| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| John9 |
Posted - 29/03/2009 : 00:32:39
Most of us have wondered about the tantalising prospect of a fourth album recorded by the original Love in early 1968 - and how it might have yielded the superb Laughing Stock/Your Mind And We single. I have just taken delivery of the first issue of Dave Housden's truly remarkable The Castle which contains a fascinating feature entitled In The Garden Of Gethsamene. The case for the existence of such an album would appear to be largely based on a 1971 letter from Paul McKierman. The core part of it is the track listing which had been reportedly supplied by an Elektra sound engineer in late '69.
In a slightly earlier letter, Paul McKierman (who had already been recommended by Zig Zag magazine as the UK's leading authority on Love) provides some news items that we now know not to be true. He announces that a second tour of Britain (originally reported as being due to take place in November 1970) will happen in early'71 and that it is likely to feature Noony Ricket and the False Start lineup. Of course, the tour never happened and in any event, before October 1970 was out, Love had morphed into the Fayad/Poncher/Tarwater ensemble. Paul goes on to report that a new Love album, also entitled Gethsemane, will feature a number of former band members. Additionally, he offers the enticing prospect of an orchestrated solo release from Arthur Lee entitled Arthur Lee - His Songs, His Life.
In the booklet, for the 1995 Love Story compilation, Rhino stated that an exhaustive search had failed to reveal any further songs from the archives other than Wonder People. In his wonderful survey of The Beatles' catalogue, Jeff Russell asks the question "What constitutes an unreleased track......is it, as the bootleggers would have us believe, every cough, splutter and guitar twang ever commited to tape.......or is it a finished recording once considered as a possible release?" When Arthur was interviewed by The Independent, this exchange happened:
[They had reached their zenith. Soon after Forever Changes, the group effectively disbanded, though rumours persist of a "lost" Love album, Gethsemane. When I show Lee the supposed track list, he laughs and says, "It's so lost even I don't know about it." Though, in a tantalising aside, he remarks: "They may be songs – but with the wrong titles.".]
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/arthur-lee-all-you-need-is-love-644620.html
And so even after all the research and attempts at deconstruction, it is still a mystery.......and maybe that's how it should always remain - just like the identity of Shakespeare's 'Dark Lady'. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 11:18:31
quote:
Originally posted by John9
quote:
Originally posted by lemonade kid
Love That LP too, John....."Roads to Moscow" & "Nostradamus" ...the whole LP is stellar.  His later work was great but I didn't follow the "hits" period.
Remember those great FM days when we got to hear those long tracks (8 & 9:43 min) in the middle of my work day! (right RW?)
____________________________________________________________
Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention.
Yes, Lemondaekid it's a fantastic album - another interesting point about it is that the UK edition (originally released here on CBS) has an entirely different cover - showing Al staring from a mirror. The same is also true for its successor, Modern Times, where CBS had a close-up of Al playing his guitar. For some reason Arista in the US came up with much more elaborate artwork for those two.
I didn't know that about the covers. The US version is pretty psychedelic. Can't say enough good things about "Past, Present...."
____________________________________________________________
Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention. |
| John9 |
Posted - 05/05/2009 : 10:10:19
quote:
Originally posted by lemonade kid
Love That LP too, John....."Roads to Moscow" & "Nostradamus" ...the whole LP is stellar. His later work was great but I didn't follow the "hits" period.
Remember those great FM days when we got to hear those long tracks (8 & 9:43 min) in the middle of my work day! (right RW?)
____________________________________________________________
Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention.
Yes, Lemondaekid it's a fantastic album - another interesting point about it is that the UK edition (originally released here on CBS) has an entirely different cover - showing Al staring from a mirror. The same is also true for its successor, Modern Times, where CBS had a close-up of Al playing his guitar. For some reason Arista in the US came up with much more elaborate artwork for those two.
|
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 22:24:00
Love That LP too, John....."Roads to Moscow" & "Nostradamus" ...the whole LP is stellar. His later work was great but I didn't follow the "hits" period.
Remember those great FM days when we got to hear those long tracks (8 & 9:43 min) in the middle of my work day! (right RW?)
____________________________________________________________
Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention. |
| John9 |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 11:35:35
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
is Al Stewarts early stuff worth checking out? a contemporary of Nicks as I recall
Of course hes known these days for "Year of the cat" "Time passages" "Lord Grenville" ... stuff that came out after
Don't know if he was recorded by Joe Boyd like Nick, Vashti Bunyon, Fairport, etc
Is Echols really on a live dvd someplace? thats awesome!
I think I am right in saying that Al's first four albums (now available on Collectors Choice) were initially unreleased in America - in contrast to Modern Times (1974) and Year Of The Cat (1975)which both made the Top 30 there. All his early work has a melodic and poetic charm with reflections on European history gradually replacing a preoccupation with bedsit romance. To me though, his most fully realised album is his fifth: Past Present and Future (1973 - now available on Rhino). His lyrical technique borrows heavily from Dylan's in the way that his words tumble over one another - so that many images manage to fit into just a couple of lines. Here's an example from the wonderful Soho Needless To Say:
"Rainstorm, brainstorm, faces in the maelstrom
huddled by the puddles in the shadows where the trains run"
One other curious point bearing in mind today's date - an epic track from the fourth album, Orange. is entitled The Night of the Fourth of May....there's synchronicity for you! |
| Tina |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 08:04:30
Correction to my earlier comments. I've been informed by a reliable source that a DVD of the Benefit gig at the Whiskey was filmed by Vince Flaherty's people and will be available at a later date for release.
