Gene Clark w/ The Gosdin Brothers

Gene Clark w/ The Gosdin Brothers

Album #72 - February 1967

Episode date - June 10, 2015

The Alternative Top 40
    0:00
    0:00

    My intention is to not flood this series with too many selections by the same artists, but it’s hard to cull Gene Clark’s overlooked catalog of great albums down to only a few. He was a restless, innovative musician and everybody more or less just expected that he would be famous once he left the Byrds, but that never happened. Some people attribute it to Clark’s fear of flying, and thus his inability to tour. Others claim that his drinking got out of hand and made him unreliable, and thus untouchable for most record labels. It just seems like too many mishaps happened simultaneously.

    “With the Gosdin Brothers” is Clark’s first record after departing the Byrds under not-too-happy circumstances – bandmembers were vocally jealous of the extra income Clark pulled in as the band’s primary songwriter, while Clark himself resented the fact that Roger McGuinn was thrust into the limelight as the band’s de-facto leader and lead vocalist.

    Vern and Rex Gosdin were brothers from Alabama who had come west to Los Angeles in pursuit of their own dream as an updated version of the Louvin Brothers. Clark had a distinct love for country-western styles and saw the brothers as an excellent fit for his solo debut. Clarence White was added on guitar, thus completing the spine for the lineup that would support Gram Parsons on “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” in one year’s time – you heard it here first, kids, but sadly, you probably never heard it at all, because nobody bought “With the Gosdin Brothers” when it came out.

    Perhaps deliberately, the Byrds released their fourth album, “Younger Than Yesterday,” on the same day, stealing much of Clark’s much needed thunder. Within a year, he would be reconciling with the Byrds, but old problems immediately reared their heads and Clark was once again on his own. He subsequently recorded two excellent albums with Doug Dillard as Dillard and Clark, but neither of them made a dent, either, although superstars such as Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles subsequently covered a song each.

    February 1967 - Billboard: Did Not Chart

    Related Shows

    Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta

    Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta - Syreeta

    Album #195 - July 1974

      0:00
      0:00
      Jorge Ben: A Tabula de Esmeralda

      Jorge Ben: A Tabula de Esmeralda

      Album #194 - June 1974

        0:00
        0:00
         Ry Cooder: Paradise and Lunch

        Ry Cooder: Paradise and Lunch

        Album #193 - May 1974

          0:00
          0:00
          10cc  Sheet Music

          10cc: Sheet Music

          Album #192 - May 1974

            0:00
            0:00
            I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight  - Richard and Linda Thompson

            Richard and Linda Thompson: I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

            Album #191 - April 1974

              0:00
              0:00
              Willie Nelson: Phases and Stages

              Willie Nelson: Phases and Stages

              Album #190 - March 1974

                0:00
                0:00
                Radio City Big Star

                Big Star: Radio City

                Album #189 - February 1974

                  0:00
                  0:00
                  Brian Eno: Hear Comes the Warm Jets

                  Brian Eno: Hear Comes the Warm Jets

                  Album #188 - July 1974

                    0:00
                    0:00
                    Lou Reed: Rock ‘n' Roll Animal

                    Lou Reed: Rock ‘n' Roll Animal

                    Album #187 - February 1974

                      0:00
                      0:00
                      Gram Parsons Grievous Angel

                      Gram Parsons: Grievous Angel

                      Album #186 - January 1974

                        0:00
                        0:00
                        Ann Peebles: I Can't Stand the Rain

                        Ann Peebles: I Can't Stand the Rain

                        Album #185 - January 1974

                          0:00
                          0:00

                          Roxy Music: Stranded

                          Album #184 - November 1973

                            0:00
                            0:00