Published on Nov 27, 1997
Gobble! Gobble! Being Thanksgiving and all, it would be wise to
feature The Byrds today.
By the time this album released in 1968, The Byrds were going
through major changes in personnel: David Crosby left to join
Crosby, Stills, Nash and/or Young. Gene Clark was gone, due to
differences with Roger McGuinn, and his fear of flying. The
remaining original members, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and
Michael Clarke put together
The Notorious Byrd Brothers, which is considered to some
critics as a masterpiece; however the record buyers did not buy the
album at the time of release.
With this album, The Byrds were starting a change — getting
away from the folk-style sounds like “Mr. Tambourine Man” and the
psychedelic “Eight Miles High.” However, these styles are still
there in this album, but the sound is definitely unique — heading
towards country. Bob Dylan said it best:
The Times They Are A’Changing. And it was changing for The
Byrds. One of the tunes, entitled “Change Is Now,” it’s quite
obvious that you knew a change was in the works for the band.
In listening to this album, the psychedelic sound is definitely
there: “Artificial Energy,” “Natural Harmony,” “Draft Morning” —
they all have that psychedelic 60s touch. Not the psychedelic style
of say, Jimi Hendrix, but a slow-paced psych trip, especially the
tune “Space Odyssey”: Imagine the world at full speed, and you are
moving very, very slowly….
The fourth song, “Goin’ Back” is probably the one song from this
album that stood out in my mind. It’s a great tune, in familiar
Byrds-folk style. The fifth song, “Wasn’t Born To Follow,” produces
a sudden change: Country! “Get To You” is somewhat country, yet it
has that late-sixties sound. Speaking of which, the rest of the
album you can definitely tell country was on the minds of the band,
yet each song has a psychedelic touch to them.
This is definitely a different sounding album for The Byrds. It
really makes you wonder what The Byrds would come out with next.
More personnel changes occurred, leaving Roger McGuinn the only
remaining member of the group. For the next four years, he would
recruit new members of The Byrds, as their music would mix country
with rock, rather than mixing folk with rock.
In 1973, the original members reunited for a one-shot album, and
soon afterward, the tight “sounding” nest they had once built, was
now blowing away. The Byrds were laid to rest, leaving behind a
great legacy and a great library of music.
Here’s a sudden comparison: The Beatles were changing with the
times by the late sixties with their music, so did The Byrds.