TOPPOP: McGuinn, Clark & Hillman - Backstage Pass

Artist: McGuinn, Clark & Hillman
Title: Backstage Pass
Broadcast date: 23-6-1979
TV program: TopPop
Video rights: AVRO
www.avro.tv gives you easy access to unique footage. .
TopPop was the first regular dedicated pop music TV show in the Dutch language area. Dutch broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly, from 1970 to 1988. Presenter Ad Visser hosted the show for its first fifteen years.
World famous music artists performed on TopPop: ABBA, 10CC, Bee Gees, The Jacksons, David Bowie, Earth & Fire, Boney M, Smokie, KC & The Sunshine Band, Chick, Donna Summer, Rod Stewart, and many many more.
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All copyrights for all videos on this official TopPop KZbin channel are cleared and belong to Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS. Please contact [e-mail] for copyright-inquiries or [e-mail] for licensing.

[@jeffreymatuszak1125]

Gene Clark had it....that indefinable something that very, very few artists have had.....

[@fredrickmillstead2804]

Gone much too soon, amazingly talented. Miss your music Gene.

[@overandout9400]

I really like this song. I only came across it a couple of weeks ago when I bought Gene Clark's Collected compilation. This is a nice video and it's great to see Gene smiling and looking so enthusiastic.

[@poochar]

I wore this record out ............ (FANTASTIC!)

[@christineparker8020]

I forgot how much I loved this song. Nice to see Gene smiling and dancing. Not too many pictures like that. Wish there were more.

[@gondorbunny]

I love the way they all seem to be having so much fun with this. Unfortunately a rare thing in those days, so nice to see it here.

[@dennisdemark8151]

Wish they kept goin' sad they didn't ☹️ 🎤🎶🎶🎶🎸🎸🎸🥁

[@evimlck4579]

I love Gene's hair style.

[@fenellablue]

Brilliant. So nice to see a good quality video. Gene outstanding as ever

[@Vesnicie]

Gene managed to take the total crapification of disco and somehow turn it into something mysterious and kind of melancholy. Pure Gene-ius, boss!

[@kenkaub5816]

Incredible

[@MarigoldThyme]

Gene Clark forever!💖

[@mariaconway405]

Aw Gene 😊

[@MrRacket991]

Disco was really a curse on the planet.

[@davidwpinkston4226]

audio very weak

[@coyotedelanube8572]

Who is the third guitarist standing in back of Gene?

[@MarigoldThyme]

Johnne Sambataro.

[@pacapaca6307]

@@MarigoldThyme Who I don’t think they really needed live; sometimes seemed to over play the instrumental breaks.

[@옹이뉴키]

Hehe ^~^

[@danoblue]

Lip-synced, not live.

[@pacapaca6307]

Agree, but I reckon Gene was singing along even if the mic was switched to off; all three actually. 🙂

[@lauranceemory4448]

Total bland pop music. Should have sold like hotcakes. No thanks

[@joebloggs8636]

It did Einstein.

[@emmastein6886]

It's always a dream to see Gene so happy on stage. Love this incredible song.

[@sebastiansaville2043]

This was my personal favorite of probably my favorite album. Jethro Tull's 'Benefit'' would possibly be 2nd. I saw them live in Sydney Town Hall in 1979. Just the three of them. No backup musicians. There are moments of magic in everyone's lives when history even our own continuum seems to stop. I've seem many concerts Purple, Zeppelin. Sabbath, Cocker.....on and on but I keep coming back to that night. Roger and Chris were the musicians but Gene had a presence. You couldn't take your eyes off him for long. Such a wonderful songwriter. Legends all.

[@pamelahay6242]

Yes June ‘78. Gene stood tall and swooped in with his unique vocal sound and phrasing.... and charisma...yep. A band , 4 piece with Poco’s drummer Grantham; they needed no more players behind, no mega sound system or special effects to give the crowd attending, a great night out. 💖

[@robertlagan8441]

Excellent comments & reply. I was at the 3 Regent theatre shows plus the Canberra theatre and was lucky to be at the sound checks and meet the guys backstage. Gene certainly had a special presence... same with Roger !

[@pacapaca6307]

@@robertlagan8441 An unassuming quietness & a quiet but sociable confidence respectively I think. 🙂

[@randallkennedy2066]

Gene could write and sing with heart.Good album.

[@rzrbckmz23]

This a good album. I bought it because I heard "Don't Write Her Off" on the radio and I loved that song. As a kid I had no idea who these guys were and the history of The Byrds. A few years ago I bought it on CD and still love it.

[@pendletongirl]

Brilliant and Gene fab as always, thanks. A nice way to remember Gene, 22 years today since we lost him :-( x

[@albertsen1800]

These three guys were the heart and soul of the iconic Byrd’s rock band in the 60’s. Yet, however unlikely, Chris Hillman ended up having the most diverse career with the most bands. Their talent is undeniable.

[@pamelahay6242]

Yes, a winning combination musically.... more than the sum of the parts. They enhanced each other. 💖

[@coyotedelanube8572]

Of the three, McGuinn was the least accomplished. Gene Clark was a brilliant songwriter. Hillman was (still is) a brilliant instrumentalist. McGuinn had a jangly sound on his guitar (which was pretty easy to do), and his voice was sort of iconic. He didn't have a good voice; just an iconic one. He became a right-wing religious zealot after his music career fizzled out.

