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I thought that "Fifth Dimension" (1966) {was the last} with the almost-original Byrds lineup-- obviously, by 1970, things were a.... a little different. But, upon further investigation, it seems that that.... distinction?.... would go rather to "Younger than Yesterday" (1967), and somewhat to "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" (1968)-- although, by that time, it was literally already happening, the band, (like the American folk, I guess), was pretty much disintegrating: David Crosby had turned into an asshole, (basically-- he did), Michael Clarke essentially left the band in protest, (because he did *not* want to.... protest!), and so.... Mister, McGuinn, (that I *can't* date-- it's too confusing), canned his ass: "The Byrds fired David Crosby".... So, basically, Paul and Richard were left in Abbey Road more or less alone.... They hired lots of session musicians, lots of them.... They had to scramble to fill the void, it was literally all in the middle of coming apart, in 1968.
But, actually, in 1967, that was all still (somewhat) in the future. But, since I find this stuff really endlessly fascinating-- that is the angle that I'm going to take it from. (Gene Clark left simply because he found that he couldn't travel with them any-more.... but the David Crosby incident-- now, *that* was Psychodrama City....)
But, in a sense-- here's what's interesting, or, rather *who*-- Chris Hillman, oddly enough. The band's.... dark horse, maybe, the "third song-writer", isn't he? In this album, where he emerges as such-- in a sense that makes him the interesting person of the album. And, in a way, it's *not* the most interesting album.... but, it is something. "So, you want to be a rock and roll star?", said Jim McGuinn to Chris Hillman....
And, as the, quiet party, I guess, the the Notorious Byrds Brothers dispute-- he is pretty interesting.
Sociologically speaking, Chris Hillman is a lot like George Harrison. And, to be fair, maybe that George Harrison is, yeah, so much cooler than Chris Hillman is one of the reasons why the Beatles are the Beatles and the Byrds are the Byrds. But, one of the reasons why the Beatles are so fascinating is.... sociologically. And, if you look at both bands together, it's even *more* interesting, and maybe even more so for an American-- European dreams, American realities....
And alot of things that happened among the Byrds weren't pretty. We like to think of the rock band as being this four-man group, (and, in a way, they never quite were-- first there was Gene Clark and Jim McGuinn, then there was Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby-- the Eight Miles High trio, right.... Gene Clark was influential, but also only briefly, so then there was Jim McGuinn and David Crosby, but also Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke, when it actually did become, "The Byrds", and not just Clark-McGuinn-Crosby, or, something like that, at any rate.... but, when the bad weather came, it ended up that McGuinn was the real frontman, after all-- the one who always stayed that way, and so, always must have been, I guess.... And he himself changed throughout the group's existence, just like any one of the Beatles, although the others eventually chose or for some reason could not continue with it like before-- and, of course, in one case: got rather ignominiously chucked out by the others), but we like them to get along. Even metal-y Led Zeppelin would rather roll up the flag than go on without John Bonham.... in the Byrds, what Michael Clarke did *did* matter, but.... in a different way, somehow.
And, in a way, Chris Hillman was even more important. He was actually the last one of the original four who left to leave-- and that implies something interesting about him, I think.... maybe, the sort of thing that can *only* be implied.
To explain-- let me use.... an illustration. Even a relatively conservative, in a sense, group like the Byrds were somewhat commie-- Bob Dylan, without.... Bob Dylan!.... so, let's talk about communism. Even Paul McCartney loved it. "Show me around the snow-peaked mountains way down south-- that Georgia's always on my mind." Ah, yes. That Georgia. Stalin. Paul McCartney, and Stalin. Now-- *now*, we have something interesting. Not John Lennon, no, no, no-- not even close. *Paul McCartney*, the *conservative* Beatle.... and the.... conservative communist! After all, nobody ever compared Stalin to Bob Dylan-- he's far too *conservative* for that. But, then, *why*? Why.... communism? Because *not everyone was like Paul McCartney*, obviously, and some things back then were just.... crap! Some people wanted the *crap*, to.... go away!
In a *sense*, this is what happened in 1968. (Hey Jude-- don't make me report you....) And, yes, even in the Byrds. Hell, *especially* in the Byrds. The Byrds-- the cute little byrds in the tree, the cute little folksy, commie-like little.... *entertainers*!..... had a veritable.... Great Purge! Half the band! Gone! It's Beria' band now, right!
.... And you know that some people will never leave you alone-- no matter what you do. It wouldn't matter if you saved the world.... But, everything changes anyway.... eventually my municipality, even, takes away the garbage.... (I just don't know why you have to tell me how to eat!)
But, what the hell does this all have to do with Chris Hillman-- this, "young", member of the band.... this, "younger" man? Well, what do all these Great Purges have to do with.... the younger men? That they benefit-- to put it most simply.
When Hitler invaded Russia, the Nazi officers were much older than the Soviet officers of roughly equivalent ranks. The Soviet officers were younger.....
One might almost say, that they were-- younger than yesterday. That they were *younger than yesterday*, younger than they were yesterday. And, why? Because of Stalin. Because of the Purges.
The same principle holds for something voluntary-- Gene Clark just.... fading away. In a sense, Gene Clark is "old". He seems like an "old" man to.... well, to me-- somehow, but I'm pretty sure that I'm right. He's an old soul..... So, when he left, the band became.... "younger". (He let them be.... younger! "I'll set you free this time....") In a sense, the average "age" dropped....
Wow-- is that so difficult to understand, America. (Wallpaper over FDR, I swear to God.... Such liberal hypocrisy....)
Anyway.
In the Crosby dispute, Mr Crosby himself portrayed the matter as entirely selfish and sectarian-- Jim McGuinn fired him entirely for his own reasons: it was Mr Crosby versus Mr McGuinn .... But, truly, I think that there is some truth in this saying that-- "The Byrds fired David Crosby". In other words, the headman of the band-- the band's headman-- actually and legitimately acting in the interests of the whole group, and not just for himself alone and selfishly or sectarianly. Or other words-- Michael Clarke, and, somehow even more: Chris Hillman. They *all* wanted him to go: *everyone* wanted David Crosby to go, except for him himself.
And it was a mess.... a big 'drama': a mess. But, nobody shot David Crosby. If he had been an officer in Stalin's army.... but, he wasn't, and lucky for him, with his attitude.
But, anyway.
As a very concept-y review, I'm going to linger a little longer on this idea of being 'younger than yesterday'.
The first sense I guess I've already covered-- a group of men becoming younger than it was yesterday, by old men leaving it. If you think about it, there is much indeed that works like this: things, people, groups-- become steadily older and older, in infintesimial increments, day by day, ("you're older than you've ever been-- and now you're even older", although to be honest, I think that in truth "They Might Be Giants" are *not*.... really and honestly they are exactly the type of this modern group that nobody would accuse of having any talent.... "The Byrds" understood being young-- Do you have to criticize the way that I sign my name?..... Roger McGuinn~!-- but they also.... didn't suck.....), things get older and older, and every group gets older and older, until, suddenly-- it's younger than yesterday, with births.... and, deaths!
It's also an interesting symbol of the band, even the {album's} name-- technically they borrowed it from Dylan, the phrase, but, actually, they invented the phrase themselves. Just like John Lennon technically borrowed "Imagine" from Karl Marx.... except, actually, it's everything like John Lennon and nothing like Karl Marx.... I mean, they made it "folk" and poetic, I think-- *younger than yesterday*, Norse-y alliteration at its finest, really. And, also, a decent album by the Byrds. Not the {very} best, but....
Also, even people-- in a sense, they are always maturing, growing older-- but, sometimes, it does *seem* as though there comes a day when a man is younger than he was yesterday. Steve Carell-- think of him. "So you want to be a rock and roll star".....
And, also-- perhaps, a sadder sense. In 1966, the Beach Boys made their master-piece, "Pet Sounds". Suddenly, they were "old"-- they looked at the world, and they understood it. They were wise.... But, then, as they grew older-- they never broke up, so many bands did, or.... but, no, they managed to keep together, and it would have been bad if it *all* had gone away, and it's good that the Beach Boys are still together this very day, but.... it's also no longer 1966. "The moon wanders, days pass by-- may friends remember me...." But sometimes, *something* is lost-- *something* dies.... some of that wisdom is lost.... you find yourself.... younger than yesterday, even when you didn't want to be.... (Why did he lie! Oh, where are the heroes of yesterday!....)
In 1966, the Byrds found the "Fifth Dimension", and, suddenly, they *were* old-- they *did* have wisdom, but, then....
Suddenly, they would find themselves being, much, much younger, than yesterday.
(What! Buddy Holly is *Dead*!.....
Why!
When Buddy Holly died, women wept.
The whole nation was younger than yesterday.)
(8/10)
