Gene Clark With the Gosdin Brothers reissued on Sundazed CD

It's March 12th according to Amazon though I'd suspect it's Tuesday, the 13th.

Guess, I won't look for it tonight.

 

My initial reactions are wholly positive.

I don't consider myself an audiophile, just a career hack drummer , so please bear with my ignorance of technical/recording terms. I'll do my best here.
"Echoes" sounds spacious and magnificent. Gene sounds like he's sitting beside me as I type this.
Recordings which I always felt were hampered by a certain...murkiness, for lack of a better term, like "Think I'm Gonna Feel Better", "Needing Someone" and "The Same One" sound fresh and clear.

The guitars seem very much to the forefront in this release--punchier, and more richly defined, which is a relief to me as I've often thought of them as noodling in the background...and been completely frustrated because of it.
"Tried So Hard" has bite and fullness, as does "I Found You." The guitars in a track like "Couldn't Believe Her" just cook as compared to other versions I have.

Bonus tracks:
"Tried So Hard"--Same backing track with a different vocal take. Gene's voice is more laid back; warm and affecting.

"Elevator Operator"--Gosdin-less take with a different vocal by Gene. Guitars very punchy. Extended guitar solo during the fade was a nice touch.

"Only Colombe"/"The French Girl"--I love Curt Boettcher's work, so I'm not bothered by the Ballroom's poppy harmonies. Definitely a trippier vibe to the pair. I really can't honestly say I think it would've been a hit single if it had been released, but Boettcher's touch gives the songs a more radio-friendly sheen. Both tracks are mono.

"So You Say You Lost Your Baby"--Essentially the same demo recording as released on the Echoes compilation, but appears here with a second Gene harmony vocal. Not as revelatory or essential as the Gene-only version.

"Is Your Is Mine"--Acoustic demo with the Gosdins and tambourine---or is that spelled TomBoreen ? This might sound crazy, but I have a sense that portions of this demo ended up in the released version.

John Einarson provides the impeccable liner notes, which richly evoke the creativity and terror that characterized this fascinating period of Gene's career.

IMO, another fine Sundazed release.

 

Great review Tom. Still waiting for my copy to arrive. I'm really looking forward to the alternate Tried So Hard..

 

New Geno!

I thank you for the thoughtful and indepth review, Tom.

My thinning wallet, however.... not so much!

Dirk

 

Got mine Monday nite and played it several times yesterday. I'll second everything Tom just said about it. I LOVE it.

I really dig the tracks with the Ballroom (Curt Boettcher band) on 'em, but man oh man do they sound radically different. I think Gene was right not to release 'em, but I'm thrilled to have 'em. Are they worth buying if you're a big Millennium fan? IMHO, yepper.

 

Can't wait to get this at Amoeba today...Gene is one of a handful of my musical gods...

 

I forgot to mention in my last post how very moving it is to see Gene's work treated with such respect and care. A big thank you to the folks at Sundazed. A real class act.
The inclusion of the Boettcher mixes alone shows how on the ball they are there; how tuned in they are to the wish lists of Gene's fans.
Nice to see a company get it right.

 

Anyone else get their copy yet?

 

I have to wait until CD Universe gets them in on the 13th. It will be worth the wait.

 

Who has the best price on this? Actually, I should ask, who is carrying this for sale now?

 

You can order it now directly from Sundazed at $16.98. (The pre-order price was $15.98.)

 

$14.04 here
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7363985&BAB=M

 

Got this yesterday. Thinking out loud...

- It's nice to have the original mixes. Although going back to Echoes, some of the remixes are nice too. The sound is a lot more different than I was expecting, considering how close most of the Byrds remixes are. The remix of Is Yours Is Mine has an acoustic guitar not present on the original mix, for example (and ends cold rather than fading).

- I have to wonder what the deal is with the aborted single. The original mono mixes are present on the new disc, while stereo remixes were used on Echoes. The stereo remixes sound great, but are missing some overdubs. On a missing tape perhaps, ala Turn Turn Turn? Or just not used for artistic reasons? It's too bad the "complete" versions don't exist in stereo.

- the demo of So You Say You Lost Your Baby seems like a bit of a mystery. Echoes has what would seem to be takes 1 (breakdown) and 2 (complete) in stereo (basically just stereo echo, but stereo nonetheless). The new disc seems to be dead mono, take 2 and with a second vocal. Yet the studio noises that precede the take are different from those on Echoes. Maybe it isn't actually take 2, but is just edited together as such on Echoes? Doesn't explain why the Echoes remix doesn't have the second vocal track...

- a minor nit to pick, but one that's bothered me with a lot of Legacy/Sundazed stuff - the recording dates *only* refer to the date of basic tracking. The essay even notes overdub dates for the lost single, but the notes on the specific tracks only mention the original session.

Still want to compare this with Echoes some more. It will be interesting to see both how the remixes on Echoes differ and how the mastering of the common mixes compares.

 

This one in particular is a real head-scratcher.

 

Got mine yesterday. I don't have anything handy to compare it to but my first impression was that it sounds fantastic. Everything sounds nice and full. It certainly wasn't NR'd as there is plenty of hiss. It's not bright either (a good thing).

I haven't really spent time with the bonus tracks but I know Clark himself insisted that the Ballroom vocals be mixed out when Echoes was prepared.

 

Really? It's nice to have mixes without them, but at the same time, it would be nice to have the finishes versions in stereo, as those mono mixes honestly don't sound that great.

Gotta love spin:

Echoes - "[The French Girl and Only Colombe] finally appear remixed and in glorious stereo."
Sundazed reissue - "[this release includes] the gloriously elaborate vintage mono mixes of "The French Girl" and "Only Colombe," both arranged by the legendary Curt Boettcher."

I thought I noticed some tape damage in a few spots, but I'll have to compare with Echoes.

Anyone else notice that Only Colombe and The French Girl are now listed on the cover?

 

Yep, they started that with the Sundazed LP reissue a few of years ago, I think.

 

That's interesting. Do you guys have a preference between ECHOES & the new disc? I only have Echoes.

 

Wow. David mentioned this to me in e-mail:

"The demo of "Is Yours Is Mine" sounds really similar to the released version
at points."

I just played them on top of each other, and sure enough, they are the same (vocals are, anyway). And looking in the booklet, the master number is the same for both. The speeds are slightly different, though, and what's more strange are the pauses are different lengths. I wonder what the story behind the "acoustic demo" really is.

 

I made a similar observation in post #52.

 

Sure, blow my excitement...

 

I assure you that's the only time something like that will happen with someone of your level of expertise, sir!

 

Can anyone explain how Columbia "master numbers" worked? Both the demo and album version of So You Say You Lost Your Baby have the same master number listed - 88289 - even though they were supposedly recorded a week apart and are not derived from the same recording like Is Yours Is Mine.

 

Anyone?

 

I'm leaning toward the Sundazed release mainly because I love the sound of the guitars on it. There is a directness and punch to them that has not really registered with me on other releases of this album.
Plus, I never thought I'd get an opportunity to hear the Boettcher mixes, so that alone made it worth my while, even though, as Lukpac noted, the sound isn't so good. Historically speaking, however, I'm just thrilled that they were included. These mixes have long been something I could only read about; now I can actually hear them, rough as they may be.