Younger Than Yesterday

Infobox Album | Name = Younger Than Yesterday
Type = studio
Artist = The Byrds


Released = February 6 1967
Recorded = November 28–December 8 1966
(except "Why": February 21 1966)
Genre = Rock
Length = 29:11
Label = Columbia/Legacy
Producer = Gary Usher
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:bxfm96oo3ep1 link]
*Robert Christgau (B-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+byrds link]
Last album = "Fifth Dimension" (1966)

This album = "Younger Than Yesterday"
(1967)
Next album = "The Byrds' Greatest Hits"
(1967)
Misc = Singles
Name =Younger Than Yesterday
Type =studio
Single 1 =So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" / "Everybody's Been Burned
Single 1 date =January 9, 1967
Single 2 =My Back Pages" / "Renaissance Fair
Single 2 date =March 13, 1967
Single 3 =Have You Seen Her Face" / "Don't Make Waves
Single 3 date =May 22, 1967

"Younger Than Yesterday" is the fourth album from the folk-rock group The Byrds, released in February 1967 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2642 in mono, CS 9442 in stereo. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart during a stay of 24 weeks, and made it to #37 in the United Kingdom.Inote|Connors|Connors As per previous history, the band released a lead single ahead of the album, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" on January 9, its highest chart position being #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two additional singles were taken from the album, "My Back Pages" and "Have You Seen Her Face," making it to #30 and #74 respectively, "My Back Pages" the final time the band broke the Top 40 in the United States.

History

Settling into their new existence as a quartet, Roger McGuinn and David Crosby continued to hone their songwriting skills, and Michael Clarke, initially hired for his looks, had matured into a competent and at times impressive drummer. Probably the most surprising development was the emergence of Chris Hillman as the band's third writer, jumping from a shared credit for an instrumental on the previous LP to four full credits on this album, as well as a co-write of the lead single. That single, an acerbic but good-natured swipe at the success of manufactured rock bands like The Monkees, suggested certain ironies due to the pre-fabricated elements of the Byrds' own career, leading some fans to mistake it as autobiographical. Hillman's bass playing is on full display as he constructs a series of variations on the main riff, the production rounded out by the sound of screaming teenage girls, taped at a Byrds show in Bournemouth, England during the band's 1965 UK tour. South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela contributed the clarion trumpet solo on "Rock and Roll Star;" both he and the Byrds would appear in late spring at the seminal Monterey Pop Festival.

Sessions for this album marked the beginning of a successful relationship with past Brian Wilson foil Gary Usher, who would go on to produce the band's next two albums as well. Hillman's country-rock flavored songs, "Time Between" and "The Girl with No Name," the latter about a young lady actually named Girl Freiberg, featured the sterling country chops of Clarence White. Both songs anticipated the future direction of the band in both style and personnel, as White would be the constant in the band opposite McGuinn during its latter-day country-influenced line-up.

Crosby's skills had improved rapidly, his moody jazz-influenced "Everybody's Been Burned" the first holistic example of his artistic voice seen in later work, notably his unique debut solo album. His ambitions expanded equally, however, beginning turmoil that would eventually lead to Crosby's dismissal from the group. McGuinn had fashioned a brilliant Dylan cover, and at the behest of manager Jim Dickson the band placed their version of Dylan's disavowal of topical folk-protest "My Back Pages" on "Yesterday" over Crosby's objections. [Coincidentally, the following year Graham Nash would quit The Hollies, the last straw being the band's plan to record an album of Dylan songs, as with Crosby viewing that move as retrogressive. Both would have ample opportunity to indulge songwriting output in their collaboration with Stephen Stills.] The fourth time the band dipped into the well of his fourth album, the track is often cited as one of their strongest Dylan interpretations. By contrast, Crosby had insisted upon the inclusion of two tracks, one the band detested, "Mind Gardens" derided by McGuinn as having no "rhythm, meter, or rhyme." [Zimmer and Diltz, p. 44] The album closed with Crosby's second resolution, an alternate recording of "Why" cut during "Fifth Dimension" sessions; a lesser attempt than the great b-side to "Eight Miles High," Crosby pushed for its inclusion despite the availability of other new material. [Rogan, p. 13] Related to these disagreements or not, the band obstructed another song composed by Crosby, "Lady Friend," from appearing on "Yesterday", eventually recorded and issued instead as a single on July 13, four weeks after Crosby's guest appearance with Buffalo Springfield at Monterey Pop. [Rogan, p. 14] During the Byrds' set at that event, in between numbers Crosby digressed on the fallacies of the Warren Commission Report, and on the benefits of LSD, which infuriated McGuinn. [Zimmer and Diltz, p. 50] Friction between Crosby and his bandmates mounted.

