Forever Changes – Love (1967)
Love’s third album, Forever Changes is simply one of those albums that blew my mind the first time I heard it. And with it’s dark yet beautiful sound, I find myself coming back to it time and time again.
Love’s lead singer and songwriter, Arthur Lee shows an impressive prowess throughout the album, and his strange lyrics are endlessly fascinating. Lee, who died just two years ago, broke this version of the band up after Forever Changes, and this album stands as a testiment to Lee’s unique songwriting talent, and to Love as a whole. Also, even though Lee gets most of the credit, guitarist Bryan Maclean did write “Alone Again Or” and “Old Man”, two of the album’s best songs, so let’s give credit where credit’s due.
Besides the songs of Arthur Lee, what really makes this album special is its distinctive sound. Love’s folk-rock style is brilliantly complemented by some very eerie sounding string arrangements throughout the album and what I would consider mariachi-style horns. Also, what I find unique is Love’s intricate use of acoustic guitars being used in a way that we’re more accustomed to hearing on electric guitars. And by that I mean that most of the songs are pretty uptempo, and yet there are only two songs that feature any electric guitar. Basically I cannot recommend this album enough, it’s one of the few albums I would consider an absolute masterpiece.
Favorite Tracks: Alone Again Or, The Daily Planet, You Set The Scene