Byrds Younger Than Yesterday CD

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.
Younger Than Yesterday was somewhat overlooked at the time of its release during an intensely competitive era that found the Byrds on a commercial downslide. However, time has shown it to be the most durable of the Byrds' albums, with the exception of Mr. Tambourine Man. David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, and especially Chris Hillman come into their own as songwriters on an eclectic but focused set blending folk-rock, psychedelia, and early country-rock. The sardonic "So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star" was a terrific single; "My Back Pages," also a small hit, was the last of their classic Dylan covers; "Thoughts and Words," the flower-power anthem "Renaissance Fair," "Have You Seen Her Face," and the bluegrass-tinged "Time Between" are all among their best songs. The jazzy "Everybody's Been Burned" may be Crosby's best composition, although his "Mind Gardens" is one of his most excessive. [The CD reissue has six bonus tracks, including the fine Crosby-penned single "Lady Friend," and notably different alternate versions of "Mind Gardens" and "My Back Pages."] ~ Richie Unterberger
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..."