Younger than Yesterday was somewhat overlooked at the time of its release during an intensely competitive era that found the Byrds on a commercial downslide. However, time has shown it to be the most durable of the Byrds' albums, with the exception of Mr. Tambourine Man. Crosby, McGuinn, and especially Hillman come into their own as songwriters on an eclectic but focused set blending folk-rock, psychedelia, and early country-rock. The sardonic "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" was a terrific single; "My Back Pages," also a small hit, was the last of their classic Dylan covers; "Thoughts and Words," the flower-power anthem "Renaissance Fair," "Have You Seen Her Face," and the bluegrass-tinged "Time Between" are all among their best songs. The jazzy "Everybody's Been Burned" may be David Crosby's best composition, although his "Mind Gardens" is one of his most excessive. (by Richie Unterberger, AMG)

Two years after being hailed as America's answer to the Beatles, these folk-rock pioneers were unraveling, commercially and internally -- a situation Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman addressed with this album's rousing, ironic opener, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star." David Crosby, whom McGuinn would later fire, contributed a ravishing noir ballad, "Everybody's Been Burned," and Hillman bloomed as a writer, simultaneously reviving the Byrds' early magic and foreshadowing their adventures in country rock with "Time Between." "My Back Pages," the obligatory Dylan cover, is the album's elegiac centerpiece. (Rolling Stone)

Total album sales: Under 500,000
Peak chart position: 24