This is the album on which The Byrds truly exploded. They had already introduced the mainstream to a young folk singer named Bob Dylan by taking an electrified Mr. Tambourine Man to #1. They introduced California folk-rock to the masses, breaking ground for the likes of the Mamas & Papas and the Turtles. With FIFTH DIMENSION, The Byrds planted the seeds of psychedelia--and not just the San Francisco kind--in pop culture. The gray, dark trip of the Velvet Underground and the fuzzed-out minimalist boogie of such garage heroes as Count Five and the 13th Floor Elevators can also be found within these grooves. FIFTH DIMENSION recognized that musical higher consciousness had to be manifested in a dark side as well as a brighter one. Gene Clark's departure from the band prior to these recording sessions, and the decision not to cover any Bob Dylan songs, streamlined the Byrds' sound and made the group's vision clear. Eight Miles High, a highly-charged sonic release, evokes both VU's Heroin and John Coltrane's jazz explosions. The higher consciousness of Eight Miles High, the harmony-driven stomp of 2-4-2 Fox Trot, and the CCR-meets-Stax boogie of Captain Soul, all drenched in heavy guitar distortion, were unlike anything the pop world had heard. For the next three years, sounds inspired by FIFTH DIMENSION would make up the soundtrack of a cultural revolution.