Kevins CornerLast Update: 31. oktober 2003
Kevin Delaney is no longer working on his book about Love, but the
informations he send me is interesting reading.
13.03.99
Here's Kevins mails about the
progress of the book so far. 06.01.99 The brand-new edition of the New Times Los Angeles (Jan 7) has an article about Bryan MacLean. You can also read it on line at: http://www.newtimesla.com/1999/010799/earshot1.html I have collected a number of other articles about Bryan which you can read on the "Between Clark and Hilldale" Web site at http://members.aol.com/kdel691586/clark.html Thanks to everyone for their love and support
over the past two weeks. There's an article in the L.A. New Times, November 19-25 1998 about the book. You can read it here: http://www.newtimesla.com/1998/111998/earshot1.html
Thanks! An update on "Between Clark and Hilldale" -- the oral history of the most mysterious band of the 60's: LOVE The David Angel Big Band and Saxtet was in full swing on Sunday. As I mentioned before, David was visiting L.A. from his home in Switzerland and reunited with the band for what was their first-ever public performance. Although the band has been around since the 60's, it has always been a "rehearsal band" -- that is, they only played for their own enjoyment. The concert was aboard the Queen Mary, a huge ship that is now permanently docked in Long Beach. The set was about an hour, and they played some of David's original compositions as well as his arrangements of standard tunes. One of the sax players couldn't make it to the gig, so David sat in for him. Like everyone in the band, he did a first-rate job. Later that afternoon David and two other arrangers took part in an illuminating panel discussion about music and the business of arranging. Getting a hold of David during his brief time in L.A. had been very difficult. David is well-known in Hollywood for his extensive (albeit often uncredited) work in film and television, as well as for his work as a jazz musician and arranger. He has been teaching music in Switzerland for many years, so when he returned to L.A. there were a lot of old friends to visit and band rehearsals to tend to. Nevertheless I finally caught up with him the day of the concert (in the mens' room on the Queen Mary, no less), and after a friendly conversation David agreed to do an interview for the book. The next day (David's last day in L.A.) I arrived at his daughter's house armed with a tape recorder, notebook, and a CD of "Forever Changes." As David has never done an interview on the subject before, I was a little concerned that perhaps "Forever Changes" was a mere footnote in his vast musical career. Fortunately that was not the case! David is a real musicologist, and he takes his work very seriously. He also possesses an amazing musical memory, recalling arrangements he did for songs just from hearing the titles. It was very exciting to listen to the CD with him and hear his running commentary. It was revelations galore -- fresh information and insights on one of the best-loved rock albums of all time from someone who has been silent for too long. The interview was particularly revealing about how Arthur and Bryan worked musicially. David said he was pleasantly surprised to listen to the album after all these years and he was pleased at how much restraint he used in the arrangements. He pointed out that there was more to the arrangements, however, than can be heard on the mix. At certain points where you can clearly hear the highs (such as the violins), there are also violas and cellos underneath that don't come through as clearly. Small World Department: A woman named Stacey Rowles played trumpet with David's band on Sunday. Only later did I realize that Stacey is the sister of Gary Rowles, who played guitar with Love in 1969/70. Gary told me he had a sister named Stacey who played trumpet, but the connection didn't register until a few days after the concert. Speaking of trumpet players... I found a photo on the web of the man who played the trumpet solo in "Alone Again Or." Bud Brisbois was a highly respected jazz and classical trumpet player, and he contributed many of the lead trumpet parts on "Forever Changes." Here he is leading a workshop for music students at Montebello High School in 1973. Brisbois died in 1978. http://www.loop.com/~bulrich/bandpics/brisbois.jpg When I visited "Forever Changes" cover illustrator Bob Pepper, he was working on a CD cover for The Canadian Brass Band. It's an album of Beatles tunes for brass called "All You Need Is Love," and the cover is a takeoff on "Yellow Submarine." The CD is out now on BMG Classics, and you can take a look at the cover at: http://www.amazon.com/covers/B/00/000/7QH/B000007QH0.l.gif The new issue of "The Tracking Angle" is out and contains a mention of the book in Matthew Greenwald's column on page 13. Check it out at a newsstand near you! I hope to have a photo of David Angel on-line soon. Meanwhile, keep those tips and ideas coming! Kevin 24.10.1998 Hello Gang -- David Angel, the arranger who
