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The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 00:16
1967 was a hell of a time to be making an album. If you wanted to win chart success, you had to compete with the likes of these:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
Their Satanic Majesties Request - Rolling Stones
Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experienced
Axis: Bold as Love - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan
Disraeli Gears - Cream
The Byrds' Greatest Hits - The Byrds
Younger Than Yesterday - The Byrds
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield
The Doors - The Doors
The Who Sell Out - The Who
Something Else By The Kinks - The Kinks
Mr. Fantasy - Traffic
Days of Future Passed - The Moody Blues
Mellow Yellow - Donovan
Happy Together - The Turtles

So, I suppose, because of that, it should come as no real surprise that it was also a big year for ‘sleepers’ – albums that went relatively unnoticed, but later emerged as hugely important or influential.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground
The Grateful Dead - The Grateful Dead
Big Brother & the Holding Company- Big Brother and the Holding Company
Absolutely Free - The Mothers of Invention
Safe as Milk - Captain Beefheart
Odessey and Oracle – The Zombies (recorded In 1967, but released the next year).

And probably the ultimate sleeper album was Dylan & The Band's 'The Basement Tapes' also recorded in 1967.

This was also the year that Love released ‘Forever Changes’.

I bought this album when I was sixteen, long after it was released. It was bought purely on a whim, as I’d never heard of Love. I was into music in a very big way, Brighton was twelve miles away and it had a bewhildering array of secondhand record shops, so I used to spend every Saturday trawling the streets and spending every single penny I could get my hands on in them. My record collection was pretty large and most days I used to walk to school with a stack of albums to lend to mates. But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get anyone interested in my big new find. This was special. It was important. People just had to hear this. They didn’t want to, though because, if I mentioned my Love album, their eyes would glaze over, thinking I’d flipped & was listening to some dodgy TV advertised K-Tel compilation made specially for middle class housewives!

I’ve owned, perhaps, six or seven copies and it’s probably been the most important record in my life so far. It really is special & everyone should listen to it properly at least once.

By 1967, Love gigs were a pretty regular event in Los Angeles, but hardly anywhere else. They’d released two albums – ‘Love’ and, earlier that year, ‘Da Capo’
On the Elektra label, they’d had a minor hit single in 1966 with Burt Bacharach's ‘My Little Red Book.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIe1BaIVy2s&feature=related

The first album, Love, was released in May 1966, heavily influenced by The Byrds and sold reasonably well, reaching 57 on the US album charts. That August, they released another single ‘7 and 7 Is’ which was to be their highest charting effort at number 33. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWkZnQZVH2U&feature=related This was later covered by Alice Cooper, Rush and Robert Plant, among others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOw8dpxzP6U&feature=related
It came from ‘Da Capo’ a much more ambitious, but for me, less satisfying album than the first – probably due to the over-indulgent side long track ‘Revelation’.
With that, the band were on the verge of breaking up. However, they were still commited to producing a third album, and a crew of session musicians were lined up to back the two songwriters Arthur Lee and Brian MacLean. Neil Young was going to co-produce with Elektra’s house producer, Bruce Botnick. Two tracks were laid down like this, but then the rest of the band came to their senses & helped out to finish the album and put some overdubs on the existing tracks. Neil Young was long gone due to Buffalo Springfield commitments but apparently stayed long enough to carry out the arrangements on ‘The Daily Planet’ . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM0ku7zVZ0U
The album sold quite well in the UK ( number 24) and pretty badly in the US (worse that number 150) and there was a minor hit single with ‘Alone Again Or’ – written by MacLean as ‘Alone Again’ and ‘got at’ by Arthur Lee! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQspFesT3E

This was later covered by bands as diverse as
The Damned (on ‘Anything’) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RqcEuxY_Q
Calexico http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o14hqYc96gE
and UFO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDKHGt9yIps&feature=related

The band failed to capitalise on its success due to Lee’s reticence to perform outside LA – a crying shame. And, disappointed with the lack of success at home, they finally parted company. Arthur Lee carried on with the Love name for years afterwards, but never reached the perfection of this album.

So, what’s the album like?

