The Byrds - FIFTH DIMENSION - a strange album?

[Quaco]

The most overtly space-oriented song is a country song, while the most acidy song is seemingly about looking at someone's face.

The other alternate-reality song, in which McGuinn is spiraling down through multiple dimensions, is a simple run-through of chords, again with an almost country flavor.

Then there's the various random tracks: pure filler ("Lear Jet Song"), cover ("Hey Joe"), traditional ("Wild Mountain Thyme", "John Riley"), poem set to music ("I Come and Stand at Every Door"), and instrumental jam ("Captain Soul").

On the stereo version, the two traditional tracks with strings have the strings all on one side and the band on the other. Same with "The Lear Jet Song" that has all the sound effects on one side and the music on the other. Playing with stereo? Making it possible to enjoy the music sans effects? Forever warping the minds of five-year-olds to one day be someone who would actually listen to sound effects records for pleasure?

The rug supplier gets a liner credit, but the band members don't?

What is the polar bear doing on the back cover? Why are most of the pictures just hands or shadows? The whole album has a shadowy feeling of late nights in the studio trying desperately to scrape together 30 minutes of music.

I LOVE IT!

[Bungo the Mungo]

I do too.

When I first heard 'The Lear Jet Song' on headphones, I wanted to yell out.

It's by far my favourite Byrds' album and it conjures up all sorts of images, most of which are sort of subconscious and can't really be expressed easily. It's like a garage-rock album with knobs on.

[Matt Wilson]

It's a classic, like all of their '65-'68 albums are. And I would shiv John Coan for a mono CD!

[Balboa]

Yeah, I love it too. I haven't actually listened to it in a while, but I should remedy that and give it a spin this week.

Oh, and I knew you were going to mention the Polar Bear when I read the thread title!

[robertff]

It's a classic, like all of their '65-'68 albums are.

Agree.

Came to the Byrds fairly late on - bought 'History Of The Byrds' double album and the twofer Notorious/Sweetheart when they first appeared in the early 70s and then nothing further until the early 90s when I started picking up some of their CDs. It was then that I realized what I had been missing all those years. When the remasters appeared bought the whole lot and both box sets. I only wish I had got on board right back in the 60s, feel as though I have missed out somehow. Even their poorer albums have got a lot to like about them.

One of my favourites.

.

[Charlie O.]

My first Byrds album, and a wonderful place for me to start (though I think it may have kept me from fully appreciating Gene Clark 'til years later).

I LOVE IT TOO!

[abracadabra]

Great album, 5 D says everything I want a psychedelic song to say, whats that line 'joy innocently is'? Love the whole vibe, I wish they made more trippy stuff. Funny thing is I dont have this one on vinyl so I've never seen that back cover! It's so random.

Anyone who loves the album and vinyl should get themselves 'Another Dimension', its mostly early instrumental versions, demos of the songs, the bands playing is extraordanary raga rock, incredible stuff for 66. It's like a 'pure' version of the album, sometimes I actually prefer it to the released version. Check it out here: http://www.sundazed.com/shop/product_in ... cts_id=732

[Goat Boy]

One of the great patchy albums and I mean that as a compliment.

[Magilla]

Bloody good album. I generally like Notorious more, but Fifth Dimension certainly has its moments.

[Matt Wilson]

It's a classic, like all of their '65-'68 albums are.

Agree.

One of my favourites.

.

Thank you for that vote of confidence, robertff. Thirteen BCBers PMed me and said that they would gladly shiv Coan too, and not even for a mono disc, but you're the only one who agreed with my first statement.

[Charlie O.]

Funny thing is I don't have this one on vinyl so I've never seen that back cover! It's so random.

I've just noticed that Hillman doesn't seem to be represented in the back cover photos (unless he's in the background of the lower right pic... hard to tell from here).

[Quaco]

Funny thing is I don't have this one on vinyl so I've never seen that back cover! It's so random.

I've just noticed that Hillman doesn't seem to be represented in the back cover photos (unless he's in the background of the lower right pic... hard to tell from here).

Top left: Is that Crosby? I always subconsciously felt it was Hillman, perhaps because he doesn't seem to be anywhere else (as you say)!
Top center: Could be anyone's hands.
Top right: If the horse on Notorious is Crosby, then the polar bear is Clark!

Center: Crosby and McGuinn, in one of the great rock pictures of all time. I always felt they were shouting into each other's ears. (I was young when I first saw this album.)

Bottom right: Clarke and (who?), and do they have the cymbal on their head, or just standing in front of it so it looks like it?
Bottom center: Clarke on handclaps.
Bottom right: The key to the album. McGuinn in the control room, with two people in the shadows. (I don't think any of them is Hillman. It's hard to tell even on the LP.)

[Quaco]

It's a classic, like all of their '65-'68 albums are.

Agree.

One of my favourites.

.

Thank you for that vote of confidence, robertff. Thirteen BCBers PMed me and said that they would gladly shiv Coan too, and not even for a mono disc, but you're the only one who agreed with my first statement.

What does shiv mean??

[Charlie O.]

Top left: Is that Crosby? I always subconsciously felt it was Hillman, perhaps because he doesn't seem to be anywhere else (as you say)!
Top center: Could be anyone's hands.
Top right: If the horse on Notorious is Crosby, then the polar bear is Clark!

Center: Crosby and McGuinn, in one of the great rock pictures of all time. I always felt they were shouting into each other's ears. (I was young when I first saw this album.)

Bottom left: Clarke and (who?), and do they have the cymbal on their head, or just standing in front of it so it looks like it?
Bottom center: Clarke on handclaps.
Bottom right: The key to the album. McGuinn in the control room, with two people in the shadows. (I don't think any of them is Hillman. It's hard to tell even on the LP.)

I'm pretty sure Top left is Crosby - also Bottom left, with Clarke.

[Matt Wilson]

What does shiv mean??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiv_(weapon)

[Snarfyguy]

What does shiv mean??

It's prison slang for knife. I think it might not be current anymore.

[Quaco]

I love everybody's comments so far, and the overwhelming positivity!

I do too.

When I first heard 'The Lear Jet Song' on headphones, I wanted to yell out.

I assume you mean with excitement/joy? Just checking ...

It's by far my favourite Byrds' album and it conjures up all sorts of images, most of which are sort of subconscious and can't really be expressed easily. It's like a garage-rock album with knobs on.

This and Turn! Turn! Turn! were the records my folks owned, so I have a deep, as you say subconscious feeling for the album too. It is said that when they wanted me to go to sleep, they would play these two records to me.

It's a classic, like all of their '65-'68 albums are.

It is indeed -- and yet saying that sort of sounds like it's similar to the others, and in a way I don't think it is. It's a lot more patchy than YTY or Notorious. It's not an album that screams "classic", and I wouldn't want to belittle it by just throwing it in a pile with all their classic albums (not that that was what you were doing).

Oh, and I knew you were going to mention the Polar Bear when I read the thread title!

You know me too well!!

My first Byrds album, and a wonderful place for me to start (though I think it may have kept me from fully appreciating Gene Clark 'til years later).

Me too. We had Turn! Turn! Turn! as well, but this is the one I glommed onto, and I didn't really get the Gene Clark thing for a long time. He always seemed more adult, less psychedelic.

[Quaco]

What does shiv mean??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiv_(weapon)

Oooh, that doesn't sound nice at all!

[Matt Wilson]

You say it's patchy, but I think it's more consistent than Turn! Turn! Turn!

[Charlie O.]

You say it's patchy, but I think it's more consistent than Turn! Turn! Turn!

I'd say they're roughly equal in that regard.

But I'd also say that Fifth Dimension's filler is more interesting than Turn! Turn! Turn!'s (though I really don't care if I never hear their "Hey Joe" again).