Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Holy crap is this bad. Why did they feel the need to make a country album? Their other stuff is so good, but this is derivative, hokey, and cringey.

1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

another easy listen from the byrds

I’d agree with anyone who says the Byrds are over represented on this list, but this country rock gem is the one I’d go to bat for. It only loses a star for whatever slack-jawed yokel voice McGuinn is doing on The Christian Life - was he worried that if he sang it straight, people might think he meant it?

Как же меня заебало это кантри сраное
Причем нормально же эти типы делали. И вдруг они откатываются до базовых настроек.

This one carries a lot of historical weight, and you can hear why. It’s one of the records that really opened the door between rock and country, and a lot of the Americana and alt-country music I’ve spent years playing traces back here in some way.

The playing is tight and tasteful throughout—great pedal steel, solid picking, and a band that clearly understands the feel of the music they’re trying to make. Gram Parsons’ influence is obvious, and the whole record has that early blueprint of what later became the Uncle Tupelo / Son Volt / Wilco lane.

That said, listening to it now, some of it feels more important than it feels powerful. The songs are good, but the arrangements and dynamics can feel a bit one-dimensional compared to the artists this record inspired. When I hear these tunes I can’t help imagining what a band with a bigger sonic palette might do with them.

So while I respect the record a lot—and I’m glad to know it in context—it doesn’t hit me emotionally the way some of its musical descendants do.

Rating: 4/5 — historically important, well played, and foundational to a whole genre, even if it doesn’t quite reach the emotional punch of the best Americana records that followed.

From The Notorious Byrd Brothers to Sweetheart of the Rodeo is a notable step but not unaccountable. The sixties counterculture was always more a matter of finding sustenance in a variety of traditions than it was merely a necessary break from boring conventions. In other words, if the blues can lay a foundation for psychedelia then why can't country. This is the best a Byrd can do, my favorite record of their catalogue, b/c it's the most fun & the most enigmatic. A large part of the fun is not knowing if irony has the last word: 'My buddies shun me, since I turned to Jesus / They say I'm missin' a whole world of fun / I live w/o them & walk in the light / I like the Christian life.' Whatchu think? More than anything tho, it sounds fin' great.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo is often hailed as a pioneering country-rock record, but for me it was a real tough listen. The blend of rock, pop and traditional country just doesn’t do anything for me. I found it surprisingly flat and one-dimensional, and listening to the extended version only amplified that feeling.

There’s a strong late-’60s Nashville influence throughout, pedal steel, harmonies, and more than a hint of religious sentiment — but rather than sounding groundbreaking, it comes across as dated and uninspiring. I

Favourite track: One Hundred Years from Now was passable and at least had a bit of energy.

Least favourite tracks: Hickory Wind and The Christian Life did very little for me. In truth, I struggled to find many real highlights across the album.

Album artwork: Lots going on and nothing very good.

Wait a minute, this isn't jangly rock. This is country.

I mean, yeah, it's nice enough, but it's also boring. It's too country for me.

This was fine, nothing remarkable, quite pleasant at times.

Miles better than Fifth Dimension - I think the production here is a lot better.

Yeah, no. No thank you.

I will never understand peoples strange obsession with Gram Parsons. I guess he did pave the way for the "butt rock in a 10 gallon hat" people pass off as country music today, gee thanks.

I honestly wish I had never listened to this and that there was a score lower than 1 star, but here we are.

Second Byrds album for me, didn’t like the first one. Hated this one. It was on a fast track to one star.

Then we got to Lazy Days. Bloody great song. Then it’s followed up by Pretty Polly, another great track. I wish I had enjoyed the rest of the album as much as these two cause I’d be looking at a 4 or 5 star but it is what it is.

Top Track - Lazy Days

I think this was one of those "you had to be there" things

Yep, daar zijn ze weer, die Byrds. Om er dan toch wat goeds over te zeggen. De albums hadden toch steeds hun eigen stijl. In dit geval vooral een nog wat meer Amerikaans geluid; zelf zo sterk dat het zich totaal niet onderscheidt.

It’s a stock standard country album where they wrote none of the songs, this song imo is not revolutionary in any way, if I want to listen to a bob Dylan written song, I’ll just listen to bob dylan

I tried - I really did. Initial listen I assumed was a parody. Then I read a little bit about the origin of the album and the interpersonal dynamics and gave it another listen with an open mind. I enjoy country and bluegrass, can definitely appreciate old timey music. I just couldn't turn the corner, sorry fellas.

Oh man, I didn't enjoy this. I was hopeful.

After listening to The Notorious Byrd Brothers last week I was not excited to listen to this.

Instead I was charmed from the first notes of Dylan's You Ain't Going Nowhere and held to the end.

Without an ounce of insincerity, The Byrds go to church on I am a Pilgrim and The Christian Life, suffer heartbreak, get nostalgic, go to jail and, on One Hundred Years from Now, even manage to sound like The Byrds.

Of course the Rock and Roll people didn't like it (Too Country!) and Nashville hated it (Hippies making fun of us) but at this distance it's clear that it's an utterly charming piece of Americana.

This challenge has made me realise I do like the sound of country music, which isn’t very popular where I’m from. Some of the albums on here I have found sound nice but get repetitive fast. This one held my attention a lot better. On research I realise a lot of this is covers, but I’m not sure if that should affect my rating. Speaking of covers, I think this album has a great one and I like the title too.

The Good: We get to do a little bird watching…
The Bad: I forgot my binoculars…
The Ugly: The parked car underneath a tree is left full of…

He-Haw! However, I don’t feel like He-Hawing… and the faux-drawl just isn’t doing it for me.

Don’t know if it is because I am tired of these past 2-3 weeks with countless sub-par albums, that I need to listen to something really great to get excited. This album did not do the trick for me.

As a matter of fact, I would throw this album straight out of the window into a ravine, thus ensuring that nobody else would have to listen to the album.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s musicianship on display, and the songs aren’t half badly written… however, if you’ve been psychedelic rock, stick to that, or go to rock, don’t start he-hawing things up in the hopes that you will get applause left and right. Imagine Crosby Stills Nash and Young doing a disco album… just doesn’t work.

So, I will be a bastard and throw 2* their way… sorry folks, just not my cup of tea at this moment.