Good question! – It’s got impenetrable song titles, cryptic lyrics, stop/start/direction changing melodies and rhythms, mariachi brass, strings with political commentary and themes verging on the suicidally depressing. Based on that description alone, most people would run a mile, and only a very few would be intrigued enough to take a listen!

It’s complex and ambitious, succeeding here, where the previous album failed. It also has quite a strong acoustic flavour with unamplified guitars often to the forefront of the mix. Lyrically, it’s a perfect mirror of the summer of 1967.

Vietnam:
‘A House Is Not a Motel’ – recounting a conversation with a veteran’s description of the war
The news today will be the movies for tomorrow.
And the water's turned to blood,
And if it's mixed with mud
You'll see it turn to greyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k16sCBq1cO8

‘The Red Telephone’ – dealing with the madness of a world in which a President can summon slaughter by picking up the phone.
Sitting on a hillside
Watching all the people die
I’ll feel much better on the other sidehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpsphN4Q5TM

While talking about writing this song Arthur Lee said that he felt like he was going to die & this album would be his last statement. This is echoed in Greil Marcus' book 'Invisible Republic - Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes':
........The summer of love, all insisted, in their different ways, on the year 1967 as Millenium or Apocalypse, or both. The year "America fell apart", Newt Gingrich has said; "deserter's songs", a sceptic called the basement tapes in 1994, catching an echo of a few people holed up to wait out the end of the world.......

Carefree hippiedom:
‘The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This’
Summertime's here and look over there
Flowers everywhere in the morning,
In the morning .....La da da."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_IEaY_AVxU

Arthur Lee led a troubled life and was a control freak, but he created something really special with this album and enjoyed the experience of seeing it more widely appreciated when he toured just a few years ago. There’s a DVD of one of the gigs, which is essential (and in some ways it flows better than the original recording), if only for the most sublime use of strings and brass in the context of rock music. Try watching my favourite track from this, ‘Maybe the People Would Be the Times Or Between Clark and Hilldale’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa32txV5nDk (It has the guitar solo that made me want to learn how to play), ‘Old Man’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ZNE7YQRKU , or ‘You Set the Scene’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Srbxlvki-k&feature=PlayList&p=0089E92D4511CEC6&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=53



The album was the subject of an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons, where it was voted the greatest album of all time! So it’s official. In fact it’s in the constitution!– you really need to hear it.

Arthur Lee: RIP

Barry
11-06-2009, 01:08
Chris, once again an excellent piece! You really are making it difficult for us to follow with appreciations of our own.

It is amazing how influential this album was; several of my student friends had copies. And what a seminal debut it was - successive albums never matched it; I'm thinking of 'Da Capo' and 'Out Here'.

A few months ago I had a clear out of several LPs of which I had CD copies. 'Forever Changes' was one of them. Based on something you wrote about this record (can't remember the thread), I went round to the guy to whom I had given the LPs and asked for it back. Fortunately he had not listened to it, so readily agreed.

The CD copy I have is WSM 8122-73537-2. It has 7 extra tracks. I understand that there is a new remastered version. Do you have it and if so, can you tell me the number.

I take it you have the Arthur Lee solo CD (can't remember the title, but he is doing Love numbers and the cover has a painting of Lee done in the same style as that of Forever Changes).

Regards
Barry

John
11-06-2009, 04:35
Thank you Chris a wonderful piece of writing and a pleasure to read as usual

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 07:42
A few months ago I had a clear out of several LPs of which I had CD copies. 'Forever Changes' was one of them. Based on something you wrote about this record (can't remember the thread), I went round to the guy to whom I had given the LPs and asked for it back. Fortunately he had not listened to it, so readily agreed.

The CD copy I have is WSM 8122-73537-2. It has 7 extra tracks. I understand that there is a new remastered version. Do you have it and if so, can you tell me the number.


You had a lucky escape there Barry!