Despite the album's moderate chart performance, its critical stature has grown substantially over the years. RS500|124

"Younger Than Yesterday" was remixed and remastered at 20-bit resolution as part of the Columbia/Legacy Byrds series, reissued in an expanded form on April 30 1996. The six bonus tracks included both sides of the "Lady Friend" single, another exemplary Crosby track puzzlingly left off the album "It Happens Each Day," a throwaway written for a Tony Curtis/Claudia Cardinale film vehicle of the same name, "Don't Make Waves," and an instrumental "Mind Gardens" as a hidden track.

Track listing

#"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) – 2:05
#"Have You Seen Her Face" (Hillman) – 2:40
#"C.T.A.-102" (McGuinn, R.J. Hippard) – 2:28
#"Renaissance Fair" (David Crosby, McGuinn) – 1:51
#"Time Between" (Hillman) – 1:53
#"Everybody's Been Burned" (Crosby) – 3:05
#"Thoughts and Words" (Hillman) – 2:56
#"Mind Gardens" (Crosby) – 3:46
#"My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 3:08
#"The Girl with No Name" (Hillman) – 1:50
#"Why" (Crosby, McGuinn) – 2:45

1996 CD reissue Bonus Tracks

#

"It Happens Each Day" (Crosby) – 2:44
#"Don’t Make Waves" (McGuinn, Hillman) – 1:36
#"My Back Pages" [Alternate Version] (Dylan) – 2:42
#"Mind Gardens" [Alternate Version] (Crosby) – 3:17
#"Lady Friend" [Single Version] (Crosby) – 2:30
#"Old John Robertson [Single Version] (Hillman, McGuinn) – 1:49
#"Mind Gardens" [Instrumental - Hidden Track] (Crosby) – 3:01

Personnel

* Roger McGuinn – vocals, guitars
* David Crosby – vocals, guitars
* Chris Hillman – vocals, bass
* Michael Clarke – drums

Additional personnel

* Clarence White – guitars
* Hugh Masekela – trumpet
* Vern Gosdin – acoustic guitar

Singles

# "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" b/w "Everybody's Been Burned" (Columbia 43987) 9 January 1967
# "My Back Pages" b/w "Renaissance Fair" (Columbia 44054) 13 March 1967
# "Have You Seen Her Face" b/w "Don't Make Waves" (Columbia 44157) 22 May 1967

Release history

Notes

References

* Zimmer, Dave, and Diltz, Henry. "Crosby Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography" (First edition), St. Martin’s Press, 1984. ISBN 0-312-17660-0
* [http://ebni.com/byrds/refdiscogbyrds.html Connors, Tim. 'Byrds Discography', "Byrd Watcher" (February 15 1998)] Retrieved July 242005.
* Fricke, David. Liner Notes, "Younger Than Yesterday", Columbia/Legacy CK 64848 1996.
* Rogan, Johnny. Liner Notes, "Younger Than Yesterday", Columbia/Legacy CK 64848 1996.
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:m9508qmtbtq4 Unterberger, Richie. 'Younger Than Yesterday', "All Music" (2005)] Retrieved July 242005.
* Whitburn, Joel. "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001," ISBN 0-89820-147-0