality differs. This album washes over me but fails to engage. It's not unpleasant but it stirs no emotion. Musical blancmange. 2/5.

I can't believe this will be my final Byrds album to review. For some reason, I feel like I've listened to a dozen or so of their albums, but maybe that's because there's also solo albums from several of their members. But I digress. So far, Younger Than Yesterday has been my favorite album of theirs, earning a four-star rating from me; their other efforts have all gotten a three-star rating. I knew very few Byrds songs before starting this project, and it's been nice getting more acquainted with their music these last few years. My final Kinks and Björk albums to review were the only five-star albums of each of their multiple submissions, so maybe The Byrds will fall into that pattern as well! I thought this was a really good and beautiful album, but it's a bit short of five stars from me. As with other albums by The Byrds, the band is at their best when they're harmonizing, and when their guitars are creating rich and deep sounds. Thankfully, there was plenty of that on this album. However, there were some times where the band deviated from that formula, and I felt the album suffered a bit when that happened. But the songs on this album that were good were really beautiful. I was really struck by "Goin' Back." I loved the vocals and guitar playing, and I thought The Byrds did a fantastic job of making this Carole King song their own. “Wasn’t Born to Follow” was fantastic too. I loved the whooshing of the guitar towards the end of the song, and the finger-picking guitar playing throughout the song was great too. There were some really great string arrangements on this album too, like on “Get To You.” The overall country folk sound of this album was great, and it’s an impressive feat to put out an album like this while a band is experiencing so much inner turmoil. This album isn’t the sort of thing I’d typically gravitate towards, but I enjoyed listening to it today, and I think it beats out Younger Than Yesterday as my favorite Byrds album.

I don’t understand how this is so good when everything similar is so offensive to my ears!!! Are they magicians?!?

Another confirmation that I do not like psychedelic rock. Love the album cover though!

Good listen. Really liked it. Acid vibes. Definitely adding some of the songs to my chill playlist because they are vibes.

Good ambient album. Really enjoyed it. Nice and chill

album was chill af big vibez man super good

Pre-listening thoughts: oh piss off why are there FIVE albums by these guys on here Post/during listening thoughts: this was sometimes weird in an endearing way and sometimes weird in a “the side effects of medical marijuana, ladies and gentlemen” way. Although it was def like LSD they were taking not medical marijuana. So yeah. 5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Goin’ Back, Old John Robertson Least fav tracks: Space Odyssey

More like The Notorious Bad Brothers I was disappointed in this one because I've enjoyed their previous stuff. This was weird though and not in a good way Very boring and nothing stuck out to me. I was just counting down the minutes waiting for it to end 2 ⭐️

I couldn’t finish it

I'm a sucker for that 1960's vocal harmonizing. Pleasant tunes, interesting arrangements and instruments. So much music from this era sounds so Beatles-esque. I have a hard time remembering who influenced who or who was collaborating with who.

That's not jam mate, that's just total fucking marmalade. Really long, really dated, really boring. People were still doing this airy fairy shit in 1968? I thought the world had well and truly moved on by then. The phaser on Old John Robertson legit hurt my ears. That's literally the only thing that stood out to me. I really don't have anything to say about this. It was so uninteresting I forgot I even had music on in the background. I'd probably play this if I was an aged care worker and had just sedated one of my patients after they had a dementia-induced psychotic episode.

I used to know a guy who was really big into The Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers who ended up being a performative/tradlarper dickhead so I was kinda hoping this would be ass so I would feel validated in some form. Unfortunately for me what I got was a really fun listen which was likely the best psychadelic/folk music from the 60's that I'm gonna hear on this list. The final few tracks did feel a bit weak compared to the first two thirds but were still solid enough to where I didn't even realize I had burned through the whole album and was listening to the extras at some point.

Another case of albums that were probably groundbreaking pioneers in their genre that have been completely overshadowed by everything that came after them (in this case the use of the moog synth). Only realised I was listening to the deluxe version halfway through a 7 minute recording of the band having a massive, bitter, and personal sounding shitfight in the studio about the way someone was playing the drums.

