April 1, 2018 vol. 2 no. 4 |
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Photo of the Month: This month's photo of a young, collegiate, barely-out-of-his-teens Gene Clark was taken by Byrds manager Jim Dickson during the genesis of The Byrds when they were still known as The Jet Set, 1964. (Photo courtesy of John Delgatto, Sierra Records.) |
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NEWS We hear… Echoes is excited to bring the news that there will be two Gene Clark-related releases coming for RECORD STORE DAY on April 21, 2018! An announcement was sent out on March 6 to Echoes subscribers (if you did not receive it, check your spam folder future announcements for upcoming releases will also be emailed). These will only be available at 'brick and mortar" independent record stores, so check the RSD link for a participating store near you and for the full list of releases. |
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First up from Entrée Records is a limited edition 45 rpm 12” vinyl EP of Back Street Mirror, Don’t Let it Fall Through, Yesterday, Am I Right, If I Hang Around, She Told Me, That’s What You Want. 'Back Street Mirror' & 'Don’t Let it Fall Through' were previously released on Sierra Record’s Lost Studio Sessions 1964 – 1982, while the other tracks have not been released until now. Tom Sandford (aka The Clarkophile) has written about these tracks on his excellent blog (he also wrote the notes for the album). Click HERE to read his blogpost about the tracks. Information from the official Record Store Day website is available at the link below. | | |
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The second Record Store Day release is the American Dreamer Soundtrack from Light in the Attic Records featuring two Gene Clark songs, "American Dreamer", and "Outlaw Song" For more information on this release, visit the official Record Store Day website by clicking the link below. | | |
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Fan Art! One of our followers on Instagram is a young and very talented fan who drew this amazing sketch of Gene. I asked him if I could share his art and if he would give a little info about himself and am so happy that he obliged! Thank you Drew!
About the artist:
My name is Drew Whitney, I am 16 years old and have enjoyed drawing the faces of the musicians and artists I love for about a year now. Music has been a very large part of my life and the people I draw are people that inspire me to start making music of my own someday soon.
To view more of my art and music related things: Instagram: @drew.whitney & @drewwhitneyart , Twitter: @drew__whitney
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Out On The Side: - The 3rd Annual "Here Tonight Tribute to Gene Clark" took place at The Chapel in San Francisco last month and Kai Clark and his band were among the performers at the sold-out show! The Kai Clark Band also performed at The Ol' Republic brewery in Nevada City, CA. Below are some photos from both events.
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Echoes Recommends: - Fans of Gene's music will be thrilled to hear this new album coming from BENNETT WILSON POOLE. The band was formed by ROBIN BENNETT of The Dreaming Spires and Saint Etienne, DANNY WILSON of Danny And The Champions Of The World and Grand Drive and TONY POOLE of Starry Eyed and Laughing, master of the 12 string Ric, producer extrodinaire and this month's 5Q! The band's sound has been compared to legends such as The Byrds, Crosby Stills and Nash, The Travelling Wilburys and others. Echoes was lucky to be supplied with an advance copy of their CD and we can tell you that while BWP's sound certainly evokes some of those great bands, they have a sound that's all their own and one that's really fresh and new! We highly recommend their self-titled debut available from Aurora Records on April 6. Check them out, they do not disappoint! For more information on the band, the upcoming album, videos and live shows, click the link below.
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Backstage Pass This month long-time Gene Clark fan
DAVID EMERICK shares his photos and his recollections of seeing Gene do a solo gig
at the Old Vienna Kaffeehaus back in the late 1980s with Echoes' readers. (All images courtesy of David Emerick). "The Old Vienna Kaffeehaus was located in Westboro, a small town in central Massachusetts. For many years the Old Vienna Kaffeehaus was the mecca for not only the top folk acts (rivaling Cambridge's esteemed Club Passim), but also hosted many other national and international acts. |
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Unfortunately it closed in 1996, and is still sorely missed. Located on the second floor of the restaurant, the Old ViennaKaffeehaus maybe sat a hundred people, and with its intimate layout, it had some of the best acoustics of anywhere. |
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"Thought you might like to see my ticket from that night. $10.00 to see Gene Clark!" |
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It was here that Gene Clark appeared solo, twice within the calendar year, the dates being Oct 16, 1988, and May 12, 1989. I had been fortunate enough to see Gene a number of times, in various incarnations, since 1977. Being able to see Gene a mere twenty minutes drive away was almost too good to be true. I must admit that my favorite Gene show was with the Firebyrds at the Mohawk Club in Shirley, MA in 1984. Seeing my two favorite Byrds together (Gene & Mike Clarke), with a killer band was amazing. Plus I got to speak with both. But I digress. Gene came out at the OVK, and sat on a stool for both gigs, just Gene and his black Washburn guitar. One often overlooked fact about Gene is the fact he was a fine guitarist. At the October show, Gene was suffering from a cold, but it didn't suppress his enthusiasm for being there. He had a way of captivating his audience, almost like he was sitting in a living room and playing for you. Gene relayed a number of stories between songs, which were a mix of songs from his Byrds days right up till the present, in fact he talked about a new album coming out, and debuted "Shades Of Blue". Always