The Notorious Byrd Brothers

passaros

Genres: Rock, psychedelic rock, pop Formed: Los Angeles, California, in 1964 Run time: 17 songs, 58 min, 11 sec An album of nearly one hour duration is unusual, especially for the late 60’s. 1. "Artificial Energy": I loved the tune. The warning of amphetamine abuse is clear. I didn’t like the composition because I hate when lyrics are squeezed or stretched to make them fit. 2. "Goin' Back" is a cover of a Goffin–King song. A beautifully crafted song, delicately performed. 3. "Natural Harmony": another beautifully performed song with great harmonies. 4. “Draft Morning”: Contrasts life as a civilian to action as a solder. It does this amazingly well in a song of less than 3 minutes. 5. "Wasn't Born to Follow" is another Goffin–King composition. Country influenced. Although it provides contrast to the electric guitar, I found the pedal steel guitar a little jarring in places. 6. “Get to You” 7. "Change Is Now": A positive song suggesting we seize the day. It has a country feel to it. 8. "Old John Robertson": Another country influence song. 9. "Tribal Gathering": A track about a “Hippie” gathering, although it isn’t a psychedelic track. It has a jazz influence. 10. "Dolphin's Smile" is another chilled-out jazzy track. 11. "Space Odyssey", is a musical retelling of Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Sentinel". The opening line reads “In nineteen and ninety-six We ventured to the moon”. Could they have imagined they would only have to wait a year before we went to the moon? The story telling of the song is great, but I didn’t particularly like the song. (The following are 1997 bonus tracks.) 12. "Moog Raga" is an instrumental track. It is a bonus track on the 1997 album reissue. They shouldn’t have bothered. 13. "Bound to Fall" is another instrumental bonus track. This is a more chilled track. 14. "Triad", a song about a ménage à trois. Two girlfriends would be hard enough to deal with, but this greedy man says “And in time maybe others”. Here’s someone who is going to end up alone! 15. "Goin' Back – Extended Version" 16. “Draft Morning – Alternate Backing Track”. Contains a load of studio chatter. I don’t feel it added anything, but I suppose it gives an insight into the creative process. Overall, I enjoyed the album. It is very chilled a relaxing. If I were prone to lying around listening to music I would probably listen again. My Rating: ****

Ganske døvt

Typical 60s sounding rock, enjoyable but not memorable. I did like the harmonies though

Solid

I like hearing the experimentation, it keeps this from being merely hippie folk. I like it more than most of the other Byrds albums I've heard. The early use of the Moog is noteworthy.

Peak psychedelia from The Byrds. A pleasant sound despite the inner turmoil.

It's fine but, I dunno The Byrds just don't do a ton for me. Totally fine, I liked the psych and electronic elements though.

meh it's ok

Rating: 5/10

A classic

Ikke ubehagelig, men føles litt utdatert. Beatles-esque?

3.5, pretty fun. More experimental than I thought.

Hoogst aangeschreven album van The Byrds. Mix van folk, rock, country jazz en natuurlijk psychedelia. Nummers gaan veelal over de hippie/drugscultuur van de jaren '60. Leuk album van een van de beste sixties bands. leukste nummer: Goin' Back De band viel praktisch uit elkaar tijdens de recordings. David Crosby werd ontslagen, maar de band gebruikte alsnog zijn "Draft Morning" op het album, wat hij niet zo leuk vond.

Legendary experimentation. A band so underrated it is criminal. They pushed boundaries more than the Beatles did and are never spoken about in the same light.

The Byrds just never disappoint, very enjoyable and joyous album, as always

baroque pop was not on my Byrds bingo card. Probably a mood thing, but was not feeling this.

Nothing spectacular. It sounds more like a Jefferson Airplane album than the Byrds.

I can imagine this in high rotation on an easy listening station. Quite an enjoyable listen with fave tracks being the opener, Artificial Energy, and Triad. Moog Raga is also pretty cool.

Well, it's very harmonious and melodic, but that means it's very good at blending into the background. I evidently wasn't paying sufficient attention to hear what was innovative or groundbreaking about it. Fave track - "Goin' Back" I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4/5

Rock psicodélico sesentero.

Bonito.

I love The Byrds!

Meh... not bad. I could imagine this being a 69' woodstock headliner with everybody tripping out of their minds, they would lose it. Pretty chill stuff, the end of the album gets pretty darn psychadelic and progressive, which I definitely enjoyed. Okay, i keep coming back here to update my review as i listen to a few more songs because it keeps getting better, the first few songs kinda fall flat and gets more and more progressive This is pretty cool though: "The Byrds also introduced the sound of the pedal steel guitar and the Moog modular synthesizer into their music, making it one of the first LP releases on which the Moog appears"

Nice listen

It was good enough to visit again

Very cool to hear the early psychadelic rock and how it kind of came out of their country sound. I really liked Moog Raga even though it is fucking weird sounding. But boy willickers, if I were a parent in the 60's these lyrics would be scandalous. Talking about psychadelics and threesomes?! Golly

Thanks byrds, thanks for a bad album on a bad day. You should be ashamed, this album should keep you awake at night and you should feel bad for what you've done.

Being the first to do something matters a lot more if you're also good at it.

There certainly is a lot of MOR folk rock on this list isn't there? 5 albums from the Byrds, really?

Okay, this is the third album by The Byrds on this list, and I can now say with full confidence, that I'm not a fan of the band. The music is very basic and sounds generic, which probably makes sense, because it's an 55 year old album. I don't see any magic in here, or any transcendental parts, it's just a simple country/psychedelic record that is very outdated. The only reason its on this list is possible of historical impact, which is not enough for me to give it a high rating. Just another average album in here.

