Sweetheart Of The Rodeo - The Byrds - album review

Continuing my non-chronlogical look at the albums of the Byrds, we now move on to the one which perhaps had the most lasting influence of all, Sweetheart of The Rodeo.

I won't become embroiled in the tiresome debate about whether this was the first "country-rock" album. Works by Bob Dylan, Gene Clark and others, released around the same time, could also qualify for that accolade. What is indisputable is that Sweetheart Of The Rodeo represented some kind of landmark. 

Listening forty-odd years on, it is striking how comparatively little "rock" there is here for an LP dubbed "country-rock".  Compared to some of the insipid fare released by other artists under the latter banner in the 1970s, this sounds almost like "purist" country music.  The session musicians employed by the band certainly add that touch of authenticity.

This is the only Byrds album to feature country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons, and many of his contributions were erased from the original release for contractual reasons.  That said, Gram's distinctive vocals are evident on at least three of the tracks.  On the remainder of the cuts, Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn cope manfully.  Of course, David Crosby had by now departed the fold, but it is difficult to imagine his vocal harmonies suiting the country format!

The song list is a shrewd mixture of country-esque styles, including bluegrass, honky-tonk and country-soul, with a couple of Dylan numbers tastefully given the country-rock treatment.  This allows the strengths of the group members, particularly Hillman and Parsons, to be given free rein.  Underpinning all this is the backdrop provided by the sturdy session-men.  The pedal steel sound throughout is particularly soothing, even opulent.

Sensibly, the two Dylan songs are employed as "bookends" at either end of the album, anchoring the more estoteric (for mainstream ears) material in between.  The standout for me is "One Hundred Years From Now", a stirring melody backed by sumptuous pedal steel, and restrained but effective harmonies by McGuinn and Hillman.  "Hickory Wind" I often think is lauded more for what it represents than its aesthetic strenghts, and because it is Gram Parsons' "signature" tune.

The sound on the album is quite pleasing, and this has been faithfully retained by more recent remastering efforts. Crisp instrumentation, ample separation and space for the various contributors to be given full expression.  The nuances of the vocal harmonies are also nicely captured.

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo has held up well, compared to other "country rock" of its time, because The Byrds approached the project with the correct approach, that of wanting to record a country album, rather than a rock album with country tinges.  Much of what was spawned by "Sweetheart" sounds very diluted in comparison.

Of course, Hillman and Parsons were to have a further role in the marriage of country and rock, but that is another story....