133. The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968)




















Track Listing

1. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
2. I Am A Pilgrim
3. Christian Life
4. You Don't Miss Your Water
5. You're Still On My Mind
6. Pretty Boy Floyd
7. Hickory Wind
8. One Hundred Years From Now
9. Blue Canadian Rockies
10. Life In Prison
11. Nothing Was Delivered

Review

The Byrds again! But this is a completely different album. The Byrds decided to go really all the way into country music for this, Crosby had left the band, and they decided to do something different. They are still the Byrds however, and this is perfectly noticeble.

Of course this album must have come as a shock at the time, hippie band goes redneck... it's strange. Most of the things that made The Byrds great are still here however, the harmonies, the innovation and their own distinct voice, even with two Bob Dylan covers.

The influence of this album is also immense, this was a huge influence not only on the new-born genre of country-rock but also in what is now called Americana, some tracks here sound like something from Blanche or Nickel Creek, two bands I really like. Some tracks are however played too traditionally for their own good, what really stands out is when The Byrds personal mark is applied to the country music. They were also influential in another respect, they helped bring the Louvin' Brothers into the country spotlight for example, and for that they have my thanks. You can stream this from Napster or buy it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. I Am A Pilgrim
2. Christian Life
3. Pretty Boy Floyd
4. Life In Prison

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

Learn how to play I Am a Pilgrim and laugh at crappiness:



From Wikipedia:

Released at a time when The Byrds' surprising immersion into the world of country coincided with declining commercial appeal, Sweetheart of the Rodeo only reached seventy-seven on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, while the single "You Ain't Going Nowhere" reached seventy-four on the Pop Singles chart. After having a hit with The Notorious Byrd Brothers, Sweetheart of the Rodeo missed the UK charts completely.

Although an uncommercial proposition at time, Sweetheart of the Rodeo proved to be a major landmark album, and its effects are still felt to this day, serving as a blueprint of sorts for the approach of not only Parson and Hillman's Flying Burrito Brothers, but of the nascent 1970s Los Angeles country-rock movement, outlaw country, the New Traditionalists, and the so-called alternative country of the 1990s and 2000s. It is widely considered to be The Byrds' last truly influential album.