[@robertsettle2590]

​@@coyotedelanube8572.....you are a delusional bellend MATE!

[@pacapaca6307]

@@coyotedelanube8572 I think you underestimate McGuinn’s contributions as an arranger, and an innovative guitar player. There’s more to playing a 12 String Rickenbacker than you might suppose and he was fairly established & respected as a player before The Byrds came together. He & Gene both could see & feel where popular music would be trending after The Beatles phenomenon . There were complementary skills & qualities across all five Original Byrds & those were still in evidence when MCH recombined in 78/79.

[@pacapaca6307]

@@coyotedelanube8572 Ah & as far as voices go… Iconic ones are remembered pretty much just as well as “ good ones”. McGuinn could sing harmonies pretty well too and something unique happened when Gene & Roger sang together. The timbre, range & idiosyncratic qualities of both voices created a whole different sound together. Go view some of their acoustic duo performances here on YT, if you haven’t already. I don’t judge musicians on either their politics or religion; just their music. 🎼

[@dennisdemark8151]

RIP Gene 🙏🏼🕯️🕊️🙏🏼 🎤🎶🎶🎶🎸🎸🎸🥁

[@jeffreymatuszak1125]

That smile at 3:25...

[@christineparker8020]

Love that smile. So few pics where he truly smiles. Wish he had more joy in his life.

[@pamelahay6242]

True.....way too troubled for too much of his life. The music industry can crush the life out of a creative person. 😔

[@geedus71]

Thanks for this post, I'm watching it open-mouthed. I stumbled across this after reading John Einarson's brilliant bio of Gene, "Mr Tambourine Man" where he quotes the drummer at the sessions, Greg Thomas, as follows; "The Albert Brothers (producers of the 1978 album) were basically trying to take Gene, Roger and Chris and turn them into the Gibb brothers." Naaaaah, c'mon, I thought, that just isn't possible. Lo and behold...

[@lastnamefirst4035]

Hey oh hey yo

[@pamelahay6242]

But really a “ no no, no go” . 🤨

[@enriqueloco2391]

I call this the Adult Contemporary/Disco Influenced Album of the late 1970s of Byrds Alumni.. McGuinn Clark and Hillman... weird album.. has adult contemporary of the late 1970s songs with middle of the road 70s rock.. with a mix of folk.. the album just grows on you... were they just trying to pay the rent?? was this a genuine reunion?? I dont know... I was baffled when I first heard it because I was so used to folk rock/psychedlic/country of the Byrds.. strange but interesting!..

[@dennisdemark8151]

Three Byrds together in 1979...Love it ! 🎤🎶🎶🎶🎸🎸🎸🥁

[@valentinaloukianoff1702]

So awesome! ✨

[@ni9aszeven347]

Not the song best from any of them, but the production & performances on the recording are flawless. (I'm a sucker for those tight 70's drums & well crafted harmonies).

[@RandyGT2000]

Beautiful crystal clear video and audio. Thanks so much. Do you have any more of Gene Clark? I'll visit your channel.

[@willemvanfrankenhuysen4281]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKfYdoirfJWfhrc

[@RandyGT2000]

@@willemvanfrankenhuysen4281 Thank you very much. Another great quality video.

[@TheBanMan]

Wonder why KZbin tells me there are 8 comments, but I only see one. Ah well. Nice track. Not one of Gene's best, for sure. A bit too fake, a bit too preppy. But not horrible.

[@sophiaiznelli5102]

Hey O......I just love it!

[@UweRayer]

Don't know who I'm thankink but hope for more to come.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Volume is too low.

[@davidnorth9390]

Forgive us our Disco

[@lastnamefirst4035]

As we forgive those who disco above us

[@joebloggs8636]

@@lastnamefirst4035 its not disco..it just has a steady beat.

[@salvonicotra3416]

Bellissima!

[@soulvigilante]

That's a helluva sound McGuinn is getting out of that Ric... ...or Hillman from that Stingray...

[@Tom-bs3zh]

I'm sorry, but with Gene, Rodger, and Chris being musical geniuses, I can't help but feel that they were trying to cash out on the disco era sound. I think this album would have been better, had they stayed true to their sound and their roots.

[@joebloggs8636]

You are clueless

[@Tom-bs3zh]

@@joebloggs8636 So are you also calling Chris Hillman "clueless" when he essentially said the same thing as me in an interview? Chris Hillman stated the yes the Mcguinn, Clark, and Hillman album has some good songs, maybe if they would have done away with the horns, stringed arrangements and contemporary rhythms the album would have done better.

[@pamelahay6242]

I don’t think what was produced in the studio is what they were looking at producing when they stepped foot inside. I think more about the record label and others looking to make some money off their names. Sure at the time they individually could have also used some gain in income but if you saw them play live..... they didn’t play those same songs as the album versions produced months latter.

[@soepil]

@Tom: I agree, but remember that talents like Gene Clark and David Crosby couldn't get a record contact in the late 70s - early 80s. They were totally out of fashion. Today, with the whole retro movement, we can appreciate their original sound again.

[@robertlagan8441]

@@pamelahay6242 right again !