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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Full Power of the Byrds Potential...Realized, February 3, 2005
What an astonishingly perfect album.
I first discovered "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" back in 1991. I was in my early 20's, and had no idea what I was buying back then. I knew I loved "Fifth Dimension" and "Younger Than Yesterday". I probably just bought it to fill out my Byrds collection while hoping that it had a good tune or two, like "The Ballad of Easy Rider" or "Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde" has. I got much more than I bargained for, because it is one of the greatest efforts I've heard in all of rock-n-roll. It has become more and more special and significant with time. This would be one of my "Desert Island Discs", even if I was only allowed 10 albums, this would make that list, simply because it sounds so timeless and it never gets old.
From a marketing standpoint, it is not that well positioned in the pantheon of Byrds albums and singles. There is no hit single, and the album's cover doesn't really hint at the treasures that lie within. Combined with the album's title, someone who doesn't know any better might think it would sound more like "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", or not know what to think at all. This book cannot be judged by its cover, my friends. The only faults with this album may only be the packaging. However, as a fan, I would not change a thing. I only wish David Crosby had been allowed to finish this record before he was fired by Chris and Roger. Dave makes great contributions to this record, and the last track on the new expanded CD has a shocking glimpse into their studio world, exposing much unrest and friction in the group. Michael Clarke sounds like a royal pain-in-the-butt, and only in the Byrds for the money, and he refuses to play properly like a spoiled brat. Poor Gary Usher, the producer, probably had a hard time babysitting this guy and keeping everyone from killing each other.
Out of all the confusion and animosity, the end result is just pure magic. Was it accidental? Or was it very deliberate? It was everything the Beach Boys' "Smile" was supposed to be. It was America's best response to "Sgt. Peppers", and it more than met the challenge, albeit after several years. (At the time of its original release, the record was a commercial failure and was overlooked and underappreciated.) I wish teenagers and young adults who love rock-n-roll would listen to this record. There is nothing "oldie but goody" about it. I feel it has stood the test of time even better than "Sgt Pepper".
It also may be an accidental concept album. The sessions for this record obviously started on the heels of the psychedelia craze, but was completed and packaged right as the Byrds were leaning towards country music. It also makes for a nice history lesson by being a fine example of how fast things were moving and changing back in '67-'68. To imagine that the Byrds would be playing the Grand Ole Opry a few months later is astonishing! This record really captures the Byrds doing a 180, and reinventing themselves. You hear these changes unfold right in front of you.
This album is so technically beautiful and full of wonderful harmonies, instrumentation, orchestrations, sound effects, and that wonderful chang-a-langing 12-string Rickenbacker. I think of this album as one long song, because each track blends in with the next so smoothly, and dreamlike. It feels like a very intelligent psychedelic journey with occasional hints of country and bluegrass music. It's hard for me to listen to one or two tracks alone, I normally just play the whole thing. The only track I sometimes skip is the first one, "Artificial Energy". It's a good tune, but if any track fits in the least, it's that one. The transition from "Natural Harmony" into "Draft Morning" is wonderful, and the latter is a beautiful tune with many things happening, like a mandolin, thumping bass, classic Byrds harmonies, a smooth political message, and great sound effects of guns in war.
This album also features two amazing Goffin/King tunes done to perfection. The version of "Goin' Back" is lyrically powerful and "Born To Follow" has wonderful phasing effects. "Change is Now" is another song with wonderful harmonies and a hypnotic bass line and beat. It's psychedelic, but not in an "Iron Butterfly" way. There is nothing hokey or dated about this album. It all sounds so fresh and modern to this day, and the last two tracks really close it out on a peaceful note. The whole record is like a journey. It will take you to different places. It clearly is the Byrds at their Best. The Byrds gave it their best effort and were successful. Their early potential is fully realized with this effort. They did it.
