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rsdmems
First Love
USA
12 Posts |
 Posted - 23/11/2012 : 21:37:45
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quote:
the MSW book is a screed against arthur, reader beware, in which AL is the big bad wolf and the other members are innocents
Hey, I literally JUST read the book (this week-- I found a clean used copy on Amazon) and this is really unfair to MSW. If I were to sum up the book in one sentence, it would be:
"Arthur was the undisputed principal songwriter and leader of "Love" but a lot times he acted like a real jerk."
I don't even think Arthur himself would dispute that. In addition to that, the book had lots of great anecdotal stories that often had nothing to do with Arthur... I highly recommend it!
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waxburn
Old Love
USA
735 Posts |
Posted - 23/11/2012 : 22:07:11
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quote:
Originally posted by rsdmems
quote:
the MSW book is a screed against arthur, reader beware, in which AL is the big bad wolf and the other members are innocents
Hey, I literally JUST read the book (this week-- I found a clean used copy on Amazon) and this is really unfair to MSW. If I were to sum up the book in one sentence, it would be:
"Arthur was the undisputed principal songwriter and leader of "Love" but a lot times he acted like a real jerk."
I don't even think Arthur himself would dispute that. In addition to that, the book had lots of great anecdotal stories that often had nothing to do with Arthur... I highly recommend it!
yea, well, like i stated before, its a book where the author doesnt seem to remember suing AL but does remember buying a carton of Orange Juice for him. you figure.
i just find it unsettling how he has the other members of Love speak in baby talk. 
if you read Snoops interview ( if it hasnt been erased ) i think youll find that AL wasnt the only jerk. but of course, we may not be allowed to read it. we may need a priest or something to interpret it. |
Edited by - waxburn on 23/11/2012 22:10:39 |
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DaveyTee
Fourth Love
United Kingdom
238 Posts |
Posted - 23/11/2012 : 22:59:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Signed RWHow hard is it to realize that nobody who even visits this board, let alone ever posts on it, is not already a major, major fan of Arthur Lee and his remarkable musical achievements, both with and without the "original" band?
Not entirely true in my case. I'm a fan of Love, the band, not just any individual member of it. And I'm afraid I can't really describe myself as a "major" admirer of anything much that was recorded after the "original band" split up.
DT
But I Can't Understand
Why We Let Someone Else
Rule Our Land
Cap in Hand. |
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rsdmems
First Love
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 23/11/2012 : 23:25:08
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>its a book where the author doesnt seem to remember suing AL but does remember buying a carton of Orange Juice for him... if you read Snoops interview... i think youll find that AL wasnt the only jerk.<<
This too is unfair to MSW, as he takes full responsibility (along with the other band members) for why Arthur had to hire The Wrecking Crew, fully admitting that the guys had spent so much time drugging and so little rehearsing that they were woefully unprepared for the recording sessions. Re. MSW's post-Love career, it's pretty obvious that Arthur thought he was a great drummer, as he went out of his way to recruit him into the band. I do feel, though, that it would have been interesting for MSW to name some of the post-Love bands that supposedly tried to recruit him. The only one he mentions specifically is Neil Diamond, but he alludes to all kinds of other supposedly great opportunities without ever "naming names." Is it because none of those other bands went anywhere? |
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waxburn
Old Love
USA
735 Posts |
Posted - 24/11/2012 : 00:45:32
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quote:
Originally posted by rsdmems
>its a book where the author doesnt seem to remember suing AL but does remember buying a carton of Orange Juice for him... if you read Snoops interview... i think youll find that AL wasnt the only jerk.<<
This too is unfair to MSW, as he takes full responsibility (along with the other band members) for why Arthur had to hire The Wrecking Crew, fully admitting that the guys had spent so much time drugging and so little rehearsing that they were woefully unprepared for the recording sessions. Re. MSW's post-Love career, it's pretty obvious that Arthur thought he was a great drummer, as he went out of his way to recruit him into the band. I do feel, though, that it would have been interesting for MSW to name some of the post-Love bands that supposedly tried to recruit him. The only one he mentions specifically is Neil Diamond, but he alludes to all kinds of other supposedly great opportunities without ever "naming names." Is it because none of those other bands went anywhere?
