"Clark experts" that's funny. Who might those be? Anyway, Gene liked to play the song back in '66 and said so in an interview that I plan to post in my newsletter next month. The reason Gene omitted the song on LA Sessions is because he thought it was "dated". It's not a great song by any means, but it's fun. Not everything has to hit you over the head with meaning y'know. But to each his own.
I don't remember right now the name of the expert that wrote the book about him, does it matter? - but he agreed with me. It's still dated. Just accept that everyone don't like it without analysing.
I don’t understand. Your opinion doesn’t stand or fall on what you think “most” fans think. Your opinion is valid all on its own.
Oh sorry, I had not realized Clark experts frowned upon it. I will do my best to purge all memories of tapping my feet to the tune from my brain.
I grant that Elevator Operator owes quite a bit to Taxman and Paperback Writer (as does The Monkees' Salesman). But I prefer it to at least Taxman.
I agree about that but I just for once mentioned that I'm not alone thinking Elevator Operator is one of his worst track, if you think of it, the reactions here about me thinking so is rather silly.
If anyone else wants to dislike Elevator Operator, I welcome their opinions with open arms. I think about 3/4 of the folks on SHTV are experts about their favorite musicians and other musical and music technology issues.
It's about a job and it's got a chanky rhythm. But at least it's not a multi millionaire complaining about being taxed to help the less well off
Nobody object to you saying what you think. It is just the attempt to elevate ypur opinion to something approaching an objective fact by citing others opinions and elevating some of those to expert status that seems odd. "This isn't just my opinion. I read it in a book!"
Yeah not all that fond of the Taxman rhythm, James Brown did that stuff better than the Beatles. EO not as stiff.
Fantastic Expedition - I'm not much of a bluegrass guy, but this is a terrific album. Great collaborators for Clark in Dillard and Leadon, beautiful harmonies, sympathetic production and a great set of songs. I have a couple different pressings of this album - the UK Edsel from the 80s doesn't sound as good as the more recent Sundazed, but it does add "Don't Be Cruel" as well as the great "Why Not Your Baby" and "Lyin' Down the Middle". I think I read in the Enarson book that the live shows supporting this were generally pretty good - I wish we had a recording of one of those.
White Light - Some of Gene's most masterful lyrics are here and I'm a fan of the sparse production & arrangements from Jesse Ed Davis. I can see why this material wasn't a big, pop hit but I think this is a real low-key masterpiece.
I wish that I'd been aware of Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers when I was a kid. I don't remember ever seeing the album in a record shop (well, the record bin in a supermarket, Walgreen's or our local Five & Dime). I love it from start to finish and I would have loved it back then - it was right up my alley. I was a great fan of The Byrds and read the fine print on the record labels... I knew that he was the most gifted talent in the band. I've posted this reminiscence a half-dozen times here on SH. I guess it's time to trot it out once again. * * * * * As an American kid in the sixties, The Byrds were my favorite group and Gene Clark was a hero equaled only by John Lennon and Bob Dylan. I saw him once in the spring of ‘75, an acoustic show with a second guitarist at Ruby Gulch, a club in my college town. Midway through the first set he paused and said, “people have been asking me to play a Byrds song,” and I yelled, “She Don’t Care About Time!” (then, an all but forgotten B-side). He was dumbstruck and said, “Wow! Yeah, that’s right, that’s what we’re gonna play.“ I was positively beaming. The bartender handed me a fresh beer, on the house. Between sets, I saw Gene standing over by the jukebox and mustered up the courage to say hello. He was a really warm, open guy and when I told him how wonderful it was to hear Time, he said, “Oh, you’re the one who shouted that out? That was great man, It’s really nice to play for a crowd that knows the songs," he nodded. I asked him how the tour was going and we exchanged small talk. There I was hanging out at the jukebox and sharing a beer with Gene Clark. My feet were hovering a good 12-inches off the floor. Not knowing when to leave well enough alone, I pressed on. “Ya know, I always thought She Don’t Care About Time was one of your best songs, I could never understand why it was left off the Turn! Turn! Turn! album,” I queried. The expression drained from Gene’s face. He shook his head and snorted, “Politics man, just politics,” as he turned and walked away. Ouch. A decade on and he was still viscerally pained by the disrespect he was subjected to in The Byrds. Over the years, I have revisited that memory many times when reading about the strained personal relationships that plagued the group. * * * * *
Your statement "Just accept that everyone don't like it without analysing" is condescending and arrogant and does NOTHING to engage a discussion about the music. People are entitled to like as much as dislike it. I don't care that you don't like it, but I find it really insulting that you just dismiss other people's opinion just because you think it's not worthwhile.