{"id":8336,"date":"2017-02-04T00:11:47","date_gmt":"2017-02-04T00:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hippy.com\/hip\/?p=8336"},"modified":"2017-02-04T00:11:47","modified_gmt":"2017-02-04T00:11:47","slug":"love-dreamscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/reviews\/love-dreamscape\/","title":{"rendered":"Love – Dreamscape"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most of the finest seminal sixties bands emerged from Sunset Strip LA such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield<\/strong>, and The Doors<\/strong>, but none so poignant and influential as LA band Love<\/strong>, headed by Arthur Lee<\/strong>. Arthur Lee\u2019s roots started in Memphis with his local Booker T influenced Lags<\/strong>, with Arthur on rhythm and vocals churning out groove ridden instrumentals like \u201cThe Ninth Wave\u201d and \u201cRumble-Still- Skins\u201d. Arthur Lee\u2019s debut recording \u201cLuci Baines\u201d\/ \u201cSoul Food\u201d was put out when he was still operating as the American Four<\/strong>, backed by Lags <\/strong>guitarist Johnny Echols<\/strong> and bassist John Fleckenstein. <\/strong>During Lee\u2019s 1964 ‘Grass Roots’<\/strong> phase (Name taken from Malcolm X quote -(Grass Roots being people in the streets doing something for themselves<\/em>), he penned his debut\u00a0 \u201cMy Diary\u201d written for Rosa Lee Brooks<\/strong>. These early ‘Grass Root’<\/strong> sessions which included \u201cMidnight Sun\u201d featured the first recordings of a young Jimi Hendrix<\/strong> while jamming in a studio. Shortly afterwards ex Sons of Adam<\/strong> drummer Michael Stuart<\/strong> joined the short-lived Grass Roots<\/strong> while Fleckenstein<\/strong> departed, later to join the Standells<\/strong>. (Also included was recently departed Byrds roadie Bryan Maclean<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Inevitable \u2018Dunhill\u2019 pressure forced Arthur to give up their name due to P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri<\/strong> owning the rights. Sloan\u2019s Grassroots<\/strong> had already cleaned the charts with \u201cMidnight Confessions\u201d and \u201cLets Live for Today\u201d and \u2018Dunhill\u2019 wasn\u2019t going to take a chance on Lee\u2019s esoteric ambitions. The latter stages included bassist Ken Forssi<\/strong> who had played for the Surfaris<\/strong> during their \u201cWipe Out\u201d period, drummer Alban Pfisterer <\/strong>who played on \u201cSeven And Seven Is\u201d, guitarist John Echols<\/strong> and flautist\/saxophonist Tjay Cantrelli.<\/strong> Love <\/strong>were a combination of flower-children and their first album (folk\/rock) sold a 150 000 copies. (Jim Morrison<\/strong> was obsessed with Love citing them as masters of the esoteric mansion and wilfully hoping to join their level of status) With Arthur often quoting Miles Davis\u2019<\/strong> Sketches of Spain<\/em> to being his primal influence with its surreal vibrations, Love<\/strong> were the coolest band on the Strip, quote Peter Fonda<\/strong> – \u2018It was an awesome sight to see Johnny Echols wielding the double neck Gibson and steering the group into worlds beyond the tangible format\u2019.<\/em> Their late night sessions at Bido Lito\u2019s were out of this world. The group\u2019s 1966 eponymous debut churned out a devastating jazz version of Burt Bacharach\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cMy Little Red Book\u201d previously read by Manfred Mann<\/strong> in the soundtrack What\u2019s New Pussy Cat.<\/em><\/p>\n

