Best Song on Love’s ‘Forever Changes’? Poll

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by A Saucerful of Scarlets, Oct 16, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. AlexDelarge

    AlexDelarge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tennessee
    IMO, yes. I love how the whole thing flows together. I honestly, can't pick a favorite as I love them all. Every time I mow the yard, I rock this album and my job is done in no time...lol. I will say I am a little obsessed with Forever Changes and I only discovered it a little over a year ago due to this forum.
     
  2. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    Yeah, Alone Again Or sets this set off well for almost everyone I know. It's just a great hook laden song!
     
  3. HadgeTunes

    HadgeTunes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Speaking only for myself, but yeah I've always viewed it that way.
     
  4. Ignatius

    Ignatius Forum Resident

    I am formally protesting this vote because they're all equally great.:magoo:
    Seriously, I love them all.:love:
     
  5. Zapruder

    Zapruder Just zis guy, you know?

    Location:
    Ames, IA
    I love "You Set The Scene", especially the alternate version on the deluxe set with the extra vocals at the end.
     
  6. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I agree, they're all spectacular. I first chose "YSTS" but changed it to "AAO," for nostalgic reasons. As I kid I grew up with the Damned's cover of "AAO," which is, imo, a really great, faithful, muscular update that made me seek out the original a little later (when I realized it was a cover) and discover "FC. "

    I was surprised to see Arthur Lee was the Andy Partridge of Love, while Bryan MacLean was the Colin Moulding. The analogy feels right because, like MacLean (while he was in the band), Moulding wrote about two songs on every XTC album, including "Making Plans For Nigel" - XTC's hit single/first song on their third album, which was exactly what "AAO" was for Love. What was even more surprising is that I haven't liked ANY of Bryan MacLean's other songs all that much. A lot of them kinda make me cringe a little, honestly. ("Orange skies/Carnivals and cotton candy and you/And I love you/You know I do" Hmmm.)

    Actually, growing up in the 80's was a pretty good introduction to good music from the 60's and 70's as those post-punk and "College/Alternative" bands I loved were all influenced by and name-checking bands like Love, Velvet Underground and Big Star. I think it would be impossible to be a big Aztec Camera fan and not instantly "get" Love's "FC."
     
  7. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    Absolutely.
     
  8. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    Alone Again Or.

    It's one of those songs that sounds like you've always known, even if it's the first time you hear it. Never get tired of it.

    Great album anyway, I just got the Deluxe edition.
     
  9. yesteryear

    yesteryear Wild Honey Laureate

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale or
    The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This
     
  10. CliffL

    CliffL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento CA USA
    This is my all time favorite LP...every song on it is great in my opinion, and I cannot in good conscience vote for an individual favorite song.
     
  11. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    Wow, before voting I thought the last song would be leading. I’m surprised to see the opener so far ahead.

    Anyway, I picked “You Set the Scene” though I love the entire thing.
     
  12. Hombre

    Hombre Forum Resident

    It's hard to choose one song from this masterpiece. I think "You Set The Scene" may be the best song, but I picked "A House Is Not A Motel"; that double-tracked guitar solo at the end of the song may be my favorite moment in the album.
     
  13. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    “The Red Telephone”
     
  14. drad dog

    drad dog A Listener

    Location:
    USA
    I voted for Old Man becuase it used to be my least favorite Bryan McLean song and it worked it's way up to being my favorite.
     
  15. Revolver

    Revolver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    This reminds me of a story. My girlfriend at the time and I took a trip to LA in 2002 to check out some Doors and Love related sites. One night, after being in Hollywood and seeing all those places on/near Sunset Strip, we were sleeping at the house we were staying at and at around 3am, the boombox suddenly starts blasting A House Is Not A Motel at full volume and woke us both up! Forever Changes was in the CD player, but it would have been less shocking if it had played the first song, Alone Again Or. So I'll go with AHINAM.
     
  16. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Love them all...but, Alone Again Or gets my vote.
     
  17. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    In my top ten albums so every song is the best, but my first instinct was to vote for The Daily Planet. I love the bass line and the groove of that song. I still wouldn't call it the best song, impossible with songs like Old Man, You Set the Scene, and Alone Again Or. There is no weak link. Bummer in the Summer is great to my ears. This is a perfect album.
     
  18. Black Magic Woman

    Black Magic Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chile
    I enjoyed Oddyssey and Oracle much more than this album. “Time Of The Season” is such a great song. If that album doesn’t take you back to the 60s then I don’t know what will!
    (The Zombies sound so innocent if you compare them to the acid rock bands of 1968!)
     
  19. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer Thread Starter

    Was thinking of making a poll for that album too
     
    Black Magic Woman and Hombre like this.
  20. mr.datsun

    mr.datsun Incompletist

    Location:
    London
    I don't think about the best song. I also admit that whilst I really like this record I don't play it often. Too emotionally dark.

    I recently heard the MFSL CD - I think it edged out the other versions I have. I never play the Sundazed mono copy I have. Don't like it. Other than that I have the first expanded CD version, which suffices. Today I'd go for the mfsl or investigate an original first release CD.
     
  21. Thermionic Dude

    Thermionic Dude Forum Resident

    I honestly can’t think of a better overall album than “Forever Changes” and it really needs to be taken as a whole. (There are definitely albums I’d say are just as good, but I’m truly hard-pressed to think of any that are substantially better.)

    That being said, “Alone Again Or” and “Andmoreagain” are so beautiful it almost hurts, and are as close to songwriting perfection as it gets. The entire album is an unmitigated masterpiece and feels like the soundtrack of life itself, but these songs in particular just resonate like almost nothing else. I really don’t think I can narrow it down any further; I picked “Andmoreagain” today, but might change my mind tomorrow!
     
  22. ostrichfarm

    ostrichfarm Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    "Alone Again Or" is great, but to me the high point of the record is "The Red Telephone" with its intricate arrangement, unusual harmonies, and layers of despair and irony.
     
  23. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    It’s my understanding that you’re better off with one of the Rhino remasters from the 2000s than with the original CD. There are a few threads here about this.
     
  24. mr.datsun

    mr.datsun Incompletist

    Location:
    London
    Ok - thanks - I didn't know that. The rhino is the one I have as it happens.
     
  25. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world

    Location:
    Europe
    Can't choose... best LP from '67 with no apologies to Doors...
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine