 Tensions within the band finally erupted in August 1967 , during recording sessions for The Notorious Byrd Brothers album , when Michael Clarke quit the group over disputes with his bandmates and his dissatisfaction with the material that the songwriting members of the band were providing . Session drummers Jim Gordon and Hal Blaine were brought in to temporarily replace Clarke in the studio , although he continued to honor his live concert commitments with the group . Then , in September , Crosby refused to participate in the recording of the Goffin – King song " Goin ' Back " , considering it to be inferior to his own " Triad " , a controversial song about a ménage à trois that was in direct competition with " Goin ' Back " for a place on the album . Crosby felt that the band should rely on self @-@ penned material for their albums , rather than cover songs by other artists and writers . He would eventually give " Triad " to the San Francisco band Jefferson Airplane , who included a recording of it on their 1968 album , Crown of Creation . 
