Arthur Lee (1980 Rhino Records solo) cd review
Joseph Morris | Elmwood Park, NJ | 01/20/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Nice art. I'm glad that the original liner notes by Arthur were kept as those were a lot of fun
Still, this has to be regarded as one of the worst Arthur Lee and/or Love albums..
I don't think this really has a stand out track though. "Happy You"? I don't think so.
Its of interest to Love fans/historians cos it has the first surfaced recording of "I do wonder" - which was a Forever Changes outtake (it eventually some years back on the first reissue of that album by Rhino - each time they do they add a disc!)
God help you if you're looking for looking for something up there with Forever Changes though. The best tracks on this were originally on an EP released on da capo (bootleg? undoubtedly!) from the mid 70s, after the release of Love's Real to Reel (on RSO)
I think my favorite songs on the album are the covers: "Mr Lee" - "Many rivers to cross".. "Seven and Seven is"
Yes, "Seven and Seven is" from da capo is given another go around. Kinda pointless, as Snoopy drummed excellent on that 1966 track, but its one of the best tracks on here
Which isn't saying much admittedly..
"If you know the secret" is nice but theres nothing here, really, with the power of a track like "A house is not a motel" or "Maybe the people would be the times or between Clark and Hilldale". I can kinda see why its taken so long for this to come out. (heck! even Four Sail saw release on cd despite Jac Holzmans cordial dislike of that last Love album on Elektra!)
Arthurs playing again though, which is heartening. He plays guitar on "Down Street" - which is probably the best original on the album (half of the album is covers and/or retreads of former glories from early Love). He plays piano on the album closer "Many Rivers To Cross"
Maybe just skip to that track?
"30 on my way" and "Thailand" are outtakes from this album that did not see release on this cd, which is understandable as they're both a bit rubbish. The former is repetitive and later saw an update for the New Rose album of Loves (Five String Serenade) in the early 90s as "Twenty on my way". And "Thailand" is Arthur doing reggae, which is pretty sad as thats not one of his strong areas (Arthurs a writer of catchy pop with songs that have only a handful of chords - like "Everybodys gotta live" say, or "Can't explain")
As re-dos go, the remake of "Seven and Seven Is" (Loves only top 40 hit, from da capo) is ok. I guess Arthur had to sell this thing, but its not even a high point on the album, because so much of this album is just bland.
And so is that track. It really needs Echols!
If you don't know the da capo version, it'll be alright. I guess
John Sterling and others from Arthurs touring band at the time give an assist on guitar here and there. "Seven and Seven Is" has keyboards (yes, keyboards) into the mix
as well.
The Love fan obsessive will have to have this of course. They might even buy the live Whisky show that Sterling recorded on cassette by putting it on the front of the stage (hence, it sounds rubbish)
(No Whisky shows of live Love in the 60s have surfaced, sadly; I guess the Arthur Lee/Bryan Maclean fan will have to buy something)
But make this the last Arthur Lee/Love album you get. You owe it to yourself! Get Vindicator first, thats fun, Arthur was into Jimi at that time (was even gonna start a band, Band Aid, but Jimi passed, which proved to be a great career move) and it shows
(Its really a rocking set!)
And Bryan has a few solo albums. Don't tell me hes dead, several albums have come out posthumously (the best of his solos is ifyoubelievein on Sundazed, which should be still in print - you might have to hit his website to get the spiritual songs he was working on at the time of his death)
Of course Forever Changes is the best album recorded by Love (or by anyone, considering). So if you haven't picked that up (or da capo, or Four sail, or False start, or Real to Reel, or Five String Serenade) DO THAT NOW!
I'm being lenient in giving this 2 stars - Rolling Stone magazine (to their credit) gave this 3 stars when it came out and thats just too much. I'd give it 2 and a half stars, maybe, but really the only track I'd be into hearing again on a regular basis is "Down Street" (Arthur plays harmonica - what more can you want? granted it ain't no DC!)
So thats my advice - pick up the first 3 albums on Elektra (Love, da capo, Forever Changes) then proceed carefully. Studio/Live is a good comp, Love Story is the best compilation, and Best of Love is out of print (as well as Love Revisited)
A lot of this stuff is REALLY bland. And, as I said, the best songs saw release on an EP YEARS before (I do wonder, Stay away from evil, Just us, Do you want to know the secret?)
You have been warned!"
Arthur Lee
George Byrd | sacramento | 03/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anything Arthur Lee does is great. This might not be his best effort, but it's miles ahead of anything else that was released during the same time. He is truely someone who did not get his due."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1