Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

Not much of a fan of the Byrds in this musical genre

This sounds like what some old baptist woman queued up for us after she learned we were listening to songs about wet tits yesterday. I'd love to give this a 1 star because the whole album's lyrics must've been written in one afternoon, but I really didn't mind listening to it. 2.5 that was almost rounded up, but You Got A Reputation makes me round down. Singing songs shaming people for "running around" should tear the Byrds' reputation down.

"first country rock album", snoozer

This is very un-Byrds like IMO. Extra triple hokey country. It's more funny than it is bad, but it's still pretty bad.

Decent harmonies throughout, and Life in Prison was quite good, but overall I wasn't blown away.

Man this was so long. I liked pretty polly though

2.5 ok nothing great

dimenticabile

There are too many The Byrds albums on this list - please eliminate one. While Sweetheart Of The Rodeo might deserve its' place in the history books for being a defining moment in the country rock genre, it lacks the experimentation and psychedelic leanings of more prominent Byrds records.

Going straight from a string of great psychedelic rock and folk albums into an album consisting mainly of country covers is a weird choice. Gram Parsons was to become somewhat of a legend, but as a newcomer in the group, I don’t really get why they would abandon their sound so drastically in such a short time. It’s fine I guess, but I wasn’t compelled to it in the way that I had hoped.

Not as good as I thought it would be.

If you're a fan of Country and Western, then I suppose you would enjoy this album. While I can listen to that in some situations, this is not one of them and it is just hard to listen to.

Ruined a 3 star by being too stereotypical country for me

Absolutely not. I thought I was listening to a parody album for the first few tracks. It had all the elements of early country but exaggerated to comical levels. The lyrics were embarrassingly simplistic, they went in for the extra twang, and for some reason decided the fiddle wasn’t highlighted enough, so an entire track was dedicated to this tedious screeching. Later in the album, if you can stick around, you hear the Byrds that they are known for: folk/rock/hippie music that wasn’t bad, but not supremely memorable.

#522. All the other music from the Byrds I've heard has been pseudo-Beatles stuff, so I was expecting more of that. I was a bit suprised and very much not amused to learn this was all ol timey country music though, which I was less inclined to enjoy. 2/5: no

60s country pop that just didn’t do much

Achselzucken

Too much country and not enough rock music for me. I like other Byrds records way more.

This album is pretty I guess but I feel like it also might be responsible for slop like the Old Crow Medicine Show-esque faux-nostalgia tripe? Can't condone that.

I suppose this is how we ended up with Wilco. Which I guess is a good outcome. It's fine. I understand it's importance as being that first 'alt country' kinda thing. Do I ever need to listen to it again? No. Bonus star for the great album artwork, though.

A 3 or 4. I don't really like christian music.

Best Song: I Am a Pilgrim. I like country music insofar as it seems like it could be sung around a campfire. It's music that needs to be humble to be worth it. Worst Song: The Christian Life. I can't tell if this song is a satirical send-up of Christian Americana or an earnest instantiation of it, and honestly I don't know how much that really matters if the end result is the same. Overall: My impression of The Byrds is that they're a band that history seems determined to label as greater than they actually are. Maybe this was once revelatory, but now it just feels like stock-standard honk and tonk.

Straight up country music. Playing in a diner as background music would be appropriate.

Sounds like something they would play at Cracker Barrel. 2.5 stars.

Not bad but nothing special. Kinda bland to be honest.

What a load of boring country covers

boring

Upee kansi! Eka biisi on lupaava, mutta vähän petyn, kun loppulevy on melkein pelkkää hidasta venyttelyä ja nasaalia - toivoisin kantrilevyltä enemmän tempovaihteluja. Tosin nyt kyseenalaistan itseni, oliko välillä vähän enemmän vauhtia? Biisit ois saaneet erota toisistaan vielä enemmän.

The Byrds weren't that great to begin with and now I'm supposed to listen to a country version of them? No thanks. There are so many better versions of 60's country out there. This isn't one of them. I do love the album cover though!

I actually quite liked the first song but things went downhill after that.

I hadn't ever heard of The Byrds. They ended up being a little more "religious folky" than I liked, but overall pretty interesting.

What an odd collection of nonsense lyrics combined with an uncomfortably high amount of religion, particularly religious misogyny. I actually got distracted halfway through and entirely forgot I had been listening to it for a good hour. So much nothing.

Ok 2/5

Forgot about this album already midway through listening to it! I give it a two for mentioning Jesus Christ with respect. Loved the song The Christian Life.

Four bars in, I can hear the pedal steel guitar, and I can already tell this stinks.

I know this is super influential for a lot of current bands that I like, but this was largely sleepy for me. Liked a few songs (You aint going nowhere, nothing was delivered) but other than that pretty meh. 2.5

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Pretty Boy Floyd, One Hundred Years from Now Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Nooo don't pivot to country your so psychedelic aha

Thought the album was called Sweetheart of the Radio at first. Made me lol. Very of the time, I can’t complain. Not my everyday music but certainly has its place on my speakers. Namely when I’m not in the room. 2/5 but would listen again.

Best: You're Still On My Mind Worst: The Christian Life Liked songs: 6/11, 55% High 2, 45/100 I really don't have a ton to say about this album, other than it's passable country. There's really not any bright spot in the album, but there aren't a whole lot of dark spots either. I can appreciate that it is actually good country, but it's just really not my type of music. Some decent songs, but a record I'll probably never think about again.

What are we doing here

Esperava mais rock do que country. Sendo que não foi tão problemático.

2.5/5. These folk cunts went country and it ended up being kinda shite, plus no David Crosby.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Middle of the road country, sweet and soothing in the right mood, boring and meandering in the wrong one, not special or remarkable, 2, hopefully this is the last time we have The Byrds but at least this was better than the last one we had from them.

Doesn't do an awful lot for me, this. Pretty generic by the numbers country stuff - wasn't a massive fan of their earlier stuff really, but at least it was interesting in places, this really isn't. It's perfectly listenable, but leaves no imprint on the memory. 2/5.

