1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #133. The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968)

Label – Columbia
Producer – Gary Usher
Art Direction – Butler Advertising; Geller
Nationality – USA
Running Time – 31:52

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

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

“Sweetheart of the Rodeo” was the sixth album by The Byrds and with the departure of David Crosby and the addition of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons, it was one of the first major country-rock albums by an established act and was a radical departure from the psychedelic rock of the band's previous records. In fact – it doesn’t even sound like the same band! Even though Gram Parsons only joined the band as a pianist and new guitarist, his influence overtook Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman and they followed his lead with the sound of the record.
In fact, the only two original songs on the album were both written by Parsons - the beautiful "Hickory Wind" and "One Hundred Years from Now". The rest of the tracks are covers of Merle Haggard, the Louvin Brothers, Woody Guthrie and of course - a pair of Bob Dylan tunes. The record is a nice laid back listen and I enjoyed it very much.
Not surprisingly tension developed quickly between Parsons and the rest of the band and some of Parsons' vocals were re-recorded - partly due to legal complications - but by the time the album was released in August, Parsons had already left the band. (Note: Parson’s original vocals were released on a CD re-issue of the record)
Once released, the record only reached #77 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, and it actually failed to chart in the UK. There were two singles released, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", which achieved modest success, and "I Am a Pilgrim", which failed to chart. The album did received mostly positive reviews at the time, but the radical departure in the band’s sound alienated much of its pop/rock fans. Despite all that, today the record is considered to be one of the most influential country-rock albums of all time.
In 2003, the album was ranked #117 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and Stylus Magazine named it their 175th favorite album of all time in the same year.
It is recommended.


You can purchase the CD here


TOP 10 ROCK CD'S/DOWNLOADS FOR THIS WEEK (3-4-2010)
(8)1. BREAKING BENJAMIN...Dear Agony
(2)2. NICKELBACK...Dark Horse
(5)3. THEM CROOKED VULTURES...Them Crooked Vultures
(4)4. DAUGHTRY...Leave This Town
(1)5. Various Artist...2010 Grammy Nominees
(3)6. ROB ZOMBIE...Hellbilly Deluxe 2
(Re-enter)7. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND...Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King
(7)8. SHINEDOWN...The Sound Of Madness
(9)9. Various Artist...Twilight soundtrack
(Re-enter)10. ALICE IN CHAINS...Black Gives Way To Blue

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 4
Chris Squire from Yes is 62; Chris Rea is 59; Jason Newsted, formerly with Metallica, is 47;

ON THIS DATE
1966 John Lennon made his remark to a reporter about how “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. We’re more popular than Jesus right now”
1970 Janis Joplin is fined $200 for swearing onstage at a concert in Tampa
1971 The Rolling Stones announce that they will be moving to France due to too much tax in Great Britain
1973 Pink Floyd begin their U.S. tour supporting their latest album Dark Side Of The Moon
1986 Richard Manuel from The Band hangs himself in a hotel room in Winter Park, Florida. He was 42
2006 Aerosmith has to cancel several concerts as Steven Tyler has strained his vocal chords
2008 Warpaint by the Black Crowes is released

IN THE NEWS
Faith Hill, Chris Isaak To Perform At Rock Hall
Sean Ono Lennon defends John Lennon's appearance in Citroen car advert
New Geezer Site Launched