Gene Clark – Here Tonight: The White Light Demos (2013) review
Here Tonight: The White Light Demos or
White Light Demons as I continually misread the title, but that may just be a
series of Freudian slips on my part … though dying at the young age of 46,
these songs certainly could be considered a series of demons that Gene Clark
was never able to bring under control.
It’s amazing how this grouping of songs initially seemed not quite
right, not perhaps appropriate, or seeming to lack the artist’s prospective,
when in fact the music is incredibly beautiful, rich, lightly textured, and
filled with emotions that shiver my skin, harking back days and times when I
stood tall against all odds. Today,
hearing these flawless bits of sonic wonder gives me a strength to live in a
world I know longer understand, giving me the grace to turn my collar to the
wind and dance within my boots, ‘casue I’ve got pockets filled with secrets,
and a heart filled with memories that Gene’s been able to mystically
unlock.
White Light Demons as I continually misread the title, but that may just be a
series of Freudian slips on my part … though dying at the young age of 46,
these songs certainly could be considered a series of demons that Gene Clark
was never able to bring under control.
It’s amazing how this grouping of songs initially seemed not quite
right, not perhaps appropriate, or seeming to lack the artist’s prospective,
when in fact the music is incredibly beautiful, rich, lightly textured, and
filled with emotions that shiver my skin, harking back days and times when I
stood tall against all odds. Today,
hearing these flawless bits of sonic wonder gives me a strength to live in a
world I know longer understand, giving me the grace to turn my collar to the
wind and dance within my boots, ‘casue I’ve got pockets filled with secrets,
and a heart filled with memories that Gene’s been able to mystically
unlock.
The music housed here isn’t dark or
brooding … it’s honest, it’s real, it’s about circumstances beyond and within
our control, it’s about home, and those moments of stillness when everything is
crystal clear and all can be embraced.
All this leaves me to consider the necessity of hearing these songs as
demos some 40 years after the album’s release … but that’s an easy question
to answer, and almost unnecessary, though with a wave of my hand, because I’m
much more interested in listening right now than talking, I’ll just say, These
were the visions Gene brought to the studio, these are the songs that were
rolling in his head with a delivery of simplicity and twilight, before an
engineer or producer turned some dials and sought to bring us anything other
than honesty. This session has the
feeling of something live, something all encompassing that will live forever,
because these demos stand tall against the winds on their own merits.
brooding … it’s honest, it’s real, it’s about circumstances beyond and within
our control, it’s about home, and those moments of stillness when everything is
crystal clear and all can be embraced.
All this leaves me to consider the necessity of hearing these songs as
demos some 40 years after the album’s release … but that’s an easy question
to answer, and almost unnecessary, though with a wave of my hand, because I’m
much more interested in listening right now than talking, I’ll just say, These
were the visions Gene brought to the studio, these are the songs that were
rolling in his head with a delivery of simplicity and twilight, before an
engineer or producer turned some dials and sought to bring us anything other
than honesty. This session has the
feeling of something live, something all encompassing that will live forever,
because these demos stand tall against the winds on their own merits.
Don’t miss the chance to be swept under the
spell of visions this staggering …
spell of visions this staggering …
Review made by Jenell Kesler/2013
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
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