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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gene Clark's first solo album: the beginning of a series of superlative recordings, 21 Feb 2007
Bob Irwin's Sundazed label has released a remastered and expanded CD reissue of Gene Clark's first, superb solo album, which he cut after leaving the Byrds around March 1966. Recording sessions began in late 1966 at the Columbia Recording Studios in Hollywood, where the Byrds also recorded.
The track sequence of the first eleven tracks is identical to that of the original LP. Previously unissued alternate takes of tracks # 3, 4 and 8 are also added (as tracks 12, 17 and 13 respectively.) These alternate take are fine but they do not break any new ground compared to the already known versions.
Gene Clark wrote nine of these tracks on his own and co-wrote two others with guitarist Bill Rhinehart (who had played in his short-lived Gene Clark Group, formed in June 1966.)
Rex and Vern Gosdin, who receive credits on the album sleeve, had previously played in bluegrass bands (notably The Hillmen) and provide superb harmonies to Gene Clark's beautiful and assured vocal leads.
Record producers/arrangers Larry Marks (at first) and Gary Usher (who later took over) attended the sessions. They got more than a little help from Leon Russell. The resulting recording is a highly polished masterpiece.
The studio musicians are quite well known and the instrumental work on this album is outstanding. The sound of the Byrds' rhythm section (Chris Hillman - always terrific on bass - and Michael Clarke, not to mention some additional "shadow" drummers) crops up on quite a few tracks and it is not surprising that the album's sound evokes the folk-rock sound of the Byrds whilst the influence of the Beatles (Rubber Soul era) is also definitely felt. The Beatles were, after all, the original inspiration behind the formation of the Byrds.
The standard of writing is of the highest calibre with good, strong melodies as well as elaborate (if sometimes a bit cryptic) lyrics. It is fair to say that, in my opinion, most of these songs would have suited the Byrds perfectly. I am convinced that the Byrds' "Fifth Dimension" LP, for example, would have been much better still had the group chosen to replace throwaway pieces like "Hey Joe", "Captain Soul" and "What's Happening?!?!" with some of these Gene Clark's tunes. The reason they did not is that they had, by then, grown jealous of the fact that Gene's royalty cheques had made him much richer than the other group members.
The music on this CD rocks seriously on tracks like "Is Yours, Is Mine" (infused with melancholy and psychedelia), "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" (a major accomplishment, complete with a hard rock guitar riff and a baroque string arrangement), the Beatles-influenced, but average, "Elevator Operator" and the commercially appealing "Couldn't Believe Her" (the latter two also displaying psychedelic, if rather undermixed, guitar playing.)
However, many of the tracks lean towards a more laid-back, softer sound.
Among those tracks, one can single out the baroque psychedelia of "Echoes" (the first single, splendidly and ornately arranged for orchestra by Leon Russell), "Think I'm Gonna Feel Better" (country-tinged but featuring some faintly mixed electric keyboard panned to the far left), "The Same One" (the mid-tempo, lyrically painful single flip side), the up-tempo, catchy "Needing Someone", and the country-rock flavoured "Tried So Hard" and "Keep On Pushin'" (Clarence White is definitely one of the guitarists on both of these tracks.) As such, the last two tracks are amongst the very earliest country rock tracks ever.
Despite the fact that Gene Clark was a prolific writer who had gathered a wealth of material (some of it recorded but never released) the original LP clocked at just above 27 minutes. It should be emphasized, though, that this was standard US record business practice at the time as the Byrds' "Fifth Dimension" was also less than 30 minutes long.
This CD includes two such "lost" tracks: the previously unissued mono versions of tracks # 14 ("Only Colombe") and # 15 (Sylvia Fricker's "The French Girl".) Although originally conceived as single A- and B- sides, these May 1966 tracks had previously been remixed to stereo from the analogue 8-track masters under the very same Bob Irwin's guidance (on the "Echoes" 1991 compilation.) The single was, however, shelved at the time. It was produced by Gary Usher but there are rumours indicating that Usher's friend and "sunshine pop" collaborator Curt Boettcher was also involved (although his vocal contributions were reportedly removed at some point, maybe at Clark's insistence.)
They feature strummed and/or fingerpicked acoustic guitars, backwards electric guitar, a strong rhythm section, quite upfront percussion and baroque keyboards as well as very delicate orchestral arrangements. I concur with Sid Griffin when he points out that the overall sound of this aborted single is somehow reminiscent of the Left Banke. The singing is, once again, magnificent throughout. After hearing this, one can better understand - with hindsight - how Gene Clark came up, seemingly out of the blue, with "No Other".
Track 16 is a previously unissued acoustic demo of "So You Say You Lost Your Baby". This very intimate recording captures Gene Clark at the height of his talent and presents him in more of a singer/songwriter context.
