Ode to Gene : A Playlist

50 years ago, Gene Clark’s White Light came out, an aural and lyrical poem produced by Jesse Ed Davis that is so completely intimate, vulnerable, and warm. It’s the album that got me into Gene and although I love the maximalist, mysterious opus that is No Other, White Light is as close to my heart as Gene’s mouth to the mic. The raw vulnerability is at times too much – Gene’s candor and his aching voice can bring tears immediately when visited by certain mental states.

Gene is long celebrated as the Byrd who is still criminally overlooked – I’m pretty shocked honestly to consider how few tributes exist. What an enigmatic songwriter – so few are able to ingeniously capture both joy and heartache like Gene was. I don’t think I have the words to adequately express how much I love Gene’s music so let’s celebrate all month long.

To celebrate Gene, I put this playlist together of songs by and for Gene. Someone got mad at me for doing a Mixcloud and I don’t think I’m going to be able to reach some of these folks to get permission to use their songs so Spotify it is! The variety of these interpretations and the artists who chose them demonstrates the scope and range of Gene’s musical abilities- from heavy proto-psych to bluegrass, Gene was instrumental in setting a foundation for what we love now. Astounding to marvel at the myriad of projects Gene was involved with.