Sunday, July 15, 2007

321. Gene Clark - No Other (1974)
















Track Listing

1. Life's Greatest Fool
2. Silver Raven
3. No Other
4. Strength Of Strings
5. From A Silver Phial
6. Some Misunderstanding
7. True One, The
8. Lady Of The North

Review

This album is pretty infamous as one of the most expensive follies of all times. But as you listen to it you realise that it isn't that much of a folly. It is a very well crafted album of folk-rock music, that although it could be much better for all the money that was spent on it is still a pretty good listen.

I am not a huge fan of Gene Clark, or the Byrds for that matter, I like them well enough but the previous Gene Clark album on the list, White Light, really didn't blow my socks off. In relation to that album this one is a much superior work, the adding of a gospel choir is a really good thing, although it seems to be a bit derivative of Stephen Stills work.

That said, this album was not a waste of money, the world is richer for it, I actually was already familiar with one of the tracks on it, Strength of Strings from a This Mortal Coil album, so although it is still a pretty obscure album it is certainly influential and actually pretty good. Get it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights


1. Strength of Strings
2. No Other
3. Some Misunderstanding
4. Silver Raven

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Contrary to rumors that many of the album's songs were conceived under the influence of mescaline and other ilicit chemicals, Clark's wife Carlie stated in Mr. Tambourine Man: The Story Of the Byrds' Gene Clark that he was sober throughout the Mendocino years and was disinclined to experiment for the sake of his children. Living up to the "hillbilly Shakespeare" moniker accorded him by former bandmate John York, the "weighty" and ponderous nature of most of his lyrics from the period were drawn from his Christian upbringing and discussions regarding Carlos Castaneda, Theosophy and Zen with his wife and friends like David Carradine and Dennis Hopper.

Silver Raven By Gene Clark:

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