See, there are people walking around practicing fifth-dimensional ways of life and the scientists are still on two- or three-dimensional levels. “The fifth dimension is the threshold of scientific knowledge. “What I’m talking about is the whole universe, the fifth dimension, which is height, width, depth, time and something else,”said McGuinn. McGuinn’s mystical lyrics on “5D (Fifth Dimension),” the LP’s second single, signalled to some that it was also a drug song. banned the record citing the title to be a reference to recreational drug use, The song’s lyrics actually pertained to the approximate cruising altitude of commercial airliners and the group’s first visit to London during their 1965 English tour It does refer to the altitude of that flight, but it was a deliberate double entendre.” Written mostly by Gene Clark in November 1965, while The Byrds were on tour in the U.S., the song was pivotal in transmuting folk rock into the new musical forms of psychedelia and raga rock. Regardless of its innovative qualities, however, many radio stations in the U.S. “It’s true we’d been experimenting with LSD, and the title does contain the word ‘high,’ so if people want to say that, that’s great.”Ĭrosby, meanwhile, said “of course ‘Eight Miles High’ was a drug song. Combining the energy of the British Invasion with elements of the folk movement, 1966s Fifth Dimension added an LSD-tinged mix of rock and Indian ragas to their vocal harmonies and jangly guitars. “‘Eight Miles High’ has been called the first psychedelic record,” McGuinn said. 180 gram vinyl pressing of The Byrds pioneering 3rd album. The belief that ‘Eight Miles High’ was about drug use had it banned by some radio stations. Musically, the song was a fusion of John Coltrane influenced guitar playing courtesy of lead guitarist then Jim McGuinn and the raga based musical structure and vocals, “Eight Miles High” featured guitar work inspired by sitarist Ravi Shankar. It was also the first time the bands logo appeared with the psychedelic artwork.Īrguably the most famous song on the album was “Eight Miles High”, an early excursion into psychedelic rock. Gene asked: ‘How high do you think that plane was flying?’ I thought about seven miles, but the Beatles already had a song called ‘Eight Days a Week,’ so we changed it to ‘Eight Miles High’ because we thought that would be cooler.”įifth Dimension was widely regarded as the band’s most experimental album to date and is today considered influential in originating the musical genre of psychedelic rock with tracks like “ Eight Miles High” and “ Mr Spaceman”. “The previous year, 1965, we’d been on a trip to England,” McGuinn “It was our first time on a plane, and I had the idea of writing a song about it. “Eight Miles High” was the album’s first single, a collaborative effort between Clark, David Crosby and Roger McGuinn then known as Jim.

Fifth dimension the byrds