Wednesday, January 6, 2010

in the court of mad arthur and the sheltering lee



I have just been revisited by the Jurassic seagull of mid-winter, tapping on my window with its great carved beak. A deranged Ptrenodon wrapped up in down.

Condensation and evolutionary crumbs.

Let us hear it for Arthur Lee and Love; the Jack Holzman produced demo of "
The Good Humour Man He Sees Everything Like This", and tracking session highlights for the 45 only release, "Your Mind and We Belong Together".

LOVE: HUMMINGBIRDS (DEMO VERSION) from "Forever Changes (Remastered + Bonus Tracks)" CD (Elektra/Rhino) 1967 / 2001 (US)

LOVE: YOUR MIND AND WE BELONG TOGETHER from "Forever Changes (Remastered + Bonus Tracks)" CD (Elektra/Rhino) 1967 / 2001 (US)

12 comments:

ib said...

Well. If these fragmentary outtakes are not sufficient to make one go back and revisit "Forever Changes", it is a cold day in hell.

The opening bars to "Your Mind..." naggingly foretell The Action's "Strange Roads" among other things. Okay, so no Mr. One Take Lee, or Bryan MacLean, but the beauty here is in the rough draft. Before Dr. Botnik put it to bed.

Ramone666 said...

Have you noticed a never released Love album from ´71 just came out? It´s called Love Lost and looks promising. Oh, and a happy 2010 of course. Keep on dubbing.

ib said...

Happy New Year, ramone666.

No. I will keep my ears peeled for "Love Lost". Interesting. Just saw it up on Amazon; nice cover pic of Arthur.

A few of these songs are on the "Black Beauty" bootleg...

said...
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said...

I Love Love.
Thanks for moving them to the front burner. I've got all the usual (the Elektra stuff) also Out Here & Live at the Fillmore West 1970 if you're interested.
Here's Love Lost.

wv=tarlyp as in Herb Tarlyp

ib said...

Thanks, Frère Tarlyp!

Have you heard Arthur's "Reel to Real" ? Not really a Love recording, but his Love story is a strange and convoluted affair. Odd too, that by 1974 it should have formed a motel liaison on Robert Stigwood's fledgling RSO.

said...

Reel to Real is a very more soulful turn with a great group of performers, including the phenomenal vocalist Vanetta Fields (remember her work with the Blackberries & Humble Pie?) & Harvey 'The Snake' Mandel doing some of the guitar work. Same folks as on Black Beauty. All great things in various veins.
(How about Arthur's brother Alvin [he-he]?)

ib said...

Yeah. I had both Arthur's version of William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful..." from "Reel" and WDV's original playing at my wedding. Incorrigible ham that I am.

The less said about Alvin Lee the better. The word 'overrated' springs to mind.

said...

What???
Overrated???
I can't believe you said that. Although I was never a huge fan of RAWK musick, I think that Ssssh, Cricklewood Green, Watt, & A Space in Time are tremendous albums. I listen to some various Ten Years After at least once a week.

ib said...

I have never knowingly listened to Ten Years After. Fact.

Actually, it might not even be Alvin Lee I am thinking of here, but Albert Lee ?

My antipathy stems from the fact that one of the two - or both ? - was oft cited as indisputed "HEAVYWEIGHT AXEMAN" when I was a mere adolescent. In part this Mr. Lee seemed responsible for the deluge of idiots practicing fiddly picking runs in the instrument shops I sometimes ventured into. Very Spinal Tap.

Aside from Arthur, I only had time for Bruce and Stan.

Your driver said...

As a teenager I had mononucleosis. I was bedridden for a couple of months and so weak I could barely move. For much of the day my only companion was a radio next to the bed. "Cricklewood Green" had just come out and the midday disc jockey thought it was the greatest thing he'd ever heard. He played it over and over and over and over. I hate Alvin Lee to this day. I will always associate the sound of his over fast, unmodulated, technically perfect, soulless idiot guitar playing with a feeling of disease, ennui and despair.

ib said...

Well, alright. That makes me feel better at least.