For those not in the know, Love was a band formed in 1965. They were originally called The Grass Roots until another band (mostly formed by a label) by the same name started getting hits. With the new name, Love, they started making a big impression in the L.A. club circuit. One fan noted, “You should be called ‘hate’ with all the aggression.” The great thing about them is that they had a good balance between the sensitive and the aggressive. By all accounts they were a very together band that would expand the songs into long Jazz-like improvisations. They had a BIG influence on the Doors. Jim Morrison, in early interviews, said he hoped the Doors would be as big as Love. He also stated many times that they were his favourite band. In a 1970 interview by a Rolling Stone reporter , when asked if Love was still his favourite band he gave an emphatic “Yes.”
In their early days (before they were signed) they had a drummer by the name of Don Conka. According to many who saw them in those days, he was an incredible drummer who was very adept at improvisation and very Jazz-like. It seemed he was very well-liked by the regulars at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go. Unfortunately, Conka had a drug problem and couldn’t function as regularly as the band needed. He was remembered sadly and sympathetically in the song, “Signed DC.” It was/is the most sympathetic and heart rendering song about drug addiction ever made(in my not so humble opinion).
They were the first rock band to be signed by Electra Records. Previously, their roster only included respected Folk artists. They were also the first interracial rock band to be signed to a major label. With the release of their first album they were the first band to release an album with the front and back covers in colour.
By this time they replaced Don Conka (who, unfortunately, died in 2004) with a drummer called “Snoopy” Pfisterer. But, reportedly, Arthur Lee did most of the drumming on the first album. Snoopy seemed okay with this and seemed comfortable with the arrangement acknowledging that he wasn’t the greatest drummer in the world (according to comments he made in the book, “Love Story.”). On the second album, “Da Capo.” Snoopy became the harpsichordist and Ken Forssi took over drums. They also brought in Tjay Cantrelli on all manner of winds which gave them a Jazzier feel. Along with the use of harpsichord they made themselves totally unique among bands of their era. They also became the first band to do a song that covered an entire album side (yes, before Jethro Tull and Yes!!!!!).
Then came the tour-de-force, “Forever Changes!!!” (exclamation points are mine). Tjay was no longer with the band and Snoopy left. They were a five piece again. They were still the favourites of Jac Holtzman (head of Electra) but they refused to tour outside of California (which was Death to bands in the sixties) and their sales in the U.S. were less than impressive (they were, however, gaining popularity in Europe, ironically). They had to come up with great album. With no regard of this pressure Arthur made this album a personal one. At the age of 22, Arthur believed he was going to die so he wrote what he thought would be his last words to the people on this planet. Fellow songwriter, Bryan Maclean, contributed two very powerful songs to this album (most notably, “Alone Again Or”). The album (complete with orchestral accompaniment) was such a statement on mortality, materialism, life, death, war, media, race, sanity and humanity that long after its release critics were hailing it an absolute masterpiece. In its time, however, it got nothing short of raspberry for its efforts!
During this time, the band was suffering from overconfidence, laziness and drug addiction (emphasis on drug addiction). It got to a point where they were getting dysfunctional in the studio (i.e. too zoned out to play). It got to be so bad that Arthur started to replace them with studio musicians. When they saw that he was serious about replacing them they got serious and finished the album. They released a single later on but by then they sunk back into their habits and it was, reportedly, like pulling teeth to get them to finish the two songs. At the time, Arthur could only deal with Bryan Maclean so he fired the rest of the band. Arthur was, reportedly, convinced to bring the band together. With the exception of Bryan Maclean they reunited but the problems arose again. Another band arose in late ’68. Two other great albums were released. The legacy of Love carried on but the original band was but a fond memory.
I can and will write about the other incarnations but the original lineups were very special. There was a great unexplained cohesion that collaborated with Arthur Lee’s genius. They lived communally in a run-down mansion (nowadays it is beautifully restored and there’s a video of Arthur Lee revisiting it on YouTube and on the documentary “Love Story.”). The mansion was called “The Castle.” I was honoured to stand in front of it this year. Dick Clark even interviewed them about this place and even proposed to bring cameras to document it. It was one of the shames of Rock ‘n’ Roll history that he didn’t follow through. This is where they wrote their first three albums.
Sadly, Arthur Lee, died of Leukemia in 2006. He is sorely missed. I will write more about him in the future. Arthur was an unrecognized genius. His versatility and influence on everyone from Robert Plant to Jimi Hendrix is still ignored or unseen by the public and the press.