Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The 1001 Albums Project has an interesting way of introducing me to bands. I've now gotten two albums by The Byrds, and neither one sounds like the classic Byrds I grew up hearing. First, I got The Notorious Byrd Brothers, which explored psychedelic and experimental rock. Now I've landed on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, where the band apparently decided to trade in their psychedelic guitars for cowboy boots and head straight to Nashville. And while I appreciate what they were trying to accomplish, this one didn't do much for me. I actually have a long history with country music. When grunge took over rock in the early '90s, I started listening heavily to country. I loved artists like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, George Strait, and Brooks & Dunn, but I also went back and explored older country music. I had already grown up enjoying Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Ronnie Milsap. So country music certainly isn't outside my comfort zone. The problem with Sweetheart of the Rodeo isn't that The Byrds went country. It's that, for much of the album, they stopped sounding like The Byrds. The opening track, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," was a promising start. It had a definite country flavor, but those familiar Byrds harmonies were still there. Unfortunately, much of what followed sounded like a band walking into a honky-tonk and playing a bunch of country covers. "I Am a Pilgrim," "The Christian Life," and "You Don't Miss Your Water" were okay, but nothing particularly memorable. There were some brighter moments. I enjoyed "You're Still on My Mind," and Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd" was another good song, although it sounded more like Woody Guthrie than The Byrds. "Hickory Wind" was pleasant enough, but again, nothing that really grabbed me. Things improved with "One Hundred Years from Now." This was more of what I wanted to hear! The country instrumentation was still there, but the harmonies brought back that recognizable Byrds sound. "Blue Canadian Rockies" continued in that direction, proving that they could embrace traditional country without completely losing their musical identity. "Life in Prison" brought things back down, but the closing track, "Nothing Was Delivered," finished things on a better note, once again sounding more like the band I recognized. I understand why Sweetheart of the Rodeo is considered an important album. Released in 1968, it helped establish country rock as a legitimate musical direction and influenced countless artists who followed. I can certainly appreciate its historical significance. But historical significance doesn't automatically translate into an album I want to own. There wasn't anything particularly bad about this record. It was a pleasant enough listen, with a handful of good songs. But considering how much I enjoy both country music and The Byrds' classic sound, I was hoping for something more distinctive. If they had spent more of the album combining their trademark harmonies and folk-rock sound with traditional country, I think I would have enjoyed it considerably more. Instead, I felt like I was listening to a decent country cover band that occasionally remembered it was The Byrds. Final Rating: 3/5 Stars Vinyl Verdict: NO BUY An influential album that deserves its place in music history, but not necessarily a place in my vinyl collection. I'm still waiting for the 1001 Albums Project to give me the classic Byrds!

No. Just no.

Not myy favourite music but recording is good

A beautiful crossroads between folk rock, country, and psychedelia. Sweetheart of the Rodeo finds The Byrds exploring traditional American music without sacrificing the dreamy atmosphere, delicate harmonies, and unmistakable melancholy that defined their earlier work. Gram Parsons brings a wonderful country sensibility, but the soul of the album remains unmistakably The Byrds. From the wistful beauty of “Hickory Wind” to the warmth of “You Ain't Goin' Nowhere,” it's an intimate, timeless record that sounds both rooted in the past and ahead of its time. A landmark in country rock, and one of the band's finest moments.

Wow

Опять Птицы. И опять кантри. Нет, не моё

Love this one

Some classic slide guitar. Brought down by dated lyrics.

I’m genuinely curious why anyone would need to hear this album before they die. A band past its prime doing country cover songs does not merit even a listenable rating. The very suggestion of this album has led me to question the author’s taste as a whole.

Forgot how for this album is. My favorite is still the device edition of untitled, but this has great songs and was very influential on bringing country music to a different audience

There’s everything I love in an album here, jangly guitars, harmonies, a little dash of pedal steel but it doesn’t really rise above the good until the dark closer pretty polly. Enjoyable not world changing

Solid

Great country album, "I am a Pilgrim", "You're Still on my Mind" and "You Got a Reputation" were great.

Pretty generic country music which is a bit of a change from my previous album by these. Nothing stood out and it seemed to just pass me by, but it was an easy enough listen so gets a 2.5/5.

Ali što pesme idu u rasponu od “ja sam hodočasnik; hrišćanski život” do “život u zatvoru”, je l ovo neki kantri stereotip, nisam upućena? Jedina pesma koja mi je uhvatila pažnju je Nothing was delievered koja, saznajem, nije njihova već obrada Dilana.

Ovo zamisljam da je soundtrack koji Shane cuje kad udje u Stardrop saloon i zbog toga se desi 6-heart event.

тралала тралала ми смо јужњаци фармери тралала мрш бре у пичку материну

Rating: 4.5/10 First listen: Yes Would listen again: No Fav track: Lazy Days Comment: Dosadnoooooooo

Meh

Deserved more than 3, but not sure it was a full 4. Rounding up

477/1102 i actually really like this cover art. it has the rodeo theme obviously but seems to mix it with a medieval tableau style which is fun ooh the music is not fun though 😭 really not a fan of it i kinda liked Nothing Was Delivered at least, a nice closer to the album 21/100

Standouts Nothing Was Delivered Lazy Days Pretty Polly

I’m sure this album was ahead of its time and even influential, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t my thing for the most part. I found myself skipping many of the songs about halfway through. There were, however, a handful I really enjoyed, particularly “Lazy Days,” which had more of a rock vibe than much of the bluegrass and gospel-influenced material on the album. I was initially leaning towards a 1, but decided on a 2 based on the songs I enjoyed. Unfortunately, there were just too many no thanks moments and not enough yes please to justify a 3.

Every song is great. Love this album

Damn. I thought I liked the Byrds

I mean calling this a country rock album is silly. This is a country album and it's a pretty good one all things considered. There's really no "rock" that I can hear. Not a big deal, but it does make me laugh. I think I prefer the Flying Burrito Brothers or the first New Riders of the Purple Sage (Jerry on steel!) but this is a good album too.

This version of the The Byrds is pretty good! I don't really like the psychedelic frock version -- I must like Graham Parsons.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Pretty much a perfect album, my only qualms with it deal with how people have maybe overemphasized Parsons’ role in its creation. As much as it pains me to give the guy credit, McGuinn knew he was onto something with Hillman on Notorious Byrd Brothers, Gram just fit the part. My sense is they all equally contributed to the success of Sweetheart, but that could just be my own personal preference as I find Gilden Palace and Gram’s subsequent solo material fine, but always a step down from sublimity realized here.

A bit boring, but man, some really great harmonies and decent writing, good shit

A pleasant country rock album. A bit dull sometimes, but I like the way Parsons’ voice complements the Byrds’ instrumental styles.

Folky, country, gospel. I really like this style of music and instrumentation. It's quite different from their more folk-rock albums and bigger hits. Less harmonic singing than some of their hits, but solid performances on stringed instruments of all sorts as well as vocally.

The Byrds make a country album?

oh my god please never again, it was like country rock i couldn’t listen to it all i got through 4 songs.

Enjoyment: 6/10 Replayability: 6/10 Cohesion: 7/10 Flow/Pacing: 6/10 Artistic Merit: 6/10 Weighted Average: 6.15/10 Review: I just read that this is considered to be the first country rock album, and it still holds up pretty well! My main critique is there's a lot of filler, but there's nothing bad. Overall, a solid album. Liked Song(s): You Ain't Goin Nowhere, You're Still On My Mind, Lazy Days Disliked Song(s): (None) Recommend? Yes Heard Before? Partly

Bit gutted the fellas went country. I'm supposed to like that choice; do not. At least it encouraged many good alt-country boys. Che my Parsons.

Yikes. In the eight months since the last album of theirs that I rated they decided to go country. Make it end.

Perfectly fine album but I admit to struggling to see the importance.

Little too country for my tastes, but an interesting listen

I give a3 because I really don't like country music, but they'd deserved more

Categorising this album as rock instead of country is setting it up for failure, especially for those like me who have purposefully chosen to avoid this genre. Honestly, it was more okay than I expected, though all the songs sounded kinda the same for me.

Really hot start but got kind of stale.

Baš sam bila uzbuđena za ovaj album ovog vrlo nezastupljenog benda koji mi totalno ne izlazi na nos više, posebno mi je drago što je ovo njihova yeehaw varijanta koja mi je bila prijeko potrebna za sretan nastavak života.

Hvorfor høre på dette rælet når Sputnik i det minste har litt humor? Første gang jeg ikke har klart å høre ferdig.

Can't tell how much of a wink there is to this album. It dovetails nicely with the Byrds folk output, and it shows up here and there, but it mostly reads like a straight country album which is fine but, unless I'm missing something unimportant, otherwise unremarkable.

