September 8, 2006
RIP Arthur Lee of Love
As usual I am months/years behind on culture (we are just now watching our five-season set of The Sopranos, which first aired in 1999), but I have just now learned of the passing a month ago of Arthur Lee, frontman of the criminally neglected LA band Love.
If you haven't heard Love's 
Forever Changes LP, or don't own it ... well it is time to head straight over to Amazon.com and get it for melody, instrumentation, unforgettable lyric themes.
This clip from YouTube of the reunited Love shows them playing my favorite song from Forever Changes, "Alone Again Or," complete with violins and a horn section. This apparently comes from a 
DVD version of the entire album, Forever Changes, performed live -- well this just went on my must-get list.
I thought this was such a studio track that it would be tricky to perform live, but this is just wonderful, and Lee is amazing -- Memphis-born, California raised, he borrows everything from flamenco to surf music, personally discovered Jimi Hendrix, and heavily influenced the Doors and many punk bands.
RIP Arthur.
Appreciations from the Washington Post: The Everlasting 'Forever' Of Arthur Lee and Boisterous Rock Singer Arthur Lee: Musician Fronted '60s Band Love. From the LATimes: Arthur Lee, 61; Forceful Leader of Influential '60s Band Love and an appreciation by Doors' drummer John Densmore, 1965, the Strip and Arthur Lee.
- posted by jbelliveau at 10:02 AM in Books, Music, DVDs
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