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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Country/Folk/Rock album!, August 25, 2001
Dillard and Clark is one of the most unique musical groups I have ever heard. Gene Clark, former member of the Byrds and probably their best songwriter provides the songs and lead vocals. Doug Dillard, banjo player, and member of the bluegrass group The Dillards (the Darlings on the Andy Griffith Show) provides backup. Other members of Dillard and Clark were Byron Berline (fiddle player who backed the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers), Michael Clarke (ex-Byrd and a Flying Burrito Brother), Bernie Leadon (future Eagle), Jon Corneal (former member of Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band), and female backing vocalist Donna Washburn. Ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and Flying Burrito Brother Sneaky Pete Kleinow also played on a few of their songs. This CD contains everything Dillard and Clark released, including their 2 albums, as well as singles they released between albums. What really makes this music so unique is the banjo playing. For instance, on "Why Not Your Baby," the best track on the album, the banjo comes in adding an eerie sound to the poignant song. Then the strings come in, creating a sound that is rarely, if ever heard. Also, on "Radio Song," banjo and harpsichord are played side-by-side creating yet another sound that stands out. Every song is good, but the standouts are, "Out on the Side," "Something's Wrong" and "Through the Morning, Through the Night." Also, the Eagles later used D&C's, "Train Leaves Here This Mornin" on their first album. The material from their first album, "Fantastic Expedition" is the strongest, and most creative. The other material is not as notable and often borders on straight bluegrass (such as "Rocky Top"). Clark also wrote fewer songs on their second album, making it more uneven. The cover songs are still good, such as "So Sad" written by the Don and Phil Everly, and "No Longer a Sweetheart of Mine." In general, this is one of my favorite CDs, showcasing an early incarnation of country-folk-rock/pop, or whatever you wish to call it. The material is memorable, heartfelt, and shows the talent of the critically acclaimed members. The sound quality is good, but not excellent, and is probably a result of the original masters. You can't beat this deal, with over 70 minutes of some of the best music ever made combined with decent, although humorous at times, liner notes (the British writer describes the Andy Griffith Show as a "comedy soap opera"). This is definitely the only Dillard and Clark CD to buy because it contains it all.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a discovery: these are GREAT songs. , September 17, 2004
I remember looking at the old vinyl album versions of these, when they were only a few years old, and putting them back in the rack. I never bought 'em until I got this CD a few weeks ago. My god, what I'd missed. Life would have been very different had I known these songs earlier. This is the best CD I've ever bought on a whim.
The best thing about it is the songwriting. These are simple, accessible songs that will stick in your head and make you happy and eager to listen again. By the time I'd listened once, I found myself racing home to hear "Train Leaves Here This Mornin'", "In the Plan", and especially "With Care From Someone" again.
Besides the songwriting, there's also great vocal harmonies all over the place, not as just ornamentation, but integral to many of the songs, like "Why Not Your Baby", "Out On the Side" and again, "With Care From Someone".
There are toe-tappers ("Rocky Top", "No Longer a Sweetheart of Mine"), gospel hoe-downs ("Git It On, Brother", "I Bowed My Head and Cried Holy"), and well crafted I/IV/V blues tunes ("Kansas City Southern"), and sad, swaying steel guitar country tunes ("Through the Morning, Through the Night"). There's plenty of hot banjo picking and fiddle, but this CD is all about great songs. Buy it.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Coupling of Two Fine Albums, April 20, 2002
I always appreciate it when record companies properly exploit the CD format and combine 2 full LPs onto one release and--better yet--include some contemporaneous rarities.This set pulls together both of the Dillard & Clark Expedition albums along with a small handful of extra tracks from that same time. The first album "Fantastic Expedition" includes a number of Gene Clark's career bests such as "Out on the Side," "She Darked the Sun," "This Train Leaves Here this Mornin'," "With Care from Someone" and the jaw-dropping "Something's Wrong." What an amazing string of great songs! How the British commentary on the packaging can call this album a "minor classic" escapes me; it's a major classic. The second album "Through the Morning, Through the Night" has the wonderful title track, another great Clark original in "Kansas City Southern" and some really nice covers. It is a much more country oriented album. It is not at all on the level of "Fantastic Expedition," but it's still worth having. Two of the extra tracks "Why Not Your Baby" and "Lyin' Down the Middle" are quite strong. The four star rating reflects the five star value of "Fantastic Expedition" and the three star rating of "Through the Morning, Through the Night."
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~ Gene Clark
~ Gene Clark
~ Gene Clark
~ Gene Clark
See all 23 tracks on this disc
by Dillard & Clark 
