''Two Sides to Every Story'' is a 1977 album by American singer-songwriter

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

. The album was Clark's first release since his 1974 album ''

No Other ''No Other'' is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Gene Clark. Released in September 1974, it was largely ignored or lambasted by critics and was a commercial failure; the studio time and cost were seen as excessive and ind ...

''. Notable tracks include "In the Pines" (traditional), "Kansas City Southern" and "Hear the Wind", both written by Clark, and "Give My Love to Marie", a song written by

James Talley James Talley (born November 9, 1944) is an American country blues and electric blues singer-songwriter. Biography Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Talley is an artist whose vision of the American experience, as author David McGee has said, is "startli ...

that tells the story of a dying

coal miner Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use c ...

. The album was produced by

Thomas Jefferson Kaye Thomas Jefferson Kontos (1940 – September 16, 1994), better known as Thomas Jefferson Kaye, was an American record producer, singer-songwriter and musician. He collaborated with The Shirelles, Loudon Wainwright III, and Gene Clark, and also re ...

. Guest musicians are

Jeff Baxter Jeffrey Allen "Skunk" Baxter (born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s and Spirit in the 1980s. More recently, he has worked as a defense consu ...

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

Byron Berline Byron Douglas Berline (July 6, 1944 – July 10, 2021) was an American fiddle player who played many American music styles, including old time, ragtime, bluegrass, Cajun, country, and rock. Life and career Berline was born in Caldwell, Kansas ...

Al Perkins Al Perkins (born January 18, 1944) is an American guitarist known primarily for his steel guitar work. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential dobro player" and began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in ...

and

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...

Reception

Music critic Matthew Greenwald, writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, said "the material is uneven, especially when Clark and the band try to rock out... But Clark's muse invariably guided him well even under awkward circumstances, and ''Two Sides'' has a number of superb moments... but if this is well short of a masterpiece, it's still clearly the work of a masterful singer and songwriter, and the best moments here are honestly magical." Hal Horowitz of ''American Songwriter'' wrote, "It's a low key yet delightfully straightforward set that even rocks out occasionally and showcases Clark's lovely understated vocals."

Reissue

In 2011 High Moon Records announced that the label would be reissuing the album. In early 2013 the label reissued a vinyl version of the album remastered by Dan Hersch and Doug Sax. The vinyl included a download card for bonus tracks. High Moon reissued the album on CD (soft independent release to fans) with extra photos and a pdf booklet with a new essay written by Tom Sandford, along with bonus tracks in the Spring of 2014. In November 2014, the release was expanded to major markets and distributed worldwide.

Track listing

All songs written by Gene Clark, except where noted.

2014 reissue downloadable bonus tracks

Personnel

*Gene Clark – guitar, vocals *

– guitar *

Doug Dillard Douglas Flint Dillard (March 6, 1937 – May 16, 2012) was an American musician noted for his banjo proficiency and his pioneering participation in late-60s country rock. Biography Early life Dillard, who grew up on a farm near Salem, Missouri, ...

– banjo *

– fiddle *

Jim Fielder Jim Fielder (born October 4, 1947 in Denton, Texas) is an American bassist, best known for his work as an original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Fielder attended Loara High School in Anaheim, California. While at Loara, the young Fielder befrie ...

– bass *

Mike Utley Michael Gerard Utley (born December 20, 1965) is a former American football player. He played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1989 through 1991, when he was paralyzed during a game. Early life and college career A gr ...

– keyboards *Jerry McGee – guitar *

– guitar *

Sammy Creason Sammy Lee Creason (27 November 1944 – 21 December 1995) was an American session drummer who played with Tony Joe White, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan amongst others. Life and career Growing up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States, he l ...

– drums *

– background vocals *

Steven Soles Steven Soles is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. Known also as J. Steven Soles, he was asked by Bob Dylan to join the band for his 1975–1976 "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour, he appeared on Dylan's album "Desire" and h ...

– background vocals *

– background vocals *Daniel Moore – background vocals *Matthew Moore – background vocals *Pepper Watkins – background vocals * David Campbell – string arrangements

Production

*Producer: Thomas Jefferson Kaye *Executive Producer: Gary Legon *Recording Engineer: Joel Soifer *Art Direction:

Ed Caraeff Ed Caraeff (born April 18, 1950) is an American photographer, illustrator and graphic designer, who has worked largely in the music industry. He has art directed, photographed and designed more than 400 record album covers from 1967 to 1981 for ...

*Photography: Ed Caraeff *Design: David Larkham

References

{{Authority control Gene Clark albums 1977 albums Albums arranged by David Campbell (composer) RSO Records albums