If you're a fan of the folky, psychedelic sound of The Byrds on their earlier albums with David Crosby, you might find "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" a bit challenging. Not only is Crosby’s distinctive voice missing from the harmonies, but it’s also a bona fide country and western album, musically speaking. If you can’t get to grips with that, this fifth album by the band will be almost unlistenable to you. It teems with pedal steel guitars, banjos and fiddles, and the songs are in a slow 3/4 waltz time. With this album, the Byrds were attempting a change of direction. Their success proved them right. "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" is the band’s last truly successful album, and they went on to release six more albums with various line-ups. But I simply find it dreadful. While it is certainly well-made — Gram Parsons, who was essentially a guest on the album, played a significant role — as someone with a phobia of country music, I find the album almost unlistenable.