Dylan Covers: Sweetheart of the Rodeo

The Byrds: You Ain't Going Nowhere

The Byrds: Nothing Was Delivered

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I'll leave it to someone else to do the comprehensive The Byrds and Bob Dylan post. But I did want to jump in early with a quick post about two songs from one particular Byrds album that I have once again been listening to quite a bit lately.

1968's Sweetheart of the Rodeo featured a new line up for the band and marked a dynamic shift in The Byrds' sound. The one constant that remained was Bob Dylan.

Of course, The Byrds had tackled many Dylan songs before the release of Sweetheart of the Rodeo. They had not, however, done so under the guidance of the Cosmic American blueprint laid out by Gram Parsons. Parsons helped The Byrds bring a loving country touch to Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and "Nothing Was Delivered." It was a bit of a departure from their previous sound.

As part of the marketing plan for this album, Columbia Records had to convince people that... despite the new sound... they were still listening to The Byrds. How could they do that? Listen to this radio spot that promoted the album.

Radio Spot: Sweetheart of the Rodeo

See? That has to be The Byrds. They're singing a Bob Dylan song.