Really not my genre of music and this album was no exception

Byrds und Country? Wusste ich nicht. Beachtlich die Bedeutung des Albums aber wirkt heute auf mich etwas verstaubt.

Started out medicore, got worse with the ‘Christian’ track, got better towards the end

Alright. Kinda countryesque not my go to. Was pretty dull

Not bad for a country album, but im not going to listen to this again

Too Christian for me

Rating: 3.5/10 I thought this was a parody at first, just sounds like generic country.

You have to be an American die hard Hill-Billy country fan to love this album… well, I am not. Here is the point where the Byrds moves away from the earlier, blend of Beach Boys vocal harmonies and jangling psychedelic guitars. This I find sad..

Worse than expected

Did not like it one little bit. Felt like an a poor apeing of country. The band is quite talented but I'm just not sure what was supposed to appeal here.

Pretty boring

Ok

I like The Byrds and I like Graham Parsons but this combo is kinda boring to me. I think this album sorta invented the Country Rock genre and in that respect it's "Important" historically but that doesn't mean we have to listen to it. p.s. I think The Byrds covered Dylan more than anyone but Dylan himself. Kinda weird.

I’ve tried to get into this album before, I guess I’m not into country enough, although Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter got me into a little country kick when it was released, this album just doesn’t do it for me. I get the appeal of this album though so I’ll give it a 2.5.

Not really my type of music, but they indeed do this type of music really well. I think it's preferable to a lot of today's country music.

# Album Name: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo # Artist: The Byrds # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Very average album if im honest. When i think of the Byrds, this is not it. I dont mind the country sound for a few songs but a whole album was too much. There wasnt any stand out songs for me. There's some good work on the album musically but thats it. # Top Tunes: None. # Would I listen to it again? No, they have better works elsewhere.

This sounds like a joke. I expect since I'm not a country connoisseur, I don't realize I'm living in a post Sweetheart of the Rodeo World, but this sounds like a satirical pastiche of the country music gestalt. It definitely doesn't resonate with me.

This album just felt super generic, and uninspiring.

What a strange album. Most of it is horrendously boring. It sounds like the country records from the 1950s that this list is so fond of. Unlike in the 50s, they knew how to make proper music by the time this came out so there's no excuse. Then towards the end of the album they realize "wait it's 1968 not 1950" and there were a few songs which sounded completely different from the previous ones. There were actually a couple of good songs at the end but too little too late.

01) You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - 7,0 02) I Am a Pilgrim - 6,0 03) The Christian Life - 6,0 04) You Don't Miss Your Water - 5,5 05) You're Still on My Mind - 5,5 06) Pretty Boy Floyd - 5,0 07) Hickory Wind - 5,0 08) One Hundred Years from Now - 6,0 09) Blue Canadian Rockies - 5,0 10) Life in Prison - 5,0 11) Nothing Was Delivered - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,59 (56/100) Current ranking: 291/338 Are these even their songs or a bunch of covers? Country and I (as an Eastern/Central/Southern European, put me wherever you want) have almost nothing in common, so this music is pure crap to me. We listen to different music at our village parties in the barns... That music is a different kind of crap, but that's why I don't listen to it either...

I understand why a country fan would enjoy this album, but personally, I think it pales in comparison to the psych rock the band was working with on just their previous record, as well as much of the contemporary country of its time. Of course I can’t understate its importance in developing country rock, but I can’t really seem to get into many of the songs on the tracklist. The melodies are largely uninteresting, and while the harmonies sound nice (ofc they do they’re The Byrds), they’re ultimately far less creative than what the band had done before.

Yeehaw

Gave it a listen, and the Byrds foray into country music didn't really move me. It was a very typical country album. Very formulaic and not groundbreaking. Wasn't for me. 2/5.

I didn't realize the Byrds were country? I think of them as being more folk rock but the first half of this album was full on twangy. The latter half had more rock elements, and I did feel like the album got better later on, and I enjoyed their version of "Pretty Polly". Overall I'm not sure that this needed to be included on this list. It's fine but not particularly interesting.

It was a good album to listen to when I went on a walk but not really my style of music or something I'd listen to again.

Early hippy folk rock

Highlights: You Don't Miss Your Water This is the first one I haven't been really interested in listening to. It's not bad exactly, just not really what I'm looking for right now, and kind of boring. I can imagine enjoying some of these songs as background for playing Fallout or something

Too much country!

😴 getting tired of these slow boring folk and country albums with songs that all sound the same

Christianity and country are not my kind of thing

It's Country and it's a bit boring.

Nice cover

Not bad, though I was surprised that I didn't love it as much as I expected to. I enjoy Old Country/Americana but would I keep the album on hand? Probably not.

It's a country album done by very talented musicians. Sometimes stoned conversations don't need to become concepts of plans. I hope when Gram Parsons died, he realized this wasn't a good idea. Unexpected bangers: The last half of Track 19, which is an old radio commercial trying to convince people to buy this "departure" from what people knew as the Byrds.

Not my favourite

The Byrds trying to be a British electric blues band…brutal

Meh

twang...

I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of this other than the newfound knowledge that The Byrds actually made a fairly decent country album. But as country albums go, while I like country music, was just OK. Nothing particularly impressive or noteworthy that stood out.

Definitely music from it’s time. It’s never been my preferred genre, but I’m grateful country has evolved over time. I can actually listen to it today without cringing. 😬

Ho dovuto ricominciarlo diverse volte perché non avevo mai tempo e ogni volta mi sembrava potesse piacermi. Mi sbagliavo

Hmmmm not sure if I'll make it through this one. A bit too country for me.Yeah nope. 2 stars. I really wanted to give it 1 star but that would just be mean.

Idk didn’t feel country enough for me

Second time I'm listening to Byrds because of this app. First time was psychedelic rock and it was enjoyable I suppose, but now it's apparently country and idk what to say about it, yesterday it was Dennis Wilson's country and now this, I expect less sad and slow songs or I'll be easily bored. I have no high expectations because it's rated quite badly overall. First song, pure country already. It's kinda sad lyrically, but not overall. The gospel singing is giving Beatles. This is the most listened song so after this it's gonna go worse and worse I presume. Verses were better than the chorus tbh. Not impressive and almost basic vibe. Second song, Bob Dylan style I think this one has. Sonically it's not that good, kinda catchy, though it's not. I think this is what country sadness sounds like, I mean it's not about how it sounds, but how it's sang. The breaks in-between are too long I think, not saying that lyrics are delivered in any good way tho. Oh and it's permanent wave in a bad way. Third song, albums back to back about Christianity is kinda lot for me. Lyrically it's something I'd never want to sing along to, but I am a Christian, it's just my music taste doesn't revolve around this subject, that's not even the point tho, its overall not a good song. 4th song, little jazzy vibes. They have the vocal range same as the Beatles had, plus I think they're singing together here. Such a long song for no reason. It's getting painful to listen to this. Piano is the best part in the song honestly. Wouldn't ever want to listen to this again. 5th song, these are the kind of songs I had to spend childhood listening to, to actually get it yk, otherwise it's just simply boring. This one has a good jazzyness in it I must say. His vocals ruin the whole song sadly, if it was a powerhouse singer or smth, even better if a woman, I'd consider it as a better song. Also every song has the same style and it's getting annoying. 6th song, the start takes me to a local country bar, it's night and people dance together to this county style, that's what I see anyway. It sounded the same throughout the song, didn't expect that it would change in any way tho. 7th song, one of the worst songs on the album I must say. Sonically it's just not it. This massive genre change was not the right choice I think, I mean I don't remember how the previous album sounded exactly, but it was remotely better than what this is. I can't wait to be done with this already come oooon. I'm talking only negative and sorry about that just don't know what good I can say, it's just generally catchy and that's it, it's too basic. 8th song, forgot to make notes because I was reading the lyrics, but this one ain't better than the ones before either. The instrumental break was the best part I suppose. This one was lyrically fun, can't say anything more tho. 9th song, this one has a county lyrical delivery. Thing is this is what country sounds like, I mean this might be the best version of country I'll ever listen to, it's just I don't fancy the genre, and this album is proving that. Not sure how modern country sounds like, however, I think it might be affected by this in some way yk. Do objectively it's not horrible, just not for me. This song was short for a reason I guess. 10th song, idk what to say, it's literally the same sound as in the last 9 songs, that is to me a bad thing, they have to be rememberable in some way. This one had good verses somehow, amazed by that tbh. 11th song, I love how different instruments join in and quickly go away. This song is one of the best example of that, actually sonically this one is really good. Best outro on the album wow, otherwise it was pretty unimpressive. 12th song, I like the lyrical delivery here. The almost progressiveness is well done. Too long of a song, especially when it's literally the same 1 minute repeated thrice in "different" ways. I rarely talk this less, album's fault. 13th song, It's a little rocky, but also too country. I'm falling asleep, and getting tired to even write something. 14th song, had a good start and it got worse and worse each second. It feels like it's gonna progress slowly and speed up, but it just stays the same, edging me mentally basically. They sing differently here too, not that it's better tho. 15th song, rehearsal? Why did they include this. It's kinda fun, but I'd rather see how the music is made then hear the verbal rehearsal. I thought the song would randomly stop and he'd complain about how he doesn't like this take, I'm basically listening to the songs second time, what's the point? 16th song, I dunno if the lyrics are different or smth, but this one doesn't even have anything that says rehearsal. As it's the second listening I can proudly say this is actually one of the worst songs on the album I'm afraid. 17th song, take 43? And it's still this bad, wow Byrds. It's fun to listen to, but for like once in a year. I'm really irritated by the badness of this at this point. Oh wow "that's it" at the end proved that it was a rehearsal and nothing else wtf. 18th song, really don't know what is the meaning of this. I'm basically listening to the songs again and they don't sound any better, I mean that first listen is usually not the best impression, but this is the proof of that I just don't like it. 19th song, instrumental version of the song that is not even on the album, weird. Might be someone else's. 5 minutes of this, hell no I'm fast forwarding this, I need good music to cleanse my ears. It sounded quite the same fully. I accidentally skipped the song, and there was some talking I think, don't really want to replay the thing tho. It's quite obvious that I didn't like this one at aaall. I didn't have expectations, but this level of sameness was too much. I was bored in each song, no catchyness or any rememberable chorus line or instrumental. Dennis Wilson had an amazing start with the album and went downhill with each song after, but it was a much better experience than this was. Basically I was gonna rate this 3 stars, but I don't think that's fair to how I actually see the album, so I'm gonna go with 2 stars, also I want another Byrds album not to remember them this badly.

Generic country/folk music from the 60s-70s that blends in with other albums of its era

Never heard this before. It's an album of The Byrds doing country music. I think I'd rather hear the Byrds do jangly folk rock, and rather her country music from actual country music artists. Not horrible, but not something I'll be listening to again.

I felt really nothing while listening to this.

This makes me want to replay Red Dead Redemption 2. Also sounds like music a serial killer would listen. And I'm not a serial killer, so 2 stars for me.

This didn't do much for me at all; very bland country rock, almost unspeakably boring. The Byrds are very over represented on this list. Reading into the context a bit, it seems like this was one of the first country rock albums, so I guess I can see why it was included.

Country Byrds. Interesting story about the album, but I'm not sure this was list-worthy.

I've not come in contact with the Byrds album that bridges this and Younger than Yesterday, but it must have some explanation, because this full-on, honky tonkin', rootin', tootin', cow fed country album is not what I really expected this band to go with after listening to albums like Fifth Dimension. It often feels like parody of country music, with lyrics about God, killing wives, and rotting in jail cued up with the same twang that could send thousands of farmers to the jukebox in seconds, and lyrics that bow down and rhyme to no man. It's quite honestly a bit sickening, and as someone who feels they've come around to parts of country, this generic stew of country """rock""" may have been one of the first, but it certainly had to step up from this. What keeps me from outright hating this is those bits of Byrds-like songwriting that made them so good with the pop scene, the psychedelic scene, and I can only assume the country scene. It is easiest to catch in the opener and closer, where it feels as though the band took an already written song and added some sound effects to give it that authentic country charm, but still be a Byrds song at the end of it all, but I'm going to have to agree with the fans from '68 on this one, this album feels like a bit of a betrayal after everything leading up to it, and while perhaps it is influential to a big genre, being influential doesn't always mean good, otherwise I'd like Yeezus, too. Now that I think about it, I promise you I'm the only person comparing Yeezus and Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Can't really tell you what that means, but damn if it doesn't mean enough for me to call it a night.

Well this was fairly meh. This almost gave up on this album, but thankfully I didn't as the best tracks were towards the end. I found "You Got A Reputation" and "Lazy Days" decent, but the rest I could have happily skipped.

Incest music

I really cant stand this kind of country.

im really just not a country fan but there wasnt anything particularly stand out bad or good so an easy rating i think

The Byrds go all out Country. Generic and boring. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere Date listened: 27/06/24

Really not my thing. But also unoffensive. Best song was “nothing was delivered”

Christian country...

Oh my god, Fuck The Byrds already. I will grant you that this album is very different to their previous once, and apparently heralded a new era of annoying country rock. So yeah, maybe this one should be included on the list. Influential maybe, but I still do not like their music.

YEEEEEEHHHAAAAAAW 🤠 (Però no, non è sufficiente a farmi desiderare di essere un Troll del country)

Ho dovuto ricominciarlo diverse volte perché non avevo mai tempo e ogni volta mi sembrava potesse piacermi. Mi sbagliavo

I don’t hear any rock, but god do I hear country… So traditional that it’s hard to see what makes it original, although there’s just enough tolerable cuts to not make me want to turn it off. But even though I don’t hate it, I can’t understand why this receives any amount of praise for what sounds like a cover album played very straight. The best part of this is when it’s actually just a Byrds album; the originals, especially “One Hundred Years From Now,” are what I think people are remembering, and that colors their memory of Sweetheart of the Rodeo overall as some Byrds Go Country But Stay the Byrds record, when really there’s almost none of the later. Actually, even when it does sound like the Byrds, it’s still pretty bad. Or at least boring, if not offensive. I lied, apparently. I’m not a Country girl. RIP to me 😔

as much as I'm a sucker for a pedal steel guitar, so much of this fell flat for me. I feel like others do country/rock better, even though the byrds seem like they were one of the firsts to do it. tbh I'm glad I listened to the rehearsal takes because I vibed with those way more, they felt much more textured and interesting. kinda funny reading that nashville was so against them because they had long hair when they literally have a whole ass song talking about how great jesus is. what a funny town!

I love the Byrds but this is not their best effort

Bleh 🤮🤢

ugh it’s so fake

Not what I was expecting at all. And not that enjoyable at all. Too much twang.

2,5

Second Byrds record after "Mr Tambourine Man" and I didn't like the country shtick or direction they tried to take with this record . I feel country rock records are kind of a hit or miss and this one completely fell on its head to say the least. The production was poor or basic and compared to their psychedelic type voices , I more than once almost fell asleep and being able to finish the record was a miracle in itself.

Compleet onbekend album voor mij, en ook een artiest die ik vrij weinig ken. Mister Tambourine Man zou het enige nummer zijn als je aan mij vroeg, wat ken je van The Byrds? De band wordt vaak genoemd als een kruising tussen Bob Dylan en The Beatles. Ben benieuwd. Wat ik er leuk aan vindt is de makkelijke luisterbaarheid. Het is best fijn om op de achtergrond aan te hebben. De bluespianootjes doen het altijd goed bij mij. Bij vlagen doet het me denken aan de country/blues songs van de Stones. Ja, lekker, denk ik dan. Maar het mist de scherp- en ruigheid die de Stones absoluut wel heeft. De gezongen verhalen zijn best leuk om naar te luisteren. Maar het is toch net wat te saai voor mij. Rating: 6,5/10 Highlights: You’re Still On My Mind, Hickory Wind

The sound started out really good for me but got weird after a while. Especially the whole Christian one… 2.5/5

Come on, ANOTHER record by the Byrds?? Only a couple of weeks ago, "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" flew at me from the ether, and I was happy to give it a 5-star review on the strength of Roger and the boys finally synthesizing folk, rock, country, and psychedelia in a coherent and effective fashion. Well done - and accordingly the list should have left off "Fifth Dimension". So what to say of this album, following in the heels of "Younger than Yesterday" and "Byrd Brothers"? Not impressed. It goes off the deep end to country sounds, following the lead of Gram Parsons (who'd already paved the way for the genre). Absent are the great harmonies we'd associated with Byrds albums of past, and there are only two original compositions. The Band returns to its former days of dredging for Dylan tracks and while "You Ain't Going Nowhere" is a fun choice, neither it nor "Nothing was Delivered" have the punch of former tracks. I do believe this list would benefit from less "artist completeness", allowing room for more breadth. "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" should have been a "you may also enjoy" footnote to "Byrd Brothers", Gram Parsons, or the Flying Burrito Brothers. Fine for its genre, but docked two stars in protest of one band having wayyyyy too many albums on this list.

I can see why it was influential but it just helped reinforce that I do not care for a LOT of country music.

I understand The Byrds underwent a number of lineup changes, but this is not one of my favourite iterations of this British band.

I like the Byrds, but not this foray I to country.

Folksy spirituals, Christian adulations, dewy mountain laurel fiddle sounds, and CSNY style harmonies.. This album just doesn't work anymore for me. It's not bluegrass enough to be bluegrass, and it isn't anything else but a whisp of smoke to me.

So the story goes that Gram Parsons joined the Byrds and hijacked the direction of this album a bit. It could have been a somewhat interesting journey through the history of American popular music styles. Instead it was rather annoying country rock that alienated their previous fans as well as the country music establishment, yet somehow became a highly influential country rock album. Parsons was ostensibly a Southerner, but didn’t fall for country music until he spent time in New York and Boston and attended Harvard. Roger McGuinn is from Chicago. Which all makes the thick-accented country sound on “Sweetheart” feel quite less than genuine.