one to throw in an obscurity, he did the rarely performed "Four Walls" and "Hear The Wind". After a thoroughly engaging set, he closed with 2 Byrds numbers, "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better", and "Chimes of Freedom". After the show, Gene met with some of the audience, but as I had my tape recorder, and trying to be discreet, I made for the door. The show in May was similar in a lot of ways. Again I had my recorder, but this time I also had my camera. (The photos here are from the May show.) Trying not to attract attention to my taping, I didn't use a flash, which accounts for the less than stellar quality of the photos. Gene was in fine form but seemed more reserved in relating to the audience, at least early on. As the night progressed, he seemed to get more engaged. He looked rather thin and pale, so I'm not sure if some of his health issues had begun to take their toll. He put on a fine show regardless, again mixing songs from his entire career, with one new song, "On The Run", being debuted for the OVK audience. Looking over the two setlists from the shows, it's a testament to his talent that while there was some repetition of songs between the two nights, there were a lot of songs he didn't repeat; proving again what a great performer he was. As he often did, Gene would ask the audience for requests and would, to the best of his ability, try to play one or two if he remembered them. He explained how some tunes he hadn't played in a long time, and couldn't remember them. This night, he ended his set on a request out of left field: "Satisfied Mind" from the Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn! album. On said album, the version seems a bit campy, there's something just not right about the arrangement and delivery . However, this night, with just Gene alone with his guitar, he gave the song a brilliant, soulful interpretation that was missing on the Byrds album. He came back to do a 2-song encore of "Full Circle" and "Kansas City Southern". Then he was gone. I didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last time I would get to see him perform. I consider myself extremely lucky to have seen him as many times as I did . But what we would give for one more show...." |
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Thank you David for sharing your photos and memories with Echoes' readers! |
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In The Plan - “Gene Therapy” a Gene Clark podcast – topics & music specific to Gene’s career
- "Who's Who" List of people associated with Gene Clark
- "Backstage Pass" - Did you see Gene perform in concert with the Byrds or solo? Echoes is always looking for recollections from fans who met Gene at a show and maybe even snapped a photo or two. Email: GeneClarkWebsite@gmail.com if you have anything you'd like to share.
- Guest Blog Spot - Do you have a talent for writing? Have you always wanted to write about your favorite Gene Clark album, or share your interpretions of his songs? If you would like to submit an interesting blog piece about Gene Clark for our website, please contact Echoes at GeneClarkWebsite@gmail.com with your pitch, Echoes would love to hear from you!
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TONY POOLE is a musician known for his excellence on the 12-string Rickenbacker guitar and as a top-notch producer. In 1973 Tony founded the band Starry Eyed and Laughing, with Ross McGeeney. Recently Tony teamed up with Danny Wilson (Danny And The Champions Of The World, Grand Drive), and Robin Bennett (The Dreaming Spires, Saint Etienne), to form BENNETT WILSON POOLE. Their self-titled debut album is due for release on April 6, 2018 on Aurora Records and is already receiving rave reviews and they are also currently playing to sold-out shows in the UK. For more information on Bennett Wilson Poole visit thieir Facebook page HERE. "Younger than that now..." photos: top Tony with Starry Eyed and Laughing and with Bennett Wilson Poole (bottom). |
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1. When was the first time you met Gene? I’m lucky enough to count Barry Ballard as one of my closest friends, Barry wrote for an early Byrds fanzine called Full Circle, did liner notes for a Gene Clark CD reissue, and is generally about the most complete authority on all things Byrds (not forgetting my other pal Johnny Rogan of course). Well, it was Wednesday April 3rd 1985 that I got a call from Barry asking if I was free to go and see Gene at a gig - was he kidding!?! I’d briefly met (if you could call it that) The Byrds as a kid in 1967 when they came to London and threw a tea party for fans at The Roundhouse), but of course Gene had left by then. The pound note the remaining four signed for me missed his signature! |
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Gene was playing solo upstairs in The Richmond Hotel in Brighton - we arrived some time before the soundcheck. I was a little shocked how small the room was, but the atmosphere was definitely electric somehow. Now when I said ‘lucky’ - in this case what I meant was that: Barry had interviewed Gene at least once (probably more times) and was greeted like a friend - thus I was introduced to Gene Clark. He was very quiet and completely humble, yet an unforgettable physical presence with a tangible aura. (I love that quote from Chris Hillman that he stood on stage with The Byrds like Prince Valiant - easy to believe!). I have no memory of any words we exchanged - but he came across as a very kind and attentive listener. Sadly I’d long since mislaid that pound note, so I never did get to add his signature... |
