Originally released in September 1974, No Other is an absolutely extraordinary album of Country-steeped rock and roll balladeering from The Byrds founding member, Gene Clark. An LP of huge innovation and terrible luck.

By 1973, Gene Clark had ended his third stint with The Byrds, the hall of fame rock band he founded alongside Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman. As amicable and volatile as they ever were, 1973 found the original members back together and recording, although the album was an all-out critical and commercial disaster. The sessions did however impress David Geffen greatly, signing Clark to his Asylum label as a solo artist.

With a renewed inspiration and the opportunities afforded to him by Asylum, Clark began work on his magnum opus; and we really don’t say that lightly…

No Other is one of the most important albums of the 1970s. It has the Laurel Canyon vibe (although it was primarily written at his coastal home in Mendocino and recorded in downtown LA across various stints with producer Thomas Jefferson Kaye). It is also rich in Gospel stylings, with complex and full harmonies that would inspire many dozens of albums across the decade that followed. There are flashes of Country (the album includes a vast array of session musicians, including members of The Section and the Allman Brothers Band) and all bound to his wistful and spiritual songs. Although each of its nine tracks are different, they sit together beautifully and create the most vivid and coherent flow. Like all timeless albums, you can just keep flipping it over and bathing in the opulent world it creates.

But, like many classics, it was an album not of its time and failed to find an audience on release. The huge budget ($100,000, or something like $700,000 in 2024) was well and truly spent on the luxurious recordings and you can really hear it. However, David Geffen was apparently horrified at the results and invested no money into promoting the album, which absolutely tanked and all but ended Clark’s career. It is tragic that this wonderful album’s renaissance would arrive after Clark had died, but it remains one of the most seminal albums of the period.

Misunderstood, mismanaged and one of the greatest ever fumbles (alongside Big Star’s #1 Record), No Other is a visionary work of such artistry. It is an album of dichotomy, both sonically and thematically focused on the balance between light and dark. Joyous and rousing, pensive and mournful, it really does cover the spectrum of emotions and there is not one wasted second.

A proper beauty then and a proper beauty now.





Further Reading

In January 2014, Beach House assembled an all-star band to perform No Other, the 1974 cult album by founding Byrds member Gene Clark. The band included Beach House's Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold, Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen, the Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser, Iain Matthews of Plainsong/Fairport Convention, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, plus members of Lower Dens, Cass McCombs' band, Celebration, and Mt. Royal.

Watch in full here. 

To celebrate No Other turning 50, 4AD released the album’s session tracks for the first time on vinyl as part of Record Store Day 2024. Available here, the No Other Sessions offer a fascinating insight into the making of this timeless album.