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Arthur Lee and Love: A birthday, March 7, 1945, and an album release, March 12, 1966.
Fri Mar 12, 2021: Arthur Lee and Love: A birthday, March 7, 1945, and an album release, March 12, 1966.
From This Day in Rock, which is prone to error:
1966 – First album by Love is released in the US.
I always check Wikipedia for confirmation. They just say it was in March. Let's just go with it anyway. I didn't get his birthday a week ago, so I need to say something.
Wikipedia's entries for Arthur Lee and for Love have been changed a lot in the last few years. I'll take some time later to update the quoted material here.
Sat Aug 3, 2019: Died, on this day, August 3, in 2006: Arthur Lee
I kept trying to find this post from last year, which I knew existed, in the DU archives. To my chagrin, I was searching for Alvin Lee, not Arthur Lee. Thanks to Wikipedia for letting me see what I was doing wrong.
I'm using last year's Wikipedia entry for my biographical information. It has been edited a lot since then.
Hat tip, This Day in Rock:
http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/2006-arthur-lee-the-singer-and-guitarist-for-ps/
2006 – Arthur Lee, the singer and guitarist for psychedelic rock pioneers Love, dies) at the Methodist University Hospital in his hometown of Memphis after battling leukemia. He is 61.
2006 – Arthur Lee, the singer and guitarist for psychedelic rock pioneers Love, dies) at the Methodist University Hospital in his hometown of Memphis after battling leukemia. He is 61.
Fri Aug 3, 2018: Died, on this day in 2006, Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee (musician)
Arthur Lee
Lee in 1977
Born: March 7, 1945; Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died: August 3, 2006 (aged 61); Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres: Psychedelic rock, folk rock
Website: www.lovearthurlee.com
Arthur Taylor Lee (born Arthur Porter Taylor; March 7, 1945 – August 3, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame as the frontman of the Los Angeles rock band Love, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock bands of the sixties.
{snip}
Love
Main article: Love (band)
Lee said when he first heard The Byrds he felt vindicated since he'd already been writing music that had a similar folk rock sound. In 1965 the Grass Roots, his folk rock unit, changed their name to Love because there was already a signed act called The Grass Roots. Several other names were considered including Bryan MacLean's choice of Summer's Children as well as others, such as the Asylum Choir, Dr Strangelove, Poetic Justice, and the Love. The name Love was chosen after a club audience voted it the best choice. According to Barney Hoskyns' 2001 book Arthur Lee: Alone Again Or, Manson Family member and sometime Grass Roots guitarist Bobby Beausoleil claimed that Arthur had named the band Love in honor of one of Beausoleil's nicknames, Cupid.
Lee's early appearances were at clubs in Hollywood, including the Brave New World; Hullabaloo; Bido Lito's; and the Sea Witch. At Bido Lito's, a tiny hole-in-the-wall club located on a cul-de-sac known as Cosmo's Alley, Lee first showed his potential for excellence. The Bido Lito's audience was sometimes dotted with celebrities, including actor Sal Mineo, and rock stars Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix, who would go on to collaborate with Lee on future recording projects. Lee then got the opportunity to play the larger Whisky a Go-Go on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, after which Love received a recording contract by Elektra Records. Love received a lot of air play in Los Angeles, and performed several times in 1967 at the Cheetah nightclub in Venice, CA..
Love's music has been described as a mixture of folk-rock, psychedelic rock, baroque pop, Spanish-tinged pop, R&B, garage rock, and even protopunk. Lee has been regarded as "the first punk rocker" but wasn't flattered by the phrase as he thought the term punk meant "being somebody's bitch or something like that." Though Lee's vocals have garnered some comparisons to Johnny Mathis, his lyrics often dwell on matters dark and vexing, but often with a wry humor. The group's cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition "My Little Red Book" (first recorded by Manfred Mann for the soundtrack of What's New, Pussycat?) received a thumbs-down from Bacharach: Love had altered the song's chord changes. Nonetheless the record was a Southern California hit and won Lee and Love a spot on American Bandstand.
Love (1966) included their cover of "My Little Red Book". "Emotion", an instrumental track from the album, is used in the opening credits of the 1969 movie Medium Cool. Side two of Da Capo (1966) featured just one song, "Revelation". The first side contained six individual songs, including their only single to achieve any success in the Billboard Top 40 chart: "7 and 7 Is". Forever Changes (1967) followed, the album a centerpiece of the group's psychedelic-tinged sound, bolstered by David Angel's arrangements.
Love released three albums with core members Lee, Echols (lead guitar, vocals), Bryan MacLean (guitar, vocals), and Ken Forssi (bass). The drum chair revolved between Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer (Love, "7 and 7 Is" ) and Michael Stuart (all tracks on Da Capo except "7 and 7 Is", Forever Changes). Pfisterer reportedly found the demanding drum parts on "7 and 7 Is" so exhausting that he and Arthur Lee alternated takes. Da Capo also included Tjay Cantrelli, who was added on saxophone and flute while Pfisterer was moved to organ and harpsichord. Both were out of the group by the time Forever Changes was recorded.[citation needed]
Forever Changes is regarded by critics and fans alike as Love's finest recording, and one of the best rock records of not just the 1960s but of all time. Despite this acclaim, the LP sold moderately in its time (reaching #154 on the Top 200 albums, and stayed on the charts for 10 weeks, without the benefit of a hit single), although it reached the top 30 in the UK. Nonetheless, its cult status grew. In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Forever Changes 40th in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
....
