By Donzig
You might say that I LOVE Love, the 1960's and 70's LA band formed and fronted by Arthur Lee. A knowledgeable friend played me a copy of their self-titled debut 40 years ago and it really grew on me. Being out-of-print and relatively obscure then, I had to get my copy from the used record store where he'd gotten his, The Record and Tape Exchange. (Five years later, I'd meet Kenixfan, the creator of this blog, when he worked at this store, and I later worked there myself off and on for many years, after the two of us worked at yet another store, The Record Co-Op at the University of Maryland.)
During their classic period, Love was one of the most popular bands in the L.A. scene, trendsetters who lived in a group house that formerly belonged to Bela Lugosi (which I went to see on a 2011 trip to Los Angeles). They were one of the first biracial rock bands, and under Lee's leadership played in several different genres, among them folk rock, psychedelic rock, proto-punk, and baroque rock - and that's just on their first two albums, LOVE and Da Capo (both from 1966). Their 1967 orchestral rock album Forever Changes, was one of the most effective American responses to the The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's. Though it sold poorly, it is now considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of all time, and is the only Love album to be continuously in print.
Love changed personnel over the next several years, with Arthur Lee being the only constant. Later albums included the great Four Sail (1969), featuring some nifty guitar Hendrix/Neil Young-style guitar work; 1970's False Start with Hendrix himself co-writing and playing on the opening track; and the final Love album, 1974's hard-rocking Reel to Real (reviewed here a few years ago).
Which brings us to the present, and the upcoming Record Store Day Love release, the Everybody's Gotta Live EP. This vinyl release features outtakes from the Reel to Real sessions previously available only on the 2015 CD reissue of the original album.
Arthur Lee's music was sometimes great and it was always interesting. His outtakes are better than many bands' prime material. This new vinyl release could be a good introduction to Love for the uninitiated. Standout tracks are the title cut and "Singing Cowboy" (Originally from Four Sail and re-recorded for Reel to Real, an album also represented here by "Do It Yourself" and a few other selections). This song stands out for me personally, as it was one of the highlights of the 1994 Love concert I attended, at which I briefly met Arthur Lee and had him sign my original stereo pressing of the debut album (my favorite).
Longtime fans such as myself can only hope this new vinyl issue brings more attention to the group's entire output. Thanks to the record revival of the last decade, which Record Store Day helped foster, all four of Love's first four albums (LOVE through Four Sail) are now available on vinyl in new pressings. Bon appetit!
Everybody's Gotta Live is out on Saturday for Record Store Day 2021 via High Moon Records.
[Photo: High Moon Records]