Album Reviews

If you do a "Gene Clark" search on this website you'll find plenty to read and to listen to—including an AnalogPlanet Radio show dedicated to the late musician and former member of The Byrds. Please also read here the many record, book and documentary reviews covering Gene Clark's life and recorded output. The cult of Clark will live on.

Clark's second solo album (the first was on Columbia with The Gosdin Brothers) was called White Light was released by A&M in 1971 but due to an artwork screw up, while the label correctly called it White Light the jacket omitted it. Thus the record became known as Gene Clark. In the interest of accuracy, Intervention repeats that formatting.

Let's not forget about the two short but influential Dillard and Clark albums released in 1968 and 1969 that had a profound influence on the country-rock to follow, particularly on The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Eagles (Bernie Leadon, later with both groups was a core member of the Clark, Doug Dillard group).

Unfortunately, the album title confusion, the eclectic, introspective nature of the music, Clark's refusal to tour and A&M's tepid promotion doomed the album to cult status despite critical approval. Produced by Jesse (Ed) Davis and recorded at The Village Recorder in Santa Monica, the album features seven delicately drawn Clark originals and one cover of the Richard Manuel-Bob Dylan collaboration "Tears of Rage", which sounds as if it was recorded elsewhere at a different time and grafted on to this album to fill a side. But never mind. It's still a worthwhile cover.

Gene Clark was an original, with distinctive singing and compositional styles. His lyrical complexity was no doubt influenced by Bob Dylan but Clark's "hitched" vocals and singular melodic and rhythmic constructs were obvious standouts on the early Byrds albums as they are here.

There's not a less than compelling tune on this album but the standouts are "Because of You" and "Spanish Guitar", both of which take full effect every play thanks to Clark's searing vocals and the intimacy of the recordings, which have never before sounded this pure and transparent, nor has Chris Ethridge's bass been reproduced with such weight and texture. Lacquers were cut from original analog tape safety copy. The laminated cover and "Tip on" jacket add to the reissue's attractiveness.

I'm compiling a list of 100 "must have" all-analog in print records and this one has been added to the list. Highly recommended, even if, no, especially if you have a treasured original A&M pressing. This reissue kills the original in every possible way!