50 Years of Love & Arthur Lee "Da Capo" "Forever Changes" "Love" & more: Album-By-Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by WilliamWes, Mar 11, 2016.

  1. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    I was stimulated to listen to their first album-nice!
     
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  2. heyday2day

    heyday2day Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, TX
    Just popped into the forum for the first time in a few days and saw this so playing catch up a little bit.

    At the end of page 1 here and haven't moved on any further (so as not to be defeated by reading someone else saying what I might wish to say...damn, typing on a phone isn't the most user friendly way to do this).

    So, a few points. First of all, thank you to the thread author. A wonderful idea and a well deserving band for an album by album thread. Secondly, in my pantheon of greatest 60's bands, Love is a firm, top five member.

    The debut album has a vibe that is hard to pin down with words. Yes, it's very influenced by The Byrds but not derivative. That vibe that comes across is like, for lack of a better way to describe it, a kind of euphoric darkness/foreboding. It's there on everything the original band tracked, coming to a glorious head on Forever Changes but it starts here.

    Bryan MacLeans stuff is the pinch of euphoria while the dominant Lee stuff is slathered in danger and darkness. The mix that makes them unique started at the Bido Lito residency and was a firm trait by the time they recorded the debut LP.

    Here we have all of the ingredients already in place that leads to FC. (And I'm not one of those that believes Love dried up as an artistic force when the original band split). Lee's imagery, gift for melody and unique perspective is in place as is MacLean's more romantic, gentle leanings. Though it doesn't receive the credit that I believe it deserves, it's one of the best debut albums of '65-'66

    I've much more to add but need to sit down on something other than a phone. Again, thanks to WilliamWes for kicking this off. Looking forward to reading and participating from time to time.

    Now to Page 2!
     
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  3. JozefK

    JozefK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dixie
    Da Capo

    On the whole, more successful than the rather confused and uncertain debut. The production is much better, and the band is making great strides towards finding their own sound, instead of trying simplistically to mate the Byrds with the Stones. There is still something of a split personality going on, but both styles attempted (on Side A) are successful, which is progress in itself.

    Side A

    1. "Stephanie Knows Who" -- a strong psych punker

    2. "Orange Skies" -- on the debut Bryan Maclean had most clearly seen the way to Love's future with "Come Softly To Me". Here he covers much of the same territory, but with a more suitable arrangement

    3. "¡Qué Vida!" -- my favorite track on the album, reveling in the cocktail-lounge-on-acid sound that would prove so influential on the Doors.

    4. "Seven & Seven Is" -- This punker actually made the top 40 in the summer of '66. Despite this commercial breakthrough Lee showed no inclination toward pursing the sound, aside from the previous "Stephanie Knows Who".

    5. "The Castle" -- the one non-classic on side A. Sounds like a folkie leftover from the debut. Nice guitar from Echols.

    6. "She Comes in Colors" -- Lee is finding the sound he would go after on Forever Changes. Was he following the lead of Maclean? And was this track quoted by a band from England the next year, in a song about a rainbow?

    Side B

    1. "Revelation" -- I'm not really into jams, so this track has never much interested me. Some of it is not bad and some of it (specifically some of Lee's vocals) is ridiculous. It would have been nice if the more promising material could have been split up into shorter songs. If you're curious what free form FM sounded like around 2 o'clock in the morning, this will give you an idea.

    Da Capo -- Side A at least -- is overall a an improvement on the debut, not least due to better production.There is still a stylistic confusion between the garage-punk songs and what we now think of as Love's signature sound, since the next album would so brilliantly pursue the latter.
     
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  4. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    Thanks Kevin. I think they did play the Carousel Ballroom, but I'd have to check later.
     
  5. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    I have trouble deciding which way I see the debut. On one hand, there's a bit of darkness on it, especially "Signed D.C.", but on the other hand there's a lot of bright jangle on songs like "You I'll Be Following"-so I guess it's kind of a nice balance. Looking forward to more of your comments.
     
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  6. Ignatius

    Ignatius Forum Resident

    when you go runnin' down The Castle/you're walkin' down the beg-to-differin' side of me:wantsome:
    I think it may be the true center of the album. Like you, I heard it as a letdown after the A-bomb blast, but what else could come after the Bomb? I read a review a few years ago (Julian Cope's site?) that compared The Castle to a scene from "The Prisoner" where victims are chased down a beach by giant sticky balloons. But it's an interlude. You stop listening and start discussing the earlier songs. Words are exchanged. Ale is quaffed. "What were we talking about anyway?" "Let's play the second side." "No, it sucks."
    I've also got a lengthy theory about the harpsichord middle too:-plnktn-:
     
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  7. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    An accurate review in my opinion. I'd probably just say that "The Castle" is so complex that it feels like growth since the debut. But it does have a folk feel-that's true; I didn't think of it that way before I wrote something similar about "Revelation" also. Love the idea about a more succinct "Revelation"-never thought of that. The jazz part by Cantrelli is great.

    I really think that Bryan's songs should have been used instead-especially "She Looks Good". Everyone in Love ultimately thought "Revelation" was a mistake and they were pissed that it was edited so heavily.
     
  8. heyday2day

    heyday2day Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, TX
    True but even in that track is some of that danger. "I went to Johnny, I went to Conka, one of them told me that he was holding" is a line that adds that element that I was speaking of. Most of the track is hopeful, secure but nothing with Lee is a slam dunk where, at least in my case, you can pin him down to a sunny, happy disposition. Always lurking is that dark, kind of foreboding vibe. It's not as up front on "You I'll Be Following" as it is in "Signed D.C.", that's true but my point was that it's somewhere in all of Lee's writing on the debut.
     
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  9. dr.zoix

    dr.zoix Forum Resident

    Location:
    north jersey
    In order to appreciate The Castle, you have to hear it in MONO. It's the only way to hear the harpsichord.
     
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  10. CliffL

    CliffL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento CA USA
    I prefer the whole first album in mono...the second is great in both stereo and mono. By the way, I'm another Love fan who loves "The Castle"...Ken Forssi's bass is fantastic on that track.
    Also love the track "Hummingbirds", ditto for the bass on that one.
     
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  11. Revolver

    Revolver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Side A of Da Capo has to be among the best album sides ever!
     
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  12. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Love along with the Byrds have the most mystique of all tbe LA bands, I find.
     
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  13. PsychGuy

    PsychGuy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    Just imagine if there had been a side B of the same quality of side A. One of the great lost opportunities in rock.

    I remember looking at the cover as a kid and wondering what the hell 7 people did in one rock band.
     
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  14. they also played at a place called the bank in Torrance. I was there working the light show
     
  15. segue

    segue Psychoacoustic Member

    Location:
    Hawai'i
    The Bank was previously called The Blue Law. The place is legendary and pretty obscure to those outside of the South Bay/L.A. area.

    Love played at the venue under both names. Everyone from Pink Floyd, Zappa, Fugs and the Grateful Dead played at that building.

    Love with Canned Heat & Hour Glass (with Duane & Greg Allman) December 15, 1967 @ The Blue Law
    Love with Three Dog Night & Fair BeFall December 6, 1968 @ The Bank
    Love with Three Dog Night & Middle Earth December 7, 1968 @ The Bank

    The posters are extremely rare, most were done by Robert Wilson.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2016
  16. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    I'd like to read that harpsichord theory. "The Prisoner" story sounds familiar for some reason. Maybe I saw the clip? I forget.
     
  17. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    Yes a fantastic point, and yesterday, I was singing to myself "no matter what in the world you do girl, I'm going be in love with you/no matter what in the world you say girl, I'm gonna love you anyway." Then I realized the 2nd line-he doesn't care at all about the girl's thoughts on the matter-he's going to force himself on her whether she likes it or not. I hadn't thought of it like that before yesterday. Not the kind of love song we should use towards women!
     
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  18. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Or he does care what she thinks/how she acts and is prepared to get hurt and turn the other cheek?
     
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  19. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Only ever seen the band live once, but in 1978 unfortunately. They must have been amazing to see in 1966/67 live with the correct time period.
    The Byrds also as well with Gene Clark, but I digress.
     
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  20. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    Yes, it could be that too which is what I thought originally. The lyrics tend to blur with this songwriter.
     
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  21. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    [​IMG]
    DA CAPO
    The first half of the album has a surreal look at the future while the second half is a look back at Love’s roots (or Grass Roots period).

    STEPHANIE KNOWS WHO (A)
    This 5/8 tempoed mix of hard rock and jazz pushes this swaying ship into new psychedelic waltz territories. Tricks abound here, whether its Lee’s raveup-yelp vocal that builds dramatically until the ship succumbs to the busy nightclub jazz storm of the sax break, and the skyscraper-climbing Godzilla bass of Forssi. This punch in the face feels laced with brass knuckles once Tjay Cantrelli steps up for possibly the greatest psychedelic saxophone solo in rock history. It oozes LSD as Snoopy’s harpsichord pumps angel dust mixed with the fluttering Echols psych guitar creating a kaleidoscope effect. It spirals out with Lee’s vocals continuing to thunder overhead. The self-consciousness of just physically being seems to be an overlapping theme through the album:

    What am I now, dear Stephanie?
    Am I you in disguise?

    ORANGE SKIES (A)
    An achingly sweet love song, this is top-of-the-hill quality songwriting and has fantastic melodic twists and turns within a beautiful setting of flute lying on harpsichord bed. “Carnivals and cotton candy and you” and the summer scents permeate a beautiful sunlit day at the carnival with Rodgers and Hammerstein. Cantrelli again lends his magical mouth to a sunny solo producing the vibrant colors of a sunset. Lee delivers MacLean’s song sweetly, adding the “fire” coda at the end which was originally not on Bryan’s demo. Lee uses a new voice here, one that is influenced by operatic tones that were similar to Bryan’s. It’s very rare to have two rock singers in a group influenced by opera in their style, but it adds drama and grace to these songs. It may be cavity-inducing, but the melody can cause a rollercoaster rush regardless.

    QUE VIDA! (A)
    This wonderful world of exploration continues to Latin America, where this organ led tune about human relations through Lee’s dark questioning ‘vision’ is not based on self-truth, but on the possibilities created from paranoia and the trials and tribulations humans go through during war. We find Love creating some of their best instrumental work to indicate how one can lead a relaxed life despite chaos around them. Pfisterer, while not a major force, uses his organ work here to lead the way by emphasizing Lee’s great chord changes. Tjay rides over it, with light flute accents as drummer Michael Stuart, the other new presence in the group, locks in with a steady jazz shuffle. An earthy rhythm guitar combines with a Spanish styled lead guitar, crystalizing Lee’s fear-ridden world vision. His anticipation comes true as the explosion of “7 and 7 Is” nears. Amiable bells appear when we arrive at its end-perhaps a “Pet Sounds” nod? The mix of paranoia and innocence works well.

    7 AND 7 IS (A+)
    This proto punk is a 2-minute atomic explosion that concludes with an audio sample of a real bomb (if the rhythm didn't already knock you off your feet). Probably the first song that could be considered punk in rock history, this song has been covered by many generations for it’s sheer power. It contains explosive drumming-which took 30 takes between Snoopy and Arthur (switching off) before it finally was done properly-these attempts are referred to later on “Laughing Stock”. The in-your-face vocal from Lee and Forssi’s bass whoosh effect create a dangerous dynamic. The guitars spiral out of control; the whole song threatens to go out of whack.

    In one song Arthur Lee’s lyrics became amazing philosophy; questioning everything that’s sane and accepted, rarely do love songs go into this territory:

    If I don't start cryin' it's because that I have got no eyes
    My father's in the fireplace and my dog lies hypnotized
    Through a crack of light I was unable to find my way
    Trapped inside a night but I'm a day and I go

    An inner light clicked on for Lee, and for the next couple of years, he was a top 5 lyricist in rock music.

    Overall, nothing like this had been attempted on record before, so while it may or may not be influential to punk 10 years later, it still set a precedent and was highly innovative. The breakneck pace seems to speed off a cliff and after the explosion, the listener is carried out into the waves of a lovely short jazz coda that Echols wrote on his own. Of course, jazz would be a staple of the “Da Capo” sound. Love-at it’s most threatening moment.

    THE CASTLE (A-)

    A strange, multi-dimensioned song, the unusual structure fills out a sparse lyric by taking us to medieval times through an amazing combination of instruments and sounds. Each part of the song, each instrument, gets small moments in the spotlight and gradually a beautifully classical influenced puzzle is formed. More heavenly Spanish guitar here glues these pieces together, set as the backdrop for some great creative bass and fluid harpsichord runs. Lee has arrived at the castle “here’s my baggage, hand me my staff(t)”-predicting that his next line will rhyme “I’m living on a boat a plane or raft”. The tempos drift with the waters, slowing down, speeding up; ignoring Lee’s confusion. Though it’s about girlfriend Anita like “7 and 7 Is” is, you’d barely know it. We know Lee’s had enough of this relationship, preferring to go home to his mom or somewhere far like Mexico. “If I were in my mind, it I would use” is the type of poetic wording found in many ancient writings and connects well with the medieval theme. The only weakness here is that without the stellar interplay, there’s not much of an actual song here.

    SHE COMES IN COLORS (A+)
    Another classic opening guitar riff by Echols, this sounds like the beginning of many alt. rock tracks years later, where a light, slightly dramatic tone suddenly gains ambition, growing bigger in its glorious chorus. It’s a song probably influencing the Rolling Stones who later released “She’s a Rainbow” quoting the title song here. Lee’s new softer delivery is so much less aggressive, but has more feel, and contains a complex emotional scheme. Cantrelli blows springtime out of his flowery flute, just brightening this wonderland; following Lee’s lines of giddy observation. Lee’s creative playfulness through the lyric set is delivered in a Faux-British accent to match his final verse on ‘England Town’. The two verses quoted here show how one mental perspective can clash with another’s, how we perceive both physically and mentally, relying on habit to determine our being, and what is around us. These themes were touched on in “Que Vida!”.

    When I was invisible
    I needed no light
    You saw right through me, you said
    "Was I out of sight?"

