Released at a time when the Byrds' surprising immersion in the world of country music coincided with their declining commercial appeal, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" was an uncommercial proposition. However, the album has proved to be a landmark, serving not only as a blueprint for Parsons' and Hillman's the Flying Burrito Brothers, but also for the entire nascent 1970s Los Angeles country rock movement. The album was also influential on the outlaw country and new traditionalist movements, as well as the so-called alternative country genre of the 1990s and early 21st century. Among fans of the Byrds, however, opinion is often sharply divided regarding the merits of the album, with some seeing it as a natural continuation of the group's innovations, and others mourning the loss of the band's trademark Rickenbacker guitar jangle and psychedelic experimentation. Nonetheless, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" is widely considered by critics to be the Byrds' last truly influential album.