Arthur was bent on mission and the first was to send a message to a friend\/ group member Don Conka<\/strong> about his cocaine habits. The message was in dirge demeanor and harshly smacked on \u201cSigned D.C.\u201d or even more reckoning when performed live. \u201cSigned D.C.\u201d with a borrowed riff from Josh White\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cSt. James Infirmary\u201d is undoubtedly the most terrifying anti- drug song ever applied to wax. Meanwhile Arthur also launched an epic, one of the longest tracks in rock (20min \u2018Revelation\u2019) which featured on the De Capo.<\/em> Paul Rothchild handled production having dealt with lengthy excavations, namely \u201cThe End\u201d (Doors<\/strong>) and \u201cEast-West\u201d (Paul Butterfield Blues Band<\/strong>).\u201dRevelation\u201d could quite easily have been one of the first songs to express twin lead guitar. De Capo<\/em> now belted out the speedy rhythms of ex Sons of Adam<\/strong> drummer Michael Stuart<\/strong>. and saxophonist \/ flautist John Barberis<\/strong> backing \u2018Snoopy\u2019 Pfisterer\u2019s<\/strong> harpsichord. Shimmering time signatures cross through the sensational \u201cQue Vida\u201d, \u201cShe Comes In Colours\u201d (Originally \u201cBy The Clothes She Wears\u201d) and \u201cThe Castle\u201d, spearheading Lee\u2019s tunneling vox. The paisley times were upon them and Maclean <\/strong>was the conduit spawning the Tolkien flavoured \u201cSoftly to Me\u201d and later \u201cOrange Skies\u201d. The blues ballads weren\u2019t always a drugged \u201cSigning\u201d but far more charismatic in the harp blowing \u201cA\u00a0 Message To Pretty\u201d. De Capo<\/em> gave Love their only #40,\u00a0 the mindblowing \u201cSeven And Seven Is\u201d.<\/p>\n

The climax of Arthur Lee\u2019s<\/strong> erratic genius was the surrealistic Forever Changes<\/em> (1968)\u00a0 considered to be America\u2019s answer to Sgt. Pepper\u2019s.<\/em> The urgency of this dimensional masterpiece was strengthened by the fact that Arthur truly believed he was about to die. At the age of 26 these were his last words and testament, nothing else mattered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Forever Changes<\/em> had a flexible breathing space unlike Sgt. Pepper\u2019s<\/em> that expressed an audible individualism and tension. The fundamental character of Forever Changes<\/em> is the expansive orchestration coupled with acoustic and electric fusion.The horns of the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra<\/strong> are strongly emphasized during the entirety of the album. The album expressed complex changes augmented by maraschino brass and outstanding production. Much of the recording was done at Leon Russell\u2019s<\/strong> home studio. Melodic sounds are carried beyond human ear on \u201cAndmoreagain\u201d, while strong classical influence from Prokofiev<\/strong> feature on \u201cOld Man\u201d, Maclean\u2019s Elder counselling. The genius of Arthur Lee,<\/strong> although highly overlooked during the chemical pressure held a steady grip on the band but have finally found fortitude and acceptance after fifteen years of ignorant dismissal. Lee\u2019s flamenco influence is clearly reflected on the opening \u201cAlone again Or\u201d, while the Tijuana brass influence had much to do with production master Bruce Botnick<\/strong> who was also working with Herb Alpert.<\/strong> \u201cA House is Not a Motel\u201d is the tour de force with its tapestry of sensual breath. Lee makes use of the reference to a tale of a Vietnam veteran who claims blood mixed with mud turns grey.<\/p>\n

The Forever Changes<\/em> effect had a major influence on the neo-psychedelic bands of the eighties and still regarded as one of the most influential albums to come out of the flowerpower explosion. In fact, explode it did as various members of\u00a0 left due to excessive drug use. Love<\/strong> was the coolest group on the strip but now the kingdom was slipping. Much of this happened during the sessions of Forever Changes<\/em> and although not mentioned, the talents of bassist Carole Kaye,<\/strong> guitarist Billy Strange<\/strong> and drummer Hal Blaine<\/strong> were used. Producer Bruce Botnick was responsible for pulling in the Phil Spector Wrecking Crew<\/strong> who recorded \u201cAndmoreagain\u201d and the Neil Young<\/strong> produced \u201cThe Daily Planet\u201d strongly evangelised by Hal Blaine\u2019s<\/strong> cross drumming. Neil also assisted Arthur on his average 1969 Four Sail<\/em> where Arthur does a superb take on Paul Simon\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cRichard Cory\u201d processed as \u201cRobert Montgomery\u201d.Four Sail\u2019s<\/em> brightest breeze was the superb \u201cAugust\u201d that again charged electrically with Donnelan<\/strong>\u2019s flowery speed. The changing rhythms of \u201cYour Mind And We Belong Together\u201d with it\u2019s sizzling lead solos gyrate and energise in all the right places.<\/p>\n

