The Byrds: What's Wrong With "Space Odyssey"?

Whenever Byrds' LPs or "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is discussed, "Space Odyssey" is looked down upon as a weak spot. Why is that? I think it a brilliant song with its arrangement, vocals, etc in both its mono and stereo incarnations.

Mono:


Stereo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoBx75ifp30&autoplay=1

 

It's too ahead of its time, as well as behind its time. The song never bothered me. 'Mind Gardens' is more annoying, but I like that song too.

 

I like this track. I also like Mind Garden.

 

It's a fascinating track but it has less immediate impact than most of the preceding stuff on a fairly amazing album.

 

Sorry, but this song is boring for me. Why they not included "Triad" instead (they can include "Goin' Back" too) and Crosby was will be happy.

 

The instrumental is basically a Scottish bagpipe drone, I guess whether you like it depends on how you feel about bagpipe drones.

 

Nothing wrong with the track IMO, it ends "Notorious...." perfectly. I saw them perform it live in London in 1968 at Middle Earth.

 

I always enjoy it. I also like bagpipe drones. To me it is in keeping with McGuinn's fascination with tying the old celtic-style music with new lyrics and rock music. It's in the same league as Jack Tarr the Sailor, John Riley, only this time he was able to add in the futuristic sci-fi lyrics. I would have been disappointed with Triad (although possibly not as a teenager), possibly for the same reasons others might prefer it. Are both Space Odyssey voices McGuinn's? I really like the harmony.

 

I wonder if Gene Clark did sing on this song... that's the rumour! I like the track but it could have used some variation in arrangement - much like Jack Tarr The Sailor on BOER.

 

Both voices are indeed McGuinn (a feat that he sadly was unable to replicate on stage) and it's true that rumour has it that Gene added vocals to the track. If he did, then they were either not used or mixed into obscurity...I've tried to hear Gene but all I can hear vocal-wise is two of Roger.

 

Nothing is wrong with "Space Odyssey". If you think that you can do it, go and try to write a song that creepy and intense. It'll take you longer than you think.

 

Knowing it might be Gene Clark sharing the vocals makes me like it even more.

 

"Space Odyssey" is one of my favorite Byrds tracks.

 

There's nothing wrong with "Space Odyssey," and I'm certainly used to having it end NBB after repeated listens over 35 years. But it is outshone by most of the other tracks on the album.

 

"Space Odyssey" is 2 minutes too long. It might have been tolerable at 1:52, but being the longest song on the album is criminal as it is the least interesting one.

 

I can see where someone might like Space Odyssey if they were a pirate. Having no experience out on the high seas, it just doesn't resonate with me. I find it musically dull and plodding. The psychedelic production and sci-fi lyrics help a bit, and if nothing else I would say it's the best of McGuinn's many forays into the sea shanty genre. But it's a mediocre song at best, and I think it particularly stands out like a sore thumb because of the high quality of everything else on that record.

That said, I prefer it to the Byrds' version of Triad. Beautiful melody but Crosby really oversings the song, making it seem almost melodramatic. And the sleazy lyrics don't appeal to me at all. The Airplane's version is far better. The lyrics seem less creepy when sung by a woman, and Grace's singing is much more subtle.

As I noted on another thread, my fantasy would be for Gene to have stayed in the band long enough to contribute an original song that could have replaced Spacey Odyssey. Imagine a psychedelic Byrds version of That's Alright by Me.

 

if john or paul had wrote it and the beatles recorded it it would have called a masterpiece

 

I like both of those songs, but "Space Odyssey" is unlistenable to me.

 

I'd say Jack Tarr is the unlistenable one-- John Riley and Space Odyssey are fine (though JR is more of a folk song, the third in this trilogy would really be "Jolly Roger").

 

I tend to share this assessment. It's not horrible, but "dull and plodding" sums it up pretty well and it pales after the brilliance that precedes it. Given that McGuinn seems to be reaching for some kind of cosmic revelation to conclude the album, the music here falls short, IMO.

 

The melody to "Space Odyssey" is a direct lift from a sea shantey. I believe the song is "The Handsome Cabin Boy."

 

Right Brett. Better choice. Also a song I enjoy.

 

Wow, I did not know that. A quick youtube search finds many versions, including this one by Garcia/Grisman:


It puzzles me that they thought this song was a better option than finishing Flight 715 or Bound to Fall.

 

My favorite version of "The Handsome Cabin Boy" is on Blow Boys Blow by Ewan MaColl and E.L. Lloyd. As for "Space Odyssey", I too found it a bit "dull and plodding."

 

Fair question. Do you think it might have had to do with the film 2001: A Space Odyssey that came out during '68? McGuinn had strong Hollywood ties at the time.