The Notorious Byrd Brothers is at its best when it allows itself just go off the rails, face first into psychedelia, with Roger McGuinn doing some astonishing guitar work. but in the same breath, that spontaneity breeds clunkiness, especially as the record progresses further. there’s a softness to the record that leaves it feeling light and airy, and their voices are smoothly harmonious, but after a while the songs slowly blend into each other — albeit interspersed with momentary bursts of brilliance that bring you right back into the overall beauty of the album. no true standout tracks here (though argument could be made in favor of “Wasn’t Born to Follow”, “Goin’ Back”, or “Change is Now”), so its strength lies in its overall uniformity (a blessing and a curse i guess). The Byrds are brimming with ambition and weighty ideologies, and they lay it bare on here that you almost don’t notice how hard you’ve been hit.

Byrd Brothers? More like boring brothers. If I was listening to this album as a lullaby soundtrack it would be spot on. The monotone voices sent me into a lovely slumber. Unfortunately though I was at work and have since lost my job. I blame the Byrds and their shitty album.

Lovely album, starting to sound a bit dated, but also some cutting edge sounds in here too. Enjoyable listen, will likely revisit at some point in the future.

Could be nicer

Mellow when listening to it, yet totally forgettable once it's done.

Somewhere between genius and really high in the sixties. Moog Raga is the sound my sleep paralysis demon makes.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think this was too short. It was kind of difficult to get into any song because they were almost all over as soon as they started. That said, this felt like bog standard 60s psychedelic rock. I liked Mr. Tambourine Man but this just felt lacking in comparison.

Beautifully sprawling

I felt like this should have been an album to really jive with me. It was quite the opposite. I felt nothing really stood out to me at any point aside from one song, “Goin’ Back.” I’ll add that song to my playlist and give the album a 2.

I've had enough of the Byrds.

Moog Raga was so excruciating to listen to I deducted a Full point.

очень смешанные ощущения от альбома. местами это какая-то мешанина, где в правом ухе происходит одно, в левом другое; и как-то все равно больно. местами же это приятная, мягкая музыка. второго, по моим ощущениям, было сильно меньше, поэтому моя оценка скорей 2, чем 3. хотя если брать оригинальный трек лист альбома без бонус треков - это скорей 3, чем 2. отдельно хочу выделить Moog Raga; вряд ли захочется это переслушивать, но это очень самобытно. а ещё очень прикольно оказаться звуковым наблюдателем пребывания группы на студии.

Довольно прикольный психодел рок, который иногда бьет тебя электронными звуками словно шокер, отчего становится не по себе Стоит заценить первую половину и дальше уже по желанию

Пункт номер 0: да, они реально читаются как Birds, но написали себя через y. Чувствую в этом французский след... Альбом остался мной непонятым. Ну да, он революционный для эпохи: в нём много синтаксисах для 60-х. Но всё это пока из разряда экспериментов и иногда делает альбом не сильно слушабельным. Наверное, удивление могло у меня вызвать то, что этот альбом легко можно отправить в "будущее": ну то есть, в 80-х он может быть также будет тянуть на пластинку с актуальной музыкой. Но в целом, прослушивания в целом не сильно заслуживает.

Жанр вообще понтовый, но чёт сами песенки зашли кое-как. 3ка, даже с минусом, потому что иногда было даже тяжеловато слушать

A solid 4.5 ⭐ the sounds and lyrics on this album are classic 60s. The song Triad is bizarre.

Another 60s folk rock album

А вот кому биталз за полцены Господи что там в 60х было блядь в воде Даже когда вроде что-то прикольное, хорошая идея- все равно эпигонство, вторично Бляяядь даже «харрисоновскую» псевдо-индийщину впендюрили Какой кал

But dated but very groovy psychedelic. Probably early use of a synth keyboard. 3 stars

Oh look more 60s folksy psychedelic rock....anyway...

very cool with the venturing into new and weird styles

Experimental is good for expanding a band or artists vision of what they are capable of making and performing. Experimental music does not always breed enjoyable songs, but will usually lead to original and enjoyable music later. This album is definitely experimental for the time, but not compl enjoyable. I enjoyed it, but not all too much. Definitely original, but not quite fun. Also, production wasn’t that great, but lyrics were good. 3/5

Unenjoyable throughout.

I expected something bland and boring, and it didn't disappoint in that regard.

It's quite nice for the most part, but very gentle, and it didn't really grab me. I don't know why so many bands of the era felt compelled to add in random, tedious instrumental tracks with weird sounds. It's not big and it's not clever.

I really did not need to listen to this album before I am sedated, tossed in the back of a white van, and whisked to an undisclosed location so that my kidnapper can perform predatory actions on my feet in peace. That's when I would just call it quits. What I'm trying to say: This album has no reason being here and I was doing just fine without it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Remember that Family Guy episode where Peter and Lois got stoned out of their minds and started a band? That’s exactly what this album felt like. The drugs are palpable here. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a video for reference: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-_JIhtMqU

Tried to enjoy it, but it was so forgettable.

I don’t remember this being very exciting. Just boring af.

Love! Especially the instrumentals

It’s fine. It’s certainly a 60’s album: left/right separated audio, crunchy sounding guitars, and folk/country elements. However, it’s better than some other 60s albums I’ve listened to on this list. One nice thing about these 60s albums is that they’re short, so if you’re not into it, you don’t listen for very long.

This album was okay. I was excited on the first song because I thought it was going to be an interesting 60's psychedelic album, but the songs all have a pretty samey feel that makes it uninteresting. I was hoping for some more diversity in the songs that went beyond the surface level of 'including weird sounds in the songs and that makes it psychedelic.' Anyways, the instrumentation on the album is pretty good, and the singing is pretty good and not washed out. There are things to like, but it's not all that. Highlights: 1, 2, 5, and 6.

Solid grooves. Great chill music

1 - 7,5 2 - 7,5 3 - 6,5 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 -

Such a great album!

