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

This from Michael today...

The lyrics you recounted from a FC cut ("Red Telephone,"?), "They're locking them up today...they're throwing away the key..." that's a direct lift from the late-sixties cult-classic foreign film, "King of Hearts, " wherein the inmates of a mental institution take over an abandoned town in the days following WWl and elect Alan Bates as king. I think I remember all the inmates walking down a hill together chanting that line. But they don't recite the follow-up, "All God's chillin' gotta have their freedom." Arthur made that up. --Michael

 

Reference - Vindicator

 

anecdotal remembrance(s) of arthur lee's dog lol. standing room only for that book signing

 

Self made it into the Love bio I read, although I don't remember which one it was

 

are you serious!? HA! incredible. so much for my arcane and thought to be unknown tidbits! lol

was one kinda mean dog!

 

I read the same and I'm not too surprised if it's true. It was a long day and a lot of party people were at the session. I could see Arthur slipping into the booth - he wasn't used to so many people in the studio.

 

Einarson's I believe...the most complete Arthur Lee/Love biography to date.

 

I wanted to update my original thread that got the book started in the first place. I completed the book Keep On Shining: A Guide Through The Music Of Love And Arthur Lee and it's available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. It's been very exciting doing this and I had a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy Love fans!

Keeponshininglovebook.com

https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Shining...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1639526515&sr=8-1

 

Very late seeing this photograph of Arthur Lee and Jimi Hendrix which was actually taken backstage at the Whisky A Go Go in April 1969. Photo credit to follow….

 

I dunno, there's no documentation we know of of anything except the March 17 session and it was only one evening. Perhaps the stuff on the acetate is all there is.

 

The photograph was actually taken backstage at the Whisky A Go Go in April 1969.

The photograph of Arthur and Jimi was taken by Jeffie Eisen.

 

Makes sense, the Hendrix Experience played at the LA Forum on April 26, 1969.

 

According to discogs.com, the cover is credited to Margo Nahas.

 

“This Van Is X-Rated”

Good Lord.

Her loss, I’m sure, Steve!

That’s interesting about getting into the album “the other way round”, though. I’ll have to try that track order.

 

A great album kick-off with Between Clark & Hilldale as track ONE...an explosive opener if it had actually been released that way!

 

I’ve just bought the 2CD 2008. I could go all out with the alternate track list and combine the re-order with the remix!

 

Wow, what fantastic memories to have. I also assume you have great memories of the Whiskey...lucky you!

 

Just finding this thread as I explore the first 3 Love albums. Two major things I’ve noted in my revisit:

- Bryan MacLean is every bit as important to the band as Arthur Lee. Their alchemy together really made it, and it’s a shame that partnership wasn’t embraced more. Going off “Softly To Me” on the debut, it seems like Bryan got to Forever Changes LONG before Arthur did. No diss on Arthur Lee here: he’s definitely the heaviest hitter in the group creatively, but Bryan seems severely under used. Missed opportunity.

- while the whole 2nd side of “Da Capo” is a shame, I don’t fault them for experimenting. The idea of translating that live jam experience with the studio experience was SO far from being realized. As a Zappa fan and Deadhead, being around in 2023 has given us all so much hindsight wisdom that we simply did not have access to even 30 years ago. We can put whole recordings of shows up now with absolutely no hindrance, but at the time I’m sure getting 45 minutes of John Lee Hooker onto one side of vinyl was a tremendous task. IMO, it’s not till 1968/69 when the sidelong jam that works is even born. (The Live/Dead Dark Star seems like the eureka moment, though I love Velvet Underground’s Sister Ray too). And even then, albums like Europe 72 or Fillmore West 1971 (w the Mothers) are terrible representation of the heights reached in both, with only mega boxed sets from recent years to finally add some clarity.

 

Da capo would have been much better with more songs on side two.

 

Hi @Roanoke Park Indefinitely, on the subject of Bryan MacLean I totally agree with you and I doubt many love fans will disagree with you. You hit the nail bang! on the head regarding ‘Softly To Me’*

What might have been if Bryan had more input who knows? It’s quite possible we may never have got ‘Forever Changes’, what we do have is a short but brilliant legacy left to us by the band.

Regarding the jam on the ‘B’ Side of ‘Da Capo’ I love it and it was played a lot around these parts back in the day and several of my friends also were fans,

*I currently have no music playing because I’ve had ‘Softly To Me’ playing in my head since I read your post.

 

Awesome, glad to meet someone who truly understands the genius of this group!!

 

I largely agree. My point was just that I don't see this as a case of "Man WHAT were they thinking!?"

 

Right you are. Love were heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones at that point. The Stones had just released Aftermath with their extended track "I'm Going Home". The math is elementary.