The Byrds were in for a bit of a trouble spot by this point. Gene Clark, the group’s main songwriter, had fled the Byrds, leaving creative songwriting duties almost entirely up to Jim McGuinn and David Crosby. Also, the band ran into issues with their record label, Columbia after they recorded new songs at a non-Columbia approved studio, which is an odd move for such a record label to pull on a band. Still, the band got their act together and released this early Psychedelic Rock album with some Indian raga influences, just in time for the late 1960s. This album, although now seen as a mixed effort, reached the Top 50 in both the USA and the UK. Also, this album broke away from covering Bob Dylan songs, which was an unusual move. Regardless, this album is highly worth exploring for listening, so let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear if it sounds any good.

5D (Fifth Dimension) goes straight into a joyous and pleasant listening experience with some lyrics about what is likely inspired by an LSD trip (although the band claimed it was about Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity), this is an awesome song from the start to finish, and it is somewhat Psychedelic, with great singing and melodies on guitar. There are rolling drumbeats throughout, and this is the sort of tune that DMT lovers will enjoy. A great and underrated tune, this music is interesting, detailed and really top-notch throughout. The lyrics are very artistic as well. Towards the end are some fantastic-sounding guitar solos in the right channel, and organ in the left channel. Very sweet, and an underrated tune indeed.

Wild Mountain Thyme begins with some awesome guitar work in the left channel, along with some very sweet and top-notch singing about nature itself. No doubt that this would have been a major influence on The Kinks later on in the decade, conceptually at least. Still, the music is absolutely essential listening and is really gorgeous. The violin section thrown into the mix is stunning, and the music throughout is excellent for 1966. All in all, a real winner with some unusual-sounding guitar, likely influenced by Eastern Music, it does sound deep and incredibly awesome. A fantastic tune to listen to, this is a solid gold song. It ends with a sustained string section in the right channel.

Mr. Spaceman begins with some more upbeat sounds and enters into an odd listening experience in today’s world, but something very normal for 1966. It does sound very good, and the chorus is instantly memorable and singalong here. This is a pseudo-Psychedelic Rock styled tune that sounds really cool and interesting throughout. There are some heavily edited and treated guitar solos in the right channel, just before this two-minute-long song wraps up. A great listening experience.

I See You begins with some typical 1960s-sounding Rock guitar chords, drumming in the right channel and this launches into a fantastic singalong and very Beatleseque tune. This is a very accessible and pleasant listening experience that sounds great. Some interesting guitar work is present throughout, with unusual sweep picking present in this song. Nonetheless, this album and song is a real winner and it is a fantastic listening experience that is joyous and awesome. This is an excellent tune to listen to with visionary lyrics, interesting sounds and a stellar performance. This ends after two and a half minutes with a fade out.

What’s Happening?!?! is a super sweet-sounding Pop/Rock ballad that is pleasantly awesome to listen to. The guitar work, playing and sounds throughout are amazing and trippy to listen to. It seems that Jim McGuinn knew his stuff with guitars, he plays a bunch of interesting, warped and Psychedelic sounds throughout. This music is so underrated that it deserves to be heard by many more people out there. A joyous, artistic and tripped-out tune that is a great Psychedelic Rock piece from 1966, this is a winner. It fades out with an Eastern-sounding guitar section, a very pleasant and different listen.

I Come And Stand At Every Door begins with some excellent guitar work and awesome singing. This is a very unusual and weird-sounding song that is a really brilliant song about the ghost of a child who likes to knock on people’s doors. Regardless, the sounds and textures on this album are nothing but amazing and credit must go to The Byrds for creating such consistent and imaginative music throughout. A great listening experience that is very, very beautiful, this is a rather sad story lyrically. Still, the music is really excellent and is proof of gems from many decades ago on this album. It ends with a quick fade out, a nice listen for such a song.

Eight Miles High begins with some deep and dark bass guitar and electric guitar work, and quickly launches into one of the most tripped-out and Psychedelic listening experiences you will ever hear. This is a highlight of this album with explorational electric guitar, powerful rolling drumbeats and a sense that this music is really great listening. A sweet original tune by The Byrds. It goes into a weird solo section in the middle of the tune, with some unusually played and mixed guitar parts. It sounds really hypnotic, excellent and nicely different. The song resumes after some time, and this tune sounds marvellous indeed. Towards the end are more wacky-sounding solos, and this tune sounds incredibly awesome. It ends with some frenetically strummed chords and finishes up after three and a half minutes. Awesome.

Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go) is a very weird take on the original Hey Joe song that was later made immortal by Jimi Hendrix. Regardless, this is a very unusual listening experience that sounds super cool. It’s one of the lesser tunes from this album, but even so, it has its place here. It sounds very weird in comparison to other covers of the song around this time. It just sounds unusual. A short piece of music just over two minutes in length. It’s okay, but not phenomenal.

Captain Soul launches fairly quickly into an average-sounding tune that is based on a simple Blues progression. This is, again, okay but miles away from being perfect as an individual song. Still, the music throughout is different, especially with a harmonica solo throughout. The thunderous drum rolls are a good addition, as are the handclaps. Still, this sounds rather sloppy and ordinary as a stand-alone piece of music. This Blues Music is a nice addition to this album, but aside from that, you could likely skip this song. It’s okay but not perfect by far. It ends with a lengthy fade out.

John Riley begins with some sweet guitars and drums in the left channel. Soon enough, this tune gets going with some awesome singing and musicianship throughout. Again, this is a traditional cover piece but it sounds really awesome and well delivered on this album. The sounds and textures throughout are very awesome to listen to, with string sections and other musical touches to keep you listening. An excellent and tuneful song to hear, this sounds prettier and more worked on than other versions of the song floating around at the time. Really awesome, it ends with the guitars and drums in the left channel concluding this song.

2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song) begins with some aircraft sounds taking off, which is nicely recorded. In the left channel are some excellent guitar playing and licks and this tune gets going nicely. It is a fairly repetitive musical listening experience, with repeated lyrics and some sounds of pilots talking and aircraft noise throughout it all. The music continues nicely here, and this is a pleasant listen that would sound very good on Psychedelics. It wraps up with a fade-out and the album ends here.

This is a very, very good album release that, to this day, sounds amazing and futuristic in its own unique way. In particular, the guitar work on this album sounds unlike anything else ever recorded, to this very day. Although this is a solid gold Classic Album, the main flaw of this album is the consistency of the music. Some songs present on this album aren’t as good as they possibly can be, which is disappointing. Still, this is a great album out of some struggles in The Byrd’s fortunes at the time, which is a valuable and different listening experience. Should you listen to this album? Yes, especially if you dig Eastern guitar sounds mixed with Psychedelic musical textures and if you love 1960s music, you will be at home here.

Brilliant and different in a very good way.

9/10