.................................the blog nobody reads: LOVE LOVE LIVE! - ARTHUR LEE & LOVE (LIVE!)

COMING THROUGH TO YOU -

THE LOVE LIVE RECORDINGS 1970 - 2004

Twilight zone continues its posting Love album and classic remix remasters no longer in print. I had been wanting this live album for years and it never seemed to get below £40 and then went to over £80 so I reckon its out of print by now and folks are hunting around for it. Four discs of the Arthur Lee experience and Love Live!

TWILIGHT (Ride Your Pony) says:

...Their albums, especially 1967's classic Forever Changes but also their self-titled debut as well as Da Capo and Four Sail, contain one wonderful performance after another and mark Lee as one of the greatest innovators of 1960s folk-rock. His fascinating albeit cryptic lyrics combine beautifully with music that incorporates orchestration, brass, psychedelia, and soul. Capable of both explosive guitar-based hard rockers and folky ballads as delicate as the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee", he tapped influences ranging all the way from Jimi Hendrix to the Byrds to Mexican brass ensembles... to be continued...
...There are also a few live tracks on old Love albums, and there have been some poorly recorded relatively recent concert releases. What has been missing is a comprehensive and high-quality live set... to be continued...

...Featuring liner notes by Rolling Stone's David Fricke, the Doors' Robby Krieger, and guitarist Mike Randle, whose band Lemonade backed Arthur Lee in his later years, the 61-track package includes: Disc 1 for the 1970s (including shows at the Fillmore East and West), Disc 2 for the 1990s, Disc 3 for the 2000s, and Disc 4 (entitled "A Fan's View") rounding up performances between 1977 and 1994. Occasionally (especially on portions of that fourth disc), the sound quality disappoints; but for the most part, it's excellent.

...Coming Through to You contains nothing recorded during the group's peak years on vinyl because, as the liner notes point out, Love was more heard of than seen during the late 1960s...

...You will, however, find lots of songs here that first appeared on those glorious early albums. The band's eponymous debut, which is often compared to the Byrds' work from the same period, is well represented with performances of "My Flash on You", "Signed D.C." (acoustic and electric versions), "Can't Explain", "My Little Red Book" and "Message to Pretty". From the adventurous, psychedelic Da Capo, the group's second album, come readings of "Orange Skies", "Que Vida","She Comes in Colors", "7 and 7 Is" and "Stephanie Knows Who" early all of the disc's essential tracks. Also here are versions of almost everything on the original Forever Changes plus such later standouts as "Singing Cowboy", "August" and "Always See Your Face". A few noteworthy covers are also on the bill, including Hendrix's "Little Wing", John Lennon's "Instant Karma" (in a medley with Love's "Everybody's Gotta Live"), and Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning". Released by RockBeat Records, the set has been produced by David Skye, with the involvement of Lee's widow, Diane Lee. Randy Perry has remastered. RYP

(COMPLETE)