Ain't no way a Beetles clone called themselves the Byrds 6/10

David Crosby was fired from the Byrds for writing a song about a threesome? What a bunch of fuckin' squares. An album of collaborations and crossings between artists and genres. It's a very solid intersection between country/western/psychedelic/folk music that is thoroughly listenable. I prefer side A over side B (but really they're both fantastic) and it is not surprising at all that the best songs on this album are written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Side B is great and leans more into the rock/psych angle of the album, probably because it's entirely written by the band themselves, and the vision here is very focused. Not to say the first side was unfocused, but it explored with more genres and styles and I found it much more playful. Really, the only negative thing I have to say about this album is that the final track just doesn't stick the landing? But even then, it's a fine song. The album is less than 30 minutes long but it feels longer than that, and NOT in a bad way. Bonus points for the pedal steel guitar on this album throughout, what an absolute treat this was. Highlights - Goin' Back, Wasn't Born To Follow, Get to You, Change Is Now

Psychedelic Folk Rock copying their style from the beatles, copying their lyrics from Bob Dylan. That being Said the Synthesizer mentioned at the end of the album doesn't make it the best so far. I'd rather say not any better than the last one in my list

This is nice

I was surprised to see that this was the Byrds album included on the list. It was okay.

Cool to learn that David Crosby was in this band. But, it was just ok.

I wanted to love this. Instead it was only a solid like. An album forever in the friend zone. It was fine, it was good, but there was no magic, no spark, no love. Maybe at another time, in another life.

A bit too old-fashioned for my taste. O.k. but nothing remarkable on.

2.9 - I just dont really like it. I think this is the 3rd or 4th and its just not for me

Very bored by this one. The Byrds try to dabble in psychedelia and it all sounds like wishy washy nothing. 2.3/5

I liked this better than the last Byrds album (sweetheart) and it was more what I expected from them.

Not for me

I like the Byrds, but this isn't their best work IMHO. They started to stray from the formula here.

Not for me

Experimental and transitional is how this album sounds. Overall it was better than I might have thought given it did not produce any of The Byrds major hits. It was worth a listen for historical reference...

A good and important album, but I see it more as a stepping stone for future bands instead of being excellent itself. Too jangly and country-adjacent for my taste. 2⭐️

This record has that groovy baby, 60’s vibe. Very Summer of Love. Cloyingly so, at times. It’s good, but not great. At least it doesn’t have anymore Clapton.

The Byrds gained attention both commercially and critically with their early albums full of catchy singles, Dylan covers and a jangly-rock style that has been very influential for bands taking that 12-string electric sound to another level. Less known are their albums towards the late 60's/early 70's, that are more "album oriented", with less emphasize on hit singles. These albums displayed the band's expanded sound and experimentation with mixed results. The Notorious Byrd Brothers is an album I hadn't listened to in it's entirety before. It's solid record of psych-folk/country, but also introduces modern sounds, such as synths and electronics to the mix. It's progressive sound that I didn't expect and though, I didn't care for a lot of it, it's still worth a listen especially, if you only think of the Byrds for Mr. Tambourine Man or Eight Miles High.

Oh good grief another Byrds album. At lest it clocks in at well under half an hour...it's pretty dull stuff.

Just like the other byrds

This was an alright album, never been a huge fan of the Byrds but they aren't bad by any means! This was a pretty "normal" album from them and it was nothing super amazing but it was a good folky album!

I didn't really know any of the tracks from this album. Some nice jangly pop folk in there but it started to get a tiresome towards the end. Some of the tracks in the second side were really, really hard work.

When your mom says “We have The Beatles at home”. 3.5 Stars

I only knew the Byrds songs Turn Turn Turn and Mr Tambourine Man going in, so being greeted with horns was a surprise. Psychedelia / folk rock with twangs of country. Great harmonies. A great example of late 60's experimentation. I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Could not Stream it.

Not bad, but there are better Byrds albums.

322/1001

This is a very "easy to listen to" album, and I think it is one of the better/best folk rock albums I've heard. I'd like to listen to it again, but I did find it enjoyable, and I really can't give it less than a 3.5-4, because it is very well done and does seem significant to the time and basically was a supergroup.

This sounds like a band trying to be the Beatles, early Pink Floyd, the Beach Boys, the Monkees, and the Rolling Stones all at once, like a garage band who had heard all these bands and were trying to copy them with less equipment. Some love ballads, some trippy psychadelic stuff, some weird sound effect mixing. Initially none of it was especially good to my ear, but the soft and gentle nature of it got to me, it grew on me more and more. I guess not every band is going to be big, but this was nice to hear, a hidden gem for me. Moog Raga I loved.

Inoffensive but nothing to excite

This album is fine. There's some cool effects, but the tracks themselves aren't very memorable and feel very dated. I enjoyed listening to it once, but this one won't make my regular rotation.

Wow I could almost copy and paste my review from the Moby Grape album. I actually liked this album slightly better, but overall it still lands as a solid 3 for me.