Not sure the twang makes The Byrds better, or any more deserving of so many albums on this list. Twang is not my thing but at least it was different.

Get rid of David Crosby. Replace with Gram Parsons. Get rid of soulless folk rock. Replace with twangy country rock. Any better? No. The most interesting part of this album was going down the Gram Parsons rabbit hole. OD’d. Step father wanted to inherit grandfather’s estate by having him buried in Louisiana. Friends stole dead body from LAX and tried to cremate him with 5 gallons of gasoline and a match in Joshua Tree National Monument (now Park). Somehow it wasn’t illegal to steal a dead body back then. Craziness.

Twangy. I hadn't heard the songs before and yet I could guess the upcoming melody. Whether that is because people copied them or not I don't know, but it came across to me as bland and formulaic.

Pre grateful dead

talented musicians here but it largely passed me by

Listened to this whole thing and couldn’t whistle you a single tune from it. If you’re writing when the Beatles are putting out Sgt Peppers a year before… you’d just give up wouldn’t you? Boring, but not annoying.

No

The byrds. Why is it always the byrds. Another mid-folk/country album. 2/5.

I didn't know the Byrds did country? At least this is my first exposure to them. It's ok, nothing groundbreaking. Endless country crap.

Best goed, wel beetje eenheidsworst

I like country music, but this album missed the mark.

WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY SHIT MY GOD FUCK THIS DUDE. This has been the worst reminder of why I hate country so much, thanks for ruining music for me Favorite: none of them Least favorite: all of them 2.9/5

The generator continues in its apparent crusade to convince me that The Byrds were a band of Beatles-grade quality and/or importance, but this pivot to full-on country isn’t going to convince me. I actually quite enjoyed these ditties for what they are, but given that they were written by others, what did The Byrds really contribute beyond a few trademark harmonies? I’ve read up on the origin story of this album (Gram Parsons’ brazen attempt at total domination et al) and will at least concede that perhaps it deserves its place on the list as an interesting historical document. 2.5

It’s the fifth Byrds or Byrds-adjacent album I’ve had on this list in the past month and while, yes, it belongs here and probably started the whole country-fried rock’n’roll thing, can I please be done with The Byrds now? Pretty please? Footnote: minus 1 star to Gram Parsons for writing a song about killing his lover named Pretty Polly and then naming his daughter Polly. Ick.

Porqué este album está acá? Me excede. Ojo, es lindo y se re deja escuchar, pero no sobresale en nada...

taas alkoi hyvin, mutta laimentui äkkiä perus folk rokkiin. selvästi yrittää kuitenkin, vaikka peloissaan. sätisee, tärisee niin vitusti pelkää.. onko rohkeampaa kohdata pelkonsa vai olla pelkäämättä?? valkoihoinen pelkää mustaihoista: rohkea? en tiedä... mutta linnut lentäköön. vaikea kuolla, kun linnut laulaa... you aint going nowhere

Some boring country music. The first songs I liked were the first bonus tracks from the 1997 reissue...

I once again discovered I am not into country

Terribly mediocre

2.5

Een beetje country vind ik best fijn op z'n tijd, maar dit gaat me wel heel ver. Ik hoopte op iets als The Eagles, of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, maar ik kreeg iets dat een stuk minder met rock te maken lijkt te hebben. Niet voor mij dit.

Oh, that was disappointing nonsense :(

nice sound but a little too old for me

Iv been look warm to a couple of byrds albums on the list, I believe they have far too many albums. This is the worst one yet. Probably due to my dislike of country music. I guess country fans would like this and it is different to their other albums on the list, therefore just makes 2 stars.

Saw Byrds and thought 60's rock, not this. I reckon of you're a fan of the 60's twangy country, you may have enjoyed this album. I did not. 1 hour was almost too much to bear. Near the end there were a couple tunes I thought were decent, You Got a Reputation and Lazy Days, but it was tough getting to that point. Highlight for me was seeing Pretty Boyd Floyd. But the reason was I though of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the song The Message. You know, "Now you're unemployed, all non-void Walkin' round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did Got sent up for a eight-year bid." Yep, that was my highlight of this album. 2

It was aright but not something I’ll return for again. This bird’s can be set free. 2/5

This had an older country feel to it and since I am not really a fan of country, this really wasn't my thing. It wasn't necessarily bad though and there were a few decent songs, I just couldn't get into it. 2/5

21/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 I like neither The Byrds, nor country, so this was not very enjoyable at all.

Even more Byrds??

They give Bob Dylan, just without good songs. They managed to suck all the soul from You Don't Miss Your Water, which was maddening, and I wish they'd never covered it

Meh

Goes into the forbidden realm of country music where it just sounds corny.

Mediocre country music, not a pleasure to listen to.

The he Birds and country. Like the sound and it’s different form my expectations.

2.7 - I found this album really boring. I wasn’t much of a fan

Not my type of music.

Feel like there have been a lot of The Byrds on this list. This album was the most country. Meh

Don't necessarily hate it, but it is a little too country for me. The song "The Christian Life" totally sucks and I don't think I want to listen to the rest of this album. Pile of steamy shit,

Tepid urban cowboy music.

