A rather mysterious figure in Byrds annals, Stanton is known by rock fans almost solely for producing the group's third album, Fifth Dimension, in 1966. Stanton was West Coast Vice President at Columbia when Terry Melcher, who had produced the Byrds' first two albums, was eased out of his position with the band. Fifth Dimension was an erratic but intermittently brilliant album, as the Byrds maintained a folk-rock base while branching into psychedelic music, particularly on the classic "Eight Miles High." Thus it would be difficult to say that Stanton failed at his task, although there have been little specific comments about his role and contribution, even in Johnny Rogan's massive Byrds biography The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited: The Sequel (although it was noted that he suggested the strings used on "Wild Mountain Thyme"). McGuinn did go on record as finding Stanton's manner too officious, while Crosby complained that he would interrupt the band in the middle of takes to take breaks.
Stanton moved to A&M shortly after the Fifth Dimension sessions, and produced no work of comparable importance otherwise, although he did have production credits on discs by pop-rock acts Ruby & the Romantics and Johnny Cymbal.