Review #180: Forever Changes, Love
#180: Forever Changes, Love
This series of reviews is just becoming a way for me to confess the many things I’m ignorant about. For example, the fact that Marvin Gaye was shot by his father. Here’s another: I didn’t know that the Summer of Love referred to the SPECIFIC summer of a SPECIFIC year. Specifically, 1967. I dunno, I guess I always assumed it was more of a concept that applied to all of the Sixties.
As far as I can tell, there were two important things that occurred during the Summer of Love: the “Human Be-In,” which was — something that I don’t know what it was; and this album being recorded in June and released later that year. No, the Summer of Love was not named after Love the band, although that would be a cool claim to fame. However, they were one of the first interracial rock bands, which is a much cooler claim to fame.
Love was the creative vehicle for Arthur Lee, who led a really interesting life all around. He served five and a half years in the Nineties just for firing a gun into the air (and there’s some dispute about whether he fired it at all). He died of acute myeloid leukemia complications in 2006
Another embarrassing confession: I had also never heard of Love the band before reviewing this album. So there you go: I learned about love this week.
FAVORITE SONGS:
“Alone Again Or” — “I KNOW THIS ONE!” I scream realizing that I do, in fact, know this one. What a weird little song! You know that I could be in love with almost everyone! I love the violence of Biggie, but this hippie-dippie shit is much more my speed. It took me a few different listens to hear the slightly more complex chorus line, though: And I will be alone again tonight, my dear. Maybe free love ain’t so free.
“A House Is Not a Motel” — I love Arthur Lee’s voice. Every song has such quotable lyrics, too: And the water’s turned to blood, and if/You don’t think so/Go turn on your tub.
“Andmoreagain” — Obsessed with how poetry-grad-student this whole album is.
“The Daily Planet” — Hey, man, routine is BAD!
“The Red Telephone” — Fun conspiracy theory about this song: the house the band all lived in had a red telephone that they would just yeet across the room sometimes. Hard to find a reliable source for a fact like that but I’m deciding it’s true.
“Maybe The People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale” — Love gets a lot of credit for having the coolest song titles ever, if nothing else.
“Live and Let Live” — Gosh, how can you make such gross lyrics so pretty? The snot has caked against my pants/It has turned into crystal. I envy this.
“The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This” — Another that’s worth including just for the title.
“You Set the Scene” — Lyrics with this kind of message are right up my alley. You go through changes, it may seem strange/Is this what you’re put here for?
LEAST FAVORITE SONGS:
“Old Man” — This was probably the most slam-poet-esque song on the album. I’m sorry but I prefer Neil Young.
IS RS FULL OF IT?
I love Love and you should too!
