Whin Oppice has acquired the original acetate of this unreleased Gene Clark song.
Hereunder is a picture this rarity:
And here are the lyrics:
Jimmy Christ
Nobody knows the pain I feel
From an old rugged cross
Or on a movie reel
When I sit there all alone
And my thoughts I can't conceal
Rhyming every word as if it
Wasn't really real
Jimmy Christ
He's been produced
And he's been spliced
He's been crucified
Do you think
He should be denied?
And finally, Whin's comment:
According to Johnny Rogan, Gene did three songs for the movie American Dreamer.
Jimmy Christ is an outtake. It clocks in at a brief 1:33, opens and closes with harmonica - typical Gene format.
I've not seen the movie so I don't know how the lyrics might fit.
Either way, the song could easily be Gene describing himself.
7 comments:
Can you please tell me the point of giving visitors to your excellent website information about rarities owned by Mr. Oppice? Surely, it's only of interest if every effort is being made to get the tracks released officially for the benefit of the memory of Gene Clark. As it is at present, it smacks of elitism!
These posts are interesting because they let us know about recordings that most of us didn't even know existed. After that, we can only hope that they will see the light of day in the future.
Also, criticism is easy, particularly when one hides behind anonymity.
I didn't intend to "hide" behind "anonymity". This time I will try to use my user name that I chose on another website not that it'll make a blind bit of difference to my comments and your rather predictable reply.
The post is interesting in the same way that reading books like Johnny Rogan's makes the readers aware of little known or unknown recordings. However, I see that you did not attempt to counter my point about elitism.
I'll wait until the estate of Gene Clark can get oficial releases for this stuff organised.
I can tell you that Whin Oppice IS making every effort to have his unreleased recordings by Gene Clark released officially. And that's the reason why he doesn't make or circulate copies. But if you are a Gene Clark fan, you know how difficult it is to get these things done properly.
I agree with Denbro that while i must congratulate Whin on his amazing good fortune it is really frustrating to know what is out there and not available to fans.It does give a hint of elitism when a symposium to display these amazing finds is suggested.I am not doubting Whin's altruism and it is reassuring to know that efforts to release this stuff are ongoing
Every effort has always been to get Gene Clark rarities officially released. To clarify any confusion in the announcement I will state again that All Are Welcome. This is an event of camaraderie. Most of us have never met each other. I'm sure discussions will go late into the night.
The important thing is that we fans and collectors become aware of what's out there. The record companies still haven't done an archival release of Gene's unreleased material, even though folks have been shouting for it for many years. At a listening symposium, rarities (spippets too) could be securely presented without fear of illegal or unwanted reproduction (no recording devices allowed).
Come the time a record label and Gene Clark Estate might be interested in legitimate release, an archival recordings knowledge pool can offer up what is known to exist.
Even if just new song titles come to light, the opportune time later on may turn the tide for owners to release the song they possess.
I respect a collector's choice to do whatever he wants with his musical treasures but doesn't it benefit everybody to know what has survived?
The big question mark is will others come forward with their unreleased recordings. I've got a fair share to present but ideally this will be a collective effort of larger scale. Collectors are also encouraged to provide scans, lyrics, spippets---whatever they see fit---as a means of assembling testament to precisely what is out there and in some cases clarify things which are only rumored to be out there.
Whin Oppice
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