[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="344" caption="Younger Than Yesterday, the fourth album from The Byrds (released February 6, 1967)"]
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"So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star", the opening track on the album, sounds to me like a mock or a comment on the rising number of commercialized, "money-maker" bands that are mechanical as opposed to artistic. Its an interesting comment to open the album with, but it sets the musical tone of the album nicely. Younger Than Yesterday has a simple, cheerful, and upbeat sound to the entire album. It runs just under 30 minutes and is a nice breath of fresh air. They've added some psychadelic rock elements to this album - you can hear it as guitar fill in several tracks on the album (including "Have You Seen Her Face"), but its a nice mix that gives the music just a bit of a grunge and experimental sound. I think it keeps their sound really interesting.
What's really cool about this album is the diversity from track to track. As I said, "Have You Seen Her Face" has a bit of extra noise happening in the background with some experimental guitar, and then the next track, "C.T.A.-102" has a bunch of electronic and robot-like noises in the background. There's also some slower, quieter tunes with a more folky sound. The Byrds manage to maintain their sweet, 60s sound but also experiment over a large canvas of genres which creates interest and unique mixes on this album. I also just love the energy of this album. Its filled with positive energy and this really cool warmth and clarity to the recording. The recordings are in this beautiful sweet spot that kind of warms you up on the inside - a good example of this is the Country-inspired track, "Time Between", and also "The Girl With No Name".
Track Listing
Side One
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"So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star", the opening track on the album, sounds to me like a mock or a comment on the rising number of commercialized, "money-maker" bands that are mechanical as opposed to artistic. Its an interesting comment to open the album with, but it sets the musical tone of the album nicely. Younger Than Yesterday has a simple, cheerful, and upbeat sound to the entire album. It runs just under 30 minutes and is a nice breath of fresh air. They've added some psychadelic rock elements to this album - you can hear it as guitar fill in several tracks on the album (including "Have You Seen Her Face"), but its a nice mix that gives the music just a bit of a grunge and experimental sound. I think it keeps their sound really interesting.
What's really cool about this album is the diversity from track to track. As I said, "Have You Seen Her Face" has a bit of extra noise happening in the background with some experimental guitar, and then the next track, "C.T.A.-102" has a bunch of electronic and robot-like noises in the background. There's also some slower, quieter tunes with a more folky sound. The Byrds manage to maintain their sweet, 60s sound but also experiment over a large canvas of genres which creates interest and unique mixes on this album. I also just love the energy of this album. Its filled with positive energy and this really cool warmth and clarity to the recording. The recordings are in this beautiful sweet spot that kind of warms you up on the inside - a good example of this is the Country-inspired track, "Time Between", and also "The Girl With No Name".
Track Listing
Side One
- So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star
- Have You Seen Her Face
- C.T.A.-102
- Renaissance Fair
- Time Between
- Everybody's Been Burned
Side Two
- Thoughts and Words
- Mind Gardens
- My Back Pages (Bob Dylan cover)
- The Girl With No Name
- Why
If you haven't heard this album yet, you'll probably enjoy it. It's nothing radical and way, far-out, but it combines a more classic, fun, lovable 60s sound with some extra elements (like robot noises). It creates a classic and timeless sound that really feels sweet to listen to. Oh, and it also includes a cool cover of Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages".
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