Gene Clark’s 1974 masterpiece gets the reappraisal it’s long overdue. “One of the greatest albums ever made. Initially celebrated for its obscurity, No Other is now celebrated for its magnificence. It was in every way a magnum opus: epic, sprawling, poetic, choral, rococo.” The Guardian On the eve of what would have been American singer-songwriter and Byrds founding member Gene Clark’s 75th birthday comes the reissue of one of his finest works, No Other. Released in 1974 on Asylum Records, a year after the Byrds shortlived reunion, Gene reached for the stars with No Other; a psychedelic rock, folk, country and soul record that famously cost a small fortune to make. Although received warmly by critics, it flopped and was soon deleted, a failure Gene never came to terms with. However, as The New York Times wrote around the record’s 40th anniversary in 2014, “hindsight has burnished No Other, as it has redeemed other albums that went on to be reconstructed as rock repertory, like Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers and Lou Reed’s Berlin,” with the album now being increasingly recognised as one of the greatest of its time, if not all time. 45 years on and recently remastered at Abbey Road, 4AD are giving No Other the reappraisal it deserves. The original eight track album is being released on both CD and LP, while a limited run double CD edition in a hardbound book cover is also coming which includes a bonus disc of alternate studio versions of each track plus a recording of ‘Train Leaves Here This Morning’ (an Eagles hit in 1972, written by Gene and Eagles founding member Bernie Leadon). Excitingly, the deluxe boxset edition fans have been waiting decades for has also been lovingly curated. An extremely limited item, the box contains the LP, three SACDs (the original album in an authentic Japanese vinyl replica sleeve plus two more discs of session mixes), an exclusive 7”, a comprehensive Blu-Ray disc which includes HD versions of all tracks, a stunning 5.1 surround mix of the album, the original 1974 vinyl master and an exclusive documentary by Paul Kendall (the director responsible for the acclaimed 2013 film, The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Gene Clark), and a hardbound 80 page book which features essays, extensive liner notes and previously unseen photos.
A**K
Remastered reissue from 1974 - but the best album I've heard in years !
Hard to believe this was originally released in 1974 and then virtually disowned by the record company Asylum. Gene Clark had made a few varied and very good albums after leaving the Byrds, for whom he wrote some of their best original songs. "No other" is his masterpiece. Asylum, and some reviewers didn't agree citing the high recording costs/time resulting in the lush production, lack of obvious hit single and the mixture of musical styles to condemn the album. It didn't help that Gene Clark had an intermittent drug/drink problem and an aversion to, but not a fear of, flying which restricted his ability to promote the album. Consequently, Asylum only made one print run of the LP and didnt promote or market it. This 2019 release has been remastered, enhancing the superb sound which with echoes of Dylan, Neil Young and even Gordon Lightfoot sounds like the blueprint for The Eagles who came to prominence in the next few years.
M**Y
There's been some misunderstanding
A beautiful album. So many memorable songs. Really powerful emotional stuff.
D**S
Nice Mellow album
Nice mellow album, not his best solo album but overall a good listen, well worth a shot.
D**N
Gently powerful rewarding listen .
Heard this on a workmates spotify radio. Ordered it soon after , no regrets. A unique laid back delivery without being annoying and some notable melodies popping up to grasp the sentimental depths .
D**M
classic
worth it for other artists performing
L**R
Perfect purchase
Excellent album plus prompt delivery.
S**R
The reviews are right, this is gene's best
A stunning, well thought out album from the most talented member of the byrds.
M**.
A classic
Stunning a great set of songs which serve as a wonderful legacy to a truly great song writer
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