Disco de The Byrds: “Sweetheart of the Rodeo [Remaster]”

I'll never forget the first time I heard Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I was a grad student at Indiana University in English. It was 1969. The Vietnam war was just cranking up.

Talk about conflicted!! At that time, I was probably the world's #1 Byrds fan. Still under the spell of their matchless previous release, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, I was completely unprepared for Sweetheart. Yeah, they'd done a few country-tinged tunes before--"Time Between," "The Girl with No Name, "Goin' Back," "Wasn't Born to Follow"--but "The Christian Life," "You're Still on My Mind," and "Life in Prison"?? What's going on here?!

It was a brilliant move to bridge the hardcore country stuff with "You Ain't Going Nowhere," "Nothing Was Delivered," and "Hickory Wind." And that's what won me over. I could immediately relate to those latter tunes, and they provided the link to the uncompromising country stuff, which I ended up liking nearly as well. Is this the ur-country/rock statement? I don't know, and I really don't care. I do know that it's held up all these years as well as anything else in this backwater sub-genre of the great American popular music river.

Sometimes I find the idea of adding Bonus Tracks to rereleases of old LPs a bit upsetting. Rarely are the tracks remotely as good as the cuts on the original album. Most often, I find myself just skipping them entirely. Only very, very rarely are the bonus tracks in fact better than the original. This is one of those rare instances.

As the liner notes point out, shortly after Gram Parsons joined the Byrds, a man objected to Parson's recording with them, claiming that he had an exclusive constract for Parson's services. This spooked Columbia into having nearly all of Parson's vocals pulled off SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO. Roger McGuinn then provided the vocals for all the Parsons songs. The only two Parsons's cuts that made it onto the final album were "You're Still On My Mind" and the surreally beautiful "Hickory Wind" (though I do prefer the live version off GRIEVOUS ANGEL, with Emmylou Harris providing those utterly gorgeous harmonies).

Is this a big deal? YES! I bought this album years ago on LP, and while I liked it, I found too many of the songs to be parodies of country songs rather than anything close to authentic. The worst offender to me was "The Christian Life," in which McGuinn sings with an exaggerated and slightly silly Southern accent. This new CD version of SWEETHEART restores as Bonus Tracks all of Gram Parsons's lead vocals. I love Roger McGuinn, but this is a country album for a rock audience, and McGuinn just didn't have a great country voice. Parsons, on the other hand, had a phenomenal way with country songs. When Parsons sings "The Christian Life," there isn't the tiniest hint of irony or parody. Instead of mildly goofy, it sounds like a heartfelt declaration of faith. And while McGuinn does a fine job on "One Hundred Years From Now" and "Life in Prison", his voice just does not have the strength or authenticity of Parsons's.

It has always been known that Gram Parsons's had an enormous impact on the Byrds, despite his only being with the group for three months (he quit on political grounds when the rest of the band agreed to perform in South). With this collection of Bonus Tracks, we can better appreciate just how great an impact that was. In short, this is one of those rare instances where a rerelease is better than the original. And the original was very, very good indeed. And it further emphasizes that Parsons's tragically early death deprived rock of one of its greatest innovators.

Nice moment: at the end of Gram Parsons's awesome rendition of "One Hundred Years From Now," Parsons goodnaturedly asks, "Gary? Can I hear through my earphones, too?"

As one who likes most every type of music (excluding rap and what would be considered modern (new) country), it's my opinion that the best country is done by the old timers like Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, and so on. Those guys came off as being genuine, not plastic, candy-coated, top 40 wannabees the way today's country "stars" seem to be. In the tradition of the aforementioned performers, this album by The Byrds in 1968 stands as a landmark in great country music.

During this time, original members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman lured Gram Parsons into the group which would take a decidedly different turn from performances on previous albums. One great country song after another is the result. While very few of the eleven songs were written by members of the group ("Hickory Wind" by Gram Parsons and musician Bob Buchanan along with "One Hundred Years from Now" by Parsons and the arrangement of "I Am a Pilgrim" by McGuinn and Hillman are the exceptions), the band definitely put their own stamp on each one.

Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" begins the album and from the first moment the steel guitar plays, I'm always ready to sit back and enjoy the entire album. "I Am a Pilgrim" is a fine, more slowed-down song with excellent fiddle. Other slower tracks include "Hickory Wind" and "You Don't Miss Your Water". "You're Still on My Mind" always reminds me of the best songs performed on shows like Hee-Haw ( Okay, I admit it. I liked it. Sue me.) Woody Guthrie's banjo-filled "Pretty Boy Floyd" is old time country at its best, and Merle Haggard's "Life in Prison" centers on an unusual topic for a classic country song: a man murders his wife.

This album numbered in the 80's on Rolling Stone magazine's Top 100 albums of all time when the issue was released in 1987. I believe the editors recognized the contribution that the album made to music as a whole when they said that it proved that "long haired rockers could play country music." If you give it a listen, I think you may agree.

This album represented the confirmation of the end for the Byrds,as they were known,and ushered in ,if not the birth of,certainly the establishment of the country rock genre for modern music.It is hard not to be impressed with the material on this recording,it was a project that was destined to be different,one that demanded reactions from fans of the Byrds,Country music traditionalists and the music buying public generally.

This recording,saw Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman,bring into the public spotlight the emerging talent of Gram Parsons,letting him lose on a limited vocal sojourn,most noticeably Hickory Wind,and allowing the country influence to receive a mainstream music outlet.The remastered offering here by Sony allows fans and novices alike to hear the alternative versions of classic songs..and to argue till the cows come home as to why one version was preferred over the other.

The manifestation that was the Byrds ,lasted 4 months,some live performances in the United Kingdom and an aborted tour of aptheid South Africa...and then they were gone.Parsons and Hillman went to form the Flying Burrito Brothers,and to solidify the country rock genre,which the likes of Poco, The Eagles, Linda Ronstradt, Emmy Lou Harris and a myriad of other lesser and similar stellar talents can use as the focal point of their own musical beginnings in fusing a sound that became country rock,or New Country,or the West Coast sound or whatever.

This masterpiece is even more enduring to note that some of the sounds are so pure country that to hear the personal play it under the banner of the Byrds ,is ridiculous,but it worked.Just like the Beach Boys never surfed,singing about it so convincingly created a credibility that forever linked them with the *beach* sound,so the Parsons led foray into country alienated many but entralled many more.It is flawed ,it has pedal steel guitar and hay seeds gone wild,the song selections are a maverick catalogue..it was something so unusual so different it was destined to be memorable.

It coupled the songs of Dylan with Merle Haggard,and a melancholy country stance with the last final creative death throes of the Byrds sound.A fine rendition of *You Aint Goin No Where* sits beautifully with ,what was to become the signature tune of Gram Parsons,*Hickory Wind*.The recording works so well because it just contradicts what was expected and produces pure unexpected delight,so much so,that listeners can forgive the country cornseed sound of some songs.I am not a great supporter of traditional country,it leaves me cringing to an extent,but for some reason I love this album,and always will..I am just sweet on this Sweetheart..and i have grown to appreciate country music ever since.This is a 41/2 to 5 star recording..buy it and add it to your influential recording collection.

With singer and guitarist GRAM PARSONS replacing DAVID CROSBY and KEVIN KELLEY replacing MIKE CLARKE, THE BYRDS would become the first rock and roll group to record country music. Plus, this is also the third album that future BYRDS member CLARENCE WHITE would play on before joining full-time, but also the only album that GRAM and KEVIN (CHRIS HILLMAN'S cousin) would record with THE BYRDS. My only complaint about this album this that the group's leader ROGER MCGUINN should not have taken over the lead vocal on songs that their newest member GRAM PARSONS would bring to the band to record. Even though ROGER could emitate GRAM'S singing abilities, GRAM had the best singing voice. More importantly, he should have been the lead singer for the majority of this album; furthermore, it is unfortunate that he died in 1973 after CLARENCE. Anyway, YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE is a excellent opening song for the album with the excellent sounding pedal steel guitar that would replace ROGER'S 12-string RICKENBACKER guitar throughout the entire album, the keyboards, and the harmony vocals. CHRIS'S I AM A PILGRIM is a excellent sequel with his singin and mandolin playing, banjo, acoustic guitar, and a violin, but his arrangement and lead vocal of BLUE CANADIAN ROCKIES (one of my favorite songs) with the piano, CLARENCE'S string bending guitar playing, is a whole lot better. Plus, ROGER plays an excellent bango on the bluegrass flavored PRETTY BOY FLOYD that also features a violin, a mandolin, and a string bass. The alternate version of THE CHRISTIAN LIFE that features the piano, pedal steel guitar and CLARENCE'S guitar playing, like the original version, sounds better with GRAM'S lead vocals. YOU DON'T HAVE TO MISS YOUR WATER is an excellent country flavored song with the track piano and the pedal steel guitar, but it would have sound better with GRAM'S singin' instead. The version of this song should have been included on this edition. NOTHING WAS DELIVERED is and excellent song, especially with the harmony vocals. As for GRAM'S songs, his HICKORY WIND with the violin, harmony vocals, the acoustic and pedal steel guitar, is my favorite song that he sings, but his next song ONE HUNDRED YEARS FORM NOW would have sound better if GRAM, CHRIS and ROGER would have sung this together, instead of just CHRIS and ROGER. Plus, the alternative that his sings on is excellent, but the pace and the background music is better on the album issue. The other two country songs that he sings LIFE IN PRISON, YOU'RE STILL ON MY MIND, and his guitar rockin' song LAZY DAYS with his lead vocals, CHRIS'S harmony vocals, ROGER'S 12-string RICKENBACKER are outstanding too. YOU GOT A REPUTATION with the dobro and vocals by GRAM, ROGER, and CHRIS and PRETTY POLLY with ROGER'S singin and the 12-string RICKENBACKER are excellent songs. Although the last song ALL I HAVE IS MEMORIES is a excellent instrumental song with the pedal steel guitar and CLARENCE'S guitar riffs, I just do not understand why the version with KEVIN'S lead vocals that are very similar to GRAM was not included on this edition, or even the original release. This version and the version of YOU DON'T HAVE TO MISS YOUR WATER and NOTHING WAS DELIVERED with GRAM'S lead vocals should have been included on this edition instead of the alternate versions of YOU'RE STILL ON MY MIND and LIFE IN PRISON since these two versions both have GRAM'S lead vocals. Meanwhile, the hidden bonus broadcasting advertisement of this album is a pleasure to hear. Overall, this is my most favorite album by THE BYRDS.