orchestrated "Forever Changes" will be giving a rare performance with his big
band tomorrow morning, Sunday October 25, aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA at
11:30 a.m. Angel, who now lives in Switzerland, is visiting L.A. this month and is giving
this rare performance with The David Angel Big Band and Saxtet as part of The California
Institute for the Preservation of Jazz's "Modern Sounds" series. The group has
been around for over twenty-five years, and they're what's known as a rehearsal
band--that is, they don't perform in public, only for their own enjoyment. I've heard some
of the Band/Saxtet's music, and if you like good modern jazz you'll like the group. Angel
will also be part of a 3-person panel discussion at 3:30 p.m. I've started a website for "Between Clark and Hilldale" that you can check out at: http://members.aol.com/kdel691586/clark.html. Love enthusiast Matt Messbarger brought to my attention the cover of the group Make-Up's recent album "Sound Verite," which is based on the cover of "Forever Changes." Take a look at it: http://www.amazon.com/covers/B/00/000/3RO/B000003ROV.l.gif Bryan MacLean is working on not one but _two_ new recordings of "Alone Again Or" -- in Spanish! I've recently been in touch with Grassroots bass player John Fleckenstein... Love guitarist Jay Donnellan... Knack drummer Bruce Gary, who played with Arthur Lee in the late 70's. More to come! Kevin Time for another update on "Between Clark and Hilldale: The Oral History of Arthur Lee and Love"... About two weeks ago, drummer Michael Stuart came down to L.A. from Northern California. We did an incredible interview--Michael’s first ever--and Michael shared a great deal of heretofore unknown info about Love and the two albums he played on, "Da Capo" and "Forever Changes." Michael and I got together with Bryan MacLean--their first time together in close to 30 years. After a lot of catching up, Michael and Bryan were able to jog each others’ memories about scenes and places they both experienced during the days of Love.While we were talking about "Alone Again Or," Bryan (with guitar in hand) began to remember a long-lost bridge to the song. Apparently when the song was recorded for "Forever Changes" the bridge was dropped in favor of the now-famous instrumental break and was forgotten, but it’s an interesting bridge and the lyrics bring a whole new meaning to the song.I’ve also been talking with John Jacobson, the drummer in Arthur’s pre-Love group The American Four. John shared many great stories about this key period that, until now, nothing has been known about. The other evening at Pamela Des Barres’ house I met fellow 60’s scenester Catherine James. A few months ago I spotted Catherine’s photo in Baron Wolman’s book "Classic Rock and Other Rollers" (an excellent photo document of the era, by the way) and somehow I knew she had a story related to Love. My intuitions are rarely wrong; Catherine was friends with a young Bryan MacLean when he was hanging out at the Balladeer coffee house, long before Love ever started. Needless to say, the tape recorder was whipped out and an interview was had! Readers of the audiophile magazine The Tracking Angle should be on the lookout for the new issue in the next few weeks. Ace "Clark and Hilldale" research assistant Matthew Greenwald’s regular column is supposed to have some info about the Love book. Hmmm... I wonder what Matt had to say? I’ve been very pleased with the media coverage the book has received so far, especially considering that it not only hasn’t been published yet, it’s still being written! Finally, some photos. Please note that these are web links: In lieu of filling up your email account with a ton of K's, you can simply click on the link or paste it into your web broswer to view it.Me (on the right) with Michael Stuart: http://www.geocities.com/soho/museum/9509/kevm.jpeg With Forever Changes cover illustrator Bob Pepper, at his house in New York: http://www.geocities.com/soho/museum/9509/kb.jpeg Two with Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer: http://www.geocities.com/soho/museum/9509/ks.jpeg http://www.geocities.com/soho/museum/9509/ks2.jpeg With Pamela Des Barres: http://www.geocities.com/soho/museum/9509/kp.jpeg Stay tuned, there's lots more to come. Please feel free to write to me with comments, ideas, and tips! Kevin Hi Gang -- >From the latest issue of Rolling Stone (Page 109, Issue #793, August 20, 1998): The most exciting moment of the NBA playoffs had
