Love Albums (10)
'The Forever Changes Concert'
Release Date 9/9/2003
Tracks 16
Label Import
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
"Arthur! You don't know how long we've waited!" shouted one enthusiastic female member of the audience after Love had finished performing their first song. "But you know how long I've waited," Arthur Lee playfully tossed back, eliciting sharp cheers from the crowd. Such was the spirit at the Royal Festival Hall, where, on January 15, 2003, Lee and Love re-created the Forever Changes album live in London for the first time. What could have been a pathetic display -- Lee, the onetime star, performing old hits by rote -- actually becomes a transcendent experience through two virtues: inspired string and horn accompaniment from a Scandinavian eight-piece, and the sheer shock and relief that Lee is able to hold himself together despite his years of well-documented self-abuse. The Forever Changes Concert does not take any liberties with the content of the legendary Forever Changes album, preferring note-for-note replication over reimagining. While this may be disappointing to some listeners, others will revel in the impressiveness of how well those strings and horns blend in with Baby Lemonade, the backing band that, with Lee, comprises the touring version of Love. Meanwhile, Lee himself cuts a sympathetic and winning figure throughout the show. While he misses a note or two on "The Daily Planet," and can't quite touch Bryan MacLean's graceful high notes on "Old Man," he acquits himself vocally quite nicely and retains the precisely measured diction that made the album such a psychedelic peculiarity upon its initial release. Age has taken away the punk gruffness of tracks like "Bummer in the Summer," though. The interplay between Lee, his band, and the small orchestra is nothing short of breathtaking in certain spots, particularly when the show hits its crescendo on "You Set the Scene," the closer to the original album. The second half of that song is an unqualified triumph, instruments blending beautifully and Lee demonstrating clear elation at the fact of simply having made it through. When it's done, the instinct is to cheer much as one would for a sports underdog who's unexpectedly won a big game. That the bonus tracks -- renditions of selected well-known cuts from the rest of Love's erratic history -- are anticlimactic and less powerful hardly takes away from the success of this live set. Fans of Love will be impressed that Lee and his group are holding together so well, while listeners less familiar will find a sterling recapture of one of rock's greatest albums. ~ Joseph McCombs, All Music Guide
'Five String Serenade'
Release Date 8/26/2002
Tracks 10
Label Last Call
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A collectible document of a 1978 reunion concert issued by Rhino Records as a picture disc. It features the same 1966 photo of the band as on their boxed set, Love Story; in it, Arthur Lee sports psychedelic specs and a cigarette in his ear. Singer/guitarist Lee and guitarist Bryan MacLean, who died from a heart attack in 1998, were the only -- but arguably most important -- original members present for this date at L.A.'s Whiskey a Go Go, where they got their start (MacLean exited the band in 1968). Sound quality -- of the music -- is pretty good, but there are only eight songs and the audience is too loud, especially during slow burners like "Andmoreagain" and "Signed D.C." Although the performance of the latter is strong, it's further marred by a squealing mic and Lee's request that it be turned down. MacLean sings on "Old Man" from the seminal recording Forever Changes. "Good Times" and "Singing Cowboy" (from Four Sail) and "Keep on Shining" (False Start) are songs that had been released by Lee after all the original members had left. The German Line edition of this recording replaces "Alone Again Or" and "Andmoreagain" with "My Little Red Book" and "Orange Skies." The compilation Dr. Rhino & Mr. Hyde includes "Movin' On," which was recorded at the same concert, but is otherwise unavailable. For collectors and completists only. ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Arthur Lee (rhythm guitar/lead vocals/piano) chose to keep the Love moniker alive after disintegrating the band's original incarnation. By the close of the 1960s, Lee was joined by a new lineup featuring a rhythm section of Frank Fayad (bass) and George Suranovich (drums), with Jay Donnellan (lead guitar) and then Gary Rowles (lead guitar) holding court as the band's primary stringman with the latter present on False Start (1970). While the Lee-supplied material isn't his most memorable, one positive factor is the combo's consistency and cohesiveness. This can be traced back to Love having just completed a successful European tour and Lee being able to collaborate with his longtime pal Jimi Hendrix, who would not only help Lee write the LP's jammed-out opener "The Everlasting First," but also even stick around long enough to lend his unmistakable