Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Arthur Lee's Love is one of those bands that sound better with the passing of time (like the Velvet Underground - and by the way, I was in a bookstore yesterday where music was being played and it seemed like almost every song I heard was a direct descendant of "After Hours". It then occurred to me that it would be hard to find a piece of alternative music that doesn't owe something to the Velvets). And while it's correct that Forever Changes (1967) should be remembered as a rock masterpiece and one of the greatest albums, it isn't correct to think that what came afterward was not worthwhile. The three records that followed (Four Sail and Out Here in 1969 and False Start in 1970) weren't as unified as Forever Changes - very few albums are - but they contained many brilliant songs that should've been better appreciated. In some ways, Lee's best songwriting can be found on these albums. Four Sail opens with an amazing song called "August" which features a virtuosic drum performance by George Suranovich, and the closing track, "Always See Your Face", speaks for itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkWVrLfiJKs.

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