The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of thirty-plus years, they have produced eleven studio albums, two live albums, 2 compilation albums, an EP, and four solo releases, selling near to a half-million copies.
Let It Go is the fifth studio album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks, released on June 20, 2000. The album outsold many major national releases in the Pittsburgh area and generated huge local radio hits. The release was the band's first on Razor & Tie, the New York-based minor rock label. Let It Go has been critically acclaimed, despite being unknown to rock fans in most parts of the country. However, the success of the album's singles in the Pittsburgh market led to their spread to audiences in nearby Cleveland and Central Pennsylvania.
I'll Tell You What Man... is the 1988 debut album by Pittsburgh band the Clarks. The album was the band's first release, created while the musicians were still in college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The fast-paced song "Help Me Out" gained some airplay on Western Pennsylvania college radio stations, but at this point, the Clarks had yet to achieve success.
The Clarks is a 1991 eponymous second album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. Like their debut album, it was an independent release, but the album quickly gained a cult following in Western Pennsylvania and became a popular album in Pittsburgh. When WDVE, Pittsburgh's largest rock station, began playing "Penny on the Floor," the band achieved instant local fame. It was actually surprising at the time that radio stations would pick up "Penny On the Floor", a mandolin-driven song, as opposed to one of the band's more up tempo rock songs.
Love Gone Sour, Suspicion, and Bad Debt is the 1994 third album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. With the last album becoming a staple on Pittsburgh rock stations, the singles from this album gained quick and ample affection from Western Pennsylvania rock fans. The first single, "Cigarette," is considered the band's best live song, as it features a catchy hook and a beat that invites fans to sing along. It also makes reference to Fayette County, the rural county located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh from which Scott Blasey, lead singer of the Clarks, hails. The mid-tempo "Treehouse" was the other single from the album.
Someday Maybe is the 1996 fourth album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. The record constituted both the band's first and last major label release. After two successful local records on a self-created label, MCA inked a deal with the band, giving them at least a shot at national success. However, MCA was in financial disarray at the time, due to it being bought out by a larger corporation. In turn, many struggling or newly signed bands were cut from the label. Before 'Someday Maybe' received any promotion, The Clarks were one of many bands that saw their contracts with MCA be terminated in 1997. Despite this heartbreak, the album did perform well in Pittsburgh. 'Stop!', a song that could draw comparison's 'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield, was intended to be the band's first nation single. Instead, it was relegated to only local success. The traditional rock love song 'Caroline' and the Southern rock influenced 'Mercury' were also major hits in the Pittsburgh market. The Clarks' problems with MCA nearly ruined their careers, and it certainly left them disillusioned with the recording industry. It would take 4 years for the band to release their next album.
Another Happy Ending is the sixth album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. The band's popularity continued to spread following the release of this album, as rock stations in Buffalo and Reading, Pennsylvania begin playing the record's lead single. However, Pittsburgh remained as the band's core fan base. The first single, "Hey You," was a highly emotional, beautifully constructed song. Its sad, yet hopeful lyrics were inspired by the horrors of September 11, specifically the many World Trade Center workers who dove to their deaths from upper floors of the building. The other two hit songs were more upbeat—the mid-tempo "Boys Lie" and the excellent rhythm guitar song "On Saturday."
Fast Moving Cars is the seventh album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. The album is more optimistic than previous Clarks albums, mainly because the band members were becoming increasingly satisfied in their personal relationships. The band remained a force in the Pittsburgh market and in several surrounding areas, but still failed to break out into the national scene. This was despite a much hyped performance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Singles from the album still had regional popularity. "Hell On Wheels" became an instant classic in terms of driving songs, while "Shimmy Low" featured an excellent hook and optimistic lyrics. However, the band was not ready to give up on its long history of depressing songs just yet. The third single, the title track "Fast Moving Cars," invoked the feelings of drunkenness and loneliness.
Between Now and Then is the 2005 retrospective album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. The interesting fact about this album is that it is a greatest hits compilation for a band that never achieved national prominence. However, this album allowed the band to combine all of their biggest songs with the intent of drawing in casual listeners. Fifteen of the band's hits were included in this collection, with the former singles "Boys Lie" and "Hell On Wheels" notably absent. Two new songs also were featured, including the upbeat single "Bona Fide." For this album, the band also did a rendition of the 1970s Badfinger classic "No Matter What."
Mountains is the eighth studio album released by American country music group Lonestar. It was the band's last album for BNA Records, it produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Mountains" at No. 10 and "Nothing to Prove" at No. 51. After the single released, the band was dropped from BNA. This was also the last studio to feature Richie McDonald before leaving for a solo career, until he rejoined in 2011.
Restless Days is the eighth studio album by Pittsburgh band The Clarks. It was released on June 9, 2009.
Live is the first live album by Pittsburgh rock band the Clarks, released in 1998.
Still Live is the second live album by Pittsburgh rock band The Clarks, released in 2006. It was released both as a live CD and as a concert DVD.
Strikes and Gutters is an album by Pittsburgh rock band The Clarks, their first outtake album. It was released in 2001.
Strikes and Gutters 2: Doublewide is an album by Pittsburgh rock band The Clarks, their second outtake album. It was released in 2004.
Scott Blasey is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist for The Clarks, a position he has held since the band's inception in the mid-1980s. Blasey has also has released three solo albums.
I Turn to You is the first solo studio album by American country music artist Richie McDonald, following his departure from the band Lonestar in 2007. It was released on June 3, 2008 by Stroudavarious Records. The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.
Songs in G is the first EP by the Clarks, released in 2010. It was only released digitally, and it remains that way as of 2013. Aside from the first track, the tracks are re-imaginations of older Clarks material.
Rewind is the tenth studio album by Pittsburgh-native band the Clarks. The album, released June 9, 2015, came less than one year after the band's previous studio release, Feathers & Bones. Like its predecessor, Rewind was produced partially by crowdfunding on PledgeMusic. However, unlike any of the band's previous efforts, the album contains only covers of other bands' songs. The bands covered on the album heavily influenced the Clarks when they were founded at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1986, and many of the songs were played live during their initial years as a cover band.
Madly in Love at the End of the World is the eleventh studio album by Pittsburgh-based band the Clarks, released on June 8, 2018. Aside from being released to streaming media and on compact disc, the album was additionally released on vinyl, the band's first to be released as such since their debut release I'll Tell You What Man... thirty years prior.
