Dillard & Clark - The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark/Through the Morning, Through the Night

Digitally remastered reissue featuring all of the known A&M recordings by this pioneering country rock duo comprised of banjo player/ vocalist Doug Dillard (of early '60s bluegrass outfit The Dillards) & guitarist/ vocalist Gene Clark (one of the founding members of The Byrds). Contains their 1968 debut 'The Fantastic Expedition Of Dillard & Clark', 1969's 'Through The Morning Through The Night' and all four of t he tracks from the two singles they released between the two LPs. 23 tracks total --the first time their entire A&M output has been released on a single CD! 1999 release. Album Description

1968 ~ When Country Music wasn't Cool

When Gene Clark {The Byrds} met up with Doug Dillard {The Dillards} in 1968, they hit upon something at least a little out of place in the tripped-out summer of 68. A Group that would merge Bluegrass, Rock & Folk together in one neat little package called: "Dillard & Clark". The Byrds and the Buffalo Springfield, had both hinted at this radical concept before 1968, on their Albums. But Gene Clark and Doug Dillard were goin' for broke, a full-blown Country-Rock-Bluegrass Record, that would be in fact about five years ahead of it's time.

Gene was already established as one of the Sixties greatest Songwriters, and Doug was about {behind Earl Scruggs} the best banjo picker of his day.
So this concept could be Good, or even Great. They both could sing a bunch, and together could blend some sweet harmonies.

This CD combines the Groups two records on one CD. The first one: "The Fantastic Expedition Of Dillard & Clark" is Great. The second offering: "Through The Morning ~ Through The Night" is almost as Good. In the year The Byrds released their Country record: "The Sweetheart of the Rodeo" to mixed reviews and mild Record sales, these Dillard & Clark Records recieved a lot of Critical Praise and could not be found anywhere near the Pop charts in 1968-69. Until the Mid 1970's and the Big Sucess of The Eagles, this form of Music had little to no audience in the Rock World, and the Nashville crowd went Public calling these fine players: "Stinkin' Hippy Commie Freaks" {Merl Haggard, this Ain't!}

Now, we can look back to these Fine Albums and marvel at how great they were...BUT, they were so outta place in their Day. With some of Gene's Best Tunes included; "Out On The Side", "She Darked The Sun","Train Leaves Here This Morning" "Kansas City Southern" and "Something's Wrong" and standards such as: Rocky Top" & "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms" and 50's Rock: "Don't Be Cruel" & "So Sad" these guys could play just about anything, and they played Good!

There is more than Bluegrass here, Rock, Blues and a bit of 50's style Rock 'N Roll, is mixed in what is supposed to be a: "Country Record". The singing & harmonies are second-to-none. This is: "Back Porch" Country that would be more akin to the 1930's and not the Pop/Junk that is passed-off on the radios of 2008 as: "Country". Gene & Doug have made Two real Fine Records here. Track 23 is from 1969, and it is the Bands version of The Beatles: "Don't Let Me Down", you almost don't recoginize it as it is now a lot different from what Paul & John had intended.

A: "Lost Classic"
Four Stars !!! August 15, 2008

Boring

I love Gene Clark. White Light was a really cool Album. I loved Gene with the Byrds. I thought I would give this one a go, but it is a no go for me. The guys should have stuck with Andy and Barney as far as I can tell. Clark's contributions seem out of place and it just isn't the format for him to excel in. I know that this was kind of ahead of it's time and all that but I just can't see it past the soggy bottom boyish stuff that it is. I love some bluegrass/country like Allison Kraus etc. but this is mediocre stuff at anytime, and Clarke did nothing to help. March 27, 2008

Great music: One great album, one OK album, crammed into a not-so-pretty package

As a huge fan of White Light, I decided to check out Gene Clark's earlier and later releases. This Dillard and Clark compilation is great: it contains pretty much all of their material (2 albums plus four bonus tracks). The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark is a great album--it rivals Gene's other masterpieces and marks a unique moment in the evolution of folk and country rock. Through the Morning, Through the Night is OK--some extra group members are added, diluting (in my opinion) the great sound that Dillard and Clark had worked up for themselves on the first album, and playing mostly covers. There's only one problem with this product, and that's the way in which it's packaged--the album art is bland, the liner notes (as other reviews have rightly pointed out) are stinky, and for some bizarre reason, the bonus tracks are inserted at odd places in the middle of the compilation--"Why Not Your Baby" is a great song and an excellent bonus track, but it's plopped smack in the middle of Fantastic Expedition. Not only does this spoil the vibe of the album as a discrete unit, the song is in mono and really interrupts the listening experience. These are pretty minor complaints (I listen to the album after it's been imported into iTunes, so I've correctly resequenced the tracks and given the albums their rightful artwork). Despite these gripes, it's totally worth it, since both albums are packed into one CD--an excellent deal.

The first album is far and away the best. Somehow Gene Clark's songwriting became razor sharp in just a short period of time--he was prolific, to be sure, but the songs of heartbreak on Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers don't hold a candle to the great imagery and mysterious musings of the songwriter who croons on this album and would go on to create White Light and No Other. Gene's great lyrics and achingly emotive vocal delivery are complimented so well by Dillard's banjo/guitar virtuosity and tasteful background vocals. It's the best of both worlds--the acoustic textures of country/bluegrass without sounding too hillbilly, combined with the experimentation of folk rock without the pretense. There are lots of highlights on this album, especially the opener, "Train Leaves Here This Morning," "With Care for Someone," and the ramped-up "Git it on, Brother."

Through the Morning, Through the Night is definitely a pleasant listen--it's got more of a defined country feel, with a lot of pedal steel and up-down bass. There are certainly some highlights, too, such as "No Longer a Sweetheart of Mine" and the duet "Rocky Top." Thing is, Gene Clark is a terrific songwriter, and it's an album of mostly covers. I think he sounds the best when he's wringing the emotion out of his own songs, and though these are well-chosen songs, they don't have the magic of Clark originals. Additionally, other vocalists take the lead on much of the album, which I find kind of disorienting and disappointing--if it's a Gene Clark album, I'd probably prefer to hear him sing lead most of the time.

As it stands, Dillard and Clark's first album is totally essential listening for any fan of the Byrds, Gene Clark, or folk- or country-rock and bluegrass. The fact that it's combined on one disc with the lesser gem Through the Morning... is an added bonus--I don't know if that album is really worth buying on its own, but it makes an excellent supplement for the Expedition, which is indeed Fantastic! February 6, 2007

A Byrd in Bluegrass!

If you love the original Byrds,[who doesn't?] you will enjoy Gene Clark and the Dillards laying down some awsome country/bluegrass/folky tunes.Not a bad tune on this CD,check it out! January 19, 2007

Great Album(s), Terrible Liner Notes

I won't add to the other comments about how good the music is. It is; at least the first album and much of the second. Great stuff.

However, if you're interested in this album for any reason other than the music, forget it. The liner notes are awful. Was there an editor during this process? I mean, the inclusion of paragraphs are pretty standard these days, aren't they? Run-on sentences aren't necessary either and generally tend to detract from the writing. They don't even do us the favor of letting us know which tracks appeared on "Fantastic Expedition" and which on "Through the Night." And there is little historical information other than loads of name-checking.

Reading the liner notes in one sitting--which was pretty easy as they're only about three pages--left me dizzy and annoyed. If I had to do it all over again I would probably buy the two albums apart from each other. Really. January 24, 2006

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