[Listmeister]

No Other by Gene Clark

[RepoMan]

The tourney belongs to No Other.

[WindowAbove]

No Other by a bit

[Skinny]

Veedon Fleece is one of the very best singer-songwriters of all-time at his very best. I understand people will say this about No Other too, but for me there's just no contest. Clark is fantastic, and No Other is the best album of his that I've heard. It's a full record, if that makes sense. It's dense and packed with ideas, from the weighty cosmic ritual funk of the title track, to that Neil Young brand of heartache&hope-inspired Americana that powers the album's centrepiece and highlight 'Some Misunderstanding', and the record manages that rare feat of being massive in scope whilst remaining modest and pure. But Veedon Fleece is just something else altogether. It's lighter than air, an Astral Weeks without all the shrouded Joycean weight attached, instead reminding me of the direct, rollicking prose of another of Ireland's great writers, Brendan Behan ("when you were a child, you were a tomboy, give me soul satisfaction"). Whilst not his most overtly Irish record, I think it's the one that most effectively captures the land, or at least that romanticised view of it that everybody seems to have. That smooth double bass rolls like those famous green hills, Morrison's voice strains and murmurs like the happy throng heading to the pub after a hard day's work. And the album is full of soul, of real soul, the soul of a man with something so important to say that when it comes out it comes in full colour, in squeals and hollers and elongated vowels that carry on until they fade into nothing but heavy breathing. This is the soul of a person at their most vulnerable, struggling for words as they beg their loved ones to come with them, lest they're stuck in "that melancholy mood that just don't do no good". This is one of the very best singer-songwriters of all-time at his very best, at his most open, his most vulnerable, his most accessible. I can put this album on at any time and instantly get lost in its long grass. Whenever I've had a tough day, I know I can go down to the Sisters of Mercy looking for the Veedon Fleece, and for three quarters of an hour forget all my troubles. That's the true power of this album. It don't pull no punches, but it don't push the river either.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[meccalecca]

I've built up pretty strong bonds with both of these records over the past few years. I wouldn't mind either winning the whole tournament.

No Other is my nomination and will get my vote here. My favorite songwriter to emerge from the Byrds, Gene Clark just hits something deep inside of me with his masterpiece, No Other. While his other solo records have many fine moments, this is where he really solidified his approach and walked away with something timeless. He's captured the heart and soul of country music, and then transcends to new peaks. A lot could go wrong with a record that shoots for such a large sound while attempting to maintain a sense of fractured humanity, but with a voice like Clark's carrying it, this becomes a deeply emotive experience.
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http://jonnyleather.com

[sp4cetiger]

I love both albums, but asking me to vote against Veedon Fleece here would be like asking me to always notice when my socks have holes. Ridiculous.

[Listmeister]

The Noother has itself been noothed.

Veedon Fleece 11-6