Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Eli Marcus As a dedicated Byrds fan for the last 40 years, I was quite excited to hear of this new documentary. Although the question of how amazing Gene Clark was as a songwriter is for me a matter of individual taste, and I personally feel that the superlatives about Gene having been a genius were a bit overdone, I did find this film quite enjoyable and revealing. I must admit that although I loved Gene's voice, and was fortunate enough to see him performing live on the first McGuinn Clark Hillman tour back in the late 70's, I knew very little about his biography, other than the story about his being afraid to fly... This documentary exposed me to an entirely different part of Gene's life, and helped to explain a few mysteries and fill in the blanks about his life, and also a few new bits of background information about the Byrds. This movie brought Gene Clark full circle for me.

markdiedrich This is a great film on Gene Clark's life--nicely produced with a lot of good interviews with people who knew Gene. I especially enjoyed the contributions of McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman, and of the three, Hillman in particular. Of course, all these guys need documentaries as well. You might have guessed that I have been a life-long fan of these artists. I have been listening to them ever since the release of Mr. Tambourine Man. As a musician, and singer-songwriter, I emulated them and have performed their music. Feel a Whole Lot Better was always a staple in my bands, as was Tambourine Man, Mr. Spaceman, Long Time Gone, and so on. As much as I appreciate the Kendalls for the time, effort, money invested in their film, I personally am/was ready for The Music of Gene Clark documentary. I don't suppose the Kendalls can do a Part Two. Some of what I was looking for was relegated to a feature on Clark as an "artist." Perhaps, for most people, they need to have a sense of who Clark was, but I feel that too much time is given in the film to the mayhem of drunkenness and drugs which eventually destroyed Gene's life. This leaves me feeling very sad. Again, I'm ready for an emphasis on Gene's music, which for at least ten years was a soundtrack for my own life.When I wrote some articles on the internet some ten years ago, I suggested that Turn Turn Turn would have been a huge classic if only several songs had been dropped in favor of She Don't Care About Time and She Has a Way. (Yes, I know the others wanted to get songwriting royalties.) Set You Free This Time was wonderfully done, but as some in the film intimated--his songs were generally melancholic and slow. Did anybody have a clue whether he was clinically depressed? Eight Miles High was a classic! And I would like to hear discussion at this point about what were the greatest singles of rock during the Sixties. I would vote for Eight Miles High being in the top five! These songs lay the groundwork for "Echoes." This song should be discussed for its poetry and how Clark rates against the songs Dylan had written (Could Leon Russell not be found for an interview?) Tried So Hard and Keep on Pushin' make Clark a candidate for being a founder of country-rock, along with Hillman and Parsons, and even the Beatles for that matter. Surely, this is not a point to dismiss. I always wondered why Clark chose the Gosdins for backup singing, and why the producer practically drowned out Clark's voice at times. I recall Dillard and Clark not getting very favorable reviews, but Clark was yet writing very poignant songs. A particular favorite is "Something's Wrong" on the first album. There should be some speculation as to Clark's lyric on "leaving here just to die." Again, was he depressed? Or, is this a yearning for meaning in his life? Does anybody know if he was searching spiritually speaking (Somebody once wrote an article on this topic?) "Polly" is another melancholy Clark classic, which we know was recently covered by Kraus and Plant. I always loved the song from the day the album came out. Matthews did it as well. Its the beginning of Clark's more mystical-type lyrics (although She Don't Care about Time hints in this direction). It would be great if someone could do a "best of Gene Clark" disc, if not a boxed-set at some point. I think "White Light" is perhaps the most cohesive and high-quality single body of work that Gene did (beyond No Other). The laid-back production by Jesse Ed Davis is perfect for Gene's work. "With Tomorrow" was one of my personal favorites. How about some discussion of the poetry of "The Virgin." How about some praise for "Spanish Guitar." Byrds Reunion. Clark shined foremost on this. Too bad infighting ruined what could have been such a great album (Too bad those earlier Gene-Byrds recordings of Full Circle couldn't have been used). Again, was Full Circle pointing to a philosophical/spiritual direction that Gene was heading? Anyway, you get my drift. Gene was the "Gypsy Rider", the musical vagabond, singing his "two-wheeled symphony." His music deserves better than a chronicle of his tortured soul. Other questions that occurred to me: Why was the "silver raven" solo performance included in the features, when it clearly shows his voice being in very bad shape--this should not have been included; 2) Where was Clark's second wife?, 3) Could not Rick Roberts have been interviewed? 4) Where was an interview with John Einerson? And finally, why close with "I Shall be Released?" Surely, there is some Clark/Olson footage with some of Gene's songs--we don't need to hear him doing Dylan as a closing statement. I applaud the Kendalls for their gift to us. I only hope that maybe they could build upon this for a second film on the music.

bakerbyrd Lovingly produced documentary about the brilliant Gene Clark, who was a prolific singer/songwriter, first with The Byrds and then with a solo career. Gene was grossly under appreciated during his lifetime, but this documentary has sparked a resurgence of interest about his music. Recently, four indie bands performed several tribute shows, highlighting Gene's ignored masterpiece, No Other, which was released in 1974. It exposed his brilliance to a new generation of listeners. Portions of this awesome documentary were shown at each performance with the young audience sitting in rapt attention. My only complaint, which is not the fault of the producers, is that there is precious little concert footage of Gene. But it is a fascinating story to those unfamiliar with him and an emotional experience for old fans, like me.

dfinocchio A beautifully made documentary about an enormously talented man with a rather sad story. I've been a fan of Gene Clark since the first Byrds album and I was so very moved when I saw this. Chris, David and Roger seemed forthcoming and sincere when talking about Gene in a way I had neither seen nor read before. After so many years of reading stories about Gene's inability to embrace success when it came his way,I felt that this film explained circumstances in depth and I came away feeling as though I know the true and whole story now. Any fan of Gene will absolutely love this, but I can readily suggest it for anyone who enjoys a well made film about a great artist. Definitely worth of it's subject.