Is the Byrds "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" part of your collection?

Yes, and I love it! Their cover of Tim Hardin's "Reputation" is brilliant.

 

I stopped at Notorious Byrd Brothers. I wasn't a fan of The Byrds going country.
Missed Crosby's harmonies. I know they had a little bit of Country on the previous albums,
but this was just too much for me.

 

Its an over-rated album in the country rock genre. I own it, appreciate its place and influence in rock history, and like it, but don't love it. Which is odd because the alternate takes with Gram singing (on the deluxe edition) are actually better and raise the potential for the album a notch or two! Its not the first nor the best of its ilk. Its primary strength is the Byrd's name - but as a country rock album, there are others from the era that are better. Chris Hillman's country rock tracks on Younger Than Yesterday are superior.

 

In between the first two choices. I like it more than I view it as just "important" but it's not a perfect album. Nice sound, a few great tracks ("Life in Prison", "Hickory Wind"s), but not my favorite Byrds release.

 

Not sure I'd really consider that much of a compliment.

 

I love it.

I think it's quite a "light" album in some ways - fun, catchy, not much too serious or emotional (barring Hickory Wind), but that's not a bad thing in this case as I find it very easy to listen to. It tends to be an album I stick on when I can't think what to listen to.

 

I had to choose 'Yes, because of its historical importance, but I hardly ever listen to it', because I haven't played it in years. It would be an exaggeration to say that I love it. But, I enjoy it when hear it.

 

Really love The Byrds and I have all their albums.
This one is my least favorite. Never liked it.

 

Stuck between like and love, I gave it the benefit of doubt. I do listen to it betimes.

 

I voted yes and historical importance but when I am in mood for it I love it. It's kind of a in between, don't play if often but enjoy it when I do.

 

I think it is a great record, really solid, though ultimately I prefer Notorious.

 

Sweethearts influence and importance is heavily a product of latter day revisionism and hipster booster-ism. It did not do well at the time. I don't think its the best of its genre although that, admittedly, is pretty subjective. It is a good album. It was Grams association with the then well known, highly regarded Byrds, and his association with rock royalty that garnered mainstream rock press attention; his love of country music and marriage with rock & roll music. Gram helped bring some light to that nascent branch of late 60's rock that was the Everly Brothers, Poco, Mason Proffit, Rick Nelson, and eventually the breakout of the Eagles. To that extent - its an iconic album.

 

Sure

 

Some of the songs, like "You're Still On My Mind," are country. Some, Like "Pretty Boy Floyd," are folk. Then again, "One Hundred Years From Now" sounds like pop, just with a pedal steel included. The lack of cohesion might be one reason why it never found an audience back then. But while the different arrangements make it sound kind of like one of those K-tel compilation albums, most of the songs were well performed, in my opinion.

I might be the one of the few who would say this, but I think that wiping most of Gram's vocals helped the album. He was not much of a singer, and his solo vocals on the reissue tracks are uneven.

 

Nope. I enjoy much of the Byrds' music and some other country rock from the era, but I thought this was fairly awful.

 

Someone put a "revised" version of the album on Youtube with all of the Gram Parsons lead vocals in place of the ones that were released on Sweetheart. I'm a big fan of Gram Parsons, but that made it sound basically like a Gram Parsons solo album and lends credence to the theory that Gram was trying to hi-jack the band. Perhaps they could have used one more of his lead vocals, but I love the album as it is. It's a definite turn of direction, but it still has those Byrds harmonies. I think it has aged extremely well and I still think it's better and more genuinely country than any of the formulaic redneck pop music on "country" radio today.

 

What is radio?

 

I listened to this album a LOT during my Flying Burrito/Doug Sahm/Dylan all day every day phase. Still love it. GREAT record.

Still need a clean copy on LP! Not as cheap as it used to be!

 

Yes, and I LIKE it. But I don't LOVE it.

 

Yes, because I'm a Gram fan, beyond the hits, I'm not much of a Byrds fan

 

The choices need more graduation. I like it and play it but don't love it. So I fit between the first two choices.

 

Here's a head-scratcher that I put to the experts on this forum; the advert for Sweetheart Of The Rodeo that's tacked onto the end of the Legacy edition 's 'All I Have Is Memories' with the guy and girl arguing about whether it's The Byrds or not ("See, it is The Byrds - they're doing Dylan!"), ends with a voiceover that says something like "For their new record, The Byrds take eleven trips to the country...join them!". Now, I'm convinced that the voice belongs to Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap, Mr Burns from The Simpson etc).

Anyone?

 

Took me a while to get into and now its essential. Its also got some great pre-stringbender Clarence White playing.

 

Not yet. I have the first three albums on CD at the moment only.
But I'm thinking of getting Younger Than Yesterday and Rodeo sometime.