C'est vraiment un drôle de feeling cet album. L'exécution est vraiment bonne, autant instrumentale que la production, mais ça fait tellement stéréotypé et les chants sur un ton constament preachy viennent tellement redondant. J'ai l'impression ça devait être un album très important pour l'établissement de la scène country, mais ça rassemble trop de sonorités qui me déplaisent de ce style. 5/10

A bold endeavor but ultimately not for me

If I may complain about Spotify for a little bit, why oh why do they not have regular editions of albums? I don’t want to listen to half an hours worth of song that weren’t good enough for the original release and demos or rehearsal tapes unless it’s an album that I already know and like. I own a super deluxe version of Rumours because it’s one of my favourite albums, and it’s fascinating to see how these iconic songs came together. But it’s the actual album that I listen to most, not the demos. Anyway… The Byrds. I’m not even sure this is Country Rock. This is just straight up Country. What’s the distinction? Do you have to have lived in Tennessee at some point? On top of it being Country, it’s country of a very jerky, oompah variety that I’ve never enjoyed. The Country Rock label is starting to make more sense to me. It’s a Rock guy’s interpretation of Country, without the understanding of why it doesn’t necessarily work. I just prefer my Country with a bit more grit. This is amateur shit. Also, I cannot work out for the life of me if The Christian Life is supposed to be satire or not. It’s presented as if it should be, but it’s played so straight that it reminds me of every fucking sanctimonious evangelical motherfucker I’ve ever come across in my life. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

The Byrds really don't need to be on this list as much as they are, and this is probably their most bland album yet. Meh. No more Byrds please.

Basic

Not my favorite- the lean into country is the template for todays pop country. Outside of the singles and nothing was delivered I don’t love the rest. Easy to listen to though

Pretty pumped for this after the first Byrds record was a pleasant psychedelic surprise. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wtf was that Byrds. It probably doesn't deserve a 1 but the Christian song at the beginning made me want to vomit. I want to give it a 1 so bad but there were some good moments musically. Lots of pedal steel which I love.

A little more country than I expected, but still pretty meh.

The Byrds seemed like a good rock band (in their time and genre); why did they make a country album? It sounds pretty boring, and the lyrics to many songs are weird and creepy. Which was par for the course in the '60s, but you're supposed to make them more abstract and poetic, at least. And was "The Christian Life" meant seriously or ironically?

It was ok. None of the songs really grabbed me though. 2

This is the kind of country I don’t like. He doesn’t even sing like he cares

Too old

Tonight on The Littleist Hobo…

I suddenly have the urge to play Red Dead Redemption. What’s worse than Country music? Christian Country music. There were parts I enjoyed, banjo pickin has a great novelty sound to it. Not sure if there were two singers but whoever was singing on ‘The Christian Life’, I did not like his voice or any songs he sung. There are two tempos on this album: square dance & slightly faster square dance. Really generic country music all said and done, felt like I had heard all these songs walking around bass pro shop. 4/10

60’er country rock, men ikke rigtig på den charmerende måde

One listen was enough Album did zero for me Bit of a disappointment 2/5

How dare you call this any kind of rock. I truly hate twang

Forgettable and bland

Too country

Two of my least favorite music genres all rolled up into a dung beetle snack: country & christian music.

i have this weird inclination to marry my cousin......... fav songs: you aint going nowhere, pretty boy floyd

I think that the departure of Gene Clark sapped all the creative energy out of the Byrds and little that they did afterward compares to his solo outings, especially the “No Other” album that we were sent, also recorded in 1968! This LP contains only two original tunes, and while I don’t mind country, it sounds very contrived, especially the Chicago middle-class kid Roger McGuinn donning a deep south accent for "The Christian Life". My co-judge says they should have stuck to psychedelic folk.

Wasn't expecting this to be so country as I only really know The Byrds from "Turn Turn Turn" and their psychedelic rock era. Nevertheless... I didn't exactly love this though I guess I understand their importance to country rock and all and why it made it to the list. I'm sorry but I had to bail, just the same stuff over and over. 4/10

Ok so they helped create the country rock genre. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Just some good old Byrds. Wouldn’t change if they could. Fighting the law just like some new modern day Robin Hood.

I struggled to get through this one but it was a bit better the second time through. Fave track Blue Canadian Rockies.

This has some alright songs. I suspect it's included on the list because it's a bit of a quirk of musical history and not so much because of the actual quality. We'll call it a 2.5 rounded down.

Too much country for this guy

I found it to be un-inspired. On songs like "The Christian Life" the performance is almost a mean-spirited parody of Country-Western culture and music. I can see why this record didn't go over well with Country fans when it came out. Given the rest of their catalog it seems insincere.

Country music is very much a hit or miss to me - I've said it before and I'll say it again. For every moment that delights me with the rhythm of fiddle and banjo, there's another that nettles me with vocals that caterwaul about the good ol' days. It's embarrassing to admit that my good track record with this genre comes from video games imitating or paying homage to it ... The Byrds should probably be thankful that I'm choosing to only listen to the standard editions of these albums, because eleven songs seems a good enough number to avoid overstaying my welcome. This is one of those albums where when I start to grow bored of, come pleading and begging for me to return with a song that just captures my attention enough to stay. But honey, if you want me to stay that badly, you have to try harder than that.

Not great

Had a good easy-listening sound, but ultimately not an engaging listen for me.

Too country

I had no idea the Byrds went country. Interesting choice.

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere 1.5-2/5

For me outdated

Probably on the list for its influence and not because it still holds up today. Surpassed by many modern country records and feels very formulaic. Started off strongly but fell apart shortly after, not one to relisten to again but not awful in the moment.

I only know one song by The Byrds, and it isn't even by them, and it isn't on this record. I see there are several other Bob Dylan songs on this record, though. Is this just a covers album? The version I found only has 11 songs on it, and no, I will not be looking for the longer version. 20 more minutes of this?! 2 / 5 stars.

The usual late 60s/early 70s country noodling. Nothing to see (or hear) here... 2/5

Really hate this.

I love this album and I really enjoyed listening, but it is bad. Lazy writing, unoriginal chords and structure, lackluster performance. The runtime is too short, especially since two are gospel songs. The production was good and the Byrds definitely have their unique sound, but that doesn’t save this album. Quite a vibe though. 2/5

60s hippie country sounds similar to bob Dylan sometimes 2.5

Interesting, but no thanks.

Good quality country covering bluegrass with banjo and violins and also country ballads and storytelling. Just too country and twangy for my taste.

Its country.

This was not enjoyable.

Not really my thing. Very old country, but with a slightly weird christian spin. Kind of bland in comparison to most other music too.

