| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 03/08/2009 : 03:48:06
This is new to me
Echols saying that FChanges was originally a DOUBLE ALBUM?! |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 12/08/2009 : 19:22:59
Arthur puts it best on "The Everlasting First" with the verse : "take everything I had, everything I had, everything I had". That coupled with Jimi's wailing is what I am talking about man. I feel that **** in my skeleton. |
| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 12/08/2009 : 19:20:18
That would be Vindicator.
I don't think Reel to Real had any goofy monikers other than maybe a special thanks to Keith Moon. Moon I do know desperately wanted to play on Reel to Real and apparently Arthur felt "he can't play".
Also, RSO had a two album deal with Love. |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 12/08/2009 : 01:40:30
Jekyll and Hyde
wasn't that on Vindicator or Real to Reel? |
| caryne |
Posted - 12/08/2009 : 00:19:03
I'm not black ,though my 17 year old son is and I've witnessed the crap he's had to put up with so I have some idea of what you are saying Thomas.
However, I don't want to make this a race issue, many people have had to put up with a lot of s*it in their lives and still not treated others like Arthur did. Yes, I can hear the suffering in a lot of his music but I still cannot excuse many of the things he did to other people, including friends of mine, though I don't want to go into too much detail here as I don't think there's any point now, especially with Arthur no longer being with us.
We all had different experiences of Arthur, I prefer to enjoy the music and others are free to have their own opinions of Arthur, as do I.
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| scully |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 21:31:57
quote:
Originally posted by ThomasGalasso
Well we all know the music business to be the root of all evil. Hah! Me personally, I feel like I understand many elements of Arthur, not only as an artist myself, but as a young black man. I admire him, and I find him to be inspirational in my life.
I must admit, there is not a day that goes by I don't think of Love, and the good, the bad, and the downright awful. I feel he was a misunderstood man, who in many ways hated himself. He was abused somewhat as a child, he grew up in a very crazy era, and he may have just been straight up unstable from some chemical embalance. I dare not make excuses for him, but I can at least try and level with his existance and what he has meant to me.
Its all one big entree.
Nice post man. |
| rocker |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 21:13:39
hey Thomas I'm with you in your sentiments. It's too bad I couldn't pay my respects myself, just to go up to him and shake his hand and say hey thanks for your stuff. That's it. (I wouldn't want to get into anymore, Arthur would probably think I'm nuts..he'd send me home man ........;-).....) |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 04:32:57
quote:
Originally posted by ThomasGalasso
Well we all know the music business to be the root of all evil. Hah! Me personally, I feel like I understand many elements of Arthur, not only as an artist myself, but as a young black man. I admire him, and I find him to be inspirational in my life.
I must admit, there is not a day that goes by I don't think of Love, and the good, the bad, and the downright awful. I feel he was a misunderstood man, who in many ways hated himself. He was abused somewhat as a child, he grew up in a very crazy era, and he may have just been straight up unstable from some chemical embalance. I dare not make excuses for him, but I can at least try and level with his existance and what he has meant to me.
Its all one big entree.
Hey, Tom...I can't empathize as you can, my being white, but I feel what you are saying. I remember finding a mint copy of FC first press a good few years back, and a young black man came over just to see that great picture of Arthur (his musical hero) on back and I felt a connection that is not possible any other way but through Arthur's music. I believe Arthur was as UN-bigoted as any man can be and showed his love for man thru his music and the racial make up of his band(s). This was not a black man, making "black" music. This was a complicated man, who happened to be black, making GREAT music that bridges the gap between ALL peoples.
I find insight in the 33 1/3 intro where the writer is identifying with Arthur as someone who was having difficulty coping with the world at large and who had gradually withdrawn to the point where he wouldn't leave his hilltop hideaway and was not interested in seeing anyONE at all. His music wouldn't be what it is, if Arthur wasn't what he WAS....
So I won't say-- I don't care for the man, but I love his music. Arthur WAS his music.
Arthur was complicated and we all have our own takes on the man, which I think is unfair....how can we KNOW him. His friends didn't. But we have his music.
"I found out everything is LOVE" A. Lee
____________________________________________________________
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity;
and I'm not sure about the universe. --Albert Einstein |
| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 11/08/2009 : 03:10:38
Well we all know the music business to be the root of all evil. Hah! Me personally, I feel like I understand many elements of Arthur, not only as an artist myself, but as a young black man. I admire him, and I find him to be inspirational in my life.
I must admit, there is not a day that goes by I don't think of Love, and the good, the bad, and the downright awful. I feel he was a misunderstood man, who in many ways hated himself. He was abused somewhat as a child, he grew up in a very crazy era, and he may have just been straight up unstable from some chemical embalance. I dare not make excuses for him, but I can at least try and level with his existance and what he has meant to me.
Its all one big entree. |
| caryne |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 18:57:39
Arthur had it tough, there's no doubting that and, in music, you have to be tough to survive. However a lot of Arthur's behaviour actually made things worse for him, not least his refusal to tour in the sixties. However, we could debate forever on the what might have been's but what's the point? We were all (I think) here lucky enough to witness many live performances of a fantastic artist and have the pleasure of listening to his work forever. I have to admit, that personally I am not a great fan of Arthur Lee the person but I will love and admire forever Arthur Lee the musician. |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 16:51:00
I think its all about how you deal with what you have been dealt. We all do the best we can with whatever powers we have within us.
