quote:

One of the best West Coast folk-rock/psychedelic bands, Love may have also been the first widely acclaimed cult/underground group. During their brief heyday — lasting all of three albums — they drew from Byrds-ish folk-rock, Stones-ish hard rock, blues, jazz, flamenco, and even light orchestral pop to create a heady stew of their own. They were also one of the first integrated rock groups, led by genius singer/songwriter Arthur Lee, one of the most idiosyncratic and enigmatic talents of the 1960s. Stars in their native Los Angeles, and an early inspiration to the Doors, they perversely refused to tour until well past their peak. This ensured their failure to land a hit single or album, though in truth the band's vision may have been too elusive to attract mass success anyway.
Love was formed by Lee in the mid-'60s in Los Angeles. Although only 20 at the time, Lee had already scuffled around the fringes of the rock and soul business for a couple of years. In addition to recording some flop singles with his own bands, he wrote and produced a single for Rosa Lee Brooks that Jimi Hendrix played on as session guitarist. Originally calling his outfit the Grass Roots, Lee changed the name to Love after another Los Angeles group called the Grass Roots began recording for Dunhill. Love's repertoire would be largely penned by Lee, with a few contributions by guitarist Bryan Maclean.

Inspired by British Invasion bands and local peers the Byrds, Love built up a strong following in hip L.A. clubs. Soon they were signed by Elektra, the noted folk label that was just starting to get its feet wet in rock (it had recorded material by early versions of the Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful, and had just released the first LP by Paul Butterfield). Their self-titled debut album (1966) introduced their marriage of the Byrds and the Stones on a set of mostly original material, and contained a small hit, their punk-ish adaptation of Bacharach-David's "My Little Red Book."

Love briefly expanded to a seven-piece for their second album, Da Capo (1967), which included their only Top 40 hit, the corkscrew-tempoed "7 and 7 Is." The first side was psychedelia at its best, with an eclectic palette encompassing furious jazz structures, gentle Spanish guitar interludes, and beautiful Baroque pop with dream-like images ("She Comes in Colors"). It was also psychedelia at its most reckless, with the whole of side two taken up by a meandering 19-minute jam. It was still a great step forward, but by mid-'67, the band was threatening to disintegrate due to drugs and general disorganization.

The group was in such sad shape, apparently, that Elektra planned to record their third album with session men backing Lee (on his compositions) or Maclean (on his compositions). Work on two tracks actually commenced in this fashion, but the shocked band pulled itself together to play their own material again, resulting in one of the finest rock albums of all time, Forever Changes. An exceptionally strong set of material graced by captivating lyrics and glistening, unobtrusive horn and string arrangements, it was not a commercial hit in the U.S. (though it did pretty well in Britain), but remains an all-time favorite of many critics.

Just at the point where they seemed poised to assert themselves as a top band, Love's first and best lineup was broken up in early 1968, at Arthur Lee's instigation. Several albums followed in the late '60s and early '70s which, though credited to Love, are in reality Arthur Lee and backup musicians — none of whom had skills on the level of Bryan Maclean or the other original Love men. Lee largely forsook folk-rock for hard rock, with unimpressive results, even when he was able to get Jimi Hendrix to play on one track. The problems ran deeper than unsympathetic accompaniment: Lee's songwriting muse had largely deserted him as well, and nothing on the post-Forever Changes albums competes with the early Elektra records.

Lee released a solo album in the early '70s, and then put another Love together for one last effort in 1974, but basically Love/Lee (the two had in effect become synonymous) ground to a halt in the mid-'70s. Lee has sporadically recorded and performed since then without coming up with anything resembling a unified full-length studio statement, though some scattered live and studio recordings have appeared, including a 1994 single on the tiny Distortions label.

quote:

It wasn't a hit, but Forever Changes continues to regularly appear on critics' lists of the top ten rock albums of all time, and it had an enormously far-reaching and durable influence that went way beyond chart listings. The best fusion of folk-rock and psychedelia, it features Lee's trembling vocals, beautiful melodies, haunting orchestral arrangements, and inscrutable but poetic lyrics, all of which sound nearly as fresh and intriguing upon repeated plays. One of rock's most organic, flowing masterpieces, every song has a lingering, shimmering beauty, including the two penned by the band's other talented songwriter/guitarist/singer, Bryan MacLean. [A 2001 expanded CD reissue on Rhino/Elektra adds lengthy historical liner notes and seven bonus tracks: the 1968 single "Your Mind and We Belong Together"/"Laughing Stock," the genuine Forever Changes outtake "Wonder People (I Do Wonder)," the demo "Hummingbirds" (essentially an instrumental version of "The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This"), and alternate mixes of "Alone Again Or" and "You Set the Scene."]

quote:

Op zondag 20 juni 2004 16:58 schreef Grobbel het volgende:
als je ziet hoe vaak bijvoorbeeld Alone again or wordt gecoverd (en hoe vaak deze covers volkomen overbodig zijn, die van Calexico inbegrepen).

quote:

Op zondag 20 juni 2004 20:24 schreef Seborik het volgende:
Het nummer 7 and7 Is staat op de Nuggets-box, Doc. Wel leuk.

quote:

Love's Arthur Lee Fighting Leukemia, Benefits Planned

Zach Vowell reports:
Arthur Lee, frontman for the 60s cult band Love and all-around rock legend, has undergone chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. According to an email from Los Angeles booking agent Liz Garo, doctors believe a full recovery is still possible, but more treatment is needed, including, possibly, a bone marrow transplant. Like so many musicians, Lee has no health insurance, and, consequently, no way to pay for the already astronomical bills his treatment has incurred.

Garo, along with Spaceland Productions, Bruce Solar of The Agency Group, and Mark Linn from Delmore Recording Society, are organizing a benefit concert to take place in Los Angeles in late May or early June. According to Garo's email, X, Calexico, and Cake have already expressed interest, and Lee's most recent backing band, Baby Lemonade, is on board. The organizers are currently looking for more "artists to perform a few of Arthur's songs that capture the spirit and magic of Arthur Lee and Love."

That magic was best represented on Love's first three albums, 1966's Love, 1977's Da Capo, and 1977's perennially honored Forever Changes. All three combined the songcraft of folk-rock and the expansiveness of psychedelia. After dismissing the rest of the band after Forever Changes, Lee toured and recorded with session players as Love for a short time, before embarking on an erratic solo career in the 70s. During the 90s, Lee spent eight years in prison on gun charges; after his release, he continued to perform Love songs to adoring crowds, with the help of Baby Lemonade.

According to posts on the message board for the fan site LovewithArthurLee.com, Linn has been in regular contact with Lee since the illness was diagnosed. He reports that Lee is in good spirits, and sounding stronger every day.

quote:

Op zondag 20 juni 2004 18:44 schreef Doc het volgende:
Er is ook al een platenzaak naar vernoemd

(maar ik ik ken 'm niet eens; Ulx eens vragen - ik vermoed dat-ie 'm wel heeft)

quote:

Op vrijdag 4 augustus 2006 16:04 schreef schaap001 het volgende:
Heb Forever Changes maar weer ´s uit de kast gehaald: zit er nu naar te luisteren. Blijft een mooie plaat! Old Man...

quote:

Op vrijdag 4 augustus 2006 22:57 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]

Forever Changes heeft zo'n ontzettend gevoel van, hoe zal ik het noemen, fatalisme, of treurnis misschien. Het weet me elke keer weer te raken. En verdomd weinig platen weten dat voor elkaar te krijgen.

quote:

Op zondag 20 juni 2004 16:58 schreef Grobbel het volgende:

Maar is wel een aardige plaat, inderdaad.