Gene Clark - Gene Clark Sings For You (2018)

“For longtime Gene Clark fans and aficionados, the tracks on this remarkable archival CD are the stuff of legend," writes John Einarson in the liner notes to the Clark album. "Since word first spread in the 1980s about the discovery of these 1967 recordings on a rare acetate in Liberty Records’ vaults, fans have come to regard Gene Clark Sings for You as nothing less than the Holy Grail of the singer-songwriter’s extraordinary body of work. Shrouded in mystery and the subject of much speculation and conjecture, few have ever had the opportunity to hear these forgotten gems from one of Gene Clark’s most prolifically creative periods. Until now.”

The album includes the songs Clark recorded soon after leaving the Byrds, as well as five tracks he made as an acetate for the Rose Garden around the same time. There's also a demo version of "Till Today," which was released on the Los Angeles band's first, and only, album from 1968.

Clark was one of the Byrds' busiest songwriters on their first three albums, writing and singing classics like "I Knew I'd Want You," "Set You Free This Time" and "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" -- which was covered by Tom Petty on his first solo album, Full Moon Fever -- before he left the group for a number of reasons (including a fear of flying, which made touring almost impossible for him). He took part in the Byrds' 1972 reunion album and reunited with bandmates Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman for an album in 1979.