southpaw to the recording. The track starts abruptly -- as if someone inadvertently jostled a power cord loose -- joining the action in-progress. Ostensibly, Hendrix's instrumental interaction is the impetus behind the number, but it is Lee's sorely underappreciated lyrical abilities that turn it into a bluesy love ballad. The catchy "Flying" typifies the early-'70s boogie that Jo Jo Gunne was able cash in on. Otherwise, it is pretty much fluff. Considerably more interesting is the heavier poppy (think the Raspberries) sound of "Gimi a Little Break" with engaging chord progressions that conjure up Lee's work on "August" from their previous outing Four Sail (1969). The concert extract "Stand Out" -- a prime example of Love's aforementioned on-stage unity -- does just that as the spirited side was derived from the then-recent round of live dates that preceded False Start's creation. It's packed with a compact, hard-edged energy that could be mistaken for Grand Funk or even a mellowed-out MC5. Proving his uncanny ability to jump from genre to genre, Lee heads down-home for the countrified "Keep on Shining" with a chipper disposition somewhat undermined by Lee's ragged vocals. Like "Stand Out," the soulful "Anytime" is another reason for this project not to be dismissed. The quaint narrative "Slick Dick" is as anachronistic as the actual concept of hippies. Similarly, it substantiates how seriously the "counterculture" took themselves at the time. To a certain extent the same can be said of the compact "Love Is Coming" with hints of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young harmonies behind a sassy, upbeat melody. Rounding out the disc are the seductive rocker "Feel Daddy Feel Good," and the syncopated "Ride That Vibration" -- bringing to mind "You Set the Scene" from Forever Changes (1968). Perhaps this is a fitting nod back to Arthur Lee's undiminished skills as a composer as it is the final song prior to the breakup of the band literally weeks after False Start was issued. Interested parties should take note of Hip-O Select's Blue Thumb Recordings triple-disc anthology. It includes a fresh remastering of False Start alongside its predecessor Out Here (1969) and the previously unreleased Live in England 1970 (2007) containing 11 performances culled from three Love shows circa late February/early March of that year. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This set marked several firsts for Love. Not only was Out Here (1969) their initial foray away from the Elektra imprint, it would be their only double-LP package. After the relative failure of Forever Changes (1968), co-founder Arthur Lee (vocals/rhythm guitar) disbanded the unit and then re-formed with Frank Fayad (bass), George Suranovich (drums), Jay Donnellan (lead guitar), and Gary Rowles (lead guitar). Granted, it's certainly not the greatest work in their catalog. However, Out Here is proof that Lee's faculties for quirky and personable pop and rock compositions had yet to elude him. The results -- unquestionably a mixed bag -- present listeners with evidence of the combo's increasingly heavier approach, as well as a few selections that hearken back to the lighter whimsy of the earlier ensemble. The latter circumstance is clearly demonstrated, ranging from the acoustic introspection of "Listen to My Song," to the full-blown group jam on the 11-plus minute "Love Is More Than Words or Better Late Than Never" featuring Rowles' inspired electric fretwork. The update of "Signed D.C." -- the original having been a key component of Love's 1966 self-titled debut -- is given a weightier blues-fueled edge that remains drenched in the emotive angst of its precursor. The band's subsequent (and final) outing False Start (1970) continued mining the same heavy metal vein tapped on "I'm Down" and the suitably wordless "Instra-Mental"." While not exactly throwaways, "Abalony," "Discharged," and the droll funeral procession ode "Car Lights on in the Daytime Blues" are more filler than killer. Still, all in all, Arthur Lee enthusiasts can discover plenty of music to Love on Out Here. In 2007, Hip-O Select's Blue Thumb Recordings anthology provided freshly remastered editions of both Out Here, False Start, and the nearly hour-long Live in England 1970boasting 11 previously unreleased concert performances. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
