The Byrds were famous for their folk and psychedelic rock. Sweetheart of the Rodeo, though, represented one of the first forays ever into country rock.
The album was wholly due to the influence of a new band member, the incredibly talented, enigmatic, and very short-lived Gram Parsons. He would actually leave the band, interestingly, before the album was even released.
I have a CD of this and listen to it only once in a great while. That said, the haunting Graham Parsons number “Hickory Wind” is one of my favorite songs of all time.
The very charming artwork is from a 1932 poster by Western artist Jo Mora. Born in Uruguay, Mora was something of a Renaissance Man, authoring books, riding the range, and living with the Hopi, in addition to being an illustrator, cartoonist, sculptor, painter, photographer, and muralist. Not too surprisingly, this is his only album cover credit.
As for that cover … You know, you can always tell when something achieves iconic status – people make fun of it. Ever hear of Golden Throats? It’s a set of 4 compilations issued by Rhino, all featuring people who should not be cutting albums. I’m talking Leonard Nimoy doing “Proud Mary,” Sam Ervin (the NC senator) “Bridge over Troubled Water,” Telly Savalas “I Walk the Line,” and Mae West “Day Tripper.” They are a hoot!
By the way, most of the band’s other album covers are pretty boring. Honestly, it’s mostly just the boys posing. And then there’s this horror:
Indeed, this is the only one that seems at all interesting (kinda like Han Solo in carbonite):
Here are a couple of homages/parodies:
In order, they are:
- A "Christian parody" of the album
- From a band that named themselves after the album
- From a female Japanese ukulele duo.
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