The issues are/were:

Title, Format Label Cat# Country Year
Forever Changes (LP, Album) Elektra EKS-74013 US

Forever Changes (LP, Album) Elektra EKS 74013 US 1967

Forever Changes (LP, Album) Elektra EKS 74013 Canada 1967

Forever Changes (LP, Mono) Elektra EKL 4013 UK 1967

Forever Changes (LP, Album) Elektra K 42015 UK 1971

Forever Changes (LP, Album) Elektra K 42015 Germany, Austria, & Switzerland 1971

Forever Changes (CD) Elektra, Asylum Records 7559-60656-2 US 1987

Forever Changes (CD, Album) Elektra 960 656-2 Germany 1987

Forever Changes (CD) Elektra 8122-73537-2 UK 2001

Forever Changes (CD, Album, RM, RE) Elektra/Rhino R2 76717 US 2001

Forever Changes (LP, Album, RE) Sundazed LP 5102 US 2001

Forever Changes (Collector's Edition) (2xCD, Album, RE) Elektra/Rhino R2 428796 US 2008

Forever Changes (CD, Album, Promo) Rhino UPLOVE001, none UK 2008


http://www.discogs.com/Love-Forever-Changes/master/6215


The Rhino collector's edition is the remastered one. The Sundazed vinyl is great.

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 17:25
I take it you have the Arthur Lee solo CD (can't remember the title, but he is doing Love numbers and the cover has a painting of Lee done in the same style as that of Forever Changes).

Barry,
No I don't have that - I'm not sure what it's called either. The only solo album I know is 'Vindicator' from 1972. I've only heard it a couple of times & have been looking for a decent copy for years. I understand it's available again though (Beat Goes On label). From memory it's a good bit more blues orientated than a lot of the Love material - There's one track that he played quite a bit with later incarnations of Love called 'Everybody Gotta Live'. There's a live version of it on 'Love - Electrically Speaking - Live In Concert' that turns into 'Instant Kharma'.

Other solo albums are:
Black Beauty (1973), More Changes (1977), Arthur Lee (1981)

What I do have of great interest (to me anyway), is 'Ifyoubelievein' by Bryan Maclean, which includes 'Old Man' and 'Alone Again Or' (twice) tracks from 'Forever Changes' recorded solo (as I guess he meant them to sound) in 1967 & 'Orange Skies' (twice) from 1966.
That's on Sundazed.

Other Love stuff I have is:
Love (1966)
Da Capo (1967)
Four Sail (1969)
Out Here (1969)
False Start (1970) - Notable for the opening track 'The Everlasting First' which has Jimi Hendrix playing on it.
Reel to Real (1974)
Love Live (1982)
The Forever Changes Concert (2003)

And the DVD's:
Love Story - great documentary
The Forever Changes Concert

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 18:13
..........Oh, I forgot this one:

'Five String Serenade' on Munster Records (!?)
The heaviest gauge vinyl I've ever seen 220g!

.........the music is perhaps not quite so impressive though!

The Vinyl Adventure
11-06-2009, 19:47
i was introduced to 'love, forever changes' by a a good mate of mines father.
he used to play it in the car when he used to drive us out to and back from the tenis club we used to loiter about in when we were about 15.
i never knew what the album was called and forgot what he told me the band was called all i remembered was the front of the cd case, quite memerable as it is...
about 5 years ago i bought the cd on a whim, i couldnt remember why i recognised it until i got home and it all came flooding back

i literally play this album to everyone who hasnt heard it before, i have bought it for people for birthday presents even when i know they dont know what it is in the hope they will like it

my favorite track is "you set the scene" i love the strings in it
i love the line "there are people wearing frowns who will screw you up but theyed rather screw you down"

i put this album in a special little group of albums including
'god shuffled his feet' crash test dummies
'grace' by jeff buckley
'siamees dream' by the smashing pumkins
'presidents of the united states of america' by presidents of the united states of america

there are a good few more but i wont list them all, its a point im trying to make! they are the albums i always turn to when i want something thats to me is almost faultless and always a pleasure to listen to, the albums i know inside out!

this is also i would say the album that most makes me wish i was born earlier so i could experience it when it was contempory

...

i am interested to learn there is a remasterd version
i currently have the version with the extra tracks and on heavy vinyl of some ilk but i would not hesitate to buy it again a good few times over if there were benefits

.....did i mention i like this album......

