Unbeknownst to McGuinn or Hillman, Parsons had his own musical agenda in which he planned to marry his love of traditional country music (which he saw as being the purest form of American music) with youth culture's passion for rock. He had already successfully attempted this fusion as a member of the little-known International Submarine Band, on the album "Safe at Home", but Parsons' new status as a Byrd offered him an international stage from which to launch his bid to reclaim country music for his generation.