Arthur Lee
Lee in 1977
Born: March 7, 1945; Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died: August 3, 2006 (aged 61); Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres: Psychedelic rock, folk rock
Website: www.lovearthurlee.com
Arthur Taylor Lee (born Arthur Porter Taylor; March 7, 1945 – August 3, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame as the frontman of the Los Angeles rock band Love, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock bands of the sixties.
{snip}
Love
Main article: Love (band)
Lee said when he first heard The Byrds he felt vindicated since he'd already been writing music that had a similar folk rock sound. In 1965 the Grass Roots, his folk rock unit, changed their name to Love because there was already a signed act called The Grass Roots. Several other names were considered including Bryan MacLean's choice of Summer's Children as well as others, such as the Asylum Choir, Dr Strangelove, Poetic Justice, and the Love. The name Love was chosen after a club audience voted it the best choice. According to Barney Hoskyns' 2001 book Arthur Lee: Alone Again Or, Manson Family member and sometime Grass Roots guitarist Bobby Beausoleil claimed that Arthur had named the band Love in honor of one of Beausoleil's nicknames, Cupid.
Lee's early appearances were at clubs in Hollywood, including the Brave New World; Hullabaloo; Bido Lito's; and the Sea Witch. At Bido Lito's, a tiny hole-in-the-wall club located on a cul-de-sac known as Cosmo's Alley, Lee first showed his potential for excellence. The Bido Lito's audience was sometimes dotted with celebrities, including actor Sal Mineo, and rock stars Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix, who would go on to collaborate with Lee on future recording projects. Lee then got the opportunity to play the larger Whisky a Go-Go on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, after which Love received a recording contract by Elektra Records. Love received a lot of air play in Los Angeles, and performed several times in 1967 at the Cheetah nightclub in Venice, CA..
Love's music has been described as a mixture of folk-rock, psychedelic rock, baroque pop, Spanish-tinged pop, R&B, garage rock, and even protopunk. Lee has been regarded as "the first punk rocker" but wasn't flattered by the phrase as he thought the term punk meant "being somebody's bitch or something like that." Though Lee's vocals have garnered some comparisons to Johnny Mathis, his lyrics often dwell on matters dark and vexing, but often with a wry humor. The group's cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition "My Little Red Book" (first recorded by Manfred Mann for the soundtrack of What's New, Pussycat?) received a thumbs-down from Bacharach: Love had altered the song's chord changes. Nonetheless the record was a Southern California hit and won Lee and Love a spot on American Bandstand.
Love (1966) included their cover of "My Little Red Book". "Emotion", an instrumental track from the album, is used in the opening credits of the 1969 movie Medium Cool. Side two of Da Capo (1966) featured just one song, "Revelation". The first side contained six individual songs, including their only single to achieve any success in the Billboard Top 40 chart: "7 and 7 Is". Forever Changes (1967) followed, the album a centerpiece of the group's psychedelic-tinged sound, bolstered by David Angel's arrangements.
Love released three albums with core members Lee, Echols (lead guitar, vocals), Bryan MacLean (guitar, vocals), and Ken Forssi (bass). The drum chair revolved between Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer (Love, "7 and 7 Is" ) and Michael Stuart (all tracks on Da Capo except "7 and 7 Is", Forever Changes). Pfisterer reportedly found the demanding drum parts on "7 and 7 Is" so exhausting that he and Arthur Lee alternated takes. Da Capo also included Tjay Cantrelli, who was added on saxophone and flute while Pfisterer was moved to organ and harpsichord. Both were out of the group by the time Forever Changes was recorded.[citation needed]
Forever Changes is regarded by critics and fans alike as Love's finest recording, and one of the best rock records of not just the 1960s but of all time. Despite this acclaim, the LP sold moderately in its time (reaching #154 on the Top 200 albums, and stayed on the charts for 10 weeks, without the benefit of a hit single), although it reached the top 30 in the UK. Nonetheless, its cult status grew. In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Forever Changes 40th in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
....
My favorite Arthur Lee song, hands down:
ColoradoSurfrider
Published on Dec 2, 2006
A small tribute to a great band and guitar player Arthur Lee who sadly left us this year. You can internet search to learn more about him.
Published on Dec 2, 2006
A small tribute to a great band and guitar player Arthur Lee who sadly left us this year. You can internet search to learn more about him.
Dreadful sound and video, but the real thing:
arthurlovelee
Published on Jun 1, 2008
greatest band of all time
Published on Jun 1, 2008
greatest band of all time
And now for the album.
Love (Love album)
Studio album by Love
Released: March 1966
Recorded: January 24–27, 1966
Studio: Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
Love is the eponymous debut album by the Los Angeles-based rock band Love, and was released in March 1966 on Elektra Records.
{snip}
Studio album by Love
Released: March 1966
Recorded: January 24–27, 1966
Studio: Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
Love is the eponymous debut album by the Los Angeles-based rock band Love, and was released in March 1966 on Elektra Records.
{snip}
Here's Love's other well known tune. It was a Burt Bacharach - Hal David effort:
HarryLimePresents
Published on Aug 2, 2010
My Little Red Book {"American Bandstand" US TV Show, June 18 1966}.
Arthur, Bryan, Johnny, Kenny, Snoop
Composed by Burt Bacharach with lyricist by Hal David.
Published on Aug 2, 2010
My Little Red Book {"American Bandstand" US TV Show, June 18 1966}.
Arthur, Bryan, Johnny, Kenny, Snoop
Composed by Burt Bacharach with lyricist by Hal David.
