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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Antispam question: What's Mr. Lee's Firstname? Answer: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message: * HTML is OFF * Forum Code is ON Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by ruxprncd[/i] [br]from http://pondoftunes.blogspot.com/2005/07/wreck-of-arthur-lee-or-lee-less-love.html Thursday, July 07, 2005 The Wreck Of The Arthur Lee or Lee-Less Love Rolls On I'll preface this by letting you know I was aghast when Pixie told me that Love founder and leader Arthur Lee was not going to be appearing at the "Love With Arthur Lee" gig at the Zodiac. She had received an e-mail from the ticket agency ("We Got Tickets") stating that Lee (for unspecified reasons) would not be appearing with the band for the rest of the dates on the UK tour. The agency was offering full refunds, or half the ticket price back if you turned up at the door. After mulling it over for a bit..we decided to go anyway, it wouldn't be all that bad, would it? In the spirit of rock-n-roll adventure, we accepted the challenge. We also checked the official website messageboard (which you can find here) and the reports seemed to be that the band were in top form, almost better without ol' Arthur. This we had to see. We arrived at the Zodiac around 7:50 p.m. and walked in to a nearly deserted hall--I've honestly never seen it that empty before--there were maybe 20 punters, if that--it didn't look good for the gig at all. We took up our usual spot at stage right--there were two guys standing at stage center...and then a whole vast floor area. I decided to hit the merch table, and bought a T-shirt and a copy of the Back On The Scene CD, a live Love gig (this one with Arthur Lee) recorded in 1991. Lee was making his "comeback" and used "pick-up" bands to act as Love (like the legendary 1992 Liverpool gig with Shack as his backing band). Pixie and I went to the bar, where she grabbed a pint of lager--and then we shuffled around finding a spot to sit--before finally resting on the steps leading to the stage. The bouncer was kindly and said that we didn't have to move until the gig started. I read on the messageboard that original Love guitarist Johnny Echols had joined the rest on this tour--and at one point he ambled right by us to join the others downstairs in the band area. He looks different these days, with a moustache and a skullcap--he looked a bit like a surfer Sammy Davis Jr., only taller. It's cool to have another "survivor of '67" around, especially since he hadn't been heard from in some time. He still exudes Cali hippie mellowness, too. Mike Randle, the lead guitarist and drummer David 'Daddyo' Green passed by us as well. As per usual, the Zodiac has the AC turned up (it was an unseasonably cool July evening outside--I guess the Zodiac staff hadn't noticed)--so we bundled up and waited for the show to start. The bouncer gave us the cue to move from the stage steps and we took our spot at stage right. Johnny Echols came out and introduced a bloke called Frazier (I don't know if I have the spelling correct), who grabbed the Rickenbacker 6-string behind him and sang a few tunes in a definite Jeff Buckley-ish stylee. His voice was nice enough--but the tunes would've benefited from a few more instruments in the mix, as they sounded a bit too sparse. He did say before his final song that they sound better with just an acoustic guitar. Pixie reckons he was just plucked from the crowd, as the Zodiac listed two other support acts in the weeks before the show. After another short intermission, the boys took the stage...Echols, Randle, Green, bassist Dave Chapple, who, with his long hair and beatific smile, looked as if he had just stepped out of a Big Brother & The Holding Company (or name the 60s San Fran band of your choice here) audition in 1967. Rusty Squeezebox, who would be handling Lee's vocal duties and rhythm guitar, also appeared and they got ready to deliver the goods. This line-up knows the tunes inside and out, having backed Arthur Lee on his 1996 shows. They've morphed into Love from another name, Baby Lemonade (another 60s-drenched name, if you know your Syd Barrett)--and have backed Lee on all of his tours from 2001 up to just a couple of weeks ago, including the mighty Forever Changes tour, in which that landmark record was played in it's entirety, with a horn and string section. First up was a nice version of Your Mind And We Belong Together, the 1968 single which spelled the end of the 'classic' line-up of Love. This segued into A House Is Not A Motel, which got the crowd (mixed between younger hipsters and older fans, who may even remember seeing the 1970 version of the band when it toured the UK) clapping and dancing. Alone Again Or, from the "Forever Changes" record, followed--receiving even more applause. They then brought the pace down with Orange Skies (found on the 1967 Da Capo album). A mini-set of "Forever Changes" tunes began with The Daily Planet, continued with a well-played Andmoreagain, to The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This, Live And Let Live, The Red Telephone (one of my favourite Love songs and a highlight of the show for me--especially with Echols taking the "We're all normal and we want our freedom.." bit--he even did the Uncle Tom "All god's chilluns gotta have they freedom" voice at the end). They wrapped up the "Forever.." 'medley' with a pretty version of Bryan MacLean's Old Man..and a stirring You Set The Scene. The band are extremely tight, with most of the tunes nearly note-perfect...and Echols can still crank out some searing acid-rock solos. Randle gets animated as well, soloing at the very front edge of the stage and pogoing about. Squeezebox deserves special recognition for his excellent vocal work and rhythm playing. At times, if you closed your eyes, it sounded almost like Lee. My Little Red Book was up next and they tore into it with fury--they definitely enjoy rocking out. Stephanie Knows Who (introduced as a "song about a girl with varicose veins"--to which Echols added "She had one crossed eye and was bow-legged too") followed, with another "Da Capo" track, She Comes In Colours, after--and then a real treat...a version of Revelation, which took up all of Side 2 (in the ol' LP days) of "Da Capo". Basically just a 12-bar blues jam stretched out over 18 minutes, it was still nice seeing these guys dust it off live--though I think they only got to about 10 or 12 minutes. Chapple and Green were the stars of this one--a solid rhythm section over which Echols could do his thing--Chapple even stepped to the mic to blow some harp. They finished their regular set with a stunning ...Between Clark And Hilldale, from "Forever Changes"--and walked offstage to applause and calls for more. The crowd started stamping and clapping--and after a minute, they were back with a killer Signed D.C., sung by Echols in a world-weary voice just perfect for the tune..and Chapple blowing a nice harp solo for the middle eight. A rocked-up Can't Explain, from the first Love album, followed that...and then, inevitably, 7 And 7 Is. They exited the stage again--only to be brought back by clapping and stomping--for a surprise Singing Cowboy (from the 1969 Four Sail album)--then they left and the house lights came on. It was a great show--and the crowd was lively and into the band. There were a couple of awkward moments, as when some berk barged between Pixie and I to shake Johnny Echols' hand (we were standing below where Echols was on stage) after "She Comes In Colours"..and later this boozed-out old hippie bloke attempted to use me as a leaning post toward the end of the show--then he attempted to put his great porcine arm around me--I gingerly removed it and placed his arm on the stage monitor in front of us. Pixie and I swapped places and then he did the same with her. I'm sure I got some funny looks as well--as I would write the tunes down at the beginning of each song (I came prepared this time with pen and paper for set-list duties). I either looked like a cool rock journo, or just some fanboy dork--I suspect mainly the latter. Mike Randle even noticed, as he had come out after the show and was talking to some people near us, he turned and shook my hand and said "Did you get it all written down?" Ha Ha Ha...busted. The big question, was it still Love without Arthur Lee, the band's founder and writer of just about all of the songs performed at the gig? Wellll....yes and no--the band certainly have the ability to play the songs and they play them well. However, without Lee (and even with Echols), they are still performing songs that they themselves didn't write or record originally--so, in a sense, they are just a Love tribute band--though Echols' presence gives them an added punch. Still, if you're a fan of the band's music--I would urge you to see them (even without Lee), you'll be depriving yourself of a great show. Setlist - Love without Arthur Lee - Zodiac, Oxford - July 6, 2005 Your Mind And We Belong Together --> A House Is Not A Motel Alone Again Or Orange Skies The Daily Planet Andmoreagain The Good Humor Man... Live And Let Live The Red Telephone Old Man You Set The Scene My Little Red Book Stephanie Knows Who She Comes In Colors Revelation ..Between Clark And Hilldale Encore 1: Signed D.C. Can't Explain 7 and 7 Is Encore 2: Singing Cowboy/Band Introduction [/quote]   Check here to include your profile signature. Check here to subscribe to this topic.