New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Gene Clark's musical legacy includes his work as a singer, songwriter, founding member of The Byrds, and collaborator in bands such as Dillard & Clark; Gene Clark & the Gosdin Brothers; McGuinn, Clark & Hillman; and later as the duet partner of Carla Olson (The Textones). Clark is also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee whose songs have been covered by
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Iain Matthews,
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, the Rose Garden, and Chris and Rich Robinson of the
Black Crowes, among many others.
As well documented as Clark's career is there have been remarkable discoveries over the years (including Omnivore's Here Tonight: The White Light Demos, for example). But now a heretofore unknown collection of Clark's post-Byrds career is finally revealed, with the release of Gene Clark Sings for You, due out on Omnivore Recordings on June 15, 2018.
According to annotator John Einarson, author of Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of the Byrds' Gene Clark (Backbeat Books), "For longtime Gene Clark fans and aficionados, the tracks on this remarkable archival CD are the stuff of legend. Since word first spread in the 1980s about the discovery of these 1967 recordings on a rare acetate in
Liberty Records' vaults, fans have come to regard Gene Clark Sings for You as nothing less than the Holy Grail of the singer/songwriter's extraordinary body of work. Shrouded in mystery and the subject of much speculation and conjecture, few have ever had the opportunity to hear these forgotten gems from one of Gene Clark's most prolifically creative periods. Until now."
In addition to the eight tracks from the Gene Clark Sings for Youacetate, recorded in 1967 after he famously left the Byrds, there are an additional five previously unknown tracks from another 1967 acetate given to the band the Rose Garden for recording consideration. This new compilation also includes a previously unissued demo rescued from a tape in the collection of John Noreen, member of the Rose Garden. That demo, "Till Today," is Clark running through the song for the band, who would cut it on their only album, the 1968 self-titled effort on Atco Records.
The Rose Garden is expanded for the first time with a wealth of previously unheard studio outtakes and live bonus tracks and is the perfect companion to Gene Clark Sings for You. The Rose Garden were big fans of the Byrds. "We wanted to sound like [them]," notes John Noreen in the liner notes to the new release. The opportunity to work with Clark was a dream come true. As their relationship grew, Clark provided them with material to record, and they cut two of his songs for the album: "Till Today," which Gene taught them himself, and "Long Time," which appeared on acetate (now part of Gene Clark Sings for You). The live material, primitively recorded at Chaminade High School in West Hills, Calif. in August of 1967, provides a rare glimpse into the sounds of that summer, and includes songs by The Byrds and
Sonny & Cher.
With full approval from and cooperation with both the Estate of Gene Clark and the Rose Garden, Gene Clark Sings for Youand The Rose Garden were produced for release by Grammy® Award winner Cheryl Pawelski, with restoration and mastering by fellow Grammy® winner Michael Graves. Augmenting notes from Einarson are previously unseen photos.
Track listings:
Gene Clark Sings for You
1. On Her Own
2. Past Tense
3. Yesterday, Am I Right
4. Past My Door
5. That's Alright by Me
6. One Way Road
7. Down on the Pier
8. 7:30 Mode
The Rose Garden Acetate
9. On Tenth Street
10. Understand Me Too
11. A Long Time
12. Big City Girl
13. Doctor Doctor
The Rose Garden Demo
14. Till Today
All tracks previously unissued
The Rose Garden — A Trip Through the Garden: The Rose Garden Collection
1. Next Plane To London
2. I'm Only Second
3. February Sunshine
4. Coins Of Fun
5. Rider
6. She Belongs To Me
7. Flower Town
8. Till Today
9. Look What You've Done
10. Long Time
Bonus Tracks
11. If My World Falls Through (mono single version)
12. Here's Today (mono single version)
13. Down To The Wire*
14. Charlie The Fer De Lance*
15. The World Is A Great Big Playground*
16. Here's Today (stereo mix)*
17. If My World Falls Through (stereo mix)*
18. Dead Men Never Die (Take 2)*
19. I'm Only Second (acetate version)*
20. Till Today (rehearsal)*
21. Till Today (acetate version)*
22. Next Plane To London (live)*
23. So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star (live)*
24. She Don't Care About Time (live)*
25. It's The
Little Things (live)*
26. You Don't Love Me (live)*
*previously unissued