Bleh, stuck in first gear. I know I don't have a great ear for country but this sounds so flat. Harmonies are almost too locked in so they're totally indistinct, nothing interesting going on melodically or rhythmically, zero energy, I guess I'm supposed to be listening to the vocals and lyrics but those don't really interest me either.

Never knew of this album or sound by the Byrds. Nothing like anything else they did. Very interesting country vibe.

Great album. I'm still partial to psychedelic Byrds and folk-rock Byrds, but yeehaw Byrds hits hard.

Gefälliges Country-Rock-Album. War ja wohl auch eines der ersten seiner Art. Lässt sich gut weghören, ohne dass ich jetzt große Standout-Momente höre. Ich hoffe ja irgendwie, dass "The Christian Life" eine Parodie ist, auch wenn es wahrscheinlich keine ist. Immerhin haben die Byrds mit "Eight Miles High" einen der besten Psychedelic-Rock-Songs aller Zeiten geschrieben. Sind gute 3 Sterne. Trotzdem traurig, dass die Byrds ihre Psychedelic-Anfänge hiermit völlig in der Vergangenheit gelassen haben.

War ok, aber jetzt auch nicht mehr. Gebraucht habe ich es persönlich nicht.

Ist grade nicht so ein Lauf für mich. Finde ich tatsächlich ganz ok gemacht, aber es wiederholt sich auf Albumlänge zu sehr.

Es hat ein paar Momente aber joa, werde ich nie wieder hören.

Not my favourite bit of country, not my favourite bit of rock Favourite tracks: I Am A Pilgrim, One Hundred Years From Now

I think this is my favourite kind of music when the lyrics are about sin. They are not about sin on this record.

"Yeah, but it sound like the Byrds, man. We're not folk-rock, man." That's whatever I think of when someone mentions The Byrds and it's probably one of the reasons I've done everything to avoid them. But here we are and I was expecting this album to be a disaster. This is a lot better than I thought it'd be. The Gram Parsons influence is legit...honky tonk sounds, pedal steel. It's a really great album. And I'm not even a huge Gram Parsons fan from what I've heard of his solo stuff but this was a real pleasant surprise.

They sure as shit don’t play this at any rodeo. I’ve ever been to.

4eme album proposé pour ce groupe, après 3 autres que je n'avais pas apprécié (notés 2/5). Celui-ci n'est pas plus intéressant, et malheureusement le rock est ici remplacé par de la country, que je déteste… =>1/5

Hits like a country album rather than folk rock. Might be the banjo-ish guitar work.

Rate: 6/10.

Graham!

This one has been with me most of my life. I grew up in a house where folk-country and alt-country were sacred music, and this is one of the canonical texts. As a result there is a lot of it that I don't really care to hear most days... I only heard the hokiness and the schmaltz in the first few tracks anymore. Yet I'll never not love "Hickory Wind." In fact revisiting it for the project I realize how much I truly love the less prominent songs, which pushes it up to a four for me.

I thought The Byrds were a more general rock sound than this, but I guess I was wrong. This is pretty transparently country rock. It's also pretty good country rock. This is pretty meat and potatoes, so the aethetic here isn't as significant than the songs in my opinion. But they make up for it by being generally good. I wouldn't say this is one of my personal favorite takes on the country sound, but I did enjoy it. I may even check it out again in the future.

It’s crazy how influential this album would become not only for country rock, but country music in general. Idk why it took until now to realize this is exactly the sound that popped off in the mainstream in the 70s. This record is interesting. There’s 2 OG members of the band left at this point. The band basically became a revolving door after 67. Graham Parsons joins the band for this album, and leaves with Chris Hillman to make the burrito bros. (Who I actually prefer to the byrds country rock wise) All this to say, the influence is clear. For me personally though, this record leans a bit too trad country for my taste. That’s what time will do to an album like this. Fav: Lazy Days (check out the flying burrito bros version, it’s the more polished version)

This was country musics origins wow. This is interesting but there is not that much here. I liked the songs but it felt like treaded water. You’re still on my mind is goated tho. Life in prison is awesome it’s good but it’s the Byrds I can’t hate it’s just classic and enjoyable and easy listening

Not my genre but liked it more than I was expecting

Pretty darn tootin boring

Will come back to this

Kjedelig, denne.

Cute, wholesome little country record. Very twangy and stereotypical of a country production, but still possesses some charm. Not my favorite of the country, but it's solid overall.

What the absolute fuck is this? Did The Byrds have enough of making good, memorable music and decide to put out some 2nd tier country garbage? Im not against the odd experimental country album per se (e.g., Sticky Fingers), but you need to back it up (e.g., Sticky Fingers). This is terrible.