Goin' Back and Wasn't born to follow are great tracks. Rest are not really that special to me or a bit too weird (looking at you Moog Raga)

Ég sé ekki alveg sjarmann við þessa plötu. Varð leiðingjörn þegar leið á.

I used to listen to the Byrds a lot while riding the bus to school so listening to this album made me feel a bit nostalgic and really relaxed.

First review. Almost gave it three stars because not my favorite album that David Crosby made, but I love him and I am being nostalgic about his passing - the harmonies and sound of this album are pretty phenomenal.

7/10

Nice and chill. Didn’t pay that much attention to it though when I listened. But will probably hear it again. 3.5.

A far more enjoyable album than the previous one on this list from this band that I got,but still not the kind of music I'll usually listen to. 2.5 but I'm rounding up for kindness.

Some interesting arrangements here, not really much stand out stuff though. It's an intersection of music I like (psychedelic) with folk/country which I'm not very keen on at this moment in time Saved tracks: Natural Harmony, Get To You (because of the ending), Dolphin's Smile

Baita som, das antiga e pa, muito agradável

Another week. Another album from The Byrds. Another box checked.

Pretty good. Not my favorite album in the world, but a good listen. I wish bands in the 60s/70s didn't full-pan different instruments to different sides. Drums right, guitar and bass left makes it feel like there's a war going on in my head. Makes it hard to appreciate it all at once when everything is begging for your attention separately. Favorite track - Draft Morning Least favorite track - Dolphin's Smile

I've never seriously checked out the Byrds but this album definitely up my alley. It's just a well-produced short batch of folk-rock songs with some cool instrumental choices and solid songwriting. While I don't think it lives up to my favorite albums from this era/style, I'm sure I'll come back to it when I'm looking for something easy to listen to.

Really enjoyed this album. Lots of early experimentation with studio production elements with phasing, delay, and of course synthesizers. Didn't expect this from a band like The Byrds. Bonus tracks are definitely them just playing around in the studio, but genuinely appreciated them including it as part of the album as those sounds play such a large role in modern music production.

Very.... uninteresting. But enjoyable. Another album that would be great background music in a Macy's. I don't have anything bad to say about this album. I know my reviews have been pretty shallow, but I think that's because I have more interests in the more experimental subgenres of rock. Either way, this was a solid listen.

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Tribal Gathering (9) 2 - Bound to Fall (13) 3 - Wasn't Born To Follow (5)

Goin Back is a good song. The rest is pretty boring.

This pretty awesome album was made all the more interesting by the hippy squabbling at the end of the secret track.

Great!

Thought the songs were okay but this album has the tinniest mix I’ve ever heard. I’ve heard obscure one-album Italian prog rock bands with remasters and yet Spotify still has the mix from the 60s? Oof. Might listen again

I obviously knew the band as was interested to see what this album would be like but ... and I hate to say this for any art ... but I didn't like this album at all. It just didn't hold my interest and I didn't enjoy it. Say one good thing? They had good harmonies.

5/10

This is definitely the best I’ve heard from the byrds

Eh

Listened to on 12/8/22 3/5 Favorite song: artificial energy, goin’ back This album was lovely and then took a very odd space-y turn with some chaotic noises thrown in and immediately lowered it

This is notoriously the Byrds

Far out dude now pass me a doobie man before this shit gets heavy

77/100: Super experimental Beatles-style rock. I'm a big fan, although it at times feels derivative. I suppose if you've listened to all of the Beatles stuff and are growing bored of it, this is the perfect group for you. Very unique album, but I get the sense this isn't the best the Byrds get.

This album is for the Byrds man. Standard, boring ‘60s rock. Not interesting…but pretty chill. That chill attitude really brings the whole album together even if nothing sort of stands out.

Pretty okay

Rock. Un poco psicodélico. Más bien aburrido.

apparently they fired David Crosby during the recording of this album and this SOUNDS like a band who would fire the coolest guy in it.

Meh. Not super into classic rock.

zzzzzzzzz

I found this album to be pretty boring.

In 1968, the sort of people who thought excessive flange and phaser effects sounded futuristic and otherworldly were probably the same people who thought that by 1996, we'd be discovering signs of alien life on the moon. In this album, The Byrds are those people. I've always really admired this band but don't know a lot of their material on a deep-cut level. "Mr. Tambourine Man", released three years before "The Notorious Byrd Brothers", is the Byrds album I'm most familiar with and it's very different from this one. Delving deeper than ever before into psychedelia, the band become more introspective, solemn and ambitious here, and they do get a little lost along the way. There are cautionary songs about drug use, harrowing hallucinations of Vietnam, a longing to retreat into some innocent life free of responsibility. Even one of their cover choices- a wistful standout "Goin' Back"- is a yearning elegy to childhood. It's only 1968 and the Byrds are already sounding disillusioned with the Summer of Love. My favourite stretch of the record was in the middle: "Draft Morning" to "Old John Robertson" is a really solid run of tracks. The country influences are logical and accomplished, lap-steel guitar forms a welcome addition to the line-up, and it goes without saying that the harmonies are breezy and immaculate... perfectly measured vocals to serve each song. When the tempo ramps up, in "Old John Robertson", it's a ray of light through the fog. When it breaks for a lysergic, delay-soaked guitar solo like "Change is Now", it allows some of the most effective atmospherics on the record. The songs in 5/4 also push the envelope nicely. Slightly less effective for me are the songs that push the iconic 12-string Rickenbackers to the background: "Artificial Energy" has a fairly basic horn arrangement and doesn't do a great deal for me as an opener. "Space Odyssey" is a weak note to go out on, and "Natural Harmony" is a bit too dirge-like for my taste. The band's ambition throughout is admirable, but the constant studio effects are more than a little dated now and often distract from the strength of the songwriting. For a run-time of just twenty-eight minutes, "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is sufficiently sprawling and dense. The band manage to pack a lot into each song, and while it doesn't reach the eight-mile heights of some of their other work, the craftsmanship and attention to detail here is applaudable. Definitely one to let sink in over some lazy afternoons and foggy nights.

