Gene Clark Solo Albums-album by album & *now* track by track on p. 23*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by lemonade kid, Jan 23, 2018.

  1. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    GENE CLARK/Album By Album

    [​IMG]

    Although there is a (closed) Hoffman 2013 thread that covers Gene's albums starting with the New Christy Minstrels & Byrds...
    I am choosing to focus on Gene's solo career. And to reopen our great appreciation for

    Gene Clark, the Byrd Who Flew Alone
    (get that DVD of the same title).


    Gene is an all time favorite solo artist, and for me the best Byrds era was with Gene.

    A short bio first:

    Harold Eugene "Gene" Clark (November 17, 1944[1] – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds.[2] He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best-known originals from this period, including "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", "She Don't Care About Time", and "Set You Free This Time".[2]

    Although he did not achieve commercial success as a solo artist, Clark was in the vanguard of popular music during much of his career, prefiguring developments in such disparate sub-genres as psychedelic rock, baroque pop, newgrass, country rock, and alternative country. --wiki


    Mister Tambourine Man

    (the title of the amazing John Einarson bio about Gene)

    Please join in and enjoy the best of American music --Gene Clark--the Zen Master and Firebyrd.[​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2018
  2. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers:
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2018
  3. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    A short bit from wiki_

    Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers is the debut solo album of Gene Clark, released in February 1967 on Columbia Records, catalogue CS 9418. It was his first effort after his departure from folk-rock group the Byrds in 1966. Though the album was a critical success and it established Clark as a talented singer-songwriter, it appeared very close to the scheduled release date for the Byrds' album Younger Than Yesterday in both the United States and the United Kingdom, hampering its possibilities for commercial success. The musicians on the album include: former bandmates Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke; Wrecking Crew session musicians Glen Campbell, Jerry Cole, Jim Gordon, and Leon Russell; future Byrd Clarence White; and Clark's future collaborator Doug Dillard. The folk/country vocal duo the Gosdin Brothers added backing vocals, and subsequently received co-billing. --wiki

    It was just like Gene to want to give contributors equal billing, as with co-songwriters or backup singers, Gene was a generous man.


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2018
  4. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

     
  5. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    The album was first reissued in the US in 1972, omitting "Elevator Operator" (damn! one of my favorite tracks!) and with re-recorded backing tracks designed to "soften" the sound, under the title Collector's Series: Early LA Sessions.

    We will not give this more than this mention...should go away quietly never to be heard again.
    If you see this at a used record shop, run away! Unless you are a completist and just gotta have the cover. Nah.

    [​IMG]
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  6. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Awesome album. Really every track is a gem. Tied with IICORMN and Younger Than Yesterday for my favorite album featuring one or more of the Byrds.

    The Echoes comp which contains all of this along with some tracks from 45's amd some Byrds tracks is great too.
     
  7. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    So wonderful...arranged by Leon Russell

    Echoes

     
  8. MarcS

    MarcS Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I had this one once; very strange. I think he was trying to make it more country rock sounding hence getting rid of Elevator Operator which I kind of like. BTW, Fairport Convention does a great version of Tried So Hard.
     
    Man at C&A and lemonade kid like this.
  9. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    I feel like this was kind of an uncertain 1st solo album for Gene. The syrupy balladeer production on some of these tunes must've been already dated when it was made, right? The best tunes here (Tried So Hard, Keep On Pushin, I Found You) rise above, but this has always felt like a strangely backwards-looking album to me, and lacks what I think of as the "out of time" quality of Clark's best work.
     
    peachyg72 likes this.
  10. MarcS

    MarcS Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Uncertain is a good way to put it; makes no sense to credit the Gosdin brothers like it was their album too.
     
  11. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    I've never heard the "Early LA Sessions"version...
     
  12. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    I'm not one to do it, but a track by track analysis would be welcome, or just a tribute to your favorite tracks.
    A short analysis from AllMusic Guide...

    [​IMG]


    The album contains a number of fine pop-oriented tunes and stellar folk-rock/country-rock numbers (a year before the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which employed both White and Dillard) and established Clark as a major songwriter, rivaling his old band and often coming close to the fabness of the Beatles...

    ...in the realm of Clark's recorded output, this album stands as the one of the best, if not the best, example of how powerful a singer, writer, and bandleader he was.


    The rest here:

    Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers - Gene Clark | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
     
  13. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    ...even AllMusic considers it the best of his best. And crediting the Gosdin brothers was so like Gene. Giving credit to even the smallest contributions. So the album title makes a lot of sense as far as knowing what I've read about Gene and who he was.

    Gene gave Bernie Leadon co-writing credits ("Train Leaves Here This Morning") that surprised and floored Bernie. Bernie said that all he did was make a bridge suggestion and Gene generously gave him co-credit as songwriter. And Bernie made a lot of residuals from that one as an Eagle! So giving the Gosdin brothers co-billing was no surprise.

    NEVER syrupy! A groundbreaking country rock album that foretold The Byrds' Sweetheart Of The Rodeo that came a year later....Gene was always forward looking. Never backwards, IMHO...and many others seem to agree:

    As with his first LP, and beyond "...Clark was in the vanguard of popular music during much of his career, prefiguring developments in such disparate sub-genres as psychedelic rock, baroque pop, newgrass, country rock, and alternative country. --wiki

    IMHO....:tiphat:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2018
  14. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    Yeah, I listened to it today before making my comments.
     
  15. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Ok...that is good, and your opinions are welcome and respected here. Thanks for giving it a chance...just a difference of taste, my friend.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    So I'll give this a week to settle then go on to the next LP...

    Cheers
    LK

    [​IMG]
     
    bluemooze, indigo_m and Mr. D like this.
  17. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

  18. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

  19. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

  20. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

  21. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    I suspect Gene made about 100x more money on Train Leaves Here This Morning as a result of crediting Bernie, as it is less likely it would have been included on the Eagles debut without the co-credit.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2018
  22. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Pix of 60s Gene could almost make a straight guy go gay.
     
    Man at C&A, indigo_m and AlienRendel like this.
  23. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Correction: Early LA Sessions does not have re-recorded backing tracks. The vocals were re-recorded in 1972, but the backing tracks were the same recordings as the original album, albeit significantly remixed.

    Early LA is an interesting variation that I would think any Clark fan would want to hear. It's not going to replace the original album, but it's a fascinating listen and one of the weirdest projects in pop music history. In the case of "Echoes" I actually prefer the Early LA version. On the original album, Gene goes a bit overboard with imitating Dylan, whereas on the Early LA version he sings it in his natural voice:
     
  24. MarcS

    MarcS Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I just listened to Andrew Sandoval's interview with Larry Marks where he talked about how he got fired in the middle of this album and Chad and Jeremy's Distant Shores album because the trades had leaked that he was going to A&M so Gary Usher was brought in to finish both albums.
     
    Hep Alien and AlienRendel like this.
  25. Graham

    Graham Senior Member

    Location:
    Perth, Australia

Share This Page

molar-endocrine