Like me some Honky Tonk and the harmonies were nice, but overall not really something I’ll revisit

me senti pessoalmente atacado com esse muito ruim filho

tipo assim. bacana que foi mto importante pro country rock e tal. e eh interessante como o the byrds realmente fugiu da zona de conforto do ROCK e caiu de cabeça pra fazer esse album aí. mas eh aquilo né. meio xoxo.

The Byrds great the Byrds doing C and W we shall see. I'm not totally adverse to this type of music so I found this pleasant enough. Your Still on my Mind is a good song as is Pretty Boy Floyd. I enjoyed this.

Byrds attempt at country was good but I enjoy their folk renditions more.

Good for what it is. Was never a big fan of The Byrds though

Pretty damn great country band album. The song selection makes for a unified listening experience while still having some variety. The opening Dylan cover is particularly striking. The slide guitar sounds great and the band’s harmonies are tight. Glad to add this one to the library.

A great song (a cover), a smidgen of bluegrass, and a whole lot of the Grand Ole Opry.

Muy bien

This country album is a big sad miss for me. They definitely went full formula here: sorrow over a lost love (check), turning my life around for Jesus (check), mountains - preferably Rockies (check). It's just too twangy and repetitive for me.

Really enjoyed the country and psychedelic vibes this had going on

Absolutely not. Stop it! I expect a written apology and a refund of $100 for being made to listen to this.

Yeee haw! Not at all what I was expecting based on what I know of the Byrds. Meh. Not really my cup of tea - super twangy hillbilly music. I suppose it’s good if you’re into that kind of thing. Then it drops the major twang for One Hundred Years From Now, You Got A Reputation, and Lazy Days (which are decent songs)... what the heck? (2.5)

yeeehaaaaw, no me motiva el rollo country cristiano, la portada mola tho y la mayoría son escuchables, no lo terminé

Byrds are always nice to hear. This is their somewhat softer and more Country-tinged album. Not the most revered when it came out but probably their most influential Album. Responsible for a lot of stuff I like and a lot of stuff I find boring. luckily the Byrds know how to ride a song and always manage to stay on the interesting side of this. Nice harmonies, guitar playing and songs that fly by. Byrds albums are just a treat.

I'll admit it, I just let this wash over me without paying a vast amount of attention but nothing much stood out as demanding that attention.

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Closed Artwork: 👩‍🌾🌼♥️ Production (Legacy Edition): 🎛️🙄🤷 Music: 🦠🍻🪕 Rating: 🐂/5

I guess I just don't understand country music

And suddenly, The Byrds have gone country. After the jangly folk rock and psychedelia of their earlier records, 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘰 feels like a genuine break with what came before. The shift is bold and the band commits to it completely, but I still find myself missing the sound I normally associate with The Byrds. The country material is well played and often charming, yet it never pulls me in quite as much as their earlier work. An important change of direction, certainly, but not the Byrds album I would reach for first.

In which 21-year-old Gram Parsons pulls perhaps the greatest Trojan horse maneuver in the history of rock 'n' roll, joining the venerable institution of The Byrds to unleash a full album of good old country on the rock and pop masses.

3/5

Another "not what I was expecting" album. To be honest though, I didn't really know what to expect. The wikipedia notes indicate this album was one of the instigators of the country-rock genre, which is not really something I'm thrilled about. I made it about 2/3rds of the way through and was getting bored. It wasn't bad, like The Cramps, just boring. I'm going to bend my grading rules slightly and give it 2 stars.

I found the album to be a bit too country for me but I still can tell that they're talented musicians and their music is objectively good. The song I liked the most was Pretty Polly

A very inoffensive and generic country rock album with some Christian bullshit sprinkled in. Ah, I don't know, 2.5, I guess. It's a fine soundtrack to mow the lawn to, probably.

In the almost 300 albums I've listened to from this list, there have only been about 5 or 6 country albums. To come across one from a band that is one of my favorite psychedelic oldies songs is wild. This album is what this list is about.

No. Just no. Not for me.

Country rock eh? Hit or miss. But I like some of the songs tho.

yawnfest. great cover tho!

This wasn't bad at all, but just felt like a basic standard country album. Like it was good, but kinda got old. Every song blended together. Liked Songs: "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" , "The Christian Life" , "You're Still On My Mind" , "Pretty Boy Floyd" , "One Hundred Years from Now" , "Life in Prison" , "Pretty Polly'

Late 60s folk rock with country flavour. Very mid.