I would encourage everyone who loves rock music to buy this CD. Hey, send me an e-mail and we can talk about it! I love talking about this record and recommending it to friends. This is not only the best of the Byrds, but also the best of the Sixties.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Perfect Pop Album, No Less, October 21, 2000
"The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is--aside perhaps from the mighty "Revolver"--the greatest pop album of all time. Inspired by The Beatles' recent achievements, embroiled in bandmember controversies (David Crosby was fired and Mike Clarke quit during the sessions), fuelled by drugs and yet reaching a creative peak that kept refining and expanding on the experimental direction of "Fifth Dimension" and "Younger Than Yesterday", the splintered Byrds somehow managed to come upwith a collection of songs which stand more like polished jewels than mere tunes. "Notorious" was to represent the final evolution of the group's sound before the backpedalling to country music that followed on "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo"; it fared well in the UK (peaking at #12) but stiffed in the US (#48) where the group were suddenly considered passe. It is a stunning work, a diverse collection of sounds and lyrical subject matter which is nonetheless unified by the group's Taoist sense of ebb and flow; the sonic delights are smooth, tasteful and subtle, with not a single note or arrangement out of place and some of the most ingenious song fade-outs/fade-ins in the history of vinyl. The end result is a song cycle which takes one on a sonic trip that begins with an amphetamine rush and ends on the moon, with each sound--no matter how diverse, ranging from string quartets, raga-ish guitar solos, moog synthesizers, celeste, phasing, horns and those heavenly vocal harmonies--coalescing into one hypnotic rush, like a series of linked watercolors. This is pure art, a producer's wet dream, aiding some of the strongest lyrics and melodies ever written. Crosby's presence is essential, although the album might have been even greater had he stayed (he claims to have written "Guinevere", "Wooden Ships" and "Laughing" all on the day he was fired, and it is highly possible that the exquisite "Guinevere" and "Laughing" would've placed on the album). What we are left with instead is the still-eyebrow raising CD bonus cut "Triad", which should've also been on the album and is now restored to its rightful place. McGuinn and Hillman also reach artistic heights here, and Hillman's bass playing is a wonder to behold. What is so great about "Notorious" is that it is an epic that manages to fly naturally and harmoniously; it is neither too grandiose or too mild, but hits that perfect middle where social comment (the vivid anti-war sentiment of "Draft Morning"), wonder (the underwater mysticism in "Dolphin's Smile"), bittersweet reminiscing ("Goin' Back") and surrealist pop storytelling ("Old John Robinson") reflect and reinforce each other to create a tapestry that casually insinuates its philosophical brilliance without ever outstaying its welcome. This is most certainly an album that requires the listener's full attention (preferably through headphones), as all of the little production nuances must be heard to be believed (remember, this was recorded in 1967). It only boggles the mind that the album could've been even greater had Crosby stayed, as it is already one of the top two or three greatest recorded statements of all time, and a perfect recreation of the changing attitudes of America in the mid to late 60s.
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26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Byrds Shine Amidst Chaos, December 4, 2003
"The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is not the Byrds best album. That title would surely go to "Mr. Tambourine Man" or "Younger Than Yesterday." It is, however, their most interesting album, and therefore the one I pop into the CD player the most.With David Crosby (who is replaced with a horse's backside on the cover photo) leaving during the sessions after battling over the song Triad, which did not make the final cut, and Michael Clarke also making his exit, "TNBB" is the work of a band in trouble. The final album doesn't show this so much as the high points are among the best in the Byrds catalog. Despite leaving the band, Crosby gets to shine with the sweetly trippy "Dolphin's Smile." McGuinn has some of his best and most poignant vocals on the anti-war "Draft Morning" and "Wasn't Born to Follow." While most of this album is on the experimental side, the classic Byrds sound makes its final appearance on the folk rocking "Goin' Back" and "Old John Robertson." Of course, the band really wasn't unified enough to create another true masterpiece, and "Natural Harmony," "Get to You" and "Space Odyssey" serve as little more than filler. None of these are particularly offensive (well maybe "Space Odyssey," but it's the final cut on the album and easily skipped), so they do not detract to0 much from the listening experience. Of the bonus tracks, "Triad" is by far the keeper, as Crosby did have a point and the song should have been on the album (it would have been one of the highlights). The Byrds' version really is superior to the Jefferson Airplane's better known, and still fine version. There's an interesting alternate mix of "Draft Morning" which has some noticible changes in the war sound effects, and if you leave the disc running after "Universal Mind Decoder," you'll hear hidden studio chatter of the Byrds battling in the studio. It's rather fierce and a bit painful to hear, but illuminating in regards to the Byrds serious internal problems. This is a fine disc (and the remastering remains very fine), and although I cannot give this but a four star rating, I would recommend it higher than some five-star ratings.
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Roger McGuinn shares his favorite music with Amazon customers. See all artists' picks on our Music You Should Hear page.
by The Byrds 
