Additional information
Ex-Byrd Gene Clark's early-'70s solo efforts, which rank alongside the recordings of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in terms of quality, vision, and appeal, have been unjustly overlooked. This is particularly true of NO OTHER, Clark's 1974 coup de grace. While the focus of NO OTHER's excellent predecessors WHITE LIGHT and ROADMASTER was on stripped down, passionate country-rock, NO OTHER pushes Clark's aesthetic to another level entirely. A cadre of female backing vocalists lend gospel-drenched color to the album, taking Clark's excellent compositions to church, and giving the whole a sanctified feel. Amid the strummed acoustics and weeping pedal steel of songs like "Life's Greatest Fool" and "The True One," there is also the expansive, orchestral feel of "Strength of Strings" which sounds like the Moody Blues by way of the Delta, and the exceptional title track, which encompasses sinuous blues, a light, synthesizer-touched groove, and gospel dreaminess. An unbeatable team of session musicians gives the record a solid backbone, while producer Thomas Jefferson Kaye adds a high gloss that puts NO OTHER with best of radio-ready '70s rock. Still, it is ultimately Clark's unique, superior songwriting and reflective lyrics that make NO OTHER a treasure worth seeking out.
Reviews
Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "NO OTHER was an LP you could put on and lose yourself in -- a collection wholly unconcerned with radio airplay, stadium sing-alongs or anything that would have pleased Clark's label boss at the time..." Entertainment Weekly (3/14/03, p.67) - "...A missing link between '60s folkie Fred Neil and Beck's SEA CHANGE..." - Rating: A- Q (11/03, p.127) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A long-lost gem, this 1974 affair mixes loping rhythms with gospel and funk tinges, innovative studio effects and tastefully extended playing..." Uncut (9/03, pp.120-1) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Clark's lyricism was lashed to his finest vocal performance....It's the best album any Byrd ever made..." Mojo (Publisher) (8/03, p.108) - 5 out of 5 stars - "...It's Clark's writing and the rough beauty of his voice that make NO OTHER so compelling..." Pitchfork (Website) - "[A] deliriously opulent, rococo work....Tragically ignored during its time, the album takes its rightful place it alongside Love's FOREVER CHANGES, Judee Sill's HEART FOOD, or Van Morrison's ASTRAL WEEKS..."
