Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/29/2008
Run Time: 37:14
Gene Clark was the greatest underrated
singer/songwriter to emerge from the '60s
rock explosion, and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as
Neil Young. This album, his debut as a duo with virtuoso banjoist/guitarist
Doug Dillard, is perhaps his most brilliant recording. Out of the ashes of
the Byrds and a brilliant false start of a solo career (the excellent
Echoes album), the 1968
Dillard & Clark project found
Clark collecting some of his finest material (basically the entire album) and putting it in the familiar context of
bluegrass and
country, a good year before these elements became vogue in the
pop world. But
Gene Clark was always ahead of his time. Bookended by two exquisite autobiographical explorations into consciousness --
"Out on the Side" and "Something's Wrong" -- the album's other tracks run from mournful
ballad statements such as
"Radio Song" to joyous celebrations like
"With Care from Someone." There is also a very hot cover of the
gospel number
"Git It on Brother," which features
Chris Hillman on mandolin.
Doug Dillard's playing on the record is uniformly excellent. Not only a virtuoso musician,
Dillard is a truly
smart player who never gets in the way of the songs. Graceful, spellbinding, and tasteful all at the same time. Absolutely essential.
~Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide
;)
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