I mean, it's OK. Considerably better that the other Byrds album from the list, but I'll not be going out of my way to listen to it again.

samaa vitun vittua. 60-luvun amerikka radio 2 minuutin vittupaska biisejä jotka kuulostaa joka ikinen vittu samalta ei välttämättä ole huono mutta niin saatanan tylsä että itkettää...itken.. PILLITÄN ! goin back paras en vittu tiiä

In the midst of band upheaval and turmoil, The Byrds churned out one of their two classic albums of 1968, starting with this notorious set of songs. Featuring one of the first forays into the Moog synthesizer, along with their typical folk-rock excursions and Indian ragas melding with topics on threesomes and all. A very intriguing set that doesn't leave any crumbs for what may come later, but still worth the time. Favorites: Artificial Energy, Goin' Back, Draft Morning, Wasn't Born to Follow, Old John Robinson, Tribal Gathering, Moon Raga, Triad.

Album is perfectly fine. Favorite track: Moog Raga

Really nice folk rock album, first time to it but I'd definitely listen again.

Really enjoyed this - the fun side of sixties over-indulgence, certainly in terms of the results. I can’t remember any specific songs, but I’d definitely check out more of The Byrds, based on this. An interesting mix of styles, and some lovely harmonies and melodies.

A very odd album. There's a lot going off here - and not always in a good way. I preferred the psychedelia over the folk whingeing. Mood Raga is just plain weird. It's a time capsule of a record. Some things are best left in the past.

Pretty wide reaching album with an eclectic sound. I hear all manner of other later bands from track to track, so it's influence is obvious. Maybe not for me, but I get it.

Prefer the jingle jangle stuff.

Listened Before? N Trippy, man! These guys are great. The 60's personified as a band. Sometimes mellow, sometimes trippy, sometimes intolerable (Moog Raga), and sometimes SAUCY - as in the polyamorous "Triad". It was pretty enjoyable beginning to end. A solid effort. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Goin' Back

I win this time, motherfucker! I knew a minute into 'Moog Raga' that I was listening to some 'expanded edition' bullshit! I win! I win! I was like "what are these mouse farts doing?" and then I knew. Whew. Anyway - this entire album played in the background and never grabbed me once. Just nothin'. Nothin'. Absolutely fine background.

Blaah. Todella tylsä

Ei jäänyt kyllä mitään käteen tästä levystä. Pitäiskö kuunnella uudelleen, no en jaksa. Se yks biisikin (moon raga tjsp), jeesus missä tripeissä se on tehty - meinasin samantein lopettaa kuuntelun ja antaa yhden tähden. No ei yks biisi voi pilata ihan kaikkea

Not it

first listen great vibes

It's alright, I guess. I'd prefer significantly less yee-haw, simpering steel guitar, banjo-picking country in my psych rock, though. The combo didn't really work as well as I think they wanted it to. There are some creative engineering choices here that just didn't work out either. Over all, a pretty disappointing showing from some folks who are objectively pretty good musicians.

Quite lovely for the most part, just a little wet and meandering.

I had heard of the Byrds before, but never delved into their catalog much. There was definately quite a bit of musical experimentation throughout this album. Some things worked better than others. Space Odyssey (sounds like they used a kettle whistle as a sound byte throughout, which became annoying after a while) Moog Raga (just an instrumental experimentation with the Moog modular synthesizer, which was awful. Sounded like someone murdering cats) Even though there was a lot of stuff that was "out there" on this album, there were a few good tracks. Favourite songs: Wasn't Born To Follow, Goin' Back, Draft Morning (an example of where experimentation worked. The song starts out slow and soft, lyrics about slow, sunny mornings... All of a sudden the protagonist of the song gets drafted.... A musical bridge which gets heavier with sounds of war... Followed by the heavier, darker lyrics on the second half of the song... It was interesting and unexpected), Old John Robertson Least favourite songs: Moog Raga, Space Odyssey, Tribal Gathering Overall, a few good songs, but too much experimentation with random sounds, and nothing of note really stuck out for me. 2/5

I really enjoyed this! It was a little trippy but in a Costco-sample kind of way. The melodies were nice and I liked how the squiggly, weird sound effects would blaze right through an otherwise typical arrangement. Thank you, The Byrds, very cool!

What a Banger

60s psychedelic hippie folk. Some interesting ideas with the instrumentals and they regularly add in a country twangy slide guitar sound that you wouldn't expect to hear in this style of music. Vocals were the weakest part, but overall a decent representation of the time.

Meh

Really enjoyable album, very pleasant listening experience. Favorite track: Draft Morning

Mix of some of my favourite genres, classic Byrds sound. Think I’d have to listen a few more times to really get into it. Fav track: Wasn’t Born To Follow

Kind of like The Beatles

ooof... late 60s folk-rock. Nah. I thought I was going to give this 2 stars but as it drug on and I got to Moog Raga I just couldn't take it anymore.

Best Song: Tribal Gathering. A nice, jazzy, pseudo-psychedelic track. Worst Song: Space Odyssey. Imagine my disappointment, thinking that I'd hear a version of Bowie's classic before him, only to be met with this 60's SciFi church hymnal. Overall: An album that shows its age, with all the positives and negatives that entails. I liked the psychedelic aspects that pop up here and there throughout the album, but it also had that element of uniformity that feels true for a lot of older rock. Also, the album was probably a solid 3 before track 11, after which it dropped clear off a cliff. Why include these half-baked tracks to leave a bad taste in the listener's ears?

Les melodies gairebé perfectes i les cançons per conservar durant décades continuaven sortint a dojo en el cinquè disc de la banda. Crosby ja estava de retirada, però les seves aportacions i les de la resta del grup fan del treball el favorit de molts. El toc hippie i antibèlic de la majoria de lletres encara li dona una pàtina més nostàlgica i atractiva

Cover art 2/5

Gotta love that originating psych-folk sound, and it is such a quick little bite that doesn't overindulge or overstay its welcome. This was delectable.