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 20:51
Hamish,



i literally play this album to everyone who hasnt heard it before, i have bought it for people for birthday presents even when i know they dont know what it is in the hope they will like it!

The only person I've ever known to hear it & not like it is my daughter - but that's probably because of over-exposure! One day, in years to come, I'm sure she'll buy it out of nostalgia for her childhood!!


i put this album in a special little group of albums including
'god shuffled his feet' crash test dummies
'grace' by jeff buckley
'siamees dream' by the smashing pumkins
'presidents of the united states of america' by presidents of the united states of america

Sounds like a list of great albums. I've not heard the Presidents.... before, so I've just got it up on Spotify - I'll give it a go, thanks!


i am interested to learn there is a remasterd version
i currently have the version with the extra tracks and on heavy vinyl of some ilk but i would not hesitate to buy it again a good few times over if there were benefits

The Rhino remaster has an extra disc with alternate takes. I've never listened to compare the job they did on the remastering, but I can't say it struck me as being vastly different/better.

Cheers

The Vinyl Adventure
11-06-2009, 23:01
the presedents are fantastic, a bit silly sometimes but deceptivly witty lyrically and on occation deceptivly meloncolly
all the songs for me at least are compulsive listening and never get boring for the fact they are little storys
start with the first album and work your way through
imo the first two are the best

the whole of the first album is a great listen, i particuly like 'naked and famous' and 'boll weavel'

there is also a cover of 'kick out the jams' the mc5 song

'mach 5' is a great track on the second album

there is a cover of 'video killed the radio star' by the buggels on pure frostings

and then 'Headin' Out' is the track of choise on freaked out and small

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 23:15
I enjoyed it & I'll be seeking out a copy, I think.

I noted the influence of The New York Dolls in the backing vocals (themselves, influenced by the 60's female vocal groups) - especially in Candy Cigarette.

Love the lyrics to Peaches!!!

Moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
Peaches come from a can, they were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way I'd eat peaches everyday
Sun soaking bulges in the shade

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 23:19
So, Hamish.............are you going to list your little stack of treasures?

Time for a new thread, I reckon!!

Barry
11-06-2009, 23:34
I take it you have the Arthur Lee solo CD (can't remember the title, but he is doing Love numbers and the cover has a painting of Lee done in the same style as that of Forever Changes).



I have found out that the disc I had in mind is -

"'Love' with Arthur Lee: 'The Forever Changes Concert' at the Festival Hall, London 2003", Snapper Music SMAC J-869.

Looks like you already have it. :)

Cheers
Barry

The Grand Wazoo
11-06-2009, 23:57
I have found out that the disc I had in mind is -

"'Love' with Arthur Lee: 'The Forever Changes Concert' at the Festival Hall, London 2003", Snapper Music SMAC J-869.

Looks like you already have it. :)


I couldn't picture the sleeve for some reason, but of course, now you mention it, that's the one.
As I said, I think in some ways it's better than the original - it flows well & there's less compression, perhaps. My wife thinks it's far & away better.....& she hates live albums.

Re. the DVD - When I got my DVD player connected up to the hi-fi through the DAC in my Accuphase CD player, it was the first thing I put on & it was so compelling, we watched it right through......twice.

symon
12-06-2009, 00:03
I have one of the later re-issues of this. I was going to listen to it again (in my Walkman for my journey to work), but I can't find it. I'll have to dig it out at the weekend when I have more time to search for it. (I'll be listening to Genesis tomorrow instead)

The Vinyl Adventure
12-06-2009, 07:49
peaches was thier "biggest hit" along with lump

i always remember this time beindriven back off of holiday by a mates mom singing that whole album sat in the back of the car...
.. the car had been struggling a bit - i cant remember what was wrongwith it but it was a bit buggerd - we got to 'were not going to make it' singing away ... half way through the song the car was stuttering a bit, me and chris were bouncing up and down in the back.. she stops the music and shouts "we are going to f***ing make it and if you to dont shut up il leave you on the f***ing roadside" deadly serious she was for a second, until she couldnt hold it anymore and literealy broke down crying with laughter

i still remember that every time i hear that song

Barry
12-06-2009, 17:18
Based on the detail provided in posts 4 and 5, I hesitate to ask how many Zappa titles you have. A friend of mine who is quite a Zappaphile has a collection in double figures - I fully expect you to easily beat that!

