“By ‘Forever Changes’ � when I did that album, I thought I was going to die at that particular time, so those were my last words. I was 26. I’d always had this thing about when I was going to die, man, or physically deteriorate, and I thought it would be about 26…something like that. I just had a funny feeling.” � Arthur Lee

West Coast folk-rock/psychedelia outfit Love managed to pull off the requirements of their genre with quite some success (albeit a short-lived success, and one far from reaching mainstream levels due to their refusal to do live acts), drawing on influences from other bands in the Los Angeles-area (most notably the Byrds), frontman Arthur Lee’s own eccentric and at times decidedly gloomy vision of his immediate surroundings, as well as blending and fusing other styles such as Spanish flamenco and jazz. They could play psychedelia without being burned by the same mistakes made by most other acid-driven grassroots bands of the crazy 1960s, combining decent musicianship, a firm grasp on structure, all the while maintaining their hippiesque influences with outright bizarre lyrics (“All the snot has caked against my pants/It has turned into crystal” is the beginning of one song), courtesy of vocalist Lee and fellow-songwriter Brian MacLean.

“Forever Changes”, the group’s third and final release before an extended period of musical decline, is a heady affair, haunted by Lee’s put-on fragile vocals, flowing, organic lines, and fierce orchestrations contrasted by the starkness of a lone acoustic guitar. Some of the orchestrations are a tad hefty for my taste, but otherwise “Forever Changes” is a near fault-free, wonderful collection of inspired music, beautifully strange and serene, but also pulsating with energy, showing the band’s ability to play together effectively despite their almost-breakup just before going into studio to record. I’d hate to do a track-by-track analysis of “Forever Changes” – I’m tempted because of the outright excellent quality of songwriting. Suffice it to say that every single song has some catch and level of quality warranting a one-sit listen-through before putting it on again and again and again…

Love weren’t just some throw-together, rag-tag band of psychedelic hippie-monkeys, despite the fact that they were playing some sort of psychedelia and recording an album in 1967. Instead, they take the somewhat temporary, hollow feeling of the 1960s, as I would imagine it was having never lived through it myself, and masterfully manipulate it into something more emotionally complete. Lee and MacLean do a good job of translating these slightly happy-go-lucky, up-and-down and at times depressed state of affairs into a masterpiece of the L.A.-scene anno 1960s. That’s vague, but it’s as good as it gets without hearing “Forever Changes” for yourself. Well worth your cash; plus, it has a very nifty-looking cover…

Year Released: 1967
Label: Elektra Records
Related Link: Love at Elektra Records
Date Reviewed: 2004-01-10
Author: Andreas