Younger Than Yesterday

 

 

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1967 was a vintage year for pop music and this album, one of the finest Byrds albums, reinforces my belief about just how much great music was released in that year, although all the tracks were actually recorded in 1966.. It was not especially successful at the time of its release, failing to make the top twenty of the American album charts, but it has aged well and may be better appreciated now than in 1967.

The album is notable for the emergence of Chris Hillman as a songwriter as well as great songs written or co-written by Roger McGuinn and David Crosby. The other notable feature is that this was the last album before the group went through a period of high staff turnover. Four of the original five were together for this album, the only absentee being Gene Clark. David Crosby was to depart during the recording of the next album after this and others followed later.

The album opens with So you want to be a rock'n'roll star (about the Monkees, whose music has stood the test of time, confounding their critics) - this song was a top thirty hit in America. It was the only hit although another single (Have you seen her) was released, which is probably why the album was not originally very successful.

Bob Dylan only contributed one song (My back pages) although two versions of it are included here. The other songs were all written or co-written by members of the Byrds. Of the remaining songs, I particularly like Everybody's been burned, Renaissance fair, Time between and Lady friend, but this is a great album from start to finish.

If you enjoy their music enough to want more than just a hits collection, this is a good place to start collecting their original albums.

Get together a group of twenty Byrds fans, chances are you'll have twenty different ideas about which one of their classic albums was the best. Was it the neo-Beatles fresh excitement of Mr. Tambourine Man?? The sci-fi dominant sound of 5D? Or perhaps the country-rock twang of that groundbreaking phenomenon known as Sweetheart of the Rodeo??? If you were to ask my opinion (go ahead, ask!), the Byrds best album is a tossup between two classics: The often-overlooked, always underrated slab of sci-fi fuzztone country hard rock known as Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde, or Younger Than Yesterday, the masterpiece you see before you. By 1967, the Byrds songwriting skills and musical direction were at their peak, even after the loss of such a seminal talent as Gene Clark. Younger is a thoroughly appealing mix of sci-fi, mystic wonder, post-Beatles enthusiasm, and just enough cynicism to give the whole thing some perspective. "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star" rolls along at ninety miles a minute and features guest performances by trumpeter Hugh Masekela and percussionist Big Black (not to mention real Byrds-screams from fans lifted from a British concert date!) As David Crosby once said, it comes across as "a little cynical," but also like a lot of fun. "Have You Seen Her Face" features a fresh, Beatlesque feel and super guitar from soon-to-be-fulltime-Byrd Clarence White. "CTA-102" is pure, enjoyably danceable nonsense, complete with space aliens, while "Renaissance Fair" is the Cros at his most positive as he takes in one of those time-flashback-type hippie events. "Time Between" is one of the first (and best) Byrdsongs featuring Chris Hillman (plus more great Clarence White guitar), while "Everybody's Been Burned" is simply Crosby at his introspective best. But where, oh where do you ask, is Roger McGuinn, the heart and soul of this little sewing circle? Why, merely cutting one of the finest Dylan covers ever put to vinyl. "My Back Pages," like much of McGuinn's best work, has a timeless, transcendant feel, courtesy in no small part to his fabulous electric 12-string Rickenbacher guitar. Fantastic!! All this plus five bonus cuts (the standout for me is "Old John Robertson," a wonderful little vignette about an ageing movie cowboy) will be sure to put you in Byrd heaven. So get Younger Than Yesterday ASAP. All of us OTD types (Older Than Dirt, of course) are just waiting for you to put it on so we can all boogie in our walkers together!!!

This album is one of those albums that no one ever told me about, I just had to find it for myself. I'm in my 20's right now, and all my generation ever hears about from the 60's is Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Pet Sounds. It's a shame because some of the best music ever can be mined out of the 60's. This album is no exception. I agree with what a reviewer below wrote about Mind Gardens being a terrible song. Whew does it stink. But don't let that one blemish deter you. The song 'Why' displays the brilliance of this band. Great hook, incredible production, and an infectious chorus. David Crosby 'Everybody's Been Burned' is one of the most incredible ballads I've ever heard. Occasionaly, music takes on a life beyond it's creators or listeners. Pure magic this is.

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4.0 out of 5 stars The Byrds volando en lo más alto
De los tres discos de la etapa sicodélica de los Byrds (Fifth, Younger y Notorious) es difcil decidir entre éste y Fifth, pese a que ninguno es muy parejo. Read more

Published on Dec 27 2003 by jaimeurrutia

5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time great
I'm stunned it took me so long to discover the greatness of this album. The Byrds were prominent in the 60s, but they were almost too big to see all of what they accomplished... Read more

Published on Aug 18 2003 by John Stodder

4.0 out of 5 stars I was so much older then
This album is recognized as a folk rock classic. I don't know that I can add much to what has already been said about it. Read more

Published on Aug 15 2003 by Johnny Heering

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarence White's Contribution
CW plays not only on "Have You Seen Her Face", but that's his signature lead on "Time Between". This is his first appearance on a Byrds album.

Published on Aug 14 2003 by Stan McGee

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