Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
After Chris Hillman dragged new friend Gram Parsons into the Byrds, they made an album as close to a country masterpiece as a rock act could ever make. In fact, the only tunes better than the definitive covers here of songs by Bob Dylan ("You Ain't Going Nowhere"), Guthrie ("Pretty Boy Floyd") and the Louvin Brothers ("The Christian Life") are Parsons's originals, especially the incomparable "Hickory Wind". iSweetheart/i wasn't the first country-rock album, but with its gorgeous three-way harmonies and sweet pedal steel, it remains the best. i--David Cantwell/i

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-07-01 rating:
Dreadful
I the Legacy Edition of this album there is a quote in the liner notes from Roger McGuinn who says "we were trying to make country music, as purely as we could. But we were so young- and we were a rock band." This suggests that they somehow missed the mark of making a country record; my big disappointment is that the hit the mark so wholeheartedly. This is sickly sweet (production wise) Nashville at its worst. It would have been nice if the Byrds had strayed into rock a bit more. I have tried a few times to listen to this album but it just confirms all my prejudices about country music, sickly sweet slide guitars and the rest. I had hoped that my recent conversion to the cause of finding country music that I like by Johnny Cash would soften me up to having another go at this album but not so, it is still as dreadful to my ears as it was before. I am not prepared to surrender my intellect and integrity this cheaply. br / br /Avoid this, it is as bad as the cover picture suggests. If on the other hand you think the cover picture suggests good ol' country music on this disc then go ahead, you will get everything you deserve.

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review by: Willingale date: 2009-05-03 rating:
Byrds record in Nashville !
Sweetheart of the Rodeo,released in 1968,was the first time a major rock act had recorded in Nashville,as Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline arrived in 1969. br /Having said that Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde was recorded using several top country session musicians in 1966. br /This album was a bombshell to Byrds fans rock music in general. br /The contrast from The Notorious Byrd Brothers could hardly have been greater,from the cutting edge of a rock classic to making a major step towards the country rock genre. br /It took time for this listerner to get used to the new direction,but its very worthwhile as newly recruited Gram Parsons took control of the Byrds this one only time. br /Its still The Byrds,but not as we had first known them. br /

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review by: Paul date: 2009-03-29 rating:
The Byrds Play Country-Rock
Yes, this is The Byrds, and yes, they're playing country music. This album is a world away from the jangly folk-pop they mastered on their first few records and with which they're most associated. As such, 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo' might not please everyone and it certainly didn't please many music fans or critics at the time of its release, although it's since been recognised as a very influential and groundbreaking record. Two of the most important original members of The Byrds had already left at this point, David Crosby and Gene Clark, and the group began looking for a new direction. Cue Gram Parsons, a young upstart from Georgia, originally drafted in as a keyboardist and vocalist, who pushed The Byrds headlong into country. br / br /Pop rock bands didn't play country music at all back then, but Parsons' dream was to make the much-maligned genre 'cool' again and have long-haired dope-smokers listen to it. Suffice to say, it didn't work, but 'Sweetheart' did go on to influence a number of musicians and has been credited with starting the 'alternative country' sound, where the boundaries between rock and country music blur. As such it's a very important album and you can trace a line to the likes of The Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Cowboy Junkies, Ryan Adams, Lambchop and many more. br / br /If you shrug off your prejudice and take 'Sweetheart' for what it is, it's a lovely album. Laid-back, traditional and romantic, with The Byrds' usual sweet harmonies still present on many tracks. There's a terrific version of Dylan's 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' that sounds instantly classic. Gram Parsons contributes the effortlessly beautiful 'Hickory Wind', which hints at what he'd achieve on his later solo records, and there's a great reading of the soul classic 'You Don't Miss Your Water' (which Otis Redding sang on his classic 'Otis Blue' album). Wispy pedal steel and a country twang rule throughout the album. br / br /I found plenty to enjoy here, and I'm not really a fan of country, but it's certainly in The Byrds' top five albums. Just don't expect the jingle-jangle of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' or the psychedelia of 'Eight Miles High'. br / br /

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review by: Ray Burns date: 2005-01-26 rating:
A real Sweetheart
I've had this album since it was first released. I would say that it has got to be one of the dozen or so essential albums in any popular music lovers collection, and in this expanded version is a must buy.brMy fellow reviewers have given you the details, I just advise you to do yourselves a big favour add this to your collection, I promise you won't be disappointed.


review by: date: 2004-11-08 rating:
Unfulfilled promise
With an album such as Sweetheart there is one great pitfall to avoid. Gram Parsons has been hailed as a country-rock genius, but he only played on this one Byrds album. He then left the band, formed the Burittos, left them and formed his own band, then died young. So how do you avoid going over the top about the contribution of one dissipated young man?pThe answer is not to try. This is a beautiful album, lifted above the Byrd's mainstream pop noodlings by Gram's influence. It is a mix of new songs, old country standards, and the usual bit of Dylan, but all made into a gorgeous and seamless whole. This album probably did invent country-rock. The musicianship is outstanding, usually understated and embellishing the songs rather than standing out from them. The lead vocals and harmonies are all expressive and note perfect. The bonus tracks really are a bonus too - listening to several of the songs with Gram's alternative lead vocal takes remind us again what we're missing.pWhy only four stars? Because, however much I love the albums he made after it, Sweetheart of the Rodeo always makes me ask what Gram Parsons would have recorded if he'd stayed with the Byrds just a bit longer.

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