Wow, a definite for the collection there.
Also see attached Youtube clip especially if you want to see Johnny Echols rocking out - picture quality not great but the sound is excellent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwLKvZy-ZxU
This California 66 revue tour is going to be something to behold.
|
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 02:47:01
is Al Stewarts early stuff worth checking out? a contemporary of Nicks as I recall
Of course hes known these days for "Year of the cat" "Time passages" "Lord Grenville" ... stuff that came out after
Don't know if he was recorded by Joe Boyd like Nick, Vashti Bunyon, Fairport, etc
Is Echols really on a live dvd someplace? thats awesome! |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 01:19:18
quote:
Originally posted by torben
but the benefit concert with Robert Plant together with Johnny Echols at Beacon Theater, NYC June 23 can be found on dvd.
Ok. Thanks, Torben! A commercial release? Is theat the title to search under?
Love Al Stewart, John. 
____________________________________________________________
Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention. |
| John9 |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 00:12:35
When I originally posted this thread, I not only had in mind the myth/legend of the lost Love album......but also the classic song Gethsemane, Again by Al Stewart. It's from his 1970 album Zero She Flies.........and I bet he's a fan too!
"And Christ in the ruins was wandering again
As he walked with the beggars and talked to the lame
And danced with the children and sailors who came
At his call
But ain't it all just like Jesus
Crying in the rain?
Ain't it all just Gethsemane again?"
|
| torben |
Posted - 03/05/2009 : 16:58:11
but the benefit concert with Robert Plant together with Johnny Echols at Beacon Theater, NYC June 23 can be found on dvd. |
| Tina |
Posted - 03/05/2009 : 10:33:46
Word is there isn't a DVD. There are various videos on Youtube howerver. |
| Tina |
Posted - 02/05/2009 : 14:25:39
Sorry LK, I don't know, but will see if I can find out. |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 30/04/2009 : 21:12:50
Tina...anyone.....I will soon have a CD of the 2006 benefit concert for Arthur. Is there a DVD available out there for purchase (or trade?  if I can't get it commercially?) PM me if you like.
Thanks
LK
____________________________________________________________
Round up the usual suspects.... |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 30/04/2009 : 17:29:03
quote:
Originally posted by Tina
When I spoke to Johnny in 2005, he told me he had been doing session work and had done some work with Miles Davies. When you hear Johnny play live, you can tell he's very much a blues man. My impression is that Gethsemane was very much Johnny's baby
Johnny is a real cool guy, very measured in his responses, the Yang to Arthur's Yin - when you saw them together you could tell that they were soul brothers that went way back. Its great that Johnny is going to be playing with the Baby Lemonade guys again. If you look on the California 66 Revue Facebook site, you'll find a You Tube video of the Arthur Lee Benefit concert from 2006 of "Little Red Book" and "Can't Explain" with both Johnny and Michael Stuart-Ware - brilliant stuff.
This music deserves to be played live, its too good to just be allowed to fade away.
http://love.torbenskott.dk/tour2005/20050701_stourbridge_echols_interview.asp
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86265642408
Thanks, Tina. A perfect description of Johnny..."measured", thoughtful....his words have weight. Arthur & Johnny were two of a kind....still waters run deep. Michael strikes me as the same in his measured & thoughtful communication we've had, and during his interviews.
Love collectively and individually: a band that knows no equal.
That link to Johnny's interview settles the dispute. It was worked on back then & WILL be comleted now!
____________________________________________________________
Round up the usual suspects.... |
| Tina |
Posted - 30/04/2009 : 08:24:05
When I spoke to Johnny in 2005, he told me he had been doing session work and had done some work with Miles Davies. When you hear Johnny play live, you can tell he's very much a blues man. My impression is that Gethsemane was very much Johnny's baby
Johnny is a real cool guy, very measured in his responses, the Yang to Arthur's Yin - when you saw them together you could tell that they were soul brothers that went way back. Its great that Johnny is going to be playing with the Baby Lemonade guys again. If you look on the California 66 Revue Facebook site, you'll find a You Tube video of the Arthur Lee Benefit concert from 2006 of "Little Red Book" and "Can't Explain" with both Johnny and Michael Stuart-Ware - brilliant stuff.
This music deserves to be played live, its too good to just be allowed to fade away.
http://love.torbenskott.dk/tour2005/20050701_stourbridge_echols_interview.asp
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86265642408 |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 30/04/2009 : 04:04:15
has Johnny done anything since Love, record wise?
I know Tjay recorded with another band, and Snoopy has done a solo album (!)
(suprisingly NOT reviewed yet in Mojo magazine)
Has Johnny recorded anything since fleeing from Love? is he recording anything?
Oh well. I hope the Best of Baby Lemonade is on sale at the upcoming LoVE shows - Echols plays on a track of that. It would be nice if he would complete Gethesemene, but whos expecting that?
Time to give "Praise and Worship" by Bryan a spin.
"You're crazy, Zaphod," he was saying, "Magrathea is a myth, a fairy story, it's what parents tell their kids about at night if they want them to grow up to become economists, it's..." |
|
|
