1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #94. The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday (1967)

The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday (1967)

Label – Columbia
Producer – Gary Usher
Art Direction – Uncredited
Nationality – USA
Running Time – 28:27

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star
2. Have You Seen Her Face
3. C.T.A.-102
4. Renaissance Fair
5. Time Between
6. Everybody's Been Burned
7. Thoughts And Words
8. Mind Gardens
9. My Back Pages
10. The Girl With No Name
11. Why

This record by the Byrds was their 4rth and in some ways overlooked when it was initially released and began the end of the Byrds and started their commercial downslide. That’s a shame as this is a really decent record that I enjoyed very much.
"So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star" was a terrific single (charting at #29) and "My Back Pages," was also a small hit (#30) and was a Bob Dylan cover track – but what Byrds record would have been complete without a Dylan cover! This would be the final time the band cracked the top 40.
It’s a very short record – just over 28 minutes and it goes by very fast. "Thoughts and Words," “Renaissance Fair," "Have You Seen Her Face," and "Time Between" are all easily among the best songs the Byrds ever recorded. Not all is great however. "Everybody's Been Burned" is a pretty good David Crosby track, but "Mind Gardens" isn’t that good and neither is “CTA-102”. But those don’t detract to much from the overall record.
Despite the album's moderate chart performance (it peaked at #24 in the Billboard charts), its critical stature has grown substantially over the years. In 2003, the album was ranked number 124 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is recommended.

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You can purchase the CD here.