The Notorious Byrd Brothers
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4.4
Average of 15 reviews
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Audio quality is fantastic! The clarity is impeccable. It boasts a quite spacious soundstage. I'll definately need to give my original U.S. pressing a listen to make a comparison.
Without a doubt, this is my top pick among Byrds albums, and the sound quality on this pressing is absolutely stunning!
Fantastic record pressing! Crisp and clear sound with great instrument separation. I'd definitely recommend it!
Translated automatically,This Byrds album is quite enjoyable, blending country, folk, rock, psychedelia, and even some Stax-inspired Memphis horns. It's packed with creative bits, lovely vocal harmonies, and some truly unique sounds. The record's quality is good, no issues here. I'd give it around 3.5 stars.
I've always wondered, why couldn't the Byrds have stuck to singles and skipped making full albums? Let's put aside any biases about the Byrds and just look at the album cover—there's a horse in the window (!!!), which doesn't exactly scream "Byrds" to me. Some people might try to convince you that, despite being firmly rooted in 1968, "Notorious Byrd Brothers" somehow magically transcends its time and stands as one of their finest albums. But even if this were their best jangling album—and there are thirteen of those—it's only cohesive in that it's not very good, it's only thirty minutes long, and it's still trying to blend Bob Dylan and the Beatles into something that's supposed to sound like sunny Southern California... but it doesn't. Just listen to the Mamas & the Papas to hear what sparkling clear waters sound like on any sunny day in California. Why would anyone think that the Byrds, in the middle of infighting, clashing egos, and key members leaving—or in David Crosby's case, only making it halfway through this sonic adventure—could possibly make a good, cohesive record? Some folks might argue that this was the first Byrds album to fully embrace country influences, but I'd say those leanings have been there from the start, even if that start was just a couple of years before. I'll stand by that comment while also saying that it was actually producer Gary Usher who was behind these clean presentations, Byrdish harmonies, the new rhythm guitar sound, and the angular shafts of light throughout the album. But it blows my mind to hear respected music journalists—Rolling Stone magazine, for instance—claim that when the Byrds latched onto country music, it was like capturing lightning in a jar, and that they were the first to do so. That's just not true. You only need to listen to the Beatles' albums, especially when Ringo sings, to hear the country work they did, making the Byrds late to the party and these music critics either disingenuous or uneducated at best. There was nothing impressive about this album; it's certainly no "In My Room" by the Beach Boys, though there are some moments of inspiration, especially with "Goin' Back." Yet even then, the song feels held back, nearly rising to a sense of expansion but never quite breaking through. Much of this is proven by Byrds' co-manager Eddie Tickner, who came to the band with a plan: "Let's put our shoulders to the wheel, make another record (this record), push it, and I'll renegotiate your contract to get $1,000,000. We'll all take $200,000 and call it a day." If that doesn't sound sleazy to you, I don't know what does. But here's the thing: if you're David Crosby or Roger McGuinn, you can have apples hanging from the neck of your guitar, and everyone will think it's cool, with others following suit. So sure, people are going to credit this album with all sorts of new prosperity, just because it's a Byrds album. But back to "Goin' Back," the highlight of the record, with Crosby participating in a lifeless take of the song, then sitting out the rest of the session on the studio couch, while a pedal steel guitar and a small session orchestra swallowed up the number, creating this grander-than-life adventure that will certainly stand the test of time, is entirely fractured on more levels than anyone cares to admit. The album was brutal to make, yet with a great payout for all involved, it's simply that the record embodied all that the 60's were supposed to have been against, and here were a few of the cult leaders, battling it out over silliness and money, all for a record that was, in my opinion, never that good to begin with... but I suppose you had to be there then.
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