The story about a club owner not wanting to pay a pre-Love band and how Arthur didn't back down even in the face of a gun, shows the kind of man he was. He had a sense of what was right and wrong (for him) .....and the narrative, while driving to the Capitol building, is also telling. He told of how he keep back his best songs because he wanted to find out if they were gonna screw him. And he was "still doing that at 60". Your past can help or cripple you.
I still think that people who knew him took the good of Arthur AND the bad with love--- even if he pissed them off or ripped them off, sometimes. Arthur was a man that they were glad to have known.
____________________________________________________________
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity;
and I'm not sure about the universe. --Albert Einstein |
| rocker |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 14:19:11
You know thinking about some of his behavior I've tried to put it in some context. Arthur Lee was in one of the most demanding, backstabbing, cruel and competitive businesses on the face of the earth..music. Couple that with his personality and well we're not going to have an easy-going guy going from office to office etc. I think if it was me I wouldn't have survived. I just don't think I woul have had the wherewithal to do what would be needed to be done if you wanted to be a "success" in the business. In any case, I kind of worry about something. And that's that certain "truths" focusing purely on a negative estimation of the man may overshadow his overall aura as an individual. We're all made up of light and dark. I hope his personal relationships don't overpower his great musical legacy where he made great art. As Thomas noted it was life that affected him, just like all of us. We're all trying to make our way man. |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 05:49:07
I guess he was afraid of fame. Only in his last years did he really fulfill his potential, which meant touring FC with strings, orchestra
and playing an excellent long set
A very self-destructive soul. I remember emailing Randle when he was gonna tour with Arthur after ALee got out of prison, just warning him. And of course Arthur didn't join them on the last tour, and they lost money on that tour, and it was embarassing as they had to make excuses for the bands main man not to be there
of course theres Arthur making threatening calls to Randle, and ripping off the Rainbow in the Storm, etc. I can't imagine Arthur had a good name in the business. He even hassled David Housden at one point about using his Love design for his excellent Castle publication (RIP)
What a mess!
Good of Holzman to pitch in while Arthur was in jail, send on items Arthur needed, reissuing the Love albums with bonus tracks and booklets. Kinda the unsung hero of the Love saga, as he signed them and gave them a record deal. And of course on the third try they got it exactly right, which is why people are still talking about the band today. You could write a book on Forever Changes I'm sure. VERY strong collection of songs from a band that everyone had probably given up on by that point (including the studio musicians!
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| caryne |
Posted - 09/08/2009 : 20:54:59
quote:
Originally posted by ThomasGalasso
My whole point, is that its all part of the journey and its all part of the story that we follow. Its his life, his music, his feelings, his good, his bad, etc.
I have heard some horrid things about Mr. Lee, but alas I have also heard some amazing things about him as a person, and a generally great spirit. A very troubled man, like many of us.
But its all a matter of how one chooses to see the situation. As for many of the musicians that chose to play with Lee, well they were grown men who could have walked away, and many of them did. Many chose to stick around so that says quite a bit there in itself.
Not that many stuck around though, did they? Have you ever counted just how many musicians have been 'Love' over the years?!!! Let's be honest Arthur was a musical genius, which is why people wanted to work with him(and those of us here adore the music he produced) but as a person, well, there was, to say the least, a not very pleasant streak in the man.
No one doubts he was troubled, for all sorts of reasons, including his illness come the end of his life, but some of his behaviour has no excuses and there's no point wearing the 'rose tinted spectacles' when we are talking about him. That is my point.
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| ThomasGalasso |
Posted - 09/08/2009 : 20:46:26
My whole point, is that its all part of the journey and its all part of the story that we follow. Its his life, his music, his feelings, his good, his bad, etc.
I have heard some horrid things about Mr. Lee, but alas I have also heard some amazing things about him as a person, and a generally great spirit. A very troubled man, like many of us.
But its all a matter of how one chooses to see the situation. As for many of the musicians that chose to play with Lee, well they were grown men who could have walked away, and many of them did. Many chose to stick around so that says quite a bit there in itself. |
| caryne |
Posted - 09/08/2009 : 20:03:08
quote:
Originally posted by scully
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
Jail seems to have served him well. It certainly helped his career. Even really bad live Love albums out on Viper sold!
I've got to disagree with that -- who know what might have happened if he hadn't been locked up for so long.
I saw Arthur and Love (the BL version) in 1996, not long before Arthur went to jail, and they were fantastic -- just as good as when he came back in 2002. Here's Mike Randle's thoughts on the gig as well (the Powerhaus, London).
http://www.thefreedomman.com/love/countdown6.html
With the right musicians, the right manager (RIP Gene) Arthur could have had the success and recognition he finally got in the last few years of his life much earlier.
The 'jail thing' was a terrible tragedy IMHO -- some bad karma for those responsible.
Yes, I have to agree with you Scully, prison certainly did not help Arthur's career at all. Like you say, Arthur was performing great shows from the minute he joined up with Baby Lemonade and, without the prison time, it is likely we would have had a few years more for 'Love' to rebuild their fanbase in the way they did when Arthur released. Who knows what could have happened if we would have had those extra few years of 'Love'. |
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