Fairly experimental folk, which is quite a fun sonic experience. However, there were a few moments on the album that were a little samey for my tastes.

Almost a 3 star until they pulled out the Moog.

Nice. Some great harmonies, and I like the trippiness of some of the songs. Favorites: Natural Harmony, Wasn't Born to Follow, Get to You, and Bound to Fall (instrumental).

Have you been out drinking with friends and the conversation and laughs are flowing, but then something happens to snap you out of your mirth? You start questioning yourself. Have you had too much to drink? How many *have* you had? Are you going to hurl? What is your friend even saying to you at this point? Shit, he stopped talking and he's looking at you expectantly, you better laugh, he's always saying funny stuff, it was probably funny. You laugh and conversation and mirth continues. You're fine. But you switch to water instead of beer, just in case. Wasn't Born to Follow has this fairly standard country sounding sounding progression with some harmonies and jangly guitars and then... the breakdown. Totally non melodic noise. It makes you stop and question where you are. What am I doing? Is any of this even real? Then the country bass line starts back up again, and we're back in normalcy again... but it's coloured by the breakdown. It's like you've seen a monster out of the window of a speeding train. Normal doesn't feel quite as normal as it did before. And this is all in two minutes. This feels like real psychedelic folk rock. Not just a few wah pedals or phasers or tricks with tape, but psychedelia in the songwriting itself. Stuff to make you question your reality. Folk rock to set the baseline, and then all sorts of methods to pull the rug. Artificial Energy sets the tone, with a harsh edge on the bass and horns to match the lyrics that are about the harsh after affects of drugs. Natural Harmony starts with some lilting arpeggios, and then some expectant rhythmic chords, that appear to be telegraphing some upcoming rock pop chorus. But it never gets there. Instead it sorts of fades away, and ends in some fairly dissonant uneasy sounding feedback. Draft Morning starts with warm sounding music, and warm sounding lyrics, followed by a rug pull in the lyrics first, followed by a warning of horns and the sound of war. Sun warm on my face, I hear you Down below movin' slow And it's morning Take my time this morning, no hurry To learn to kill and take the will From unknown faces This album is just rug pull after rug pull. And it's all done inside such short songs. I don't like the word genius, so I won't use it, but if I liked the word, or was at least neutral about the word, I might apply it to this album I probably don't need to say it, but these five stars don't mean I would recommend it to anyone. None of my reviews are recommendations. Just how it hits me. And man, this hit me. I will listen to this a lot.

Some very nice psychedelic folk rock, not sure I'm enticed to listen to any more of their albums though.

A bunch of basic bitches imitate the Beatles.

beautiful

I really enjoyed this, never listened to a byrds album but it was quite enjoyable. Very chill, very Crosby Still and Nash.

Nice tunes, but nothing really leaped out at me. In fact, I can’t remember a single song just 30 minutes after listening (albeit I was working while listening, but a 4 or 5 star record will at least distract me at times from that work).

Eh, I'm just sort of bored with this style of music.

Nothing that really stuck with me; although I generally like psychedelic rock, I prefer it a little harder. I imagine The Byrds were pretty influential so they get a lot of credit from me for that.

4.25

p141. 1968. 3.5 stars. Schizophrenic mix of pop, country, folk and 60's psychedelia wrapped up in an aura of world weariness. It's odd, but it's got something, and it still sounds fresh nearly 50 years on.

Nothing too exciting here. 60s sounding light rock n roll that doesn't bite.

i liked the idea very beatlesque

I had honestly forgotten that I listened to this yesterday

Not bad by any means but nowhere near as exciting as some of their other albums

Lovely, tuneful, thoroughly of its era but I enjoyed it a lot.

First listen: Can we blame the Beatles for this? Second/third listens: There's some nice stuff on this (e.g. Draft Morning, Wasn't Born to Follow)

Wait, there were FOUR albums before this? Christ.

It just isn't for me. It's good for the style and one of the Byrds' best works as far as I've heard

Ima dobrih stvari, lagani folk plus psihodelija u farbama. 3 puta sam preslušao album, jednom putem na posao i dva puta na poslu dok sam 3 tone robe prebacivo na ruke. Al svejedno mi nije za četvorku.

This was good, but I found it underwhelming.

The last track on spotify - 13+ minutes. - of them arguing with each other about the song is pretty funny. fits with the wiki article about their arguments when creating this album

Has a couple of good tunes.

Meh

One good song.

Pretty run of the mill 60s rock. Not good, not bad, nothing really stands out on the album for me.

Glad it only lasted 28 minutes. Top musicians but not my type of music.

I’ve said a few times already that I have a soft spot for 60’s psychedelia but I find it interesting to think about why some psychedelic albums from this era sound timeless while others (like this one) sound very much of their time. Songwriting is probably the biggest factor. The Byrds are using similar production techniques and effects as The Beatles were around this time but obviously the songs on this album (while still enjoyable) aren’t on the same level. Of course, it’s unfair to compare any band to The Beatles in terms of songwriting but I do think songcraft is what separates classic music from good music, at least when it comes to pop and rock. Still, if I imagine myself in 1968, sitting cross-legged on the floor of a friend’s room listening to this album on freshly purchased vinyl, I would have been very into The Byrds. Their sound has a nice mix of druggy mood music and folky country rock. “Change is Now” stood out as a highlight for me.

Chill and groovy, man.

Pretty interesting album, lots of experimental production techniques that might not stand the test of time / they might conflict a bit with common modern production ideals, but without bands doing this during this period of time we wouldn't have those modern ideals. I read that this was one of the first records to utilize the infamous Moog synth, so that's pretty great! I love the SFX in "Draft Morning" too. I incorporate them into my own music and I rarely hear other musicians use them. As experimental as the album is, I kind of felt like I wanted more excitement in the compositions themselves. A lot of them had similar feels and when they would have an exciting change or shift in the track it was all dependent on the production and sounds rather than the performance- almost like they were leaning on the production oddities to carry the load.

If you don't like this album don't worry you aren't weird and if you do like it don't worry you aren't weird. They certainly threw all sorts of musical styles, sounds, and instruments at this album its a mix of folk, country, electronic and pop and more yet it somehow works. Overall, this album covers subjects like nature, peace, love, war, and drugs this album could have been written and recorded last week as to how relevant it still feels on much of that subject matter. The track titled Draft Morning is a stark historical reminder of the draft and the never-ending war machine continually churning out casualties of war and conflict all in the name of profits and a stark reminder of the Vietnam war and in the historical context of 2022 the nearly unbroken half a century of war and conflict we as a nation have been involved in and how seemingly normal and a part of everyday life it's become. A handful of songs later you'll come across "Tribal Gathering" this song touches on tribalism and groupthink and then a few more songs later you get a track like "Space Odyssey" it's weird and odd and just plain out there it's truly spectacular I can't imagine how it might have been received in the late 60s early 70s.

This was a pretty wild and fun album

Some nice jangly tones, but mostly hippy wailing. Very dated.

Really liked it Good production Very similar to the Beatles

Some of this I enjoyed but I'm just not a huge fan of The Byrds sound

Jangle pop nonsense, with lyrics about nothing and some really bizarre production choices. The use of a sitar is an insult to the whole Indian subcontinent, and the bonus tracks include band members swearing at each other to "do it properly". Not great, but better than Nico or PSB!

Redelijk saai album, voelt erg ouderwets

Seemed pretty good, would like to listen to it a few more times to get a better feel for it.

Alright

harmonising hippies but not my bag today man

A couple interesting tracks but overall it all blended together. Lots of different genres but nothing particularly unique.

Notoriously middle of the road.

Pleasant but boring. Only one or two songs I really like but the rest was forgettable. Impressive production and composition but ultimately fell flat for me. The last track where you got to listen in on the recording process was pretty interesting.

Music was very good. The singing matched the noises and it was pretty ok. Sounded like Beatles vibes

At its best when the cosmic babble skewers the sweetie-pie folk babble, rather than the reverse. While they're incapable of having or being fun vocally, they're less inhibited sonically. By which I mean the horns on the opener sound a lot like farts.

A people too experimental. They have a great sound and I wanted to like i the album, but it wasn’t my tastes.

Love this sound! To me, it sounds like it could have been made any time in the last fifty years!

Winsome, groovy and trippy (maybe to a fault with “Space Odyssey” and the uber-outre “Moog Raga” on the expanded version). Such a great brand that went from strength to strength during these years, despite turmoil. This album holds up excellently well and their influence shines through.

Don't think I've heard any of these tunes...but they all sound really nice. I need more Byrds in my life.

The Byrds are the kind of band that I like but from which there's no albums I'm totally crazy about. This one's a good example, extremely pleasant and a really nice transition from their more psychedelic first years, but in the end nothing from it will really stick with me. I'll be really glad every time I hear it, but it won't become a personal classic.

Sunny album for a sunny day. Great folk rock bangers in this one, I really enjoyed it!

Love the fact that hey put exotic instrument and psych sound into a more mainstream ablum. Pioneer of the genre. Great folk song as well. I Always enjoy The Byrds.

As usual, The Byrds have produced a soft and well-crafted album, which has the effect of a sunny day where it is good to live peacefully. I love their vibe and would be ready to listen to them at any time.

A delightful album full of quality tracks from the folk rock era with some new instrument experimentation going on as well (but you can keep the awful Space Odyssey).

This was fine, flirting with annoying (looking at you, Moog Raga), other times pleasant to listen to (Wasn't Born to Follow). I was entertained but not amazed. Honestly it was mostly pretty hokey.

I mean it’s pretty cool. Lots of sound experimentation, I’ve listened to “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” before and I honestly think it’s better. Still a fun one tho

Meilleur que je pensais. La première moitié était un peu dull, mais certaines pièces vers la fin ont un nice vibe progressif. À réécouter

honestly nothing special. 1.5/5

just average

Another really over-represented band on this list. Although I like this kind of thing pretty well as a rule, there is an awful lot going on in this era to give so much coverage to one group.

It's Byrds. Mix of some weird psychedelic stuff with bland storytelling.

Oh yeah, I like this. Great use of brass on the opening track, getting Beatles vibes. Absolutely love "I wasn't born to follow"! I knew it from Easy Rider, pleasantly surprised to hear it here.

Maybe a bad day or just too many 60’s albums but this didn’t do much for me.

I’m surprised there are this many Byrds albums on here, but I guess I’ve found them all pretty enjoyable I mean Sweetheart of the Rodeo was probably the most obnoxious but I think all the ones I’ve heard had something I liked anyway this gets an 8/10 from me the songs (I think there were multiple?) that used 5/4 were really impressive and sounded surprisingly good

This was a kind of snapshot of so many things that were going on musically in the late ‘60s. I have been learning a lot about the Byrds and how interconnected they were to so many things going on in music then. I really enjoyed this.

I know a couple of tunes from The Byrds, but these were not those tunes. I didn't know anything about this album, but I really enjoyed it. The mix of psychedelic- to folk-rock was a fun listen. The album captured me from the first notes of the first track and kept my attention until the end.

This album sounds like the 60s in a rather bland, generic way. The Byrds clearly had an influence on the culture to have a sound that is so representative of the era but there aren't any songs on this album that draw me in, that make me want to listen again. I'm disappointed.