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I’m not sure where he was at in his life in 1985 - it sometimes breaks my heart thinking about that - but he played and sang beautifully to a room of no more than 30 people. I remember it was all low key (hey - who does melancholy better?), and he was in great voice - that voice! A star in any circumstance. 2. What is your favorite Gene Clark story/memory? I have another great friend - Jeff de Noronha - also a huge fan - who had met Gene informally and by chance a couple of times before I did, and this question prompted me to call him up to borrow one of his stories I half-remembered. Gene was playing Dingwalls, a club in London and sometime before the gig he walked into a pub down the road where Jeff was with his friends. Naturally (Gene being as he is described above), they were soon talking. Somehow they got on to the subject of trains. (Dingwalls is near The Roundhouse, which was originally a railway switching place, so I guess that may be why). It turns out Gene Clark was an absolute train enthusiast! (“I Remember The Railroad”, “Kansas City Southern”, “Train Leaves Here This Morning”? Ok, only a fraction of his hundreds of songs, but still - makes me wonder how things would have turned out in The Byrds if there was a transatlantic railroad or they insisted all touring was by rail). |
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"Don't you know how the whistle blows?" A couple of the train lines mentioned in train enthusiast Gene Clark's songs, the Kansas City Southern and the Daylight Line. |
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Seems Jeff somehow arranged to take Gene on a visit to some famous railyard museum or such-like but before the details could be finalised, someone appeared and whisked him away! (apologies that this story has no second act!) It’s just fun for me to picture this unique miner of the human condition as a train fan, a kind of child (in the best way). Oh, and Jeff still has a video of that Dingwalls performance, but in a format that’s long extinct. |
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"I Remember the Railroad..." before it was a club; The North Western Railway roundhouse as it appeared in the 1800s. |
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3. What do you know about Gene that you would want his fans to know? Having given away the train thing in the previous question (!), as a musician, I guess I’d want them to know that there is a unique architecture to Gene’s songs that transcends any musical rules. I think they’d be aware of that anyway without knowing any of those rules, because particular clusters of notes - chords - really do stimulate particular feelings; in western music, probably the most obvious is that minor chords sound sad, whilst major chords that stick to their key families have a kind of forward motion that travels just as far as the garden gate and always wants to “come home” to a safe resolution. Gene uses chords that travel far beyond that garden gate, and without ties to rules or familiar forms - his music twists what we’ve come to expect traditionally, and that causes completely new feelings, or perhaps shines a new light on old ones - often a disorientation that’s subconsciously unsettling but extremely pleasing at the same time. And that’s just the chords. *(I’m sorry - I’m writing this having just heard that the great Stephen Hawking has died - feeling a little disoriented and sad - I know he’d explain it better using just one equation).
[*N.B.: We think Tony did just fine...] 4. Favorite Gene Clark Song/Album? This is hard but I’ll have to say “Echoes” is probably my favorite song. On the street you look again at the places you have been For the moments that you thought “Where am I going?” Though the walls are like the dead, they reflect the things you said
And the echoes in your head continue showing Gene’s genius was in writing things we all think (whether we know it or not), yet scattering those thought-gems amongst mysterious other-worldly images that seem to actually map our unconscious in ways we never imagined ‘till we hear them, and then try to picture them. “Echoes” is a song beyond time. |
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His first solo record Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers is my favourite album. I was in Singapore as a kid when I bought the LP (used to get all the Byrds and music news from US teen mags there - how thrilling to read the article about The Gene Clark Group with the Henry Diltz photos - they looked as cool as The Byrds themselves) and can still clearly see the record store and the sun-filled day I laid eyes on that great cover. All the songs were amazing, instant and fresh sounding, yet with even more of those mysterious word shapes and unusual chord changes - blew my mind! I have loved every record of his since. No Other was so far out, but completely enveloping, and I wonder if many would call that his masterpiece? But the impression made by that first album can’t be beaten. |
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Gene's first solo record (Tony Poole's favourite!) and the cool but short-lived Gene Clark Group. |
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If I can have a Gene Clark Byrds; song in a separate category - it would have to be “She Don’t Care About Time”. ”My white-walled room out on the end of time”, such a perfect image of a place we were in as kids before the world’s craziness leaked in, and where we still are when we close the door and shut the curtains on it. 5. Complete the sentence: I think Gene Clark should be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame because... Gene Clark combined chords, time signatures, melodies and words in a way that is characteristically, stylistically and recognisably UNIQUE to him, and in so doing he opened our hearts and minds in a unique extraordinary way. The case that his songs touch so many other humans emotionally can be made over and over, and that would be reason enough, but - and I admit I love mathematics and logic - I think the above statement is an irresistible argument, logically, technically and emotionally, for inclusion in any Hall of Fame that celebrates what a Songwriter uniquely does. |
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Echoes wishes everyone a Happy Easter, Happy Spring! So long until next time! |
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Sign the PetitionGet Gene In! Show your support to induct Gene Clark into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. |
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Gene ClarkWebsite dedciated to Gene Clark | Singer | Songwriter | Legend, co-founder of The Byrds |
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