I don't think it's hard to imagine he got the idea of a "silver raven" from his wife's shoes. What's ridiculous is concluding from that that that is what the song is "about." Wow, three "that"s in a row....Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo...
I suspect it's more that Geffen didn't like what he heard from the album especially given what Gene had recorded before. Perhaps he was expecting something like The Byrds or Gene's "White Light" ("Gene Clark") album. I think that Geffen wanted something like the Eagles figured that Gene would provide it. None of us was there so there's no way to figure out a definitive answer, perhaps it was something as simple as Geffen making a pass at Gene or words that were traded (rather than a physical altercation). There's no way for sure to know--ever as the only person directly involved was Geffen and he hasn't illuminated it either. One thing is for certain the cover and back cover photo certainly didn't help.
I love the unadorned versions added as bonus tracks on the Rhino reissue as well especially "Silver Raven". Regardless of how one feels about the sound of the album, the songs themselves are brilliant and stand on their own.
I could never figure out the problem with the back cover of No Other. It's a small photo, proportionally speaking, and to me, Gene blends in with the other '20s figures in the artwork.
Even if Geffen hated the music and the cover and Gene, it doesn't make sense that he would kill it and just write off that much money. But you're right, we probably will never know the full story since Gene is gone and Geffen ain't talkun'.
Just a guess, but it's possible Geffen thought he would get a country rock album or a "sensitive singer-songwriter" album of the kind he was used to marketing. I'm not sure how anyone could have marketed No Other, just like WB couldn't market Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle. After all, there's not a large audience for unique masterpieces. In any case, you can bet the money was simply advanced to Gene and that he technically owed it to Asylum Records. Then they took a tax deduction on the loss. Standard operating procedure in the music business.
1974 Gene Clark – No Other 1 Life’s Greatest Fool Bass Leland Sklar Drums Russ Kunkel Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Guitar Jesse Ed Davis Guitar Steve Bruton Keyboards Mike Utley Percussion Joe Lala Background Vocals Carlene Williams Background Vocals Cindy Bullens Background Vocals Claudia Linnear Background Vocals Clydie King Background Vocals Ronnie Barron Background Vocals Sherlie Matthews Background Vocals Venetta Fields Vocals Gene Clark 2 Silver Raven Bass Leland Sklar Drums Russ Kunkel Guitar Danny Kortchmar Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Guitar Jesse Ed Davis Keyboards Mike Utley Background Vocals Timothy B. Schmit Background Vocals Cindy Bullens Background Vocals Claudia Linnear Background Vocals Ronnie Barron Vocals Gene Clark 3 No Other Bass Leland Sklar Drums Butch Trucks Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Keyboards Mike Utley Percussion Joe Lala Background Vocals Cindy Bullens Background Vocals Claudia Linnear Background Vocals Ronnie Barron Background Vocals Timothy B. Schmit Vocals Gene Clark 4 Strength Of Strings Bass Leland Sklar Drums Russ Kunkel Guitar Buzz Feiten Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Keyboards Craig Doerge Keyboards Mike Utley Violin Richard Greene Background Vocals Cindy Bullens Background Vocals Claudia Linnear Background Vocals Ronnie Barron Background Vocals Timothy B. Schmit Vocals Gene Clark 5 From A Silver Phial Bass Leland Sklar Drums Russ Kunkel Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Guitar Jesse Ed Davis Mandolin Chris Hillman Keyboards Mike Utley Vocals Lalah Hathaway Background Vocals Timothy B. Schmit Vocals Gene Clark 6 Some Misunderstanding Bass Leland Sklar Drums Russ Kunkel Guitar Buzz Feiten Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Guitar Steve Bruton Keyboards Mike Utley Organ Bill Cuomo Violin Richard Greene Background Vocals Carlene Williams Background Vocals Cindy Bullens Background Vocals Claudia Linnear Background Vocals Clydie King Background Vocals Ronnie Barron Background Vocals Sherlie Matthews Background Vocals Venetta Fields Vocals Gene Clark 7 The True One Bass Leland Sklar Drums Butch Trucks Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Keyboards Mike Utley Percussion Joe Lala Vocals Gene Clark 8 Lady Of The North Bass Leland Sklar Drums Russ Kunkel Guitar Gene Clark Guitar Jerry McGee Guitar Mike Utley Keyboards Craig Doerge Violin Richard Greene Vocals Gene Clark
I asked Dylan once, Did you make Gene Clark famous? And he said, No, Gene Clark made me famous. -Bobby Neuwirth
Billboard Billboard's Top Album Picks From October 5, 1974 Gene Clark-No Other, Asylum 7E-1016 (Elektra) Gene Clark has long been somewhat of a legend among music fans as well as those in the business, following his stints as a original Byrd, a member of the Dillard & Clark Expedition and several excellent solo efforts. Now he's back with his usual superb mix of country and rock tunes, his melodic vocals and his beautiful set of songs. The complaint has long been that Clark was not commercial. Perhaps he was just a bit ahead of his time, for with the growing popularity of country-like material and the move by many artists from the long, often boring "concept" and "intellectual" material of recent years to simpler things, Clark seems in the forefront rather than on the fringes. A magnificent effort. Best cuts: "Life's Greatest Fool," "Silver Raven," "From A Silver Phial," "Some Misunderstanding," "Lady Of The North." Dealers: Clark has a hard core of fans, so let them know he's back.
