By 1967 The Byrds’ star was waning, and there is more than a touch of bitterness in the opening track “So You Want To Be A Rock ’n’ Roll Star” which complains about the success of pre-fab groups like the Monkees. After the somewhat disappointing response to their previous album they doubled down on the experimental, psychedelic side with similar studio tricks to the Beatles’ Revolver, using reversed tapes and oscillators to good effect.
The results are somewhat uneven, with digressions into jazz, country and a guest appearance from Hugh Masekela playing trumpet. There is even in a bizarre bit of space rock where they imagine one of their songs being broadcast to a distant quasar and being overheard by some surprisingly chatty aliens. By far the best song is a cover of “My Back Pages” by Bob Dylan which also inspired the album title.
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