This sounds like country and blue grass, and I don't really love country music. I know of the Byrds, but I don't know if I would listen to this voluntarily. I'm into late 60s and early 70s music -- I grew up listening to the Beatles, Yes, and Lynard Skynard (Free Bird! -- and I like country rock that has more rock than country banjos) to name a small dynamic triad. I just imagine Hank Hill with a beer and rocking his head back and forth to this album. Not for me.

OK but country is not my thing

So, what I'm hearing is... this is all Gram Parsons's fault? All the garbage rock country and hippie redneck nonsense of the last few decades are because Parsons convinced one of the most influential psych rock bands to twang? Well, screw that guy. I'm generally alright with The Byrds but this was nearly unlistenable. The only reason this didn't flat-out fail is because, apparently, The Byrds got tired of their own nonsense and, around 2/3 of the way through, reverted to their rock roots for a a few songs.

the byrds' sweetheart of the rodeo is a cute album name, but if you hadn't told me who the artist was, i would never have guessed it was the byrds. really, this album is indistinguishable from their earlier albums, of which i've listened to two as part of this list. the country lean must have happened due to gene clark and david crosby's absence and firing, respectively. i enjoy country music, but this album came across as bland. it's not that good of country music. clark's absence is keenly felt. sure, this album is listenable but it's uninteresting and a drag.

I realize that The Byrds always kind of dabbled in country sounds in their previous albums, but I don't know why The Byrds agreed to go full country here. From the producer perspective, I guess if they wanted to get country music in front of more people, duping them into listening to it by baiting and switching with a psychedelic band is one way to do it. Honestly, this album brings out my least favorite aspects of country music. And the Christian overtones were too much. This just really wasn't my thing.

If you had told me that The Byrds did a country album before today, I wouldn't have believed you.

I need a Sarsaparilla to get through this

Nope, still allergic to country music.

It was a bit 60's country for my liking. I was waiting for something more like Turn Turn Turn or Tamburine Man, so I was disappointed. 2/5.

Hyuck

This album is for The Byrds. Country is not their strongest suit. You add Gran Parsons with this album and its subtraction by talented addition. It just doesn’t work all that well.

Today I learned The Byrds have a country album. I'm not really a fan of country, but I promised myself I would give any country album on this a chance. There were some nice parts in some of the songs. There's some really nice piano and fiddle that I enjoyed. I prefer The Byrds more 60's rock sound. I wouldn't judge anyone who enjoys this album, but it's just not for me.

Hmmm christian vibing honkey tonk of the 60s. Easy going and corny. I hate it. Lazy day- solid 50s style rock song. Just too little too late.

I liked the first song "You Ain't Goin Nowhere," but it all kind of fell apart after that. Their take on country is awkward, it's hard to know whether they're being serious. The fact that Gram Parsons talked them into a country album, then had left the band by the time it was finished, is telling. It wasn't horrible, but given that the only song I really liked was a cover of a Bob Dylan song, I can't rate this highly.

Honestly - I think I just don't like country music

There is exactly one good song on this album, the last one, and the rest is in fuck country territory

Didn't like the album that much, but still thought it was interesting to listen to. The song I liked the most was Hickory Wind

Yeah, sure. Okay. But country music is universal like my stubbed toe. So why should I dwell on it?

twangerang

They went full country here! I bet Wilco like it.

The jingle got well and truly jangled here. Have heard a couple of the tracks before on their best of where they slotted in nicely. A few steps on the trajectory got missed to reach this point and it doesn't work.

Country music.

So bad

Front half is very twangy bluegrass with lots of gospel lyrics. Settles into a country folk-rock back half that I enjoyed more, but I was so annoyed by the first half I basically just ran out the clock wanting this to end.

This sounds like the start of a lot of country western pop that I can't stand. Well played, just not interesting to me.

Uneventful pastoral country folk that will make you pray for it to stop.

Nä, ett riktigt bottennapp tyvärr. Countryrocken är svår. När allt stämmer låter det bra, annars blir det så här. Låter religiöst och (förlåt) "bonnigt". Speciellt äckligt kristet blir det i 'I Am a Pilgrim' och 'The Christian Life'. Eller hur kul låter den här killen, från 'The Christian Life': "My buddies shun me, since I turned to Jesus They say I'm missin' a whole world of fun I live without them and walk in the light I like the Christian life" Toppenkul! Albumet räddas (nåväl) av några starkare spår. Båda låtarna skrivna av Dylan (tack papi) - 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' och 'Nothing Was Delivered' - håller högre klass. Även Gram Parsons 'One Hundred Years From Now' lyfter litegrann. Bästa låt: Nothing Was Delivered.

A good old fashioned snooze of a country music record. Boring and dull with only flashes of fun ideas.

Hilarious story. I'm glad it exists. But it's not very good is it

Country crap

This felt somehow dated and old fashioned in the sound

Parece que todo el LP es una sola canción, suena igual....

Not bad but not my normal listen.

Why is this on here??? Why??? The byrds really don’t need this many albums especially that this one is just some dumb jaunty folk shit for half an hour.

The Byrds shit on my car

Well recorded but not for me thank you

Not a fan of this at all, skipped through a few songs. Just not what I'm into musically.

dios. 5.5/10

Not for me

kinda boring

I get that they're trying to show that a bunch of hippie rockers like them can make a country music. They definitely can, but that doesn't mean that their generic and character-less set of country covers are enjoyable.

Not really my vibe

Dit is me te country, ook al zijn het The Byrds.

Ugh wat onzetten saai en jengelend. Die steel guitar is niet te harden.

Not as good as other Byrds albums I’ve heard

09/29/2022 Honestly not the best. Title track is the highlight and it’s the first on the album, so after that you’re kinda just left hanging with mediocre cowboy songs — Fighting to get through the days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite bc at least I get to go home early

A bad pastiche of some very old music - sounds like someone trying to recreate Johnny Cash or Eagles having only heard them once. Not what I expected from The Byrds, and not as good. Decent enough I guess, but nothing memorable in the whole album.

