Gene Clark modestly acknowledged that Gram Parsons, his successor in the Byrds, was the true founder of country rock.
He was right, but the massively-talented Clark was almost as influential as Parsons in shaping the path of what Parsons called cosmic American music. Echoes was originally released in 1967, soon after Clark had left the Byrds and it was overshadowed by their Younger Than Yesterday album, which came out simultaneously. What a pity. This is a neglected gem, foreshadowing Clark’s masterpiece, No Other. The baroque pop of the title track Echoes is instantly beguiling, while So You Say You Lost Your Baby, Think I’m Gonna Feel Better, Tried So Hard and Is Yours Is Mine are a sumptuous combination of the Beatles and the Byrds, with a dash of psychedelic country music thrown in.
Clark, like Parsons, was cruelly underestimated during his lifetime. Echoes is a timely reminder of his genius.
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