LOL if you think that he walked out of a ND gig, where he would have made more money in a few months than all the LOVE royalties ever, then please note i have bridge in
brooklyn ready to be shipped to you. yea im sure there will be no record of any recruitment just vague generalities that cant be checked out.
My understanding is that Al thought him to be a good studio drummer, not a good live one. besides, he had a limited pool to choose from.
AL records, post or pre FC are all out there for anyone to check them out. |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
Posted - 25/11/2012 : 14:35:57
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quote:
Originally posted by rsdmems
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...Bryan (who contributed MUCH more than a couple decent songs to the creative genius of Love--who were never quite the same after that dynamic duo broke up...a fact!)
Lemonade,
I don't want to be lumped in with the real negative guy ('cause I'm not!), but Bryan and Arthur (unlike, say, Jagger and Richards) seemed to write completely independently, and as I recall even Johnny (in the documentary) said something about most of Bryan's songs being too much about 'rainbows and candy canes and unicorns' (or something like that). Thus, I don't think that you can tie Arthur's dearth of post-Love songwriting to the demise of the group itself-- in fact, perhaps Arthur felt his muse deserting him and that was one of the reasons he broke up the group. There are very, very few successful rock composers who wrote more than two excellent albums plus one masterpiece (as Arthur did) and I can't think of ANY who did their BEST work past the age of 30 (although admittedly, Arthur wasn't yet close to 30 when the group broke up). Do you think that "Forever Changes" would have been less wonderful if Arthur and "The Wrecking Crew" had done the whole thing? I suspect not, although I'm not a musician so I don't say that with any certainty.
I don't lump you there my friend...my point is that Arthur brought back Love AFTER giving the Wrecking Crew a shot...they were too sterile, no edge.
I also believe, my opinion!, that Forever Changes would not be the greatest album ever without ALL of Love's members. Not only did Bryan contribute TWO essential songs, but also added his creative tension that Arthur needed to reach his heights. We also would not have those amazing guitar solos by Johnny, or Kenny's influential & progressive bass lines. Michael's drumming is one of the first parts I notice--perfect...as Arthur noted.
And we wouldn't even have "You Set The Scene" at ALL!! It was created by Kenny's arrangement and combining of three of Arthur's compositions that we have one of the greatest Love songs period.
It's safe to say "You Set The Scene" would not exist without all of Love.
Love would not be Love without LOVE!
________________________________________________
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.
~ Cree Prophecy |
Edited by - lemonade kid on 25/11/2012 17:03:25 |
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rsdmems
First Love
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 25/11/2012 : 14:58:09
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...Forever Changes would not be the greatest album ever without ALL of Love's members. Not only did Bryan contribute TWO essential songs, but also added his creative tension that Arthur needed to reach his heights. We also would not have those amazing guitar solos by Johnny, or Kenny's influential & progressive bass lines. Michael's drumming is one of the first parts I notice--perfect...as Arthur noted.
And we wouldn't even have "You Set The Scene" at ALL!! It was created by Kenny's arrangement and combining of three of Arthur's compositions that we have one of the greatest Love songs period.
It's safe to say "You Set The Scene" would not exist without all of Love.
Yes, those are all fair points! Ironically, though, my favorite MSW drumming and Johnny lead guitar riff are on "Your Mind and We Belong Together" (ironic because it was their swan song). In fact, after "You Set the Scene" that's my favorite Love song.
P.S I rank "Forever Changes" as one of the six greatest rock albums ever, along with "Quadrophenia," "Who's Next" and Springsteen's first three. Within those six I really can't come up with a "#1" because at that level of brilliance it just comes down to the mood I happen to be in.
P.P.S. It becomes easy to round out my "Top 10" if I can include "Best of" collections (Bowie, Hendrix, Dylan, the Beatles... and Cream for an honorable mention at #11), but on an album-by-album basis all of the latter musicians-- unlike my six favorites-- often had too many "throwaway songs" mixed in with their brilliant ones. |
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waxburn
Old Love
USA
735 Posts |
Posted - 25/11/2012 : 19:37:00
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to this day nobody know exactly which songs the WC are on, that how good they were, learning the material not in months but probably in a couple of hours.
i would take the kenny takes 3 AL songs and turns into 1 with a grain of salt. |
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