As an album on its own, it's not all that bad but I can't say I enjoyed it all that much. I do think there are a couple tracks like 'You Got A Reputation' and 'Pretty Polly' that sit in the middle of where the band was and where they were aiming to go, which I found a lot more interesting than the majority of the album. I get the impression that the album is less on the list for how individually great it is and more for the fact that it was a complete revamp of a widely popular band's sound/genre. There are other examples of bands doing this (Ministry's early albums, Garth Brooks' grunge album under the name Chris Gaines, Eddie Vedders ukulele album to a lesser extent). I can't recall a band that has navigated this transition well and certainly not in the span of a single album. If there was a group that did that, I could see why that transitional album would be here.

While a few tracks were really very good, I found the album largely uninteresting. I’ve had friends who really loved and admired the Byrds, but I haven’t been able to connect with their music very well.

yag

Definitely not the worst country music I've ever heard, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. I think the singer's voice was soothing. My favourite song was probably Pretty Polly, but nothing particularly stood out to me.

Not my cup of moonshine

i mean it’s ight first song was fye but that’s bout it

a little too folkie

I've heard some of these tracks and others by The Byrds before. I can hear from this the influence they'd have on acts that followed, especially as the members fanned out into the rock and pop world of the 70s. It's fine to listen to; doesn't really compel me to re-listen though, on a personal preference level.

No more Byrds. Please. 4/10

Too much country for me in two days.

Very country

Has a feeling of the Band. Just not nearly as good as the Band.

not my style

Spent the whole album in a state of confusion... The Byrds did a country album?

Not really a fan of country rock. This was okay but nothing really jumped out at me. Pleasant.

2,5; nothing special few good tracks nice to play for a background I guess

p155, 1968. 2 stars. Yeehaw. Former folk/psychedelic/pop idols go country in desperate attempt to reinvent themselves. Well done of its kind and in hindsight one of the key bridges between pop and country - you can see a direct line from this to The Eagles and The Dixie Chicks - but not my thing at all. Unlikely to play this again.

Not for me.

It’s a country music album

I'm just not a fan of the twangly guitars, twinkly pianos, and the sounds that feels like it could come out of a western. This album just is way too much country for me, and I'm not a fan. I did like the one song, 100 Years From Now

Monochromatic shit kicking

They are obviously talented so a shame they are wasting their time in this genre

Ei nyt lähe tää rodeorock

cöntry

Ho hum

I gave this a go but country is really not my thing.

Ps no está malo pero no es lo mío

A pretty good country album, though I'm not a huge fan of the genre.

Ehhhh it's some twangy folk-rock. Some of the songs topics are quite fun but the instrumentals and overall tone of the record really get old by the end. Not my favorite type of music to begin with anyways, but probably will not be returning to this one. 3/10

2.3 - decent listen but not my favorite genre or Byrds album. The cover of “You Ain’t Goin Nowhere” sort of encapsulates my feelings toward this album - a foundation that typically resonates pretty strongly with me, just executed in a way that makes me feel a bit “meh”.

quite boring

Sorry this does nothing for me. Two stars only because of its supposed groundbreaking influence but this just sounds like generic country music to me

Not my thing

Didn’t have any listening notes, wasn’t that terrible but I’m not a fan of the biblical folk stuff so it didn’t really hit me like that

The best Byrds album we’ve heard thus far, but still a 2

Didn’t finish this but if i had to guess I’m not missing anything after track 6

Thought it was Bob Dylan at first. Country folk rock, honkey-tonk style. Not my bag. 2/5

Too country for me

Old people country western music. Not the worst, just not my preference.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds (1968) Just because an album is influential doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good. It can be (and has been) argued that without the pioneering country ‘rock’ of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, there never would have been The Eagles or America or The Doobie Brothers or etc., etc. Well, maybe. But this little piece of cultural appropriation just doesn’t stand on its own. There is no original songwriting on this record, although the opening and closing tracks, as country-styled covers of Bob Dylan songs, reproduce a formula that had made the Byrds successful in earlier years—making Dylan somewhat more accessible to the pop world. This works for “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” (the best track on the album by far), but the Byrds just can’t pull this off when covering Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard, The Louvin Brothers, or even traditional songs. Roger McGuinn’s lead vocals (on six of these eleven tracks) are not that good. He lacks the soul (yes, soul) of classic country, and his faux Alabama accent on “The Christian Life” is teeth-grindingly annoying. And the lead vocals of Gram Parsons (on three tracks) are only marginally better. But the standard country vocal harmonies are above average, albeit with sync problems (did they miss David Crosby?). Arrangements that include pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle are artful and appealing, and mostly performed by competent session musicians. This feature alone is what makes the album listenable. The Byrds’ performance of “The Christian Life” by The Louvin Brothers is completely unconvincing. And “The Prison Life” sounds even more insincere (Frilly country shuffle and suicidal thoughts don’t make a good combination.) “One Hundred Years from Now” is the only track that really shows a country-rock fusion. The rest are inexperienced attempts to reproduce a country sound. I’d much rather hear Dolly Parton or Merle Haggard or Buck Owens or Johnny Cash—each for different reasons. The Byrds, however, as country artists, simply sound amateurish. It’s sad to note that a great group like The Byrds (in their brief Gram Parsons period), performing these great songs, put forward such a disappointing musical effort. 2/5

wasn't the worst ever, still country though 1.8

God I can't stand country

This is at least reminiscent of classic country, so not nearly as grating as modern country can be. However, this thing is just way too homogenous - tracks blend into one another after a while if the slide guitar tone and arrangements remains relatively static.

I didn't love the first record by them and this is more country than that one. Nope.

Listening to this album was hard for me. I was wondering throughout why I didn't like it so much. The album left me with some insights, but I didn't change my mind. Ironically, songs 12-14 that weren't on the original album were my favorite bit. Slow, rocking chair twangy ballads aren't my jam, I guess.

There are a couple Byrds songs that I know. None are on this album. I did not find it enjoyable. A very western feel to it and that does not help the album.