Some Brilliance Fell Through the Cracks.

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I don't even know how I found this man Arthur Lee and his group LOVE, but wow, what an amazing talent, yet he died relatively unknown compared with the fame of his contemporaries from the 1960s. He was at least as talented if not more so than some and an inspiration for those in his milieu. Did he just not have the right PR or manager? Did he choose creativity over hustling? Was there just not enough room on the psychedelic 60s stage for two African-American rock musicians (Jimi Hendrix being the other)? I think no one would dispute that Hendrix is so beyond beyond when it comes to genius and talent that it wouldn't have been about dueling blacks on the axe. Maybe concert and record producers couldn't sell both?




It is about another kind of genius, which was borrowed by at least one legendary act. Compare "She Comes In Colors" which was released as a single in December 1966 by Arthur Lee and LOVE, to "She's Like a Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967. Wiki states that the the Stones song, which is admittedly fantastic with clearly lovely and original elements and lyrics of its own, "shares" lyrics with the LOVE song. Fair enough, but it still begs the question: Why didn't Arthur Lee and LOVE thrive? Was he simply a muse? If you look at his Wiki bio he had the connections, the chops, the venues . . .


One review by a fan on Amazon of LOVE's first self-titled album states he was the muse and more. I haven't had time to substantiate all of these claims, but I will and believe they may very well pan out:

The self titled Love debut is full of jewels. Many of the Arthur Lee compositions are the equals of the Velvet Underground's for dark, atmospheric tunes. "Can't Explain" became a set stopping song for Boston's Mission of Burma during the early eighties. We see Love's early embrace of samba and calypso with Byran MacLean's "Softly To Me" and "And More". There is so much here to indicate Love's musical sophistication and unique style which became so apparent in "DuCapo" and "Forever Changes" This debut is musical equal of any debut by the great bands of the sixties but has been relegated to the garage rock ghetto by many critics. Not that there's anything wrong with garage rock...Love could play "Hey Joe" with the best of them. Love was a break-through band for more reasons than "Forever Changes." Jim Morrison took Arthur Lee's long stream of consciousness songs and fashioned them into rock epics like "The End" and "When the Musics Over." Jimi Hendrix appropriated Arthur's flamboyant style of dressing and moved from L.A. to London,and Hendrix's fashion style was almost as important as his brilliant guitar playing. The Byrds were already folk-rock stars on Columbia Records but their admiration of Love led to a shift from folk rock to psychedelica on "Fifth Dimension" and "Younger Than Yesterday." So Love's impact on music begins with this self titled debut and curiously enough, "Forever Changes" was not fully appreciated until long after Love's dissolution as a band. Their self titled debut deserves to be digitally remastered and maintained in current catalogs in the USA because it is one of the great albums of the sixties.


Or was it the times? His music, in the context of today ranks with other talents of the day, but perhaps in the exciting hubbub of the Sixties, some brilliance just fell through the cracks. It happens in every era.











A later concert. Arthur Lee and LOVE singing my favorite song by them "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale"



Comments

K. said…
This entry piqued my interest, so I did a little checking up. According to AllMusic, Love's major problem was a refusal to tour. They also fell victim to drugs and the poor management that was endemic back then. Attempts to reform the group foundered because Lee could never find musicians to equal the original lineup.

WV: afrionce
October 29, 2010 at 11:37 AM
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