| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| johnbhoy |
Posted - 19/10/2004 : 17:53:31
This is proving difficult to find, can anyone advise me if it was ever produced on CD format or just vinyl ? Saw one vinyl version open to auction on eBay.
KOS
Lisbon 1967 |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kdion11 |
Posted - 16/10/2007 : 00:15:52
quote:
Originally posted by gordo
I was talking about Reel to Real to somebody who runs a record label that specialise in re-releasing rare soul records a few months ago.
He was saying that the biggest problem he came across was that major record labels charge for licences indiscriminitely and it makes it too expensive for it to be worthwhile re-releasing many records.
KD: Yep, I hear ya Gordo. Robert Stigwood owns the rights to this baby, and I can just hear the conversation: "So you wanna license
that LOVE album of mine ? Sure sonny, $100,000 up front, 50% of the retail costs there after. Just send your check to: .........
Free the tapes ! |
| gordo |
Posted - 11/10/2007 : 14:49:28
I was talking about Reel to Real to somebody who runs a record label that specialise in re-releasing rare soul records a few months ago.
He was saying that the biggest problem he came across was that major record labels charge for licences indiscriminitely and it makes it too expensive for it to be worthwhile re-releasing many records.
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| wendywhen |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 08:36:47
I constantly run into people who don't care for much that AL did after FC and there have been more than a few of them on these boards. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and all are welcome here.
I would say that if one wanted to know or understand AL's relationship to soul music the people to ask would be those that 1) grew up with him and 2) those that played it with him. Their comments are the most valid in my opinion... all else is hearsay and pop psychology.
Arthur Lee was always a bit misunderstood and I feel this period of his career is the most misunderstood of all...witness this period being referred to elsewhere on these boards as AL's "Lost" period. There is surely another documentary or at least part of one to be found in these years with first person interviews with the people who were there as opposed to hearsay and innuendo...no offence meant but let's get the stories straight shall we?
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| watchinallthapeople |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 01:56:11
Mate?!
Its gotta be said that the version of "everyboy's gotta live" on that record is the definitive studio recording
You just can't describe that version as pointless
Its a classic
Just checked that baby's face I've never noticed that before cheers man!
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| rocker |
Posted - 25/09/2007 : 14:20:59
very good..thanks to you both for the background...I'm always interested in the backgrounds of artists and how it affects their creativity...it's something how Arthur took all those influences and likes and crafted a music all to his own..yes..genius...and things we would've perhaps liked to have seen....if Arthur and Jimi were in a group..I don't know....either the two "stars" could have blown themselves up in the combination because of their unique personalities or they could've invented another kind of rock.......... |
| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 25/09/2007 : 06:18:10
From what I know of Arthur, (like many black Americans) Arthur loved his jazz, and blues. A friend of his told me on several occasions that he seemed to respect the dead artists more than anything else. He loved Coltrane and Miles. I know for a fact he dug Little Richard and Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry etc. He was into Johnny Mathis and Nat "King" Cole.
He dug James Brown. He incorporated "Funky Broadway" into a live version of "Gather Round". Arthur dug his Southern stuff, like many black folks. His mother was from the South and thats what he grew up with so it was only natural to want to revisit that at some point, especially when the times seemed to be changing and Hendrix was getting huge after his death, and Sly was on the rise along with Funkadelic.
Vindicator is such an homage to Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and many of the blues artists like Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf its evident. Arthur used to be into Stevie Wonder, but his stepfather wasn't into him, and as Arthur got older he too claimed he wasn't a fan. On the "Wig Album" the song titled "Just Us" shows he had some inspiration from Mr. Wonder.
-Thomas
I personally do not like the singing on most of Reel to Real. I feel his voice was a bit flat on some songs, and despite the fact that Miles and other people did covers, Reel to Real has too many reprises of old Love songs and it shows that Mr. Lee was in a space that didn't allow for a lot of musical growth. Drugs can take that away from you. But to each their own, because I listen to Reel to Real quite often. But everyone loved Motown. Listen to the arrangement of "Orange Skies" on the Da Capo album. Regardless, I know Arthur Lee was a totured genius and a man of many unexplored abilities. It is a shame his life was so tumultuous but to me he will forever be an icon. |
| wendywhen |
Posted - 24/09/2007 : 18:31:52
AL grew up on Soul music and black musicin Memphis and LA.Any of his childhood friends will tell you that. He even says it himself in the Love Story doc. Admittedly his brand of soul music was differrent from others at that time but then his other music was different as well.
