View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.5 (45 ratings)
- Date Released: September 9, 2003
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Pop
- Label: Snapper Music / The Orchard
A classic '60s icon re-visits his greatest album, playing it live in its entirety for the first time ever
-
We Say...
Having felt somewhat burned by Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall in January, 2002, I must admit that I was reluctant to attend Arthur Lee’s Forever Changes event in the same venue the following year.
The concept was identical: A classic '60s icon re-visits his greatest album, playing it live in its entirety for the first time ever, with a band of hot young rock virtuosi. At the Wilson show, however, I was disappointed because the Beach Boys genius was clearly contributing very little to the sound emanating from the stage.
Happily, at the Forever Changes Concert, Arthur Lee was in full effect, clearly in charge of proceedings and thoroughly enjoying himself. This CD is the living document of that fabulous night.
Most of the original members of Love are now dead, but their contributions to Forever Changes live on in these spirited and utterly faithful re-creations of their work by Lee’s backing group, Baby Lemonade. The performances are further enhanced by a superb Scandinavian string and horn section which perfectly replicates the vitally important parts originally played by members of the LA Philharmonic.
Vocally, Arthur is generally in good form here, although he’s clearly uncomfortable on a couple of cuts, including "Andmoreagain" and "The Daily Planet," where age has inevitably limited his vocal range. The disc is nicely rounded out with four all-time Love classics, performed with total conviction. The surprise for me, hearing the anti-heroin epic "Signed DC" again for the first time after many years, is how uncannily similar it is to the Moody Blues’ subsequent hit "Nights in White Satin."
A couple of months after the Festival Hall bash I was privileged to attend an even more intimate Love event, a live recording for the TV show Later with Jools Holland. Once again, Lee proved a charismatic and exciting performer. Doing what I do for a living, I’m rarely phased by encounters with rock stars but, after that performance I wandered over, shook Arthur Lee’s hand… and instantly became almost totally inarticulate. -
They Say...
"Arthur! You don't know how long we've waited!" shouted one enthusiastic female member of the audience after Love had finished performing their first song. "But you know how long I've waited," Arthur Lee playfully tossed back, eliciting sharp cheers from the crowd. Such was the spirit at the Royal Festival Hall, where, on January 15, 2003, Lee and Love re-created the Forever Changes album live in London for the first time. What could have been a pathetic display -- Lee, the onetime star, performing old hits by rote -- actually becomes a transcendent experience through two virtues: inspired string and horn accompaniment from a Scandinavian eight-piece, and the sheer shock and relief that Lee is able to hold himself together despite his years of well-documented self-abuse. The Forever Changes Concert does not take any liberties with the content of the legendary Forever Changes album, preferring note-for-note replication over reimagining. While this may be disappointing to some listeners, others will revel in the impressiveness of how well those strings and horns blend in with Baby Lemonade, the backing band that, with Lee, comprises the touring version of Love. Meanwhile, Lee himself cuts a sympathetic and winning figure throughout the show. While he misses a note or two on "The Daily Planet," and can't quite touch Bryan MacLean's graceful high notes on "Old Man," he acquits himself vocally quite nicely and retains the precisely measured diction that made the album such a psychedelic peculiarity upon its initial release. Age has taken away the punk gruffness of tracks like "Bummer in the Summer," though. The interplay between Lee, his band, and the small orchestra is nothing short of breathtaking in certain spots, particularly when the show hits its crescendo on "You Set the Scene," the closer to the original album. The second half of that song is an unqualified triumph, instruments blending beautifully and Lee demonstrating clear elation at the fact of simply having made it through. When it's done, the instinct is to cheer much as one would for a sports underdog who's unexpectedly won a big game. That the bonus tracks -- renditions of selected well-known cuts from the rest of Love's erratic history -- are anticlimactic and less powerful hardly takes away from the success of this live set. Fans of Love will be impressed that Lee and his group are holding together so well, while listeners less familiar will find a sterling recapture of one of rock's greatest albums.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 15 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 15 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Alone Again Or |
4:20 |
|
| 02. | |
A House Is Not A Motel |
4:06 |
|
| 03. | |
Andmoreagain |
4:05 |
|
| 04. | |
The Daily Planet |
3:42 |
|
| 05. | |
Old Man |
3:29 |
|
| 06. | |
The Red Telephone |
7:12 |
|
| 07. | |
Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale |
3:57 |
|
| 08. | |
Live And Let Live |
5:13 |
|
| 09. | |
The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This |
3:42 |
|
| 10. | |
Bummer In The Summer |
2:34 |
|
| 11. | |
You Set The Scene |
7:51 |
|
11 Total Tracks, 50:11 Total Length
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 15 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 15 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. | |
Seven And Seven Is |
2:59 |
|
| 02. | |
Your Mind And We Belong Together |
4:12 |
|
| 03. | |
Signed DC |
6:46 |
|
| 04. | |
My Little Red Book |
2:31 |
|
04 Total Tracks, 16:28 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Love, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Love - Producer // Love - Producer // Love - ? // Love - ? // Arthur Lee - Guitar // Arthur Lee - Harmonica // Arthur Lee - Vocals // Arthur Lee - Producer // Mark Linnet - Producer // Dave Sinclair - Liner Notes // Rusty Squeezebox - Guitar // Rusty Squeezebox - Guitar (Rhythm) // Rusty Squeezebox - Vocals (Background) // Dave Chapple - Bass // Dave Chapple - Photography // Gene Kraut - Producer // Gene Kraut - Liner Notes // Mike Randle - Guitar // Mike Randle - Vocals (Background) // Karsten Sorensen - Engineer // Chris Jones - Photography // Eric Holm - Viola // David Green - Drums // David Sinclair - Liner Notes // Björn Samuelsson - Trombone // Gunnar Norden - Arranger // Gunnar Norden - Director // Andreas Forsman - Violin // Caroline Valdermossen - Violin // Anna Landberg - Cello // Nathalie Cohen - Photography // Forever Changes String & Horn Ensemble - ? // Mark Lennet - Mastering // Mark Lennet - Mixing // Fredrick Oskarsson - Trumpet // Kåre Persson - Photography // Stefan Persson - Trumpet // Justin Purington - Photography // Ketil Solberg - Violin // Susan Whitaker - Photography // Mike Edwards - Photography
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC