Younger Than Yesterday [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: The Byrds
Artist: Hugh Masekela; Vern Gosdin; Clarence White
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: The 1996 reissue of YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY includes six bonus tracks: "It Happens Each Day," "Don't Make Waves," "Lady Friend," "Old John Robertson" (the B-side of the "Lady Friend" single), and alternate versions of "My Back Pages" and "Mind Gardens." The Byrds: David Crosby (vocals, guitar); Jim McGuinn (vocals, 12-string guitar); Chris Hillman (vocals, bass); Michael Clarke (drums). Additional personnel: Vern Gosdin (acoustic guitar); Clarence White (electric guitar); Hugh Masekela (horns). Reissue producer: Bob Irwin. Recorded in 1966-67. Includes liner notes by David Fricke and Johnny Rogan. Digitally remastered using 20-Bit Super Mapping system. Released in April 1967, months before the Summer Of Love, YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY was proof that The Byrds had already graduated from their fascination with the psychedelic "scene." "Eight Miles High" may have introduced the general public to the counter culture's interests and fascinations, but this song cycle found The Byrds reluctant to rest their faith in either the growing movement they helped bring together, or the art form that was the movement's voice. The sonic lessons they'd learned still infused many of the tracks. Tape-loops created the splendorous backdrop of "Mind Gardens," the Eastern modes used on "Eight Miles High" reappeared on the re-recorded "Why," and "C.T.A.-102" seemed less a song than an excuse to use the studio as a laboratory for new sounds. But a new direction was emerging. "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star," a tongue-in-cheek treatise on fame, and Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages," the best known tracks here, both hinted at a reevaluation of previously settled matters. David Crosby's folky, Eastern-tinged "Everybody's Been Burned" may have been written well before he joined the group, but it is a dark declaration on moderation, trust and responsibility, that comfortably fits within the context of the era. And Chris Hillman's country-minded contributions not only grounded The Byrds with a salt-of-the-earth feel missing from the rest of the album, but hinted at the Nashville sound where they and many of their psychedelic brethren would soon end up. Now, as then, YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY seems like the precursor to a generation's truer awakening.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.126) - Ranked #124 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "Hillman bloomed as a writer, simultaneously reviving the Byrds' early magic and foreshadowing their adventures in country rock..." Entertainment Weekly (6/28-7/5/96, p.106) - "...illustrates why the best Byrds music still inspires musicians....And while time hasn't enhanced the group's forays into psychedelia...there are enough keepers to make you forgive their occasional tendency to fly into walls." - Rating: B+ Q (12/94, p.158) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...flawed Byrds masterpiece...a seamless blend of psychedelia, C&W, rock and jazz. These American Beatles were never in better form..." Melody Maker (5/11/96, p.50) - Recommended - "...As haphazard as all false divinities, maybe The Byrds kissed the sky mostly by accident. It doesn't matter. You can still find them up there." Musician (8/96, p.90) - "Seems unfair to do this reissue a mere four years after you dropped a pile of money on the box set, but whatever `20-bit remastering' means, I like the sound better here. The guitar interplay emerges with greater warmth and clarity, without over-thinning the wash..." NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #98 in NME's list of the `Greatest Albums Of All Time.' NME (Magazine) (5/11/96, p.46) - 10 (out of 10) - "...a work of genius....a sprawling multi-flavoured blow out..."

Adding ringing electric guitars to Bob Dylan songs, the Byrds helped invent folk-rock, as well as becoming early proponents of psychedelia and popularizing country-rock with the help of alt-country saint Gram Parsons. Led by Roger McGuinn and his distinctive Rickenbacker guitar sound, the mid-1960s lineup--also featuring David Crosby, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman--achieved fame with their unique take on Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Personnel changes resulted in a core band of only McGuinn and Hillman, but the short-lived addition of Parsons allowed for the creation of the landmark SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO album. Ultimately, McGuinn assumed full control of the Byrds legacy, and their harmonies and jangly guitars have influenced countless younger bands.

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