The 500 - #171- The Notorious Byrd Brothers - The Byrds

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #171
Album Title: The Notorious Byrd Brothers

Artist: The Byrds

Genre: Experimental, Psychedelic Rock, Pop, Folk Rock

Recorded: Columbia Studios, Hollywood

Released: January, 1968

My age at release: 2
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Goin' Back

Album cover for The Notorious Byrd Brothers.

Peter Liljedahl, a math professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, is well regarded by my teaching colleagues. Many of us have read his books on the Thinking Classroom. In a nutshell, the Thinking Classroom is one where students are randomly sorted into groups that work on a problem while standing, often scribing their ideas, computations and answers on chart paper or on erasable whiteboards -- dubbed a Vertical Non Permanent Surface (VNPS).

One of Liljedahl's Thinking Classroom books.

Last week, my Grade 7 students solved a ratio problem in the lobby of our school, using the Thinking Classroom approach. They were randomly assigned to one of seven groups of four, and chart paper was displayed so they could write down their progress for their fellow classmates and passersby to see.

Four Grade 7 students show off their calculations.

According to Liljedahl's research, frequent visible randomization is essential for success using the Thinking Classroom approach. He says:

“Whether we grouped students strategically or we let students form their own groups, we found that 80% of students entered these groups with the mindset that, within this group, their job is not to think. However, when we frequently formed visibly random groups, within six weeks, 100% of students entered their groups with the mindset that they were not only going to think, but that they were going to contribute."

As one might imagine, students are not always thrilled with their assigned group -- particularly if their close friends are placed in another team. However, to their credit they willingly participate and, to assuage their groans of frustration, I remind them that we rarely get a chance to pick our coworkers in life. I didn't get to pick the administrators, custodial staff or the grade partners with whom I work daily...and they didn't get to pick me. Throughout my nearly 50 years of employment I've been fortunate. Only on a few occasions have I had to work with a difficult colleague. It can be a challenging, frustrating and exhausting experience trying to forge interpersonal relationships in the workplace when personalities, goals, attitudes, work ethics or interests are not aligned.

Not all co-workers have good interpersonal relationships.

Such was the case for the members of The Byrds during the recording of their fifth studio record, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, in 1967. The sessions were fraught with tension and, by the time the album was released, the quartet was reduced to a duo. The studio sessions began with founding members David Crosby (guitars, vocals) and Roger McGuinn (guitar, vocals, banjo, synthesizers). They were joined by Chris Hillman (bass, guitar, vocals) and Michael Clarke (drums), both of whom had been with them since the Byrds’ debut release, Mr. Tambourine Man, in 1965(#233 on The 500). When the Notorious album was released, co-founder Crosby and Clarke were gone.

The Byrds in 1967, (l-r) Crosby, Hillman, Clarke, McGuinn

Crosby was particularly difficult to work with, arguing with his fellow musicians over song selection. He wanted to include a controversial song he had written called Triad, which detailed the events of a ménage à trois. The other three wanted to record Goin' Back. a composition penned by the legendary songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It had been a Top 10 hit for Dusty Springfield the previous year.

Cover for Goin' Back from Dusty Springfield.

Additionally, Crosby had frustrated the band members earlier in the year at the Monterey Pop Festival. He would spontaneously go on lengthy rants between songs, hectoring the audience on controversial subjects, while the rest of the band waited for him to finish. Not only did Crosby offer theories on the John F. Kennedy assassination, he also extolled the benefits of giving psychedelic drugs to "all the statesmen and politicians of the world".

Crosby, ranting to the audience, at the 1966 Monterey Pop Festival.

Despite the tension and acrimony, The Notorious Byrd Brothers album was well received by critics. Many considered it the pinnacle of the Byrds' late-’60s musical experimentation, featuring a blend of genres that included psychedelia, folk rock, country, electronic, baroque pop and jazz. The record-buying audience was less enthusiastic and it was only moderately successful commercially. It peaked at #47 on the Billboard Top LP charts in 1967.

The remaining duo of McGuinn and Hillman soldiered on, recruiting the talented Gram Parsons and Kevin Kelley to release Sweethearts Of The Rodeo in 1968. It appears at #120 on The 500 and I'll be diving into it in about a year to determine whether that foursome endangered a more harmonious working relationship than the previous ensemble. Then again, perhaps a little friction and acrimony is good for creativity. We’ll see. I doubt the Liljedahl visible randomization strategy would have helped. Who knows? Perhaps Crosby could have enjoyed detailing his threesome on chart paper beside his political theories?