Classic Albums: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo by the Byrds

Let's look at another classic album from the rock'n'roll era and this time is the landmark 1968 album "Sweetheart of The Rodeo" by US rock group the Byrds. At the Beginning of 1968 the Byrds had 2 original members left from the line up that was formed in 1964- Roger Mcguinn on lead guitar and vocals and Chris Hillman on bass guitar and vocals as they had been through line-up changes in 1966 with the departure of Gene Clark the group's main songwriter at the time and 1967 with the departures of both David Crosby in October and drummer Michael Clarke in November during the making of the Notorious Byrd Brothers. in January 1968 Drummer Kevin Kelley who was the cousin of CHris Hillman who had played in LA cult band The Rising Sons with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder joined the byrds and in February Gram Parsons who had played in the International Submarine Band who recorded an album "Safe At Home" on the :LHI label owned by singer-songwriter Lee hazelwood as well as before that played in the Shilohs joined the group as a piano player but eventually moved to guitar. The original concept of the album suggested by Roger Mcguinn was to record an double album covering the history of American popular music from old time music to pre bluegrass, traditional folk to pre-war country to contemporary rock and space age woosh of McGuinn's new favourite instrument the Moog synthesizer but then with Chris Hillman's support Parson persuaded McGuinn to drop the project and to record an country rock album. Chris Hillman who played bluegrass before joining the Byrds having played in the Hillmen, The Scotsville Squrriel Barkers, the Green Grass Revival playing mandolin and guitar and had found an collaborator and a kindred soul in Parsons who had an understanding about the music. It was this line up that went into the Columbia recording studio in Nashville from March 9th-15th 1968 and from April 4th-May 27th @ Columbia studio in Hollywood to record the album that was to be known as Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The musicians who played on the album besides from the group were Clarence White who was to become an member of the group by late that year, Earl P ball, Jon Corneal, Lloyd green, John Hartford, Roy M huskey and Jaydee Maness and Gary Usher who produced the Younger than Yesterday and Notorious Byrd Brothers album produced this album. The line-up of McGuinn, Hillman, Parsons and Kelley only lasted until July when Gram parsons left the group due to objection of the group touring South Africa which was ruled by apartheid as well as a lot to do with his own ambition as he was hanging around with Rolling Stones member Keith Richards and gram eventually formed the Flying Burrito Brothers as well as a solo career after that which sadly ended when Gram died of a drug overdose at Joshua Tree,California on September 19th 1973. Carlos Bernal an roadie for the Byrds played guitar on the South African tour and when they came back to the states CLarence White became an Byrd, Kevin Kelley left not long after that and by October Chris hillman left leaving Roger Mcguinn as the only original Byrd. Sweetheart of the Rodeo was released on August 30th 1968 which it went to no 77 in the USA and didn't chart in the UK and despite not being an success this album remains one of the most influential country rock albums as well being an landmark album as it was the first time that an major rock group went into the forays of country music and also this was the start of the genre known as Country Rock. This is an excellent album with an lot of great stuff including 2 Bob Dylan compositions (You Ain't Going Nowhere no 74 in the USA and no 45 in the UK)and Nothing was Delivered, I am a Pilgrim with Chris Hillman on lead vocals and Roger McGuinn playing banjo,Blue Canadian Rockies as well 3 lead vocals by Gram parsons You're Still on My Mind, Hickory Wind which he wrote with Bob Buchanan of the International Submarine Band and Life In Prison an Merle Haggard song which also there was an legal complications due to Lee Hazelwood contesting that Gram was still under contract to the LHI label which the legal problems were resolved but 3 of his other lead vocals The Christian Life, You Don't Miss Your Water and One Hundred Years From Now were replaced by Roger Mcguinn but also Gram's lead on those 3 songs was eventually released when the album was reissued on CD twice in 1997 and 2003 and the boxed CD sets The Byrds (1990) and There Is A Season(2006). It's sounds as good today as it was in 1968 and I remember when I bought the CD on Wednesday March 4th 1998 in the city at the Music Shop I described it that it has an country feel which definitely it has. A true classic album