To square the circle, I have another Gene Clark related tribute band story. He was touring with Rick Danko, Blondie Chaplin, maybe Sneaky Pete, and a few others that I can't remember (Rick Roberts? Michael Clarke?) in a Byrds tribute band in the mid-80s, 1985 I think when I saw them in the Bay Area (the other Byrds weren't thrilled about that name use, IIRC). It was a really enjoyable and unique show, and Gene and Rick Danko seemed to be smiling constantly and digging playing together quite a bit. Blondie Chaplin sang a version of Can't find my way back Home that was haunting and seemed every bit as good to me at the time as Blind Faith's. I mentioned in an earlier post here that I bought the No Other LP about when it came out. But then I went back and saw it was released in 1974. I came upon Gene Clark through the Byrds originally after being wowed by what I think was Clarence White's electric solo on Have you seen her Face from Younger than Yesterday from hearing it around 1976-77 or so. From there I dug into the various versions of the Byrds and their albums pretty maniacally, and thus soon into Gene Clark's solo albums, getting the Dillard and Clark ones first, and White Light, then No Other I think. So that must have been around 1977-78, though 40 years blurs the memory on such details pretty effectively.
Saw the Philly show which included Gene, Michael Clarke, John York, Blondie Chaplin, Rick Roberts, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko. A fine and memorable evening I captured on a couple cassettes.
Talking of Gene's " Byrds" the later line up York, Darnell etc. i was told at the time by a connected source that Relix Records the label division of the then Greatful Dead zine RELIX offered Gene and the group a chance to record a album,but Gene gave it short thrift. Possibly believing a bigger label was waiting.Shame,Relix may have been small but released some good product in the eighties ,Lesh,Savoy Brown,Burritos etc.They gave a recording outlet to many sixties artstes
There weren't as many successful "indie" labels like nowadays in the 80's, correct? Not like today. Or even starting one's own indie label. Nowadays starting your own with bandcamp etc has really opened the doors that were closed to many back then. Gene and others like him had been signed by several big label companies - that was every artists' dream. Signing to a label like Relix may have seemed like giving up to Gene who had been with some pretty big ones. Gene's signing with Tahoma was the closest thing to an indie that are now so common. Relix might have been just what he needed--a label that would have backed him up after his album was released, instead of labels who nursed their own bruised egos and agendas over their own artists' success. But then as always, Gene's music was just a little ahead of its time, setting up the playing field for those to come, while never achieving the success he so richly deserved. So maybe it wouldn't have mattered who he signed with. Life's like that - arbitrary and sometimes pretty unfair. But one thing's for sure: through all the ups and downs, Gene never gave up on his music. And we are the richer for it.
I picked No Other for $1 in about 1985. My other Byrd fan friends always bad mouthed it but it blew me away and remains my favorite of his.
At least we got to hear all those great, great songs from that time ---Mary Sue, Christine, Carry On etc.
Savoy Brown's kind of a curveball there. Their Hellbound Train is one of the first cassette albums I had when I was in about 7th or 8th grade, bought in a batch mail order from the old Record Club of America, along with such others of the time like Steely Dan, Moody Blues, James Gang, Santana, Keef Hartley and others.