The Byrds — Younger Than Yesterday
album review

LYRICS FROM "SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR"
So you want to be a rock 'n' roll star?
Then listen now to what I say:
Just get an electric guitar,
Then take some time
and learn how to play . . .
And with your hair swung right
And your pants too tight,
It's gonna be all right . . .
The price you paid for your riches and fame,
Was it all a strange game?
You're a little insane—
The money, the fame,
The public acclaim.
Don't forget what you are,
You're a rock 'n' roll star!

Album Review: The 1967 Byrds album Younger Than Yesterday is one of their most interesting albums because it was their best attempt at integration of the Byrds many faces: up-tempo folk-rock, pop, psychedelic folk, and country-rock. This pattern was successfully established on the Byrds' previous release, Fifth Dimension, with progressive pop songs like "Eight Miles High," standard Byrds fare like "John Riley," and country-ish tunes like "Mr. Spaceman." Though the pattern is the same here, Younger Than Yesterday one-ups Fifth Dimension by giving us more mature songwriting and enhanced production values. Here are some examples of the sounds you will hear... The song "Thoughts And Words" is reminiscent of the Beatles in their 1965/66 phase, with nicely chorused vocals, minor-key verses, and an upbeat hook. "The Girl With No Name" in a nice, quick, rambling little ditty that's mostly pop with a slight tinge of country. "My Back Pages" is a classic Byrds hit—though you probably can't sing it in your head unless you think of the hook's lyrics: "Oh, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." The song "Why" continues the Byrds' trend towards a denser, "more jangled" sound, with Roger McGuinn's 12-string electric guitar doing counterpoint with lush, chorused vocals. "Don't Make Waves" is a fairly straight-ahead Byrds song in the jangly mold they so clearly defined, with maybe just a hint of Beach Boys or Monkees poppishness in the undertones. The hit song "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star" is one of the standouts on the album, with its bounciness, its great driving bassline, and a mild South American feel provided by the background instrumentation. Younger Than Yesterday also contains perhaps the most perfect pop gem the Byrds ever recorded: "Have You Seen Her Face" will dance through year ears, caress your music-loving brain, and stick in your memory for good. Younger Than Yesterday is an excellent album from the Byrds' peak period, and you won't find a better example of their fine craftsmanship.

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