Customer Reviews

Echoes

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Essentially this is a collection of some of Gene Clark's best work from the first two Byrds albums, his first (and best) solo album (Gene Clark And The Gosdin Brothers), plus a couple of previously unreleased songs and an acoustic demo version of "So You Say You Lost Your Baby." As such, this is essential listening for fans of the Gene Clark-era Byrds.

Of the first two tracks taken from the album Preflyte, "Boston" is a fairly pedestrian pop/rock song, but "For Me Again" is typical of the terrific mid-tempo songs Clark wrote for the Byrds. Also included are a pair of songs from Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn! [The glaring omission of "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" is forgivable in that most fans will already have the Byrds first two albums anyway.]

Tracks 7 through 17 comprise Clark's 1966 debut which included the Byrds' rhythm section of Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke. Standout tracks include the country-rock sound of "Tried So Hard" and songs like "The Same One," "Keep On Pushin'" and "Think I'm Gonna Feel Better." Of the previously unreleased tracks, "The French Girl" is not up to the standards of the other songs, but "Only Columbe" would have fit in nicely.

When Gene Clark died in 1991, most fans--if they remembered him at all--only remembered him as a one-time member of the Byrds. Echoes proves that he was more than that. RECOMMENDED

It's 1967. The unthinkable has happened. John Lennon has left The Beatles. The Beatles continue on with McCartney, Harrison and Starr adding Klaus Voormann to bass so McCartney can pick up rhythm guitar. Lennon's first couple of singles and his first solo album is brilliant but--it's not The Beatles so, despite having the elements that Lennon brought to the band, it sinks without a trace on the charts. Lennon continues to struggle along while The Beatles dominant the charts like any brand name band with two talented songwriters would.

Subsitute Lennon with Gene Clark, The Beatles with The Byrds and this is essentially what happened to America's most popular band and its most talented songwriter. Clark briefly rejoined The Byrds after leaving but it was brief. Pretty soon he was cutting stuff without his former band mates again.

Clark was the most talented songwriter in a very talented band. His angular songwriting, unusual musical hooks (remember songs like Feel a Whole Lot Better When You're Gone? or Eight Miles High)and wounded but guarded lyrics made him a natural for the lead slot in The Byrds.

This great collection of early solo stuff sounds like it was recorded in the mid to late 60's. What makes it still sound fresh is Clark's memorable tenor voice and the songwriting. There's a lot of great material here. If it intrigues you check out Roadmaster, White Light and No Other all overlooked masterpieces by this forgotten great musician.

Gene Clark was the soul of the Byrds, responsible for virtually all of their weightier musical moments, such as "Set You Free This Time," "Here Without You," "She Don't Care About Time," "If You're Gone," and the band's chief claim to first rank status--"Eight Miles High." After his exit, the Byrds were forced to resort to novelty tunes like "Mr. Spaceman" and "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n Roll Star" and Dylan re-tread "My Back Pages" to keep up the interest until their next soul, Gram Parsons, came to the rescue.

This set is by far the best re-issue of Clark's first solo LP, "Gene Clark with the Gosdin Bros." from 1967 as it bolsters this relatively brief album with the best Clark classics from his days with the Byrds, one excellent-sounding demo and two tracks recorded after the Gosdin Bros. album. Most of the tracks have been carefully remixed. The Gosdin Bros. album is one of those hidden great moments in 1960s pop showcasing Clark's introspective songs with backings by present and future Byrds (Clarence White) augmented by sophisticated arrangements from Leon Russell.

If you are a fan of the early Byrds, this release is a must-buy. If you are partial to the whole singer/songwriter movement that took off in the early 1970s, this release is also recommended.

One of those reissues that just gets everything right, Echoes is essentially "Gene Clark and the Gosdin Brothers Plus." Following his departure from the Byrds, Gene wasted no time in recording a solo album, getting the most talented musicians he could find for the recording sessions. The album they turned out was stellar; however, Columbia unwisely released it perilously close to the Byrds' own Younger than Yesterday, meaning that few people would properly appreciate Gene's first solo offering.

Echoes contains the entirety of that album--albeit resequenced--and also throws on several extra bonus tracks. Byrds tracks, from the World Pacific sessions, Tambourine Man, and Turn Turn Turn give something of a "warm-up" to the solo material, as it were. The Gosdins tracks themselves are remixed, and sound excellent; the album is, of course, stellar, one of the first and one of the best forays into "country rock." Rounding out the package are some stellar demos dating from the same time period.

Is that enough incentive?;-) One of the earliest reissues from the Byrds camp, Echoes remains one of the best due to its intelligent presentation, excellent liner notes, and stellar sound quality. It's also fantastically cheap, and serves both as a casual introduction into Gene Clark as a solo artist as well as a mere representation of the man at his best. Pick it up; you won't be disappointed.

There was indeed a genius in the Byrds and as talented as McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman are just listen to Gene Clark here and on his other CD's and you will quickly see genius at work.
Clark was doing the Cosmic American Music/Country Rock-Folk in the sixties.
Gram Parsons may the father of this kind of music but Gene Clark might give him a run for that title.
Tragically, like Gram Parsons, he died far too young and left us with a small body of work but what a great body of work that is.
If you like the Byrds, Poco, Gram Parsons and others of this ilk you MUST listen to Gene Clark.

