Reel to Real (Love album) underrated...I love it

LOVE was another great band from the 60's and of course VERY Doors related.
I think it would be great to have this special topic about the band who was such a big example for The Doors.

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jamestkirk
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Reel to Real (Love album) underrated...I love it

Post by jamestkirk »

Reel to Real is the seventh album by the American rock band Love, released in 1975

Listening to it right now....the original vinyl went for $15.99 on ebay recently...and a CD went for six or seven times as much overseas.
Arthur showing his versatility...doing some rocking soul!!

Stop The Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=385N4r8Uxm0

Time Is Like A River
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At0nGzFx ... re=related

Which Witch Is Which...psychedelic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5dPEs2k ... re=related

Who Are You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qw_vwxO ... re=related

Good Old Fashioned Dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVgLkIjv ... re=related

Busted Feethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTaNIsa5ejI&feature=related

Singing Cowboy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH6DZXN2 ... re=related





They will always recognize and value Mr Lee & Love across the pond more than his home country....sadly. Again I have to say....most artists would give their eye teeth to write & perform a collection of such fine songs....more talent in his little finger than most musicians....period.


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The first Love album in four years and the final Love album for nearly twenty years, Reel to Real has only one direct link to any of the previous albums by the group, bandleader Arthur Lee. It follows the release of Lee's solo album, Vindicator (1972).

A one-off for Robert Stigwood's RSO Records, Reel to Real featured the same players that had played on Lee's second solo record, the unreleased Black Beauty. Unlike the psychedelic or harder-rocking phases of Love, many of the songs of Reel to Real are in the genre of 70's soul music. Originally intended to become a two album deal through RSO, Reel to Real would be the only outing with Robert Stigwood's label. Through the efforts of Skip Taylor who had been a long time admirer of Arthur Lee, he approached the label and convinced Stigwood to give the previously un-commercially successful Lee the largest advance he would ever receive. Also the biggest touring opportunity any incarnation of Love would ever embark on, with acts such as Lou Reed and most famously Eric Clapton. The tour was a disaster due to Arthur's increasing erratic behavior. By this point Arthur had developed a bad track record for blowing big advances and slacking off during the recording process, and failing to tour for most of his post Blue thumb efforts. This would be the last major tour, and major label deal Arthur Lee would have for a long time. During this time, Arthur was very bizarre and stand off-ish to media, and sometimes fans and fellow musicians, particularly those who were more famous. Stigwood would become fed up with Lee and chose to release him from his contract thusly killing any chance for another soul/disco infused Love album for 1976.
[edit] Track listing

All tracks written and arranged by Arthur Lee, except where noted

1. "Time Is Like A River"
2. "Stop the Music"
3. "Who Are You"
4. "Good Old Fashion Dream"
5. "Which Witch is Which?"
6. "With A Little Energy"
7. "Singing Cowboy" (Lee, Jay Donnellan)
8. "Be Thankful For What You Got" (William DeVaughn)
9. "You Said You Would"
10. "Busted Feet" (Lee, Charles Karp)
11. "Everybody's Gotta Live"

[edit] Personnel

* Produced by Arthur Lee
* Arthur Lee: rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, vocal
* Melvan Whittington: guitar
* John Sterling: guitar
* Sherwood Akuna: bass
* Joe Blocker: drums
* Bobby Lyle: keyboards
* Gary Bell: synthesizer
* Herman McCormick: conductor
* Wilber Brown, Fred Carter, John Clauder, Alan DeVille, Clifford Solomon and Billy Sprague: horns
* Vanetta Fields, Jessica Smith and Carlena Williams: vocals
* Robert Rozelle: bass (6, 7, 10)
* Buzzy Feiten: lead guitar (3)
* Art Fox: acoustic guitar (5)
* Harvey "The Snake" Mandel: electric guitars (
* Joe Deaguro: vocal, vibes (8)


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ANTONE ELSE LOVE IT?!!
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music".

-Aldous Huxley
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silentseason
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Post by silentseason »

I don't have it.....yet.

As I am protective of the legacy of LoVE, let me pose this question to you, jtk: Is this album worthy of Arthur Lee? I ask because of the usual reasons: while the album may have "LoVE" on it's cover, it is essentially an Arthur solo album with different musicians. Had the passing of time eroded any of his abilities to write/sing?
You set the scene
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jamestkirk
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Post by jamestkirk »

silentseason wrote:I don't have it.....yet.

As I am protective of the legacy of LoVE, let me pose this question to you, jtk: Is this album worthy of Arthur Lee? I ask because of the usual reasons: while the album may have "LoVE" on it's cover, it is essentially an Arthur solo album with different musicians. Had the passing of time eroded any of his abilities to write/sing?
His vocal work is as good as ever....his musicianship is improving...but he has definitely tried to move away from the original sound of LOVE. A 70's thing..as Arthur said, he was always insecure about his music and his later bandmates said the 60's LoVE was crap...they wanted him to do funk & soul. I think Arthur succeeded in that.

But it took arthur decades and prison (he says it saved his life in some ways)to finally return to what he was best at....but Arthur loved all phases of his music.

Also I think fans get kind of possessive of their 60's LoVE and won't allow for whatever happened later. Love was at the core--Arthur--so Arthur had the right to call his incarnations of musicians-LoVE.
Period. (but yeah...we all love the original Love with Johnny and Michael best.....they were for us what Love was about)

But here is proof positive that Arthur never "lost it"!!

Image

Alone Again/A House Is Not A Motel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQspFesT3E




=)
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music".

-Aldous Huxley
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