Customer Reviews

In Concert

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gene Clark deserves every bit as much credit for being a founding father of country rock and grandaddy of alt.country as Gram Parsons. He was also the best songwriter and singer on the first two Byrds' albums - so a pop master, as well! This 2-CD set finds Gene performing live, near the end of his career and also near the end of his troubled life. He performs solo on part of this, with late-career partner Carla Olson on other parts; sometimes they are on stage, and on the best 3 tracks they are playing in a living room. Newcomers to Gene Clark's post-Byrds work should start with his '74 masterpiece No Other, then look to his work with Doug Dillard (Dillard & Clark) and Olson (their 80s album So Rebellious a Lover features some of Gene's greatest songwriting and performing). But Gene fans will love this.

Two of Gene Clark's last recorded live performances are captured here, a solo set from 1988, and an intimate 1991 gig at McCabe's Guitar Shop, with collaborator Carla Olson.

Gene's flame was in decline by this point, a life that burned bright with promise but ended mired in a slow-burning stew of studio politics, personal turmoil, alcohol, bad business decisions, and a personality that Carla gently describes in the excellent liner notes as "mercurial."

Still, Gene's remarkable gifts for song remain. His baritone voice and poignant lyrics -- so deep, dark, mystical, and haunting, are brought to the forefront in these minimal, unadorned sessions. In particular, "Del Gato" and "Gypsy Rider" have never sounded better. Carla's voice is a sweet, strong match for Gene, and they make music for the ages on these discs.

I hope there are more such gems in the archives, and that we see additional releases of Gene Clark concerts, not just from this latter period but from each and every remarkable arc in his career.

We miss you Gene.

Perhaps even more memorable and influential than the jangly folk rock Dylan covers on the first two Byrds albums, were the orignal compositions of Gene Clark. Songs like "Here Without You", "The World Turns All Around Her", and "Set You Free This Time" jump started the Southern Californian folk rock sound. Clark's later solo work and collaborations with the Dillards and Carla Olson, although not commercially successful, was as responsible for the fusion of rock and country music as the recordings of the (now) better appreciated Gram Parsons. These live recordings from a Mountain Stage broadcast and an intimate session at McCabe's, offer a good sampling of tunes from throughout Clark's too short career. Besides being a first rate songwriter, Clark possessed a voice that like Parsons' effortlessly communicated human emotion. Both concerts on the two discs are loose affairs with back up musicians who did not have much rehearsal time with Clark, but this does not detract from the performances in my view. Rather it allows for a feeling of spontaneity like Clark dropped into your local coffee house to perform for a handful of listeners. Don't know if GC will ever get his due and what difference does it make now but he will always be one of my favorite singer songwriters. This release was a thrilling find for me.

Gene Clark is a greatly overlooked songwriter. The production values are a little rough, but the songs come through clearly and this CD is well worth a listen for those appreciative of a true song builder.

This is a guilty pleasure recording. Many "wilburies" intact but it's alright, for avid fan or even casual listener. The solo CD relates the feeling of a kind of rushed radio concert. Think: stripped down King Biscuit Flower Hour. Clark arrives late and can't practice with the local band arranged for him. Of course, the solo songs are superb. Then songs with the band are a little rough, as you might expect, but, ultimately, they are pros and pull it off without trashing the music (which I fully expected). The duet CD with Carla Olson is probably better than the studio "So Rebellious A Lover". It tells you that during that day and time, with the right promoting, these two might have been touted as the best in the biz, and justifiably so. Worth the price!

This is a two CD set. The first CD contains several tracks from a Gene Clark concert performance in 1989, which is excellent material and well worth having. I'd give a 5 star rating to the Gene Clark live concert portion of this release.

The last three tracks on the first CD are a home recording of Gene Clark and Carla Olsen rehearsing Gene Clark compositions in Gene's living room. These tracks are interesting from the perspective of hearing Clark and Olsen work out new arrangements of previously recorded material, but the sound quality of these recordings is definitely not up to studio quality.

The second CD is a recording of a performance Clark and Olsen gave at McCabe's Guitar Shop in L.A. in 1990. It's a decent performance although, once again, the sound quality is not up to recording studio standards.

Buy this album if you want a really good recording of Gene Clark in concert a few years before his untimely death in 1991. The Carla Olsen/Gene Clark collaborative material on this collection should be interesting to die hard fans but probably not to the general listener.

I am a Gene Clark fan from way back, and I have just about everything the man ever recorded. This 2 disc set is Siilhouted IN Light, with Carla Olson minus one song and most of Silverado '75-Live & Unreleased, which I have on order and should be receiving any day soon, but the titles match up to Amazon's listing. Its great to have most of Gene's live stuff all together in one place but what about the four missing tracks? I know they would've fit on the disc because of the other ones I already own or have coming. Must be somebody wouldn't them use them for one selfish reason or another.

Gene and Carla make great music together. I love this CD, the music is great. I wish they would have made more music together.

Excellent Cd, arrived on time.
Was a rminder of the former Byrds influnece and still sang harmonies well.
Sad to have lost this genius.