315. No Other - Gene Clark

Having never heard of Gene Clark, I was unsure what to expect. Then having read that this album was to music what Cutthroat Island is to film, my expectations fell through the floor.

No Other was an extremely expensive flop upon its release, costing over a colossal $100,000 to record, and was critically panned and commercially ignored. So bad was this negativity that the record label Asylum removed the album from its catalogue just two years after release, and Clark never fully recovered, considering this work his masterpiece. It wasn't until a re-release 1991 that the fortunes of the album turned, gaining momentum following the death of the former Byrds' front man in the late 90s.

Life's Greatest Fool is a pleasantly ramshackle country stroll of a song that demonstrates the wide range of the band. It doesn't really go anywhere, but is enjoyable enough as it drifts by. Silver Raven is a more mysterious song that hints at Fleetwood Mac with an even greater air of mystery, but slightly more ponderous. No Other kicks off with subtle waves of interweaving riffs, and whilst the vocals are slightly affected, the guitar mapping them works pretty well. The sheer variety from the woodpecker percussion to the Santana-esque solo show off the strength of the session musicians employed. Strength of Strings is an astonishingly good track, that really pays for the entrance on its own. It builds majestically, like Neil Young or Led Zepppelin at their finest, but without the tendency to overdo things. It's a driving anthem, with a quiet intensity and terrific backing vocals. From a Silver Phial follows a similar formula, but doesn't have as compelling a swell, although the backing vocals are on point again. Some Misunderstanding is the album's epic, clocking in at 8 minutes. It has flashes of Neil Young in both the vocal performance and son structure - no bad thing on either count. True One is a Country song to its core, and doesn't match the quality of the album elsewhere. Lady of the North is a decent album closer, with some class organ touches.

The album has a huge amount of depth to it, probably more than can be adequately reviewed in a week. The songwriting is varied and engaging, and the good moments are outstanding. There are a few too many times where I lost a bit of interest in it, and that reduces its overall impact, but the quality of the work as a whole is worthy of high praise. It's definitely an album I'd like to get to know better over time, and there a few tracks I'll definitely be putting on some playlists, so a long way from the disaster it was initially labelled as.

Chloe's album rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 6. Strength of Strings
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 6. Strength of Strings

Next week is 413. Parallel Lines by Blondie. Magic.