I would not put much stock in what someone told you Skip Taylor said. Skip taylor is a convicted felon with convictions for druig dealing AND fraud! Read the reviews fronm the Eric Clapton tour. They were well recieved and the record also got good reviews.
So what if there are covers on the record! The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, John Coltrane, Miles davis et al all did covers. Did it diminish their stature as artists?
As to AL's headspace at the time well it probably was erratic as it almost always was...what's new? It would be lovely to just listen to the music and words and leave all the delated hearsay and gossip for Jerry Springer. i still think that record contains some of Arthur's best ever singing but everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion. Spread Love!!! |
| rocker |
Posted - 24/09/2007 : 14:15:53
Thomas....this may be good time to ask a question relating to Arthur and his relationship to soul music and music made by his black contemporaries. What did he like? What didn't he like ? Did he go with the Motown sound and perhaps what went down Memphis way? Any idea? Arthur certianly went his own way to forge his own music but I'm sure he had to be looking at what was happening in other areas. |
| Old_Man |
Posted - 24/09/2007 : 12:14:02
"Oh I forgot to mention the baby on the cover is actually Arthur. Pretty weird huh?"
Really?. If that's true....wow!
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| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 24/09/2007 : 05:59:56
Oh I forgot to mention the baby on the cover is actually Arthur. Pretty weird huh?
-Thomas |
| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 24/09/2007 : 05:57:11
Since this is being considered an Arthur Lee solo record masquerading as a Love solo album, I feel that would make it somewhat dubious, much like the last Velvet Underground record titled Squeeze, which was almost like a Doug Yule solo outing using the VU moniker.
While I do enjoy certain songs from Reel to Real, it truly is a dry effort in my opinion. Compare that soul record to others from that time from people such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder etc. it doesn't even stack up. Considering that Lee was talked into the whole soul trip from Skip Taylor, he clearly wasn't that into to it and saw it as an opportunity to make a quick dollar.
During this time Arthur was living a very negative lifestyle one that didn't allow much room for clarity and creativity. The story Skip Taylor told a friend of mine when they were looking for the Black Beauty tapes indicates that Taylor wanted to manage Lee back in 1968 or 1969, but he wasn't interested. Years would go by and he would run into Arthur somewhere and make him an offer, and illustrate the kind of money he could make on the newly formed RSO label. Skip convinced Robert Stigwood to pony up $200,000.00 for the completion of two albums, and then work began on Reel to Real.
Stigwood loved the record and was extremely excited but Arthur's behavior would become erratic, and he would have clashes with not only labelmates such as Eric Clapton, but also create a bit of dischord with the likes of Mick Jagger, and even John Lennon while recording at the record plant. Stigwood become so fed up with the turmoil the tour brought that he let Arthur keep the rest of the money and didn't even force him to put out the second RSO Love album.
-Thomas
Another issue with this record is the fact that you have 11 tracks in which four of them are covers. The cover of William DeVaughan's "Be Thankful for What You Got" is good, but it sounds almost exactly like the original. Therefore its almost pointless. A reprise of "Singing Cowboy", which was done much better on the amazing Four Sail record, a very loud and chaotic reprise of "Busted Feet" which was already done on the Vindicator and again the same deal with "Everybody's Gotta Live".
So for me this is definetly a dubious record. Ask some of the people involved with recording it. Arthur's headspace was not all that positive. |
| rocker |
Posted - 20/09/2007 : 17:45:00
.."passed out of the rock phase...and into something else"...
hmmm..what should we call it? I don't think Arthur liked "blues" (only 3 chords) so it's not that. He has a great line where he says we should put on our parachutes when we listen to his stuff (and really all music if you come to think about it). He said "it doesn't work unless it's open." Like Guinness man Arthur can be "brilliant". |
| wendywhen |
Posted - 20/09/2007 : 05:55:53
ThomasGalasso,
R2R is not a dubious Love album really. It is an AL solo album masquerading as a Love album. He passed out of the heavy rock phase of the Electra albums and Vindicator and into something else. As such it ages a lot better that those albums IMHO. It certainly contains some of his best singing post FC...by far.
As Bowie said "ch..ch..ch..ch...changes |
| johnbhoy |
Posted - 18/09/2007 : 13:55:17
Thanks for keeping this thread going guys.
I still pop in here from time to time.
KOS
Lisbon 1967 |
| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 15/09/2007 : 06:05:37
This dubious Love album had many brushes with greatness, not just Venetta Fields, who during this era, was the premier back up vocalist working with everyone including The Stones.
-Thomas |
