 The Byrds returned to the recording studio with Melcher sporadically between October 1970 and early March 1971 , in order to complete the follow @-@ up to ( Untitled ) , which would be released in June 1971 as Byrdmaniax . Unfortunately , the grueling pace of the band 's touring schedule at the time meant that they were not fully prepared for the sessions and as a result , much of the material they recorded was under @-@ developed . Following completion of the album recording sessions , the Byrds once again headed out on tour , leaving Melcher and engineer Chris Hinshaw to finish mixing the album in their absence . Controversially , Melcher and Hinshaw elected to bring in arranger Paul Polena to assist in the overdubbing of strings , horns , and a gospel choir onto many of the songs , allegedly without the band 's consent . Drummer Gene Parsons recalled in a 1997 interview that when the band heard Melcher 's additions they campaigned to have the album remixed and the orchestration removed but Columbia Records refused , citing budget restrictions , and the record was duly pressed up and released . 
