From the opening song of 1972’s self-titled release by the duo of Delbert McClinton & Glen Clark, it sounds like the blueprint for the roots movement of a quarter-century later. The set draws on blues, soul, rock, country and gospel with the same congenial aplomb of fellow Texan Doug Sahm.
The pair teamed up in Los Angeles in the early ’70s, signing to a recently started label, Clean, which was distributed and largely underwritten by Atlantic. They hooked up with another Lone Star expatriate, T Bone Burnett, who handled production. The album yielded some of McClinton’s most enduring songs, including “Ain’t What You Eat But The Way How You Chew It” and “‘B’ Movie Box Car Blues”.
While garnering critical praise, Delbert & Glen’s debut failed to ignite the marketplace. Their second album, Subject To Change, suffered a shake-up early on, with Burnett replaced by the label’s choice of a producer, who swiftly moved the duo away from Los Angeles and the familiar musicians that had coalesced around them. Recorded in Alabama, Texas and New York, the album not only is surprisingly unified, but, bolstered by horns, plays up the pair’s R&B roots with convincing clarity.
Out of step with commercial radio’s identity in 1973, Subject To Change fell further into oblivion when the label went out of business. Again, a number of songs later gained further renown (Clark’s “I Don’t Want To Hear It Anymore” was covered by Loretta Lynn).
McClinton and Clark delivered fine and fresh-sounding slices of blended country and white soul. The 1970s had Hall & Oates and the Eagles, but imagine if Delbert & Glen had ruled the airwaves instead…