I’ve gone whole hog on Gene Clark (best anthology: American Dreamer), rotating through the stages of romantic withdrawal with my ears in his hands. Clark’s voice is plaintive but never lacks dignity.
First there was Set You Free This Time. Well, not quite, but it felt good to think that’s what had happened. (Watch an old TV video of this masterpiece)
CLARK: TROUBADOUR OF PAIN & LONGING
Quickly followed by I’ll [probably] Feel A Whole Lot Better. I (sort of) did. (See the Byrds play it wholly live on Shindig, a ‘60s TV show.)
Then came some inevitable self-pity: The World Turns All Around Her and Because Of You.
Finally, my dimwitted attempt at amiable contact: Tried So Hard. Swell, now I know … something.
Harold Eugene Clark was a far more miserable bugger than me, as you’ll find in that excellent website. He was a real Missourian—a hard-luck player who never bellyached, even when a trench ulcer was pitting his stomach.
Watch him struggle in this late-career performance of Tried So Hard. Somehow he manages to come through. An inspiration to all damaged Americans who try hard.