Welcome to 2025! And who better to start the new year on this blog than Mr. Gene Clark. 2025 is going to be a Gene Clark year on One Buck Records, because let's face it, every year is going to be a Gene Clark year until I run out of interesting things from, with and about Clark to post. And that day is not in the foresseable future. What's more, it's been a while since I posted something by the man himself. Volumes One and Two of our popular We've Got You Covered series kept budding and confirmed Clarkophiles occupied in the meantime, but the last apparition of Mr. Harold Eugene Clark, the pride of Tipton, Missouri, dates back to (checks notes) April 2024?!? This will not stand!
So, what do we have on tap here today? As the title of the post points out, the extravaganza will be acoustic, though that's kind of misleading, since Clark spent about 80% or so of his career playing acoustically. No Other and Two Sides To Every Story, plus the Firebyrds era in the eary to mid 80s were times where Clark opted, at least partially, for an electric rock sound, but he barely and rarely needed more than himself and an acoustic guitar. And, more often than not for budgetary reasons, that is often how he ended up delivering his music, anyway. Acoustic Treasures is a collection of, erm, acoustic treasures from throughout Clark's career, spanning more than 25 years and covering live performances, alternative versions, and live in studio performances. Having collected these over some time, I don't necessarily have info on all of them, but let me point out some of the more interesting ones.
You may already know "The American Dreamer" and "Outlaw Song" (a.k.a. "Outside The Law"), both of which Gene gave to Dennis Hopper for his film The American Dreamer, these are alternative versions used in another little-seen film entitled The Farmer. "Full Circle Song" is a live in studio performance of the infamous Tribute to the Byrds band. Gene's old Byrds bandmate Michael Clarke is providing the not always quite on time hand claps, while fellow Byrd John York plays the banjo. Warts and all, it's a really nice down home-y take on the song. The lovely version of "Hear The Wind" comes from a Canadian TV show, "In A Misty Morning" was cut live solo acoustic in a recording studio while waiting for bandmates to arrive. "Gypsy Rider " and "I Saw A Dream Come True" come from a much-bootleged concert with The Firebyrds in the Tango Club, where Clark acted as his own opening act, doing a short solo acoustic show before bringing out the band. "If I Hang Around" is an outtake from 1966, though this is the 2003 remix, including overdubbed (in 1997) bass and backing vocals by Chip Douglas, part of The Gene Clark Group when it was written.
And finally there are two tracks that you won't find anywhere else. a shout out to Rocking Byrd who made the sources for these available on his website, which has since gone dormant. One is Gene's take on the old standard "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's An Irish Lullaby)", clearly an off-the-cuff spontaneous take not meant for serious recording. Yet you can hear the magic in these six minutes of just Gene and his guitar, working his way through the song he probably only half-remembered. It's not polished, but damn, if it isn't heartfelt. And then there are "I'm Loving You" and "A Wanted Man", short snippets I presented as a kinda-sorta medley. These come from informal recording sessions with Pat Robinson in the 80s which kept Gene busy and off the drugs and led to what are known as the CRY recordings that I might get to a little later in the year. The tape is full of cuts, stops and starts, people yelling out lyrical suggestions etc., so I really only kept these short song moments.
This collection ends with another great song that Clark never got to record in the studio and that exists only as a so-so sounding audience boot. "On The Run" shows that even towards the end of the 80s Gene Clark hadn't lost his gift for words and melody. But we all knew that, or hey, at least some of you might know now, or soon. Heave this away, pirates, there be treasures in here...
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