From a retrospective point of view, this might be the first album in the career of singer and songwriter Arthur Lee that might have been received with more enthusiasm had it been released under his name, and not under the band name. Obviously, it must have been in his commercial best interests to retain the Love identity, but here Lee is the only member of the original band left. He is trying to recreate a Love-able identity with fewer players than he had before and a completely different sound. The old Love delivered material in a solidly folk-rock vein, meaning among other things an emphasis on combinations of acoustic and electric guitars. When the original group wanted something a little heavier, it would really put the hammer down. Records such as "My Little Red Book" and "Seven & Seven Is" were tough enough to be rightly considered precursors of punk rock, which is a lot of mileage to get out of a Burt Bacharach tune. Lee's new lineup here does not have this kind of versatility. Guitarist Jay Donnellan plays a heavy lead guitar minus the impressive chops and gets lots of solo space in the arrangements. The rhythm section favors a more leaden sound as well, particularly drummer George Suranovich, who soaks the barbecue with Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell licks. Lee fills in on several different instruments, but his real strength is the set of ten original songs he has provided. The tracks are deep in feeling and performed with an emotional fervor that sometimes approaches anguish. It is like going into a dark coffeehouse late at night and finding an electrically charged performer delivering messages about things familiar to one and all: love, memories, friendship, "Good Times," and even "Nothing." Lee's lyrics and performances have been compared to Jimi Hendrix, certainly a compliment. This album is such a good example of these strengths that it rises above the garage band sound to communicate a sense of time and place as well as some truly sincere feelings. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Love's Forever Changes made only a minor dent on the charts when it was first released in 1967, but years later it became recognized as one of the finest and most haunting albums to come out of the Summer of Love, which doubtless has as much to do with the disc's themes and tone as the music, beautiful as it is. Sharp electric guitars dominated most of Love's first two albums, and they make occasional appearances here on tunes like "A House Is Not a Motel" and "Live and Let Live," but most of Forever Changes is built around interwoven acoustic guitar textures and subtle orchestrations, with strings and horns both reinforcing and punctuating the melodies. The punky edge of Love's early work gave way to a more gentle, contemplative, and organic sound on Forever Changes, but while Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean wrote some of their most enduring songs for the album, the lovely melodies and inspired arrangements can't disguise an air of malaise that permeates the sessions. A certain amount of this reflects the angst of a group undergoing some severe internal strife, but Forever Changes is also an album that heralds the last days of a golden age and anticipates the growing ugliness that would dominate the counterculture in 1968 and 1969; images of violence and war haunt "A House Is Not a Motel," the street scenes of "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hillsdale" reflects a jaded mindset that flower power could not ease, the twin specters of race and international strife rise to the surface of "The Red Telephone," romance becomes cynicism in "Bummer in the Summer," the promise of the psychedelic experience decays into hard drug abuse in "Live and Let Live," and even gentle numbers like "Andmoreagain" and "Old Man" sound elegiac, as if the ghosts of Chicago and Altamont were visible over the horizon as Love looked back to brief moments of warmth. Forever Changes is inarguably Love's masterpiece and an album of enduring beauty, but it's also one of the few major works of its era that saw the dark clouds looming on the cultural horizon, and the result was music that was as prescient as it was compelling. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Love broadened their scope into psychedelia on their sophomore effort, Arthur Lee's achingly melodic songwriting gifts reaching full flower. The six songs that comprised the first side of this album when it was first issued are a truly classic body of work, highlighted by the atomic blast of pre-punk rock "Seven & Seven Is" (their only hit single), the manic jazz tempos of "Stephanie Knows Who," and the enchanting "She Comes in Colors," perhaps Lee's best composition (and reportedly the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow"). It's only half a great album, though; the seventh and final track, "Revelation," is a tedious 19-minute jam that keeps Da Capo from attaining truly classic status. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Love's debut is both their hardest-rocking early album and their most Byrds-influenced. Arthur Lee's songwriting muse hadn't fully developed at this stage, and in comparison with their second and third efforts, this is the least striking of the LPs featuring their classic lineup, with some similar-sounding folk-rock compositions and stock riffs. A few of the tracks are great, though: their punky rendition of Bacharach/David's "My Little Red Book" was a minor hit, "Signed D.C." and "Mushroom Clouds" were superbly moody ballads, and Bryan Maclean's "Softly to Me" served notice that Lee wasn't the only songwriter of note in the band. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