Cheers
Barry

The Grand Wazoo
13-06-2009, 00:13
Barry,
I stopped counting at about 60 and that was a long time ago! - before I started buying CD's in fact! However, my collection is by no means complete. I'm not going to set about spending the sums I used to on records nowadays, I don't make a conscious effort to look for Zappa stuff anymore so I expect it to remain pretty much as it is (if I stumble across something interesting, well that's a different matter!!).

Nowadays, I find the most interesting items are those on the periferal areas of the Zappa universe - stuff like Jean Luc-Ponty, Rhinoceros, Jeff Simmons etc. But I guess you have to eat the middle of the pie before you can begin to appreciate the subtle difference of the crust around the edge!!

Barry
13-06-2009, 00:29
Barry,
I stopped counting at about 60 and that was a long time ago! - before I started buying CD's in fact! ...........

Nowadays, I find the most interesting items are those on the periferal areas of the Zappa universe - stuff like Jean Luc-Ponty, Rhinoceros, Jeff Simmons etc.

60! - knew you wouldn't let me down! Yes, I like Jean Luc-Ponty as well ('King Kong' etc.)

Do you like Beefheart as well?

Regards

Barry

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2009, 07:30
So, Hamish.............are you going to list your little stack of treasures?

Time for a new thread, I reckon!!

by this do you mean my music collection?

The Grand Wazoo
13-06-2009, 09:58
by this do you mean my music collection?

No, I mean your stack of special vinyl that you reffered to earlier.

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2009, 16:07
ok... il get back to you on that when i have a bit more time on my hands

The Grand Wazoo
06-02-2010, 11:59
I just ordered a copy of this on vinyl:

http://i.ebayimg.com/16/!BhEyk-w!2k~$(KGrHqMH-EUEsL!4fZ9ZBLHnSTOO5Q~~_12.JPG

I'll let you know what it's like when I get it!



From the Sundazed website:

Arthur Lee’s seminal work as leader of the ’60s band Love is treasured by discerning rock fans around the world. Lee’s status as one of his era’s preeminent musical cult heroes has grown immensely in recent years, leading to generations of new fans rediscovering the artist’s remarkable catalog. Unfortunately, Lee and the band’s body of available recordings is relatively small, making Sundazed Music’s release of a previously-unheard full-length vintage Arthur Lee and Love album a major musical event.


Love Lost was recorded in 1971, during a brief, little-known period during which Love was signed to Columbia Records. Lee and the then-current Love lineup—bassist Frank Fayad, guitarist Craig Tarwater and drummer Don Poncher—recorded an album’s worth of new material for the label. But after the band left the company, the recordings sat unreleased and unheard until now. The material on Love Lost—comprised of the unreleased Columbia sessions, plus five unreleased acoustic demos from the same period—captures Love in a transitional phase, charting the next step in Lee’s idiosyncratic musical trajectory, following the lush garage-psychedelia of the classics Da Capo and Forever Changes, and the bluesier direction of the hardrocking False Start and Out Here.


Many of the songs included on Love Lost would resurface, often in radically different form, on subsequent Love releases, and on Lee’s fabled solo album Vindicator. But the original versions included on Love Lost boast a playful looseness that’s absent from most of Lee’s later work, as well as a raw, edgy urgency that underlines his credentials as an early progenitor of punk-rock attitude. Love Lost also features three songs—”For a Day,” “Trippin’ & Slippin’” and “C.F.I. Instrumental”—that have not previously been released, in any form.


With a treasure trove of vintage Love music that has never before been heard by fans, Love Lost is a major addition to Arthur Lee and Love’s body of work, and its release is a major event for Lee’s fervent fan base.


READ THE LOVE LOST REVIEWS:

• Rolling Stone
• Mojo
• The Big Takeover
• Blurt Magazine