The Notorious Byrd Brothers

Although the seminal, Gram Parsons–touched Sweetheart of the Rodeo is credited for the advent of country-rock, this preceding album hinted at that direction even before Parsons’ contributions. The tension and turmoil that reduced The Byrds to a trio following the album’s recording made for some awesome studio performances, best exemplified with a spaced-out cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “Wasn’t Born to Follow,” where the guitars are phased, flanged, and panned hard while Roger McGuinn’s jangly Rickenbacker is kept well intact. The band’s musing on the Vietnam War birthed “Draft Morning,” a standout song trimmed in subtle psychedelia that has inspired many a cosmic twang-rock recreationist. Both “Change Is Now” and “Old John Robertson” laid out the country-rock stepping stones for Parsons to saunter in on later that year. The bonus tracks here are stellar, especially “Triad” and “Universal Mind Decoder” (which toward the end contains a hidden track of the band fighting).