Second Time Around

Gene Clark was one of the founders of the Byrds, the author of the Turtles hit "You Showed Me" and the Eagles' "Train Leaves Here This Morning," and the man behind one of the '70s' greatest cult discs, his 1974 offering No Other. But even as the de facto leader of one of the most influential bands of all time and as the coinventor of country rock (his record The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark, with Doug Dillard, preceded the Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons), Clark has never gotten his due. Roger McGuinn was seen as the actual head of the Byrds, David Crosby eclipsed both McGuinn and Clark in CSNY, and Clark left the group early on, and later in life battled a crippling alcohol problem. And perhaps he wasn't well suited for the pop limelight.

He composed phenomenal melancholic ballads, investing songs with a bittersweet ache that gave his finest works, such as the Byrds' superb "Feel a Whole Lot Better," their uplift. That quality in his writing is what makes this collection – simply Clark's voice, along with a guitar and a harmonica – engaging. While most artists' work or demo tape collections are tedious and tentative, Clark's meanderings were always poignant, a sensibility that was underscored by his early death in 1991.