Customer Reviews

Love Story (1966-1972)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with Philip Welsh (below) - what's here is great (especially the Love Forever Changes LP and the "Your Mind & We..."/"Laughing Stock" single) but I'm not sure I agree with the selections from the debut LP (no "Mushroom Clouds"), or Love Four Sail (no "Dream"), or Out Here (no "Gather Round") - so you may need these 3 albums as well. Full marks for the remastering, though, and it's nice to have all of Da Capo without the tedious "Revelations"!

Colexico's cover of "Alone Again Or" has apparently rekindled interest in this criminally-overlooked band. This is a definitive compilation, comprised of large chunks of the debut album and "De Capo", their second, plus rare non-album tracks, the complete masterpiece "Forever Changes", and samples of later incarnations of the band, headed by tortured genius Arthur Lee, who provided lead vocals, a strong rhythm guitar, and most of the lyrics. This is a collection for those who'd like to delve deeper than the "hits" (of which probably only "My Little Red Book" and "7 and 7 Is" qualify), and "Forever Changes". (And yes, it's a minor annoyance that "FC" is split across two discs, but what's the big deal?) The early songs are much rougher, even proto-punk, but there are standout tracks, particularly the aforementioned "hits", as well as an excellent cover of "Hey Joe", and the psychedelia of "Orange Skies" and "She Comes in Colors". I'm more partial to the slicker production of "FC" (which was gorgeous for its day, and still stands up today as a well-produced album). Of course, most if not all of "FC" is great, culminating with the mini-suite "You Set the Scene". After that, it was pretty much downhill for Arthur Lee and company, professionally and personally (and the very detailed enclosed booklet gives us the whole sordid story, which includes drug use and store robbery!). But there are still musical highlights of the later years, such as "Good Times" and "I'll Pray for You". In short, if you want one original release that represents the very best of Love's work, get "Forever Changes". If you want to explore the legend of the band a little more, get this collection.

Fantastic! If you're new to Love, then this compilation is a great place to get acquainted with them. A sadly neglected genius outfit, Love made music that is utterly unique. In Arthur Lee they had a frontman/creator of dazzling brilliance. The fact that he's rotting in a jail cell right now over a (most likely) trumped up charge is a great shame to the human race. One thing about this CD set that you may discover is that all the stuff on here from after 'Forever Changes' is actually amazingly great! Don't let people fool you into thinking that Arthur lost the plot after the initial line-up folded. HE DID NOT! I may be one of those few who actually prefers the latter half of this set! Perhaps it's just that Arthur was ahead of his time again, and people ain't catching up! Far from warmed over R&B, the later stuff is brilliantly sung, played and written. It's joyous and touching. Songs like "I'll Pray For You" and "Everybody's Gotta Live" are untouchable masterpieces. S'true, friends! Anyway, get this set if you haven't got it, and send good vibes to Arthur Lee. FREE ARTHUR LEE!

This two CD collection is a wonderful encapsulation of the music of one of the best (overlooked) bands to emerge during the 1960s. Before purchasing, I was only familiar with 'My Little Red Book,' and '7 and 7 Is,' but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of all the songs (especially on disc one). The music is as rich in melody as any I've ever heard, the changes are odd (sometimes scary) and while it may not be for "everyone," it's good enough to merit a spot in the collection of any music fan willing to listen to something completely unique. Simply stated, Arthur Lee and Love created a sound that didn't exist before, and hasn't been duplicated, that's something I'd be hard pressed to say about any other bands.

About three-quarters of this box set is great - all the material by the original line-up of Love is fantastic - and if the set had stopped with Forever Changes, it would have been worth five stars, easily. Sure, I could complain that Forever Changes is split between two discs, which disrupts the flow if you want to listen to the whole thing. But the set includes most of the strongest material from the first Love album, and gives us Da Capo in its entirety, minus the somewhat tedious "Revelations." The non-lp material from this era is good, but only one of the songs really stands out as essential ("Your Mind and We Belong Together"). However, once you get beyond the material by the original line-up, the disc becomes nearly unlistenable: the post-Forever Changes Love is incredibly medicore, it's embarrassing to hear how quickly Arthur Lee's songwriting deteriorated after the break-up of the original band. Among their latter efforts, only "August" is compelling, as far as I'm concerned. My suggestion is to skip the box-set and buy the original three LPs insteads.

Metamorpho just dropped in to see the current state of affairs regarding his beloved group Love. Not nice. Not nice people. More of you should be kinder. I give Arthur Lee and company 5 stars. And that is mainly based on the Robyn Hitchcock song "The Wreck of the Arthur Lee". People, people please--- we are dealing with true legacy here! Have some respect!
That said- Love was like no other band from California in the mid-60's. Nothing comes close to the original band (except my beloved Jefferson Airplane). But, that is another matter. Creative, psychedelic, always inventive, this band should have been mega back then. But, due to Arthurs' unwillingness to tour, they remained basically a cult band. The people that I hung with in New Jersey knew of them. We were metropolitan cutting edge, but that's what you get with the New York City suburbs.
Some of the complaints are valid. The original Love is golden - through and through. And worth the admission for anyone who glorifies in 60's pop. However, the other incarnations represented here, are a shade off but still artistically superb and relevant. It is easy to see the progression from the first album to 'Forever Changes' - a classic til this day. They honed their craft. They could be harsh, lovely, rocking, and subtle. That's diversity people. That's real talent.
I won't name all the songs. No need to. Music is a soul experience - you can read the credentials later. Suffice to say... Love's sound is there own. Nothing else really compares with it. Metamorpho - on his earthly journey - has come across alot of worthy music. He is VERY discerning so BE FOREWARNED!!! This 5 star review is deserved - no matter what the confederacy of negativity may tell you! Metamorpho- signing off!

My only beef with this compilation is that I would have preferred more selections from the first LP and less from the later lineups. For instance, I think that no Love compilation can be definitive without including "Mushroom Clouds." The entire first album could have been included, for that matter.

On the other hand, all of the essentials from Da Capo are presented, the only thing missing being the mostly disposable "Revelation." The classic Forever Changes is presented in its entirety, and Rhino tastefully divided the album between the two CDs in the natural divisions of side 1 and 2 of the original LP.

Some of the late-period stuff is interesting, but things like the Four Sail album just don't measure up to the earlier works, in my opinion.

Still, this compilation is pretty complete, and it presents an important body of work from an important, truly original band.

This album is so great that....no words can explain it. You must by without thinking twice. You see it for sale BUY IT!!

Great music is here! Unfortunately this attempt at capturing the "essence" of LOVE did not completely succeed. It is worth getting just for the fact that all of the tracks from FOREVER CHANGES are included (Thank you for that!) For someone not familiar with FOREVER CHANGES, it was a wonderful album that was overlooked during a time when music was very expressive and creative but deserves to be listened to with the same respect given SGT PEPPERS' LONELY HEARTS' CLUB BAND, TOMMY, and other albums that sold much better. The music still seems fresh after many years. I was too young to hear this the first time around but I listened to DE CAPO (the "other" great LOVE album) and FOREVER CHANGES constantly during the mid-eighties but put them aside for well over ten years (Why?) so it has been a real treat for me to relive the experience of hearing particular inspirational songs again. YOU SET THE SCENE is magical for me! I read somewhere that when Arthur Lee was recording FOREVER CHANGES, he thought that his life may be ending soon so he desperately wanted to leave some meaningful songs, and the songs are certainly full of emotion with great music added.

Well, as far as the rest of this boxed set, there are some great-to-good songs mixed in. I particularly like YOUR FRIEND AND MINE- NEIL'S SONG (must be a tribute to Neil Young, interesting). Also AUGUST has a strong jamming element to it like the GRATEFUL DEAD at their best. There are some songs that could have been left out, but I still enjoyed going through the various songs to see where LOVE was at their peak-- without question during FOREVER CHANGES. Two critical points: 1) why was FOREVER CHANGES put on seperate CDs? That is annoying, just like 2) why was REVELATIONS left off? Sure the song drags on and it is not so good when Arthur Lee screams "I feel good!" but this is true rock, man! That song has a great driving beat and is proof that

LOVE could really jam! I think the set should have been 3CDs, including REVELATIONS and most of LOVE's first album which I would be most interested in hearing. Finally, I think is a true shame that Arthur Lee is sititng in a jail cell right now, with very little recognition for the remarkable musical treasure he somehow struggled to create. Charles Manson's music which is mediocre at best has gotten more attention than LOVE/Arthur Lee has ever gotten so there is no justice in the awarding of publicity for a persons misdeeds either. Please get this music if you are considering it and see if you can relate to what I have been rambling about. Peace.

Well, I have nothing new to add here: great band, superb collection, buy it immediately etc. ... The folks at Rhino saw the big picture & obviously put some forethought into their decision, because the division mirrors the old Side One/Side Two division of the original LP. Anyone who fell in love with "Forever Changes" back in the hippie daze was forced to turn the record over after "The Red Telephone" (or else leave Side Two unplayed), and now CD listeners have an approximation of that same experience! Don't remember 1967 myself (being but a foetus at the time), but I do remember LPs, including my old scratchy flea-market ... copy of "FC". So I personally applaud the decision.