I just know of The Byrds from their hits and the numerous references to them in Wikipedia articles about other artists they influenced. Their influence is huge, so I have been very interested in hearing more of their work. I love the swingin’ and trippy 60s sound with occasional tinges of country. It was a lot of fun feeling this groovy listening to an album.

Equal parts interesting and boring. Weird dichotomy of a record

Love the Bryds and I really love this album and it's probably there most diverse album they made, sure the folk/rock sound is still there but other influences show up as well. To me Goin Back (and Draft Morning) is probably reason this album is on the list, it's the root of power pop, it inspired Big Star which in turn inspired countless others like Teenage Fanclub, this is the origin. Wasn't Born to Follow is a early example of country rock sound, which they would go full in on the next album Sweetheart of the Rodeo with Gram Parson, which I hope is on the list as well. Albums awesome and a very important one in rock history.

Great instrumentation on most of the songs, the pedal steel countrified psychedelics, and I can listen to McGuinn play a Rickenbacker 12 all day long. Plus the harmonies! On the other hand, the stereophonic effects are bit much, but I guess a bit novel for the time or thought to contribute to mind expansion, using what I imagine were the terms in the day. There are couple misses. Moog Raga should have been cut and not used up precious studio time and recording tape.

It was ok. Very 60s. Won't listen again.

It's fine. Pretty standard late 60s pop. Wouldn't turn it off if it was on, but not going to look to play it again, either.

More mediocrity by The Byrds. This is the third album this list has tried to convince me that this band is worth listening to - they just aren't. The boggiest of bog standard. I suppose the tracks are short. So that's a bonus? Best Tracks: Draft Morning; Wasn't Born To Follow; Tribal Gathering

The album seemingly every band made in the late 60s. Folky, psychedelic harmonies and a song about a "triad." Not as good as the first Byrd's album I heard.

Je viens de finir, et j'ai déjà oublié ce que c'était.

les beatles si on avait aspiré leur âme entière

Not bad.

Pop tranquilo sin complicaciones con buenas voces. Acordes limpios y con canciones muy reconocibles.

3-, not bad psychedelic album

LSD was good in 1968 👍👍. The strongest 7/10 I can give without it being an 8/10. In all honesty it probably is an 8/10 album, might be a 9/10, I'm not sure yet. I'll rate it how I feel right now after just listening to it.

I listened the extended version of the album, and I thought I give it 4, it is usually catchy, but I enjoyed the bonus part more than the original part, so I give it 3.

Sweet melodies and harmonies. Lush and a treat

mehh

Regular. Me he aburrido más o menos. Algunas canciones he mirado el título por si la conocía de otra versión. Sinceramente creo que es prescindible.

A pleasant enough jingle jangle.

I am disturbed by your lack of jangle.

jangle jangle bloop whooooooo

Pretty good.

Who knew that David Crosby was holding the Byrds back? Some argue this is the band's finest work. I'm not ready to co-sign that statement yet. I seem to prefer my Byrds with a splash of Gram Parsons. There are still too many Byrds albums on this list (they shouldn't have more than 3). So cut two off, but this one stays.

C’est eclaté. Du bon rock psychedelique. Comme il ne s’en fait plus. K’ai bcp aime. 4.5

Loved the use of 5/4 time but wasn't really that hooked by the whole thing.

Great song titles.

On a long string of bad albums. It's getting sort of frustrating. Too psychedelic, not interesting enough, not good enough. Don't care about this one either.

God I hate psychedelic music. I would rather listen to any of their contemporaries 100 times more than this garbage.

This was just a generally solid 60s album. Some psychedelic, some blues, some other stuff. Just very enjoyable

boring...

A Byrds album without Eight Miles High and Mr. Y Man isn't so interesting.

A nice mix of folk and psychedelic with some heavy phasing and a weird synth song, but it all manages to hold together well, even with the changing cast of characters. It’s a bit of a time capsule of some of the different movements of the (rich) music scene of that time, especially in the US. The vocals are very recognizable as The Byrds. I only listened to the original 29 minute vinyl release and would be far less enthusiastic if the Moog Ragga was part of the package.

I don’t like 60’s jangly guitars or harmonic singing so this album was a chore for me to get thru. Give me more 8 Miles and I’m good though

Such a cool sound, probably the most catchy and easy going psychedelic sound I’ve heard from all of the 60s bands. It knows just how far to push it and it works. The album has a bit too much country in it for me to really get into it. A generous 4/5 - Pretty good, added to my list

Very good

A complete album, I don't love a ton about this album. there's not much to set it apart from most other albums I've heard in the late 60s

Not much of a Byrds fan. This is just ok for me. 2/5

Pleasant enough

Good vibes! Will likely listen to more

Cool psychedelic country album

Groovy.

wasn't born to follow so good!

Gut gut

I liked it. The flanger effects were probably overdone but I'm sure it was a novelty at the time.

fuck rock

I was a little skeptical about some of the raving critical reviews this album has gotten, especially starting out with the weird "Artificial Energy." But after the rough start, I was completely sold. This is a gorgeous collection of songs, full of rich vocal harmonies and some stunningly lovely guitar work. The Byrds beautifully marry a pop sensibility with psychedelic experimentation and a bit of a country twang. It really shouldn't all work together, but it does. Roger McGuinn's guitar work is ridiculously good, some of the best put to record. I really enjoyed this. Fave Songs: Get to You, Change is Now, Wasn't Born to Follow, Draft Morning, Goin' Back, Natural Harmony

Definitely has a 60's psychedelic vibe but it was pretty chill. Easy listening

Psychedelic and jangly enough. 5/10

Hippy music

Love this album. Not my favourite Byrds lp, but close enough.

First repeat band on the list. I liked the other album better.

Ever heard this album before. I'm very familiar with their first three albums which are classic in their own rights. The Notorious yrd Brothers has a different sound, a jazzier sound that works very well. I enjoyed each and every song. Can't quite give it a five bit I'm tempted. 4.25 🌟

I enjoyed this album a lot. My favourite song was Get To You.

Californian 60 poppy rock.

It's alright. I can't really listen to too much psychedelic rock without getting tired of it and also tired in general. Groovy nonetheless

Not bad, not memorable

Good album, folksy rock sound

Yea its fine, I'm not into it.

I'm surprised! It's country music I actually enjoyed. The experimental nature gave some songs quite the Pink Floyd feeling.

Some more imaginative and varied tracks on this one than previous Byrd outings – though the strong psychedelic streak at the start fades out in the back half, there's still enough thematic links (and a hell of a lot of flanger) to cohere the entire LP together.

Good stuff! I like the soundscapes and harmonies on this album a lot, and it seems to twist and turn into some at times dark and at times transcendent places. Very creative!

Thoroughly enjoyable, if a little repetitious. The instrumentals pieces I could live without.

not bad

¿Por qué este albúm que suena tan estándar es tan importante? En mi punto de vista es quizá el album que mejor encapsula a la banda. Combina pop, rock psicodelia y country con mucha maestría. Es un album que suena tanto feliz y sencillo como misterioso y profundo. Quizá el punto en que la banda se siente en su mayor capacidad de escribir y experimentar. Canciones como Get to You quizá suenan como algo normal pero continuando con el punto de estar a mediados de los 60s es una fusión interesante de folk, pop barroco y psicodelia que en su momento no se veía y que da la que quizá es su mejor canción. No, no son una banda que hoy suene espectacular para la mayoría, pero son una excelente banda y, como ya se ha dicho, mucho de la manera en que sonaban grupos que quizá fueron hasta más famosos es gracias a la base sentada por ellos y a la gran variedad de estilos en los que incursionaron.

Quizá hay mucha importancia histórica en The Byrds pero la verdad es que no me llegaron. Demasiado armónico el estilo de canto, demasiado cursilonas las letras, y no terminó de hacerme sentir lo que los hizo importantes.

Their first 5 songs are amazing. The later songs where they make use of the Moog Synthesizer are really quite bad, but hey props to them for trying out the new electronic alien sound machine, to help the industry adopt those kinds of sounds so we can have the amazing synth music we have today. Second half is quite bad, but the sounds of alien blasters and things breaking must have been very refreshing in 1968. Very nice album. 3.

nice

Excellent

Ok det er alligevel lidt mærkeligt. Noget godt men en mærkelig sammensætning af lydd/musik. Ikke helt min smag.

Jangly and psychodelic. Some is very pretty, not as much country as I was expecting.

Some entertaining folk, not much more to say. Seems to be a lot of Byrds on this list..

Heavy 60s with very soothing vocals and even synths on some songs, a lot are instrumental

Good ol' fashioned Americana.

1967 - Country/Folk Rock

Started off a bit too soft for me, but picked up. Weird elements of southern rock and psychedelic that somehow work pretty well.

Un très, très, très mauvais album de la part de Gene Clark et de sa bande de gugusses ignares. Je vous ai déjà dit ce que je pensais de ce chanteur et de sa capacité à choisir des pseudonymes exécrables, je ne vais donc pas revenir sur son cas personnel. Quant à l'album, rien n'est à sauver dans cet enregistrement dépourvu de tout son agréable à l'oreille.

Un scandale, non content de complètement plagier les Beatles, comme 95% des groupes des années 60, les membres des Byrds ont pris en otage le pauvre Gene Clark, contraint de chanter, attaché à une chaise, les mains liès par une bande de scotch. Fort heureusement, il réussira un beau jour de Juillet à se delivrer de son triste sort, et nous proposera le desormais célébre album No Other.

Never got into the Byrds - is this their must listen?

Much better than I thought it was going to be

Meh? It was good? Easy listen but not too memorable. A little soft to be "notorious" but I did like the throuple song and how the guns in the war song sounded more like lasers.

3, it's fine. Killer bass lines by the horse though.

Blech

Doesn’t really trot your rhino shorts. Ebbed & flowed, but mostly ebbed.

Pretty weird but interesting 6/10

Pretty fun and experimental, still sound like worse Crosby Stills and Nash. 7

5/10. Pretty boring

They tried to make it interesting but I think where this album and so many like it fall short is a lack of energy. All of the songs are sort of slow and have lilting vocals that just put me to sleep. 6/10

3.5/5. Another great Byrds record, they had this psychedelic rock thing down pat. Standout Tracks: Artificial Energy, Draft Morning, Get to You, Dolphin's Smile

Peaceful and relaxing. Kind of reminds me of the Monkees, if the Monkees got super into psychedelics and Cream. A few songs left an impression, the rest kind of floated by. Favorite tracks: "Tribal Gathering", "Change is Now"

Soft hippy rock. Almost Simon and garfunkelish. Not my bag. 1/5

Had heard some of these songs before, and overall the album is fine, but honestly, most of it is just not my thing. A little weird for me to say this given how much I like so many bands who launched in the 60s, but I really don't like a lot of the late 60s studio music. I think it's the production techniques they were using to make so many things sound "psychedelic" because trippy effects were popular at the time. I have a feeling I'd like some of these songs more if I heard them played without too many effects and production items. Other than that, though, overall I was pretty much bored.

This album had solid examples of the vocal harmonies and jangly guitar that typifies music from the Byrds, I think that all of the tracks were new to me. I've never heard more than a few songs from the Byrds, and probably music prior to this album. The album was worth a listen. I marked "Change is Now" as a track to come back to. I'm not sure what to do with "Dolphin's Smile". This album almost gets a pass into the "I'd listen to this again", but I don't think it quite makes it there.

Geen uitblinker

Paar goeie nummers, maar lang niet alles

Classic sound.

Pretty nice and I love the harmonization.

ehhh

Wasn’t impressed. Not a fan of this style of music

Pretty fun folk rock