I can't praise this highly overlooked album enough! This, not the overrated TURN TURN TURN lp, is the definitive early Gene Clark. Anybody who likes the Byrds, the Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape etc. will be incredibly pleased with ECHOES. Highlights include the lovely title track (arranged by Leon Russell), "The Same One", "I Found You", "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" and the wonderfully Beatlesque "Elevator Operator". Throw in six of the man's best tracks from the Byrds years and two fine period outtakes and you've got yourself a cd you can't afford to pass up! PS-- Byrds Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke and Clarence White are all members of Clark's band here (along with the Gosdin Brothers who share credit on the original record.) Gary Usher produces.

Along with Roger Mcguinn, Gene Clark founded the Byrds in 1964. Gene quit the Byrds in 1966 but remained signed to CBS, the Byrds record label. This CD represents an overview of Gene's work with the Byrds and solo recordings with CBS through 1967. Along with several great tunes from Gene's time with the Byrds, Gene's first solo album, "Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers," is presented here in its entirety. This album has been hailed by critics as the finest solo album by any Byrd, and while I cannot agree with that opinion (I think some of Gene's later solo albums are even better!), I can assure you it is a mighty fine album, combining Gene's interests in folk-rock, country-rock (and he was instrumental in inventing BOTH these musical genres) and, in songs like "I Found You," country-soul. This CD also includes two fine songs from Gene's further sessions with CBS in which he explores baroque-rock, "Only Columbe" and "The French Girl," and an acoustical version of "So You Say You Lost Your Baby". It has been said that Gene Clark was the only Byrd who could really ROCK and he shows it here on songs like "Couldn't Believe Her" and "Keep on Pushin'". Anyone interested in great music by the guy who started it all could not go wrong with "Echoes".

I began to take the Byrds seriously when I bought the There is a Season box set in 2007. What captivated me was the beautiful songs of Gene Clark and his equally haunting voice. Anyone who doesn't yet know this man's material or how amazing a writer he was needs to start with this compilation. Beatles Rubber Soul influenced, it contains some gorgeous melodies and incendiaire poetry ala Bob Dylan.

This compilation includes all the tracks from his debut solo album with the Gosdin brothers, plus some of his best songs with the Byrds. Highlights include the scandalously underrated and moody "Set You Free This Time," the poetic and all-too appealing "So You Say You Lost Your Baby (who can escape lyrics like " throw your troubles to the moon trolls?"), and the country rock that set the stage for future works like "Tried So Hard" and "Keep on Pushin'?" While "Only Colombe" and "Echoes" are his most Dylanesque, one cannot get over the sad fact that the title track to this compilation is about his leaving the Byrds, and that it had a lot more to do with intergroup politics than his fear of flying.

Echoes is a great place to start in a career that should have gone straight to the moon, but for Gene's terrible phobias and his heavy substance abuse. The man was a musical genius weighted down by his own fears, and people who haven't discovered his amazing talent yet will be rewarded for the effort of giving his music a chance.

Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers was Clark's first solo album after leaving the Byrds (which, in my opinion, despite the lack of success he achieved later on, was the best artistic decision of his life). Unsurprisingly, it also sounds the most like the Byrds of all his solo albums, not to mention it's the album on which Gene's singing voice sounds the most like Bob Dylan's (rather than the achingly true voice he'd develop for himself on his later records). Nevertheless, it's a pretty good record with some strong songs and performances. If you're looking for the best option for buying Gene's first album, you've come to the right place--Echoes has more music than the hard-to-find Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers, it's cheaper, and it has a stereo mix, which I think sounds better than the mono one.

Clark's first solo album has some great songs--the opener, "Echoes" is classic 60's experimentation with some strings and a delightfully impenetrable but beautiful lyric. A lot of these songs are short, concise pop folk rockers, like the second track, which is actually pretty catchy. The Gosdin bros. lend Gene some good guitar skills, and some energetic background vocals. Personally, I like it better when Gene's voice is out there by itself (I think it's a wonderful instrument in and of itself), or combined with more subtle harmonizing, like with Doug Dillard. They do sound good at what they're doing though. "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" is a dark change of pace, and "Keep On Pushin'" sounds like a pretty direct precursor of some of Clark's groundbreaking country rock work (and the work of his contemporaries).

A lot of the album, though, sounds pretty familiar--like the Byrds, like the Everly Brothers, and like the standard late-60's rock that was padding the radio in the day. A few of the songs are a bit dull, like "Couldn't Believe Her," and "Elevator Operator," and sometimes the record would benefit from more diverse subject matter (i.e. less love songs). All in all, though, it's not a bad record--just overshadowed by Gene's A+ work with Dillard, and his later solo outings, White Light and No Other.

If you're interested in Clark but haven't heard his later stuff, I don't think I'd recommend starting with this album, but if you're already into his music it's definitely worthwhile--but I'd still recommend Echoes over the mono one for its price, quality, and value. Enjoy!

I had the original release and decided to update to this remastered reissue. Well, I can't tell any difference in sound quality. Plus, there is no booklet at all in this version. So for anyone on the fence, stick with the original release. The album itself is pure Gene Clark genius. For anyone who likes The Byrds, especially their early stuff, this is the most logical step into discovering the very talented songwriting and performing of my favorite Byrd.