 The Fifth Dimension album received a mixed critical reception upon release and was less commercially successful than its predecessors , peaking at number 24 in the U.S. and number 27 in the UK . Band biographer Bud Scoppa has noted that with the album 's lackluster chart performance , its lukewarm critical reception , and the high @-@ profile loss of Gene Clark from the group , the Byrds ' popularity began to wane at this point and by late 1966 , the group had been all but forgotten by the mainstream pop audience . Nonetheless , the band were considered forefathers of the emerging rock underground , with many of the new L.A. and San Francisco groups of the day , including Love , Jefferson Airplane , and the Buffalo Springfield , publicly naming the Byrds as a primary influence . 
