CD Review: Gene Clark "Silverado '75: Live & Unreleased" (Collectors' Choice)
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As a founding member of the Byrds, Clark was known for both his
singing and songwriting, having written and sung several of the Byrds
most memorable tunes. His departure in 1966 led to a one-off recording
with the Gosdin Brothers whose fusion of country and rock pre-dated
the Clark-less Byrds turn (Sweetheart of the Rodeo) by a year. Clark
rambled further on the country-rock road with Doug Dillard for a pair
of albums, and finally recorded his first solo release in 1971. His
songwriting and singing remained strong throughout, but his commercial
fortunes never matched the success he'd found early on; even a 1973
reunion of the Byrds' original lineup failed to generate any real
sparks in the marketplace; what it did provide was an introduction to
David Geffen, who offered Clark a solo deal on Asylum.
The resulting 1974 solo album, No Other, was miles from the rootsy
directions Clark had been exploring, befuddling listeners with layers
of instruments, studio affects and. His label was likewise nonplussed,
cutting the planned double album to a single, failing to fully promote
the release, and providing little tour support; the album disappeared
after slinking on to the bottom of the chart. So it was in the shadow
of these failures that Clark set out on a lengthy tour of club dates
with a trio composed of himself, Roger White on guitar and Duke
Bardwell on bass. The artist's disappointment and sadness is evident
on this 1975 live recording in both the weariness of his vocals and
the dismissal of the album with only two tracks ("No Other" and
"Silver Raven") on his set list.
The drumless, stripped-down sound of the trio is fleshed out with
harmonica and three-part harmonies. This follows from Clark's earlier
country-rock work, and his pre-Byrds career as a folkie shows in the
directness of his singing. Besides the folk-country staple "Long Black
Veil" and the traditional "In the Pines," the songwriting is all
Clark's. He reaches back to the Byrds first two albums for "Here
Without You" and "Set You Free This Time," each more weary and
resigned than the originals, and Dillard & Clark's nostalgic mid-
western train song, "Kansas City Southern," a mainstay of Clark's live
set, is less bluegrass-frenetic than the studio original and and more
country-soul groove. Drawing "She Darked the Sun" from Dillard &
Clark's first album, Clark turns in his most focused and heartrending
(if not always on-key) performance of the set.
In addition to a pair of songs from No Other ("No Other" and "Silver
Raven" the latter included as an encore), Clark includes a song cut
from the original release, "Train Leaves Here This Morning," and a
pair of new songs "Daylight Line" and the poetic, metaphorical "Home
Run King." The CD's 65-minute running length includes some of Clark's
between-song banter, revealing the intimate space (both physical and
personal) in which the show was performed. In many ways it's fitting
that the emotional strain of Clark's lyrics are underlined by the
physical exertion of club touring; this may not be Clark's best
recording, but it's lack of artifice provides an unobstructed view
into the songwriter's soul. [(c)2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]