Let us not lose sight of the fact that Bryan Maclean<\/strong>, a bourgeois child in the making could exonerate some of the most persuasive rhythms when it came to complex guitar work. Strengthened by the surf guitar energy of Ken Forssi,<\/strong> these sunset strip hippies were no slouch on the guitar. It was only during the ailing days of acid that their urgency and brightness dimmed, epitomised in \u201cListen to my Song\u201d (Forever Changes<\/em> Sessions ). Arthur then proceeded to record a full album with Hendrix,<\/strong> but it was never released due to legal problems. In one moment Arthur was the gentle breeze and without warning a defiant storm angry and trembling. After a successful UK tour with guitarist Donnollan <\/strong>and ex Skyliners<\/strong> drummer George Suranovitch<\/strong> who was replaced by ex Measles \/ Arthur Brown Drachen Theaker<\/strong>, Love <\/strong>put out various lost sessions as Out There<\/em> , also featuring ex Noony Rickett<\/strong> bassist Frank Fayad & Gary Rowles<\/strong>. (replaced nimble fingered Donnellan<\/strong>) Out of the lost sessions \u201cThe Everlasting First\u201d blazed furiously with the fretwork of Jimi Hendrix<\/strong>. The Dylan<\/strong> pollen found easy discourse in the savouring \u201cGather Round\u201d and \u201cBummer in the Summer\u201d while slant jazz rhythms groove out of \u201cNice to be\u201d.<\/p>\n

The finest Lee <\/strong>rivers were far from a False Start,<\/em> namely \u201cWillow Willow\u201d and \u201cI Still Wonder\u201d, complete with Irish dexterity from the nimble future Morning<\/strong> guitarist Jay Donnollan<\/strong>.Arthur also recorded Black Beauty<\/em> on \u2018Buffalo\u2019 raging with the psychedelic \u201cStay Away\u201d, superb \u201cI\u2019m Good & Evil (Do What I Do)\u201d and a cover of the Rooftops<\/strong>\u2019 \u201cWalk Right In\u201d, but sadly the album was shelved. Arthur re-assembled Love<\/strong> with a group called Band Aid<\/strong> initially intended for Steve Winwood<\/strong> and Hendrix.<\/strong>\u00a0 A solo album in 1981, where he recruited Shuggie Otis<\/strong>, seemed to express a return to the Forever <\/em>expression. The album sold well and Arthur seemed to finally stabilise his lifestyle and vision. Described by the brotherhood of fellow musicians as more of a gangster than an emblem of flowerpower, Lee continued to tour extensively in the UK and Holland. Lee\u2019s private collection of firearms would be his final undoing. He was sentenced to a 12-year prison term for threatening behaviour and although the firearm was never recovered, the colour of his skin seemed reason enough to incarcerate him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Arthur deserves a place alongside Lennon \/ Brian Wilson\/ Hendrix & Syd Barrett.<\/strong> Thank the stars the carriers are still there \u201cShe Comes In Colours\u201d (Hooters<\/strong>) \u201cAlone Again Or\u201d (The Damned<\/strong>) \u201cStephanie knows who\u201d (The Move<\/strong>) \u201c7 and 7 is\u201d (Billy Bragg\/Alice Cooper<\/strong>) and Baby Lemonaide<\/strong> , their primal reflection. Groups to claim influence are Urge Overkill, Siouxie & the Banshees<\/strong> and Robert Plant<\/strong> who mentioned it at the induction of Zeppelin<\/strong> into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<\/div>\n

Added:<\/b> December 21st 2010
\nReviewer:<\/b> shiloh Noone<\/a> | See all reviews<\/a> by shiloh Noone
\nCategory:<\/b> Music<\/a>
\nScore:<\/b> \"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"
\nRelated Link:<\/b> Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of the finest seminal sixties bands emerged from Sunset Strip LA such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Doors, but none so poignant and influential as LA band Love, headed by Arthur Lee. Arthur Lee\u2019s roots started in Memphis with his local Booker T influenced Lags, with Arthur on rhythm and vocals churning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}