Love: Forever Changes

[Kara Zor El]

Anyone else a fan of this album?

It's a pure gem for me. Very different to everything else from the late sixties. Dark psychedelic. Wonderful production, with lots of orchestral arrangements flowing beautiful with acoustic guitars. Arthur Lee thought he was about to die when he wrote it and it shows. It's a dark flip-side to Sgt Pepper's. Which were both released in 67.
The lyrics are very strong as are the melodies and themes. One of those albums I just couldn't stop playing, once I heard it. Unfortunately its a bit of a lost gem. It has slowly found a fan base in recent years. A rediscovery of an album that should have been as big as Pepper.

[The Confessor]

Yeah, I love this album. It's a stone classic as far as I'm concerned. Actually, all three of Love's albums featuring the original line-up are worth hearing. In fact, I would say that side 1 of their album Da Capo is every bit as good as Forever Changes. Side 2 is one long jam track though...and it sucks!

I agree that the album is quite dark but it's very clever about it. I mean, actually a lot of the album sounds deceptively light and sweet, what with all those lush strings and the Spanish/Mexican sounding horn parts etc, etc. It's only on closer examination that you begin to realise that there's something not quite right in Arthur Lee's Summer Of Love world.

Actually, you shouldn't forget Bryan MacLean's contribution when discussing that album. He is credited as writing both Along Again Or. and Old Man...two of the albums best songs in my opinion. And besides, I have a theory that actually Bryan MacLean was involved in the writing of a lot more of Love's stuff than he was ever credited for.

Arthur Lee was a notorious control freak in the studio and sometimes would insist on singing lead vocals on Bryan's own songs (see Orange Skies on Da Capo for instance). And whilst Lee let Bryan sing lead vocals on Alone Again Or. he decided to mix his own harmony part much higher than Bryan's lead vocals, to the point where it sounds like Arthur Lee's part is the lead vocal.

Actually, there's a great CD available by Bryan MacLean called 'IfYouBelieveIn' which is made up of vintage acoustic demos of the songs he wrote during those first 3 years with Love. It's all the songs that could've or should've ended up on the Love albums but were cast aside by Arthur Lee. The songs themselves are really, really good and a 'must hear' for any fan of Love. But the most striking thing about this collection of songs is just how much Arthur Lee's songs borrowed from Bryan MacLean's style of writing. A fact bourne out (in my mind) by the fact that as soon as MacLean left the band, Arthur Lee's own songwriting went decidedly downhill. For evidence of this just check out the Love albums 'Four Sail' and 'Out Here'.

But you know what the best thing about Love was? That they were nasty Hippies! :evilsmile I remember reading a quote of Bill Graham (famous west coast concert promotor) saying that he thought that they should be called Hate instead of Love. I also heard another story about some of the band holding up a Liquor Store in order to get money to buy instruments with. I don't know if that's true...but it's a great story anyway. :cool:

[Kara Zor El]

Hey you taught me some stuff there, thanks. I knew about Bryan McLean's contributions but not all the detail you've given. He had a great voice. I'll check out that material.

[Buried Alien]

While I salute the musicianship and craft that went into this record, I also must say that I personally found it very boring.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jonathan Bogart]

While I salute the musicianship and craft that went into this record, I also must say that I personally found it very boring.
Me too. I much prefer Da Capo, their previous album.

To expand a little, I've found that I really enjoy Forever Changes on a song-by-song basis, but if I try to listen to the album straight through, I can't wait for it to be over.

And that's why God made Shuffle.

[Buried Alien]

Me too. I much prefer Da Capo, their previous album.

To expand a little, I've found that I really enjoy Forever Changes on a song-by-song basis, but if I try to listen to the album straight through, I can't wait for it to be over.

And that's why God made Shuffle.

Even the individual songs don't make much of an impression upon me, though. I've listened to FOREVER CHANGES, and all I can get out of it is, "Nice acoustic gutar passage there" or "interesting lyric there." There's just no song on that entire album that just hooks me.

I guess this is one of those albums that are great art, but lousy pop.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[The Confessor]

I guess this is one of those albums that are great art, but lousy pop.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Hmmmm....I disagree. I think that at least 50% of Forever Changes is very good pop. And I'm talking about proper pop, as in pop that is catchy and clever. A la The Beatles or The Smiths.

But it's all a question of taste really I suppose.

[Buried Alien]

Hmmmm....I disagree. I think that at least 50% of Forever Changes is very good pop. And I'm talking about proper pop, as in pop that is catchy and clever. A la The Beatles or The Smiths.

But it's all a question of taste really I suppose.

It's got to be. FOREVER CHANGES featured some good musicianship from a purely artistic viewpoint, but it really wasn't *poppy* at all. None of the songs had any kind of hook a la "I Am The Walrus," "Nights in White Satin," or "A Whiter Shade of Pale" or other songs in a similar vein from that same era that became big, big hits. FOREVER CHANGES is acknowledged as a classic by the rock cognoscenti, but it's not hard to see why the record didn't storm the pop charts back in the day.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Ilash]

While I salute the musicianship and craft that went into this record, I also must say that I personally found it very boring.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

You're certainly not alone on this. My thoughts exactly. I just don't see why it's considered such a classic. Spirit's first album from around the same time is a much more deserving "lost classic".

[Kara Zor El]

I find lots of tunes on it very catchy. Can't get some of them out of my head. Even when I shake it.

[Eliot Johnson]

halfway decent record, but there are a million things in this style i'd rather listen to, including Da Capo, which is hardly that great anyway.

[howyadoin]

Phenomenal album. And I'd still say that if "Alone Again Or" were the only good song on it.

[Wreck On The Highway]

Forever Changes is my favorite album of all time, one I love so much I even bought the live concert version that came out a few years ago. I'm surprised to hear the comments about it not being tuneful, as like Kara, I play some of the melodies through my head all the time. Not only "Alone Again Or" but "A House Is Not A Motel" and "You Set The Scene" as well. Arthur Lee, R.I.P.

"This is the time of life that I am living / And I face each day with a smile..."

[Kara Zor El]

Forever Changes is my favorite album of all time, one I love so much I even bought the live concert version that came out a few years ago. I'm surprised to hear the comments about it not being tuneful, as like Kara, I play some of the melodies through my head all the time. Not only "Alone Again Or" but "A House Is Not A Motel" and "You Set The Scene" as well. Arthur Lee, R.I.P.

"This is the time of life that I am living / And I face each day with a smile..."

If our heads ever got together we could have a concert!:)

You Set the Scene is the one that really gets stuck in my head.