Released by
The Byrds in 1968. The recording of the album was marked by dissension among the band members, and two of the band's four original
members had left the group by the time the LP was released.
David Crosby was reportedly fired by other members after their refusal to include some of his songs prompted him to absent himself from
recording sessions; drummer
Michael Clarke later quit the group in apparent dissatisfaction over the material chosen by
Roger McGuinn and
Chris Hillman.
The Notorious Byrd Brothers' initial sales were weaker than any of the group's previous releases, reaching only
forty-seven on U.S. charts (but reaching twelve in the U.K.). "Goin' Back" was the group's last single to approach the higher
reaches of the charts.
The final track on the album, "Space Odyssey," is a direct retelling of Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," which was also the inspiration for the Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey
