Customer Reviews

Forever Changes: Live

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I was 10 years old I bought the Guess Who 45 "Hand me down world". I played it for anybody and everybody who would listen (my poor mom), it was magic to me. A quarter of a century later I buy the Forever Changes live DVD and that old "magic feeling" returned like a tsunami. The "Forever Changes" lp always had something special about it, incredibly this show multiplies whatever it is infinitely. Some people say it is "Arthur Lee", but I also give credit to whatever God aligned the planets when these musicians took stage that night. It REALLY is that special. And speaking of Arthur, God rest his soul, he is the reason I would buy the DVD first - he is so cool on stage - the world lost possibly its best frontman when he passed this year. It was definately the "bummer in my summer".

If you truly love music - buy this DVD (and CD) NOW! If your not moved by it, check your pulse, or put your Nickleback CD back in. PEACE!

Just a handful of years ago, I had never heard of Love or Forever Changes. Luckily for me, my wife had heard the album as a young woman and wanted the CD release for her birthday. I thought it was impenetrable and hated it on my first listen, yet the next day I found myself humming the incredibly hooky, if complex, melodies crafted by Arthur Lee, the genius behind Love. With repeat listenings, the literary quality of Lee's lyrics, evoking all the facets of tumultuous 1967, became readily apparent; lyrically, the album is up there with Dylan and Costello. It rapidly became one of my "desert island" CDs, and I recognized why many rock critics include this in their top 20 albums of all time lists.

This CD is not a remastered version of the studio album from 1967. Rather, it is a live performance of the entire album, recorded in London's Royal Albert Hall, 35 years after the album was released (and after Lee spent a six-year stint in prison for gun offenses).

And it smokes. Lee's voice is clear and strong, even when he provides higher-range vocals for the two songs originally sung by rhythm guitarist Bryan MacLean. His sense of humor and joy at playing these songs for such an appreciative audience are apparent in the sparse between-song banter. What really makes this album a winner, though, is the music itself. The band is tight, the sound is crisp, and these guys play their hearts out. Of particular note is Lee's guitar solo on "A House is Not a Motel": it is beyond scorching, beyond blistering, almost a third-degree burn of intensity. It definitely ranks among the best guitar work from Hendrix, Prince, or Funkadelic.

It was both Arthur Lee's dream, as well as that of his dedicated cult of fans, that someday the great "Forever Changes" would be recorded in live performance. Just a few years before his passing, Arthur achieved that dream - and with impressive results. The concert is recorded in London in front of an enthusiastic crowd, and with Arthur bringing along a full string and horn section to faithfully replicate the albums symphonic sweep. Although Arthur at this point is not in his full acid-Johnny Mathis splendor, he still sings well enough and is backed capably by a group known otherwise as Baby Lemonade (the guitarist's solo on "A House is not a Motel" is blistering!) but became Love whenever Arthur fronted them. Following the triumphant rendering of the entire album (climaxed by the sublime "You Set the Scene") they offer up a FIVE SONG ENCORE of some of Love's greatest tunes, including the rare "Your Mind and We Belong Together" which was originally slated to be on "Forever Changes." True, it's not what it could have been with Bryan McClean but... If you wish to pay honor to Arthur's memory, and I personally feel he was the most shortchanged of all of rock's heroes, then give this - his last great achievement - a heartfelt listen and an esteemed place in your collection.

Ignore the album details as listed by CDNOW/Amazon above. This is a live recording from a performance at, I believe, the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. I do not own a copy yet, but I did listen to the album and the performance is wonderful. Of course the songs are wonderful to begin with so I give it 5 stars.

PS: There is also a DVD available. I can't wait to see that.