Love - The Blue Thumb Recordings (2007) 3CD

At long last, Hip-o Select has reissued Love's last two studio albums, recorded with Blue Thumb, along with an album's worth of unreleased live tracks from three different 1970 concert dates. The set is 3 discs, disc one being the double album Out Here (68 min.), disc two is False Start (29 minutes) and three is titled Live in England 1970 (56 min.). These final two albums were released by a band whose members were constantly changing (with leader, singer and songwriter Arthur Lee as the only constant), and also a band that included no other members from the Love that recorded 1968's essentialForever Changes album. However, though he changed his band around and changed his sound considerably from orchestral folk-rock to a harder brand of psychedelic rock, Lee by no means quit producing worthwhile material after Forever Changes. This reissue is a welcome one, since Out Here has been out of print for quite a while (and thus very expensive and rare to find), False Start has been somewhat hard to track down, and this is the first time the 1970 live album has been released. Although this was a hit-and-miss period for Lee and Love, there's tons of great, rocking tracks in this collection, lots of Lee's inimitably dead-on lyrics, and I think it's worth owning for any major Love fan (who is probably primarily interested in the previously unreleased live material) or anyone who's been bewitched by the classic Forever Changes and wants to dig deeper into Love's later music.

Out Here is unquestionably the strongest disc of the set. Since it resulted from the same sessions that produced the excellent Four Sail album, it's nearly as good. Really, its main flaw is one that has plagued most double albums--filler. There's a few songs that are merely OK, which suggests that perhaps Out Here would have been dynamite if it were trimmed down a bit. Despite the occasional down moments, it's full of some excellent highlights, like the update of "Signed D.C.," which is darker than the original and drenched in doomy emotion. "Discharged" is a horn-accompanied change of pace, highlighting the biting satire that was ever-present on Forever Changes. "Doggone" is great, full of references to the old Love lineup, but for some reason it has an 8-minute long drum solo, which is probably the most typical instance of filler on the album (not poorly-played or anything, just unnecessary--and nowhere near as excessive as Da Capo's "Revelation"). The rest of the album is packed with excellent eclectic styles, like the folky "Willow Willow" and the dark and sublime closer, "Gather 'Round." Throughout the album, Lee's voice sounds as good and expressive as it ever has, and the band sounds pretty tight as well, though sometimes, in-between some blistering and jaw-dropping moments, Jay Donnelan's fuzzed-out guitar lines start to sound the same. Despite its occasional long-winded moments, I'd have to say that I enjoy Out Here as much or maybe more than Four Sail. Since it's out of print, the inclusion of Out Here in this set is worth the price of admission alone.

False Start is easily the weakest Love album. Yes, it does include that Hendrix collaboration, "The Everlasting First," but it's not THAT great of a song, and Jimi's guitar really doesn't sound anywhere near its peaks on his own records. The album grooves along at a pretty good clip, with songs that blend into each other, which is cool, but what's missing is substance. Arthur Lee, at his best, possessed a gift for turning mundane details into deep and resonant lyrics, but on False Start the lyrics rarely rise above the simply mundane, like the simple sing-song of "Flying," and the facile narration of "Slick Dick." Some of it's good gritty fun, the way throwaway rock should be, like the soulful "Feel Daddy Feel Good," but much of it is lyrical white noise set to some pretty groovy rock. Throw in an unnecessary live version of "Stand Out" (one of Out Here's more forgettable tracks) and at just under 30 minutes, False Start seems more than a bit half-hearted. Still, Lee's got that signature something in his voice and delivery, so even when he's mediocre it's worth some attention.

Live In England 1970 is probably what the serious collectors are interested in, and for pretty good reason. Not only is it the earliest official live Love album, but it also spans all of their albums through Out Here, including Forever Changes. I don't know if I'd call the live disc essential, but it's definitely worthwhile. The performances (from 3 different shows) can best be described as raw, for better and worse. On a few numbers, like "My Little Red Book," "Bummer In The Summer" and an epic take on "Gather 'Round," the band's all-electric sound really adds some weight and grit to Love's harder rock sound, and Lee's vocals really nail the songs' sentiments. On the other hand, he strains to hit the notes on "Orange Skies" and "Andmoreagain," and the heavy rock is a bit too plodding for some of the more delicate numbers. Likewise, "August" lacks some of the punch that made it such an effective opener for Four Sail. It's all a matter of taste, though, and I expect many fans will rightly be delighted with the live disc.

AUDIOCHECKER v2.0 beta (build 457) - by Dester - opdester@freemail.hu
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Path: ...\Disc 1- Out Here

01 -=- 01 - Love - I'll Pray For You.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
02 -=- 02 - Love - Abalony.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
03 -=- 03 - Love - Signed D. C..flac -=- MPEG (95%)
04 -=- 04 - Love - Listen To My Song.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
05 -=- 05 - Love - I'm Down.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
06 -=- 06 - Love - Stand Out.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
07 -=- 07 - Love - Discharged.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
08 -=- 08 - Love - Doggone.flac -=- CDDA (99%)
09 -=- 09 - Love - I Still Wonder.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
10 -=- 10 - Love - Love Is More Than Words (Or Better Late Than Never).flac -=- CDDA (99%)
11 -=- 11 - Love - Nice To Be.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
12 -=- 12 - Love - Car Lights On In The Daytime Blues.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
13 -=- 13 - Love - Run To The Top.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
14 -=- 14 - Love - Willow Willow.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
15 -=- 15 - Love - Instra-Mental.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
16 -=- 16 - Love - You Are Something.flac -=- MPEG (95%)
17 -=- 17 - Love - Gather `round.flac -=- MPEG (95%)

Summary 44,00% CDDA

108978804

AUDIOCHECKER v2.0 beta (build 457) - by Dester - opdester@freemail.hu
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Path: ...\Disc 2- False Start

01 -=- 01 - Love - The Everlasting First.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
02 -=- 02 - Love - Flying.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
03 -=- 03 - Love - Gimi A Little Break.flac -=- CDDA (99%)
04 -=- 04 - Love - Stand Out.flac -=- CDDA (99%)
05 -=- 05 - Love - Keep On Shining.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
06 -=- 06 - Love - Anytime.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
07 -=- 07 - Love - Slick Dick.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
08 -=- 08 - Love - Love Is Coming.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
09 -=- 09 - Love - Feel Daddy Feel Good.flac -=- CDDA (100%)
10 -=- 10 - Love - Ride That Vibration.flac -=- CDDA (100%)

Summary 99,80% CDDA

133672676

AUDIOCHECKER v2.0 beta (build 457) - by Dester - opdester@freemail.hu
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Path: ...\Disc 3- Live In England 1970

01 -=- 01 - Love - Good Times (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
02 -=- 02 - Love - August (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
03 -=- 03 - Love - My Little Red Book (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
04 -=- 04 - Love - Nothing (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
05 -=- 05 - Love - Orange Skies (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
06 -=- 06 - Love - Andmoreagain (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
07 -=- 07 - Love - Gather Round (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
08 -=- 08 - Love - Bummer In The Summer (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
09 -=- 09 - Love - Singing Cowboy (Live).flac -=- CDDA (99%)
10 -=- 10 - Love - Signed D.C. (Live).flac -=- CDDA (100%)
11 -=- 11 - Love - Love Is More Than Words Or Better Late Than Never.flac -=- CDDA (99%)

Summary 99,82% CDDA

262328020