Jan 282014
I was a little surprised to read that Gene Clark seems to be a touchstone for indie bands — and this Beach House-led tour and No Other revival is getting pretty good reviews. I had never listened to No Other, so I gave it a good spin over the weekend. For me, it was an ideal album to listen to on a cold, grey winter day when a sick kid means you are canceling all plans and staying home.
It is like listening to an album I’ve heard before, but never heard, if that makes any sense. The backstory is interesting — and I guess No Other is among the pantheon of great “lost” rock albums.
What do you think? Have you heard No Other…and is it a great lost rock album?
I can’t wait to get out of work and check out this album. I’d never heard of it before. The backstory is excellent. The back cover photo of Clark tells a story in itself:
http://geneclarkgallery.com/NoOtherCov3.jpg
Wow — thanks for digging that photo up. That’s a different look for Gene! And thanks for linking to the Wiki page in the post — pretty stellar line up of players.
I hadn’t heard of the album but was interested after reading about that tour. (I admit to liking many of those musicians, and if they are all involved, it’s got to be something semi-palatable, at least.)
Ah, so that’s where Fleetwood Mac got some of their “Fleetwood Mac” and “Rumours”-era fashion ideas!
This song sounds like it came off the Midlake album I picked up a couple of years ago and like for it’s creepy, unimaginable (in terms of influence) mid-’70s vibe. The album is called something like Tales of Van Occupanther. I still listen to a few songs off it regularly. It’s what I imagine other Bob Welch songs from Bare Trees might sound like, if I ever heard anything from that album beside the original Fleetwood Mac version of “Sentimental Lady.” Its sounds like I imagine Cold Duck tasted. Weird. Based on this one song, there’s no way I could call this a “lost gem,” but I’m curious to check out other tracks. It may be one of those weird albums that’s worth picking up just for its freak-show aspects.
Here’s an article on that No Other Tour that I just found:
http://spectator.org/articles/57553/gene-clark-byrd-no-other
I have a Gene Clark 2-CD compiliation that came out in the late 90s w/some songs from No Other that I have to check out.
Glad you posted this–I had read a similar article in the NY Times a couple of days ago. Although I am more or less reflexively turned off by hipster curatorialism, there is at least the inevitable proviso–“at least it is bringing attention to a neglected artist,” etc., etc. I quite like a lot of Clark’s post-Byrds work–the record with the Gosdin Bros. is solid, The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark is fabulous, there’s good stuff on the early 70s Roadmaster and White Light albums and even some good songs on the ill-conceived Byrds reunion lp. All that said, I’d never listened much to No Other. I can’t quite sign on to the “lost masterpiece” movement, but it’s pretty damn good and interesting–my goodness, it’s all over the place stylistically. I can see where people might not have known what the heck to make of it at the time. Eclecticism tends to age well, though.
Thanks — I need to check out those other records. Frankly, I am surprised that I even like No Other a little bit. What gets me is the harmonies on this — it’s like listening to a darker Eagles or CSN.
Obviously the Beach House people are obsessive with No Other — to mount even a short tour over this is remarkable. Also — it’s less than $4 on eMusic.
Speaking of CSN — David Crosby has a new record out this month. I’ve read some of his solo records are pretty good, but I can’t say I’ve listened to any of them. This month may be a good time to fall into an SoCal rock abyss.