Probably not knowing what they were getting themselves into, A&M Records recently went on a binge of signing country-rock artists, several of whom have been with the Byrds in the past.

Specifically, A&M now has as many ex-Byrds under contract as Columbia has current Byrds; there are the Flying Burrito Brothers, with Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, and the Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark with Gene Clark and Mike Clarke, not to mention Sneaky Pete of the former and Doug Dillard of the latter, both of whom accompanied the Byrds at various stages.

The first of these groups to release a record is Dillard and Clark. Their album contains the kind of country music you get when you have a rock producer (Larry Marks) and artists who have various realms of experience in their background; it is definitely C&W, but there is an ear left open to rock, gospel and other such influences.

The chief songwriter for the record is Gene Clark, whose past efforts have not gone unnoticed. He gets a lot of help from guitarist Bernie Leadon and banjoist Doug Dillard, and the result is eight fair to good compositions.

It isn't hard to tell a Gene Clark song by its lyrics. He has a way of putting phrases which is somewhat unique (it seems to put dependent clauses where independent clauses should be). They occasionally border on the unintelligible until you think about them for awhile. But there is always a feeling for what is being said that Clark manages to create even if his poetry is confusing.

On side one, Clark's strong "Out on the Side" is followed by three other good cuts. The closer for the side is "A Train Leaves Here This Morning." This is the album's best piece, being a floating country ballad. It both relaxes and attracts the listener at the same time, and entertains him in either case.

Side two isn't as consistently good as its predecessor. "The Radio Song" and "Git it On, Brother" stand out. The former's lyrics are stock broken romance stuff, but they have the Clark touch which keeps them from being too cliched. The latter is a Lester Flatt gospel styled song which makes you want to sing along.

Despite having only nine songs, this record can provide about 28 minutes of better than average music. It is affected just enough by contemporary influences to make it palatable to someone who can't take straight country, but that also uncovers one of its flaws. Perhaps it is too compromising, and therefore too slick.

The liner notes make claims of its keeping the musical heritage pure and acoustic; claims which have fallen apart since the group made its live debut in L.A. (totally amplified) in December. But the album, all in all, may not be something you would want to shout about, but it is alright. (RS 27)

JIM BICKHART