Prior to the recording of the album, the Byrds' record producer, Gary Usher, who had worked on the band's three previous albums, had been fired by Columbia Records for spending too much money on the recording of the Chad & Jeremy album "Of Cabbages and Kings". Faced with the need to find a replacement producer, the band elected to bring in Bob Johnston, who had been Bob Dylan's producer since 1965. Ultimately, the band were unhappy with Johnston's work on "Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde" and, as a result, it was the only Byrds' album to be produced by him. Johnston was employed once more as the band's producer on their May 1969 non-album single, "Lay Lady Lady". In that instance he incurred the band's wrath by overdubbing a female choir on to the recording, allegedly without the Byrds' consent. When the single then stalled at number 132 on the "Billboard" charts the band decided that they would not work with Johnston again.