to be the Miller Genuine Draft commercial that used Love's "Alone Again Or" from
their hippie-burnout classic Forever Changes. It's brilliant, especially since beer is
probably one of the few substances that didn't go into the making of the album. (Rob
Sheffield, "Pop Journal") Thanks, Hello Gang – The latest issue (7/31/98) of the California music magazine BAM has this to say on page 14: Finally, a book about legendary Cali rockers Arthur Lee and Love is being written. Entitled "Between Clark and Hilldale," the book is an oral history as told by those who were a part of the band’s often mysterious story.Author Kevin Delaney has taken on the task of tracking down band members, associates, groupies and fans. "Many of these people are sharing their stories for the first time," says Delaney. "It all adds up to one of the most incredible rock’n’roll stories ever told." The same issue of BAM features as its cover story "The 50 Greatest California Singles Ever," and Love’s "7 and 7 Is" was ranked as #17: Pre-Ramones platters that are tagged as "proto-punk" are dime-a-dozen, but this sneering shouted snatch of supersonic ‘tude is the real article. "7 and 7 Is" appeared on Love’s 1967 album Da Capo and remains to this day a classic of alienated angst told in lyrics that surrealistically capture the world view of a young person detached from reality: "If I don’t start crying it’s because that I have got no eyes/My father’s in the fireplace and my dog lies hypnotized." Propelled by a relentless drum roll and punctuated by grungy Mosrite guitars, it ends with an atomic blast recorded at a Nevada test site and a sultry slow blues fade-out. Love’s psycho-auteur Arthur Lee once again proved that he was one of the most iconoclastic, if lesser known, 60’s artists to emerge from La La Land. (Written by Michael Simmons) I did a great interview with Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records. Jac was responsible for signing Love to Elektra, as well as The Doors, Judy Collins, Bread, Queen, and a ton of other household names. In fact, you can read all about the story of Elektra Records in Jac’s new book "Follow The Music." Check out: http://www.followthemusic.com for lots more info! Torben Skott in Denmark has compiled my email updates on his web page. Check ‘em out at: http://home1.inet.tele.dk/tks/love/lovemenu.htm and go to "Kevin’s Corner." Check out his Love discography and sign the guestbook while you’re at it. (Note: Does anyone have a copy of the update I sent from San Francisco in December? If so, please email me or Torben a copy of it. Thanks!) Love, Kevin Hello Gang -- Lots more to come, stay tuned...Love,
21.05.98 Stay tuned! Hello, Stay tuned! Sorry it's been a while since the last update on
the Love book. Stay tuned, Cozmic Kiddies! Just a few quick notes on the progress of the
Love book... Thanks, Wonders never cease... Take care! After having a great time in San
Fran, I scurried back to L.A. on December 27th to attend Georgiana Steele's birthday
party. Georgiana shared some great memories of Arthur Lee and Love in the 60's for the
book. She is engaged to musician Gordon Waller, who was half of the British duo Peter and
Gordon. (Guess which half.) Gordon treated us all to performances of some great songs,
including Peter and Gordon's "Woman," with John York (of the later-era Byrds)
also on guitar and singing harmonies.I talked with John last week and when I mentioned
Love he told me he used to live next door to Arthur Lee! Not being one to let an
opportunity pass by, we arranged for an interview for the book. John told a story about
how Arthur used to have a dog named "Self." He said the dog would get out and
Arthur would be outside walking around calling, "Self! Self!" I gotta run, so 'til the next
time....
December 1997 Take care,
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