Gene Clark S/D, C/D

anyhoo back to gene, man, that song "for no one" on the white light demos is sooooo amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0oOna4l_ug

The versatility of his voice is amazing

Yes. The White Light Demos is essential Gene Clark. The version of White Light is superior to album.

he has an amazing voice.

Had

yeah

:(

Still does. He has an awesome country-rock duo with Gram up in heaven.

Let's die

but we don't have to, this is why god gives us skilled caricaturists.

The chorus of "Triad" should go: "Why can't I have two girlfriends?"

I got tickets to the No Other concert in New York

The chorus of "Triad" should go: "Why can't I have two girlfriends?"

"it would be groooooooooovy / for meeeee"

Another Crosby Byrds classic: Renaissance Fair. The concept of people dressed up as knights is such a mind blower, he thinks maybe he's dreaming.

Oh man, 'For No One'..

The death of Gene Clark: Saddest event in music history? Not necessarily the most important, and neither unexpected nor dramatic, just so fucking tragic how he spent 20 years quietly destroying himself. Townes Van Zandt's story, while partly unbearably dark, at least contains some light. I don't know of much to smile about in Clark's life post-Byrds. Except the music of course.

Saddest event in music history?

Not even close! At least he had success commercially and critically in his lifetime. And I'm sure he wasn't exactly poor for most of his adult life either.

I read the bio Mr. Tambourine Man. His adult life was not good. Especially bleak at the end with surgeries to remove most of his intestines and stomach. The real tragedy is what an asshole he became, how difficult he was. With the drinking and a lot of bitterness. One of those cases where you just with the right person got through to him, but it never happened.

There's no shortage of sad stories in the music business, let's be honest

You're right obviously. A tad hyperbolic on my part. But it fucking sad, nonetheless

Haven't read the book, is it good?

john einarson's bio is excellent.

with all the sad you want.

I have that book but have yet to read it. Maybe I'll start it now.

Listening to Firebyrd for the first time. It's so good. I don't think there is a bad Gene Clark song.

the saddest thing is that he hit paydirt when tom petty covered feel a lot better and the album sold 12 gazillion copies. i think he basically drunk up all that money.

he hit paydirt when the byrds recorded that song.

A period of abstinence and recovery followed until Tom Petty's cover of "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" on his 1989 album Full Moon Fever yielded a huge amount of royalty money to Clark who quickly reverted to drug and alcohol abuse.

he hit paydirt when the byrds recorded that song.

― fit and working again, Monday, December 16, 2013 12:53 AM (14 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i bet that tom petty album sold shit-tons more than the byrds single/album, because 1980s

for sure. just pointing out that gene made a ton of money when he was in the byrds.

so Tom Petty killed Gene Clark? what a jerk

roy orbison joins a band with tom petty, roy dies. tom petty covers a gene clark song, gene dies. suspicious...

someone get angela lansbury on the case

angela lansbury wouldn't take that case in a million years.

Breakdown, She Wrote

Tonight on A Current Affair...Did rock and roll legend Tom Petty send Gene Clark and Roy Orbison Into the Great Wide Open? Don't Do Me Like That, Tom!

"I felt a whole lot better when he was gone," Petty confessed.

The Heartbreakers back up Johnny Cash...later Johnny Cash dies. Film at 11!

"I felt a whole lot better when he was gone," Petty confessed.

― tylerw, Monday, December 16, 2013 4:47 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A+

Strength of Strings is the best song ever, seriously.

Some Misunderstanding is his grand achievement.

only recently discovered the David Hemmings 1967 album "David Hemmings Happens" which features various Byrds and this lovely Gene Clark song (which sounds v Lee Hazlewood to me!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBZmYvJf7M0

Why Not Your Baby is such a devastatingly beautiful song; so melancholy, despite the chuckle-headed banjo groove running through it. Gene is at his best when he takes a simple sentiment and makes it profound & otherworldly imo. see also: I Knew I'd Want You, One in a Hundred, True One etc. etc.

Why Not Your Baby is such a devastatingly beautiful song; so melancholy, despite the chuckle-headed banjo groove running through it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu4D5MaS3Cs&sns=em

Has anyone seen this documentary about him? Been wondering whether I should track it down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSrwsPV1G1I

Posted on The Byrds POX:

Just listened to this very-well-recorded live set: Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Blondie Chaplin, and (not listed, but mentioned by Clark) John York, live in Evansville, Indiana, 1985. This was one of those "tribute" (or actually "reunion" was the billing for this, it sez here), tours that Clark did 'til McGuinn & Hillman made him cease and desist, I think I read elsewhere (on another site with such tapes: a fairly well-documented era.) But, though it does go in sev. directions---Danko sings a cool "Honest I Do," we also get good "The Shape I'm In" and "The Rumour": even some 80s-appropriate chrome 'n' coke, like Chaplin singing "Shake Your Ass," and his suave, hearty turn from Beach Boys tours, "Sail On Sailor," plus some post-Byrds Clark songs that go on too long---it also works as a fairly euphoric, certainly energized Byrds tributes, with real good harmonies, emulating-not-imitating the Bryds. Also another toot of the coke for a 9: 24 "Eight Miles High" which doesn't much miss McGuinn (more speedy than jazzy, but I think it works) Finale: luvly "Turn Turn Turn." Dang if only The Byrds could have kept Gene. Here's the tracks & notes:
http://bigozine2.com/roio/?p=1628

― dow, Tuesday, February 24, 2015 12:41 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

And the xpost "other site with such tapes" is bbchron, which has more from this tour, also McGuinn & Clark duo shows etc, but what you'll see at the top of this page is The Gene Clark Fan Club Box, disc/zips 1-7. I haven't checked 'em. Have listened to several of bbchron's Byrds posts, which are good (good-enough sound, music as good as Byrds in various quartets,subsets were on particular occasions)(also have Byrds with Flying Burrito Brothers, but missing most of the participants I'd prefer, so haven't listened to that yet either). Here's Gene:
http://bbchron.blogspot.com/search?q=Gene+Clark

that's a wonderful cover of Why Not Your Baby. thanks for posting, Native!

very curious about that documentary. meant to be insightful, despite being quite speculative in a lot of ways.

i have to say, that velvet crush cover has very little or none of the lyricism of the original :(

and i love the banjo on the original! banjo + string arrangement = beautiful!

also, the harmonies!

don't get me wrong: i love the banjo too! i just find it remarkable that the song manages to be so sad with such a sprightly banjo line. a lot of it comes down to Gene's lyricism, as you say.

like a lot of great pop music it's in large part the mix of sad subject matter and uptempo major chords that makes it resonate strongly

I came to "Why Not Your Baby" thru the VC cover – amateurist and I seem to be having disagreements of late but I think it's damn lyrical (the Greg Leisz pedal steel solo is unreal). Also, I think it's pretty faithful all things considered.