The Byrds Sweetheart

I can't believe that this album is 50 years old.  I heard a song from it on the radio today and it's as classic as it is today as it was then.  Hearing the song I heard on the radio made me think more and more about this most.  It also made me think about what The Byrds did up that point in music and what they were about to do.  A change did not hurt anyone right?

I remember going to that trusty old book I told you about for this one.  I liked the Folk Rock of The Byrds, but did not know about the cross genre bending of what was to become Country Rock.  I had a teacher in high school who told me he loved The Byrds up to that point, and after that he hated everything after.  In my curiosity and with the books help it made me understand why they abandoned their formula for something new.  Sure they added a few new members, but and subtracted a few founders, but the new group was ready to change the world.  If you want to read more about this change, the wiki article is pretty informative.  

So going back to my trust torn, abused book it talked about the new change of The Byrds.  It talked about Sweetheart Of The Rodeo as a must have.  An album that rewards the listener with all the great country icons squeezed out of the head of one Gram Parsons.  It's an album like this, that showed foreshadowing of what was to come in the Rock and Roll genre.  It "divorced" the past it created and went on to create music so ahead of it's time that ripples are still felt today popular music.  

With everything I read (pre-google) about the album in the book and other sources I had to own it for myself.  The trusty old book gave about three quarters of a page of adjectives and praise I just knew I was ready for it.  I go to my trusty record club I joined and got a cassette copy. When I noticed that the cassette looked like a cassette single with extra tracks.  I must admit I felt gypped, but if the music is good then I don't mind the shortness of the product.  

At first listen of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo I could see the shock and awe that when people heard this.  I can only feel for The Byrds loyal fans.  The fans like my science teacher who completely abandoned their music and went to listen to something else.  I was also trying to catch all those references of early country.  I did not listen to that stuff, but now I wanted to hear the music for my own.  I wanted to hear the Hank Williams, early Johnny Cash, and the like.  If they upset the founders at The Grand Ole Opry then they had to do something right.  They broke down the traditions and made it their own for a whole new audience.

Looking back at my first listen and now with the music knowledge I have learned I feel this album is one of the best ever.  It builds and builds with everything that came after it.  It influence is a wide scope of musical genres and styles. I only have a wish that I was around when this came out. I want to hear the reactions then.  There are a lot of albums for me that do that, but this one is special.  This is special because as I said at the beginning, The Byrds abandoned their success for something different.  It's an album I call one of my favorites.  True, there are many, but nothing stacks up to this game changer.