    When I was in England Town
    The rain fell right down
    I looked for you everywhere
    Till I'm not around

    REVELATION (Overall: D+)
    The 2nd side begins with “Revelation” and 19 minutes later, it ends with “Revelation”. In between, there is nothing visionary here. When a classically influenced harpsichord begins the proceedings we think we’re in for either an ingenious classical piece-a possible new world for rock, or a piece that will set up Lee’s ultimate vision, but alas it is not to be. After just 20 seconds, the rock band Love from early 1966 kicks in, and the garage rave up-step back has doomed the album to be a transitional one for eternity instead of the magical wonderland of hippie-dom mixed with a touch of dread. Many compare this to the Rolling Stones “Goin’ Home”- a similarly long piece from the same timeframe. We’ll break up this song, because while it’s heavily edited and pieced together by producer Paul Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick, it still can be broken up into parts by us to view critically.

    PART 1 (C-) (0:00-4:42)-Lee flirts with a girl and gets sexually excited. The music plays up the exciting party atmosphere with some straight rock and roll, mixed with bluesy harmonica. The sexual overtones here get pretty misogynistic and for it’s time, controversial. Because it’s within a 19 minute song, it was probably missed by most.

    PART 2 (C-)-(4:42-11:30) Echols at times drifts off into psych territory for some nice ear-catching moments, while the other instruments remain in basic rock n’ roll mode. Echols is at his most uninhibited and it’s one of the few strong performances. Lee continues to sing nonsense- “It feels good to be alright”-just your standard ‘feel good’ lyric that is one of Lee’s laziest. It’s brooding at points, but the music is cursed by Lee’s horny ad-libs, capped off by orgasmic screaming leading to the third part.

    PART 3 (C+)(11:30-end) The harmonica is back with a new friend, Tjay’s fine work on sax, his last time lifting Love’s sound onto a higher plane. He really wails here, trying to gain momentum for a song that just rambles. Sounding like Traffic’s “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”, if Tjay led the song, perhaps it could have matched the best of that song. The jazz section is the best bit here, but it ceases with 3 minutes left to focus on Forssi and Stuart who perform a perfunctory rhythm section until it leads back to the classical harpsichord which doesn’t even sound like it was meant for the song to begin with.

    The longer a song is, the more it has to use quality to explain why its so long. With just mediocre quality here, while it’s not totally abhorrent, just a few moments provoke the ear and it’s not enough to justify its length. Not only do fans think this sank a classic album, but after it was put out, Lee himself admitted it was a mistake, as did the rest of the band-especially Bryan MacLean; the other songwriter whose beautiful acoustic demos of 1966 were cast into oblivion because of his reputation as a sentimental softee.


    DA CAPO (A-)
    Again, without Bryan’s beautiful songs ('She Looks Good') around to complete this fairytale wonderland of paranoia-flavored cotton candy becomes a half-gem. Never have I heard an album with such a range of quality-from high to low with one record flip. Again, while “Revelation” is not awful, the title and opening trick you into thinking it would be Love’s ultimate statement, instead it’s just a one-night stand-one that many listeners did not want to revisit. It still has trouble overshadowing the magnificent brilliance of the first side; one that shows Love growing in stature and quality; from the new varied instrumentation, to the challenging poetic lyrics, to the complex structures, to the heavenly melodies and performances-Love had re-arrived in bold fashion, intaking all around them and producing a colorful world of wonder and no limits. The roads they constructed here lead to varied places all over the world and mind. On “Love”, the Rolling Stones were an influence, while here, Love became so good in just a few months, they seemed to have influenced the Stones here on “Da Capo”. The genre jumping was revelatory, reveling in a new style – jazz rock, an area barely touched by human hands in the rock world previously… and one of the greatest album sides in rock history.
     
  22. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    A great track review I must say.
    But..,Why did the use the same location photography for their first two Album covers.
    No complaints, but curious?
     
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  23. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Excellent summary. For me, I'd rate it as:
    Definite "A" for side 1.
    Definite "D-" for side 2

    Not sure if I can rate the WHOLE album, since side 1 is so superior to side 2. I probably do not have another album in my collection with such a discrepancy in quality between the two sides.
     
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  24. Disraeli Gears

    Disraeli Gears Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Excellent, insightful and thoughtful analysis! Thank you! You've convinced me I have to put this record on immediately . . . !
     
  25. trebori

    trebori Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I bought the album when it came out. Was totally mystified by both sides at first. But then the first side began seeping its way into my consciousness until it became almost an obsession. Stephanie is one of their great tracks. There was nothing like the solo section (the part is in 5/8) in rock at that time. It's wholly unique. And the same could be said for 7 And 7 Is. My one regret about that track is that they didn't let the post-bomb section go on a little longer (say 30-45 more seconds).

    I've probably played side one of Da Capo at least as many times as I've listened to Forever Changes in its entirety. And I like it just about as much as Forever Changes.
     

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