Gene Clark- Two sides to every story

Two Sides to Every Story

With full approval of the Gene Clark estate, this album was scheduled for re-release on CD by High Moon Records in early June. There was even a launch party in late April in which the Kai Clark Band performed the album in its entirety. The original Gene Clark Band (Chip Douglas, Bill Rhinehart, & Joel Larson) also performed. Unexpected delays have pushed back the release date to August 30.

The album is a collection of songs which are intended to represent a cross-section of the various musical styles (bluegrass, country, country-rock, folk, folk-rock, rock and roll, pop, etc.) that Clark had mastered through his career. The superb sessions band consists of Jerry McGee (the Ventures) and Skunk Baxter (Steely Dan & The Doobie Brothers) on guitars, Jim Fielder (Blood, Sweat & Tears) on bass, Sammy Creeson (Tony Joe White) on drums, and Michael Utley (Jimmy Buffet) on keyboards. Superb backing vocals are provided by Emmylou Harris, John Hartford, Daniel and Mathew Moore, Pepper Watkins, and others. In addition, there are terrific cameos by former Clark collaborators, banjo virtuoso Douglas Dillard (the Dillards, Dillard & Clark) and fiddle virtuoso Byron Berline (the Dillards, Dillard & Clark, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Country Gazette, etc.), as well as steel guitarist Al Perkins (the Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas). Produced by Thomas Jefferson Kaye.

"Home Run King" is an excellent fusion of bluegrass-rock which allows Dillard a chance to show off his banjo picking. "Lonely Saturday" is a honky-tonk weeper featuring Al Perkins on steel guitar. "In the Pines" is pure traditional bluegrass perfection with Dillard burning on banjo and Berline sizzling on fiddle - absolutely terrific. "Kansas City Southern" was originally recorded by Dillard & Clark as a bluegrass rock number. It is rearranged here as an effective CCR style rocker. "Give My Love to Marie" is a slow, somber folk tear-jerker. "Sister Moon" is a slow, melancholy, ethereal pop ballad. "Marylou" is a roots rocker which, for some reason, doesn't really work - not bad, just fairly dull. The last three songs on the album all appeared on the Flying High compilation and represent the best of the original songs. "Hear the Wind" is a sensitive country ballad. "Past Addresses" and "Silent Crusade" are melancholy slices of biography.

Overall, this album is among Clark's least coherent and least consistent albums. But otherwise, it's a great listen.