The public ignored the LP at the time of its first release. Some say that it is because the Byrds' "Younger than Yesterday" was released in the same week and that Columbia did not push Clark's outing quite enough. I doubt this. I'd rather think that the Byrds were simply much better known to record buyers than Gene Clark was.
This LP, unfortunately for Gene Clark, was his transition from rock star to cult star. But we all know too well that, for every acclaimed "Rubber Soul", there are a lot of "John, The Wolfking of L.A." which end too soon in the "cut out" bins of LP history.
The Amazon.uk track listing is incomplete; this CD features 17 tracks, not 12. For convenience, I have listed the five other tracks below:
13. Elevator Operator (prev. unissued alternate version)
14. Only Colombe (prev. unissued mono version)
15. The French Girl (prev. unissued mono version)
16. So You Say You Lost Your Baby (prev. unissued acoustic demo)
17. Is Yours Is Mine (prev. unissued alternate version)
As comparisons to Columbia/Legacy's 1991 "Echoes" compilation are unavoidable, I will say that I much prefer this Sundazed CD.
It reinstates the original artwork as well as the original running order of the LP (which was botched on "Echoes".) It dispenses with six unnecessary already released Byrds tracks and features three more alternate takes. The sound quality is also improved. Completists will have to have both CD's for the stereo versions ("Echoes") versus mono versions (Sundazed) of tracks 14 and 15.
This record is a genuine classic. Do not let it pass you by if you have a taste for sixties music in general, and for the Byrds albums in particular.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gene Genie-us (sorry...), 26 Jun 2007
Whatever the reasons for his departure from the group he helped to found, for music fans in 1966 the prospect of separate future recordings by both The Byrds AND Gene Clark must have been mouth-watering indeed. However, Clark's solo career was disappointingly faltering, despite the high quality of his output, quality which oozes from this debut: a collection of wonderful Clark-penned compositions brought to life by a who's who of folk rock musicians and the soaring harmonies of the Gosdin Brothers.
"Echoes" is a stunning opener, a dreamy masterpiece backed by a beautiful baroque accompaniment belying Clark's musical background. It does, however, offer a red herring for the music that follows. But what music it is: from the classic 60s folk rock of "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" and "Is Yours Is Mine" to the country pop of "Think I'm Gonna Feel Better" and "Tried So Hard"; from the adrenalin rush of "Couldn't Believe Her" to the heavy heart of "The Same One", all expressed magnificently in Clark's warm vibrato, insistent yet vulnerable.
Clark never hid his admiration for The Beatles and their influence is keenly felt. The most obvious homage to The Four is "Elevator Operator", complete with "Drive My Car"-style glib lyric and in thrall musically to "Paperback Writer" and "Taxman". In comparison to the rest of the album it's a bit of a weak link, but it's still a grin.
Reissues are often padded out with pointless extra songs, filler of interest to only the sweatiest anorak. So it's refreshing to hear bonus tracks which prevent you reaching for the skip button. The alternate and acoustic versions are engaging, while the mono tracks "Only Colombe" and "The French Girl", with their "Echoes"-style arrangements, are a sensation.
This album has HIT written all over it and it's difficult to believe that due to a series of unfortunate circumstances it was overlooked at the time. On reflection it's a classic example of sixties folk-rock-country-beat-baroque-pop- ... ah, it's just a bleedin' classic. Get it bought.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Through a different prism, 24 April 2007
When in 1972 I paid 40 pence for a second hand copy of the original (and even then long deleted) album, I remember being a little disappointed. The music seemed dated by the standards of Gene's earlier work with The Byrds and certainly did not appear to bear any comparison with their contemporaneous masterpiece 'Younger Than Yesterday'. Since then it has been re-released in different guises, six times! During the early 70's it appeared in a re-recorded form as 'Early LA' - this version had one of the best songs 'Elevator Operator', inexplicably removed. Edsel/Demon gave the original album a UK release in 1988 and then followed this up some years later with an edition that was superior for its extensive information - including a rather touching letter from a female fan to a British pop music magazine. Whilst all this was going on Sony released 'Echoes' probably to compensate for the fact that (the by now late)Gene Clark had been under represented on The Byrds Box Set of 1990. Finally, just in case anyone thought that this music was still being neglected , Sony then released the original version of the album with a single bonus track. And now we have with this latest release on Sundazed, the best of all possible worlds. Bob Irwin's work on the original tapes yields stunning results. The packaging is certainly well up to the standards of the second Edsel release although Gene's poem which had featured so prominently on the back of the original cover has not been included. And as for the music - well to my ears now it sounds much fresher and more exciting than it did when I was an angst ridden student all those years ago - but then that's in the nature of musical appreciation.....isn't it?
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