| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| rocker |
Posted - 26/06/2009 : 15:07:57
well you all know...a man of tremendous fame has died. |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| rocker |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 14:14:09
lk..Well at least this paper recorded his death.
Can't help thinking about Arthur's lyric, "Served my time, served it well,you made my soul a cell" in context of Jackson's death. Looks like both of them were in some kind of prison in a way.
NY Times August 5, 2006
Arthur Lee, 61, a Pioneer of Psychedelic Rock
By BEN SISARIO
Arthur Lee, the leader of Love, a pioneering 1960's psychedelic rock band, died on Thursday in Memphis. He was 61.
The cause was complications of leukemia, said Mark Linn, his manager.
With eccentric songs that joined the jangly guitars of folk-rock with urgent, angry rhythms and yet also leaned toward sophisticated pop with delicate horn and string arrangements, Love was one of the defining groups of the psychedelic era in Los Angeles. Though the band never reached the levels of stardom enjoyed by the Byrds and the Doors -- unlike them, Love rarely toured -- it had a wide and lasting influence.
Love's 1967 album ''Forever Changes'' was a milestone of pop ambition, with melodic acoustic guitars, elaborate orchestrations and, in songs with titles like ''Alone Again Or'' and ''Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale,'' a studied inscrutability. Celebrated by critics as one of the most affecting and beguiling albums of the time, it was ranked No. 40 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums, published in 2003.
A recent benefit concert for Mr. Lee's medical expenses, at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan, indicated the breadth of Love's legacy. Among those performing were Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople and Nils Lofgren, along with younger musicians like Ryan Adams, Yo La Tengo and Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Rangy and invariably slouching, in tiny-frame shades and dandyish, kaleidoscopically colored clothes, Mr. Lee called himself ''the first black hippie,'' and his band pushed boundaries. Love was one of the first major interracial bands in rock, and one of the first to record a song long enough to fill one side of an album, with the 19-minute ''Revelation,'' from its second release, ''Da Capo.''
Born in Memphis, Mr. Lee moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was 5, and played in many teenage bands before settling on the lineup that would become Love. Another member was Bryan MacLean, a blond guitarist who had been a roadie with the Byrds.
Love took the Sunset Strip rock scene by storm in 1965 with catchy but shifty songs, as playful as they were dark. Even in their sweetest moments, disorientation and nightmarish paranoia were never far away. ''I feel like I have been through hell/ When you tell me I haven't even started yet,'' Mr. Lee sang in ''Your Mind and We Belong Together.''
The band lived in a house once owned by Bela Lugosi, and the covers of its first two albums show the members in the garden there.
Little known outside California, Love had only one Top 40 hit, ''Alone Again Or,'' written by Mr. MacLean, who died in 1998. But in Los Angeles Mr. Lee was a scene maker. He lobbied for his label, Elektra, to sign the Doors, who looked up to Love, then quickly surpassed it.
By the late 1960's, Love fell apart as its members confronted drug problems, though Mr. Lee continued on his own. In 1970 he recorded an album's worth of material with his old friend Jimi Hendrix, though only one track, ''The Everlasting First,'' was released. He persisted through the 1970's but by the 80's had largely disappeared.
He toured again in the early 1990's, and seemed on the verge of reviving his career, when in 1996 he was imprisoned for illegal gun possession. He served almost half of a 12-year sentence at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, Calif.
He is survived by his wife, Diane.
When he was released from prison, in mid-2002, he began to tour almost immediately. He was widely praised by critics for the intensity and focus of his performances, though some noted that a few dark and frightened lyrics of Mr. Lee's youth were now bitterly appropriate, including: ''Served my time, served it well/ You made my soul a cell.''
Correction: August 8, 2006, Tuesday An obituary on Saturday about Arthur Lee, the leader of the rock group Love, misidentified the group's only record to break into the Top 40, and its writer. It was ''7 and 7 Is'' by Mr. Lee, and it reached No. 33 in 1966; it was not ''Alone Again Or'' by Bryan MacLean.
|
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 06/07/2009 : 16:10:13
quote:
Originally posted by caryne
A long, long time ago (the early 70's to be precise) there was some great pop music produced by The Jackson 5, sadly nothing afterwards ever had the same effect and, as others have said here, there were some serious questions (to say the least) to be asked about the man. Is it sad when anyone famous dies? I don't know but I can't say we should have respect for all who die or that means we should have respect for Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot etc, etc. Yes, that's taking it to extremes but dubious characters don't stop being dubious characters just because they are dead, do they?
I just wish the media had given the coverage to a true great, Sky Saxon and, of course, I really laughed when, at Glastonbury (just after Jackson's death) Nick Cave paid tribute to the 'late, great.....Farrah Fawcett'.
At least the UK paid better tribute to Arthur Lee at his passing....you would be lucky to find a footnote in any large newspaper in the US on the day Arthur's music died.........
____________________________________________________________
Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention. |
| caryne |
Posted - 06/07/2009 : 13:39:21
A long, long time ago (the early 70's to be precise) there was some great pop music produced by The Jackson 5, sadly nothing afterwards ever had the same effect and, as others have said here, there were some serious questions (to say the least) to be asked about the man. Is it sad when anyone famous dies? I don't know but I can't say we should have respect for all who die or that means we should have respect for Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot etc, etc. Yes, that's taking it to extremes but dubious characters don't stop being dubious characters just because they are dead, do they?
I just wish the media had given the coverage to a true great, Sky Saxon and, of course, I really laughed when, at Glastonbury (just after Jackson's death) Nick Cave paid tribute to the 'late, great.....Farrah Fawcett'. |
| rocker |
Posted - 30/06/2009 : 14:19:15
Well for me this song by Lightfoot tells about the roads we travel...MJ was on it too and he made decisions...
"Go first in the world, go forth with your fears
Remember a price must be paid
Be always too soon, be never too fast
At the time when all bets must be laid
Beware of the darkness, be kind to your children
Remember the woman who waits
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate
When you're caught by the gale and you're full under sail
Beware of the dangers below
And the song that you sing should not be too sad
And be sure not to sing it too slow
Be calm in the face of all common disgraces
And know what theyre doin it for
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your door
When you're out on the road and feelin' quite lost
Consider the burden of fame
And he who is wise will not criticize
When other men fail at the game
Beware of strange faces and dark dingy places
Be careful while bending the law
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your door
When you're down in the dumps and not ready to deal
Decide what it is that you need
Is it money or love, is it learnin to live
Or is it the mouth you must feed
Be known as a man who will always be candid
On questions that do not relate
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate
lyrics: G.Lightfoot |
| Lizzyb |
Posted - 30/06/2009 : 01:01:41
My thoughts are with the real fans who thought they'd get a chance to see their hero soon.
I reckon I was so lucky/blessed to see Arthur play live and to meet him, and also to become part of this community. Just priceless.
I really can feel their loss. I wondered if the shows planned could become tributes - have the same show, but more a celebration with others performing. It would give people a chance to join in their loss.
Keep on shining |
| watchinallthapeople |
Posted - 29/06/2009 : 22:56:46
I reckon you should always have respect for the recently passed
but as I can't turn on the TV or look at a webpage with out seeing a whole bunch of people jackin it about a very very very dubious character
I'm kind of reminded of the 80's and just how much that music really p@ssed me off first time round
so with I complete lack of decency or taste I'll post a link to this
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x32o7d_neil-young-this-notes-for-you
:) |
|
|
