The World Famous Ultimate Twang: Classic Album Review-Roy Clark "Classic Clark"

Classic Album Review-Roy Clark “Classic Clark”

Fall, 1974. A bomb brings down TWA flight 841, shortly after takeoff from Athens, Greece; Ali knocks out Foreman in the “Rumble In The Jungle” in Zaire; Jimmy Fallon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Leonardo DiCaprio are born; Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick/The Spinners, and Stevie Wonder are tops in pops; Richard Petty sews up another Winston Cup Title; and a new album from the multi-talented Roy Clark, enters record and department stores, everywhere. Titled “Classic Clark”, it would ultimately climb as high as number thirteen on the country album charts and yield three singles, of which two would become top forty country hits.

We begin with Roy’s hit “The Great Divide”. A great ballad, perfect for Clark’s vocal styling. While it wasn’t as big of a hit as some of his other releases (it did make top fifteen), it is one that is a favorite among Roy Clark fans, and one that on various oldies shows that I’ve hosted, that gets some requests.

1974 saw veteran Hank Snow make a big comeback at 59 years old, with a number one hit, “Hello Love”. Here, Roy does a more than acceptable version of Snow’s hit. While the arrangement’s a little bit slicker than the hit version, it’s a pretty decent version that one could see as a hit, had Snow’s version not taken off.

“Take Good Care Of Her” was previously a hit on the pop charts for Adam Wade (1961), and a country hit for Sonny James (1966). Here, Roy gives us his interpretation of the song, an interpretation that I must admit doesn’t really do anything for me. I much prefer Sonny’s version.

What would a Roy Clark collection be without some good guitar music? Roy brings it with an almost smoking version of “Room Full Of Roses”. I’m not so sure this might be the best version of this song I’ve heard. A great instrumental.

I like “A Brand New Day”. Nice beat, and great lyrics. One of the album’s best tracks, right here.

To wrap side one, Roy tackles Perry Como, with “It’s Impossible”, Perry’s last top ten pop hit in 1971. An okay recording, but nothing that really catches my attention.

With side one completed, it’s time to take a listen to side 2, which begins with a song titled “Dear God”.

It’s a nice song, but with a great message. It was released as a single in December, 1974, but went nowhere. I’ll note this one as one of the better tracks of the album.

I will also note the same for “The Chain”. One of the better tracks of this album. A vocal standout performance for Roy, here.

“You’re Gonna Love Yourself (In The Morning)” was the album’s second single, making a brief appearance in the country top forty. An alright track, but nothing particularly special about this one. In fact, there would have been, in my opinion, better selections for a single than this one.

Roy covers the Johnny Cash hit “Papa Was A Good Man”, next. While I think it’s a tune better suited for Cash’s style, Roy’s version is decent, I’m sure was pleasing to many of his fans, when the album was released.

I think “Until It’s Time For You To Go” would have been a better single selection, than “You’re Gonna Love Yourself (In The Morning)”. A minor hit for Elvis, here is a song that I think would be a rather difficult selection to sing, with the numerous key changes, and a complicated melody. Roy nails this ballad. A standout track, and great cut to end the disc.

If you are wanting a copy of this album for your collection, it’s one you’ll certainly have to peruse either Ebay, where several vinyl, and even 1-2 8-tracks are for sale, as of this writing; or you’ll need to search your local or online second hand record store. This one has never been released as a CD or MP3 download, and frankly I don’t see it happening anytime soon, if ever.

Overall, an album that falls somewhere between steady and bland. Some good cuts, and some that are frankly just fillers, but yet nothing really awful, either. I think a 3 out of 5 fits this disc. Your opinion?