"Your Mind And We Belong Together"

[silentseason]

"Your Mind And We Belong Together"
From: Elektra single EK 45633, A side
-Running time: 4:15
-Recorded: January 30 and 31, 1968 Sunset Sound
-Written by: Arthur Lee
-Lead vocal: Arthur Lee
-Lead guitar: Johnny Echols
-Rhythm guitar: Bryan MacLean
-Bass: Kenny Forssi
-Drums: Michael Stuart
-This is the last material recorded by the band, released as a single in June 1968. It failed to make a dent nationally.
-This song is a great amalgam of all three of the previous albums. It has the weird twists and lyrics of Forever Changes, the jazz/solo/improv feel of Da Capo via Johnny's solo at the end, and the straight forward rock of the debut album in so far as no strings, horns, keyboards or wind instruments.
-Engineered by John Haeny, who had replaced Bruce Botnick. Botnick was angry with Arthur at the completion of the Forever Changes sessions and would not work with LoVE for these sessions.
-The song came together rather quickly in the studio in rehearsal, but once they set to recording it over forty takes were needed.
-The band made a strange film for this song, their only one. It is a fascinating document on the band in 1968, with glimpes of each member, Arthur's 'The Trip' house, his dog and bird collection. It is somewhat amatuerish, akin to The Doors "Unknown Soldier" film that they made around the same time. An unpleasant aspect of it was towards the end when Bryan, ever the prankster, was goofing around too much for Arthur's sake by making faces. Arthur claimed that had he seen that he would have booted Bryan out of the band right then. Regardless, it is a must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVaXdnozsL4

-Another great band document is the tracking session version of this song on the expanded and deluxe Forever Changes CD. From false starts to goofs to mishaps it is captured live and gives the listener a brief glimpse into the band's creative process. But most of all Arthur's banter is a great vantage point from which to see LoVE in all its glory. It is almost hilarious after a good take and blistering guitar solo from Johnny that Arthur still complained about the band's performance.

-Quotable: Michael gives his take on the developing band schism after the completion of this single in '68, which may be the most honest and devasting statement on the demise of LoVE:

"I think we were all temporarily energized and encouraged by the results we got on the "Your Mind..." session and maybe collectively we were even subconsciously inventing an unrealistically optimistic future for ourselves, wherein we toured and added more songs to make a new album and you know..rebirthed our mojo... but I think also (considering the lack of communication we had known in the previous months) deep down, each of us knew that it was just as likely we were nearing the end."

-IMHO: This is the last single and several thoughts stand out.
1) After a 5 month layoff from the studio and only intermittant live appearances, the band has not only not lost a step, but arguably made the best music of their career. Freed from the constraints of the forced subtly of Forever Changes, the band is allowed to really stretch out and play hard and fast; they never rocked better, save for '7 and 7 Is'.
2) A sense of frustration comes from this song because it is so good. If things would have worked out and they stayed together, I really believe the band had alot more great music they would have produced, perhaps at least 3 or 4 more albums worth. But it was not to be and it is a great loss that they never made music together anymore.
3) This is the apex of Arthur's artistic career. He made some very good music after this, but never as good as this.

-Myth buster: This single is thought by some to be part of a secret unreleased fourth LoVe album named Gethsemane; this is patently untrue. Other than this single and some other songs that the band had roughly worked on but had not come close to recording, there is no missing Gethsemane album. This single concludes the original material produced by the band.
-Fun fact: If you've got $300 in your pocket with nothing to do you might come into possesion of maybe the rarest of LoVE's mementos. This rare pressing of "Your Mind And We Belong Together" ranks up there with the missing pre-Elektra tapes and the broken flower pot from the Forever Changes back cover photo.
http://redredwineonasunday.blogspot.com ... 31111.html

Lyrics:

I'd like to understand just why
I feel like I have been through hell
But you tell me I haven't even started yet
To live here you've got to give more than you get
That I know
But they said it's all right

I'd like to understand today
Then maybe I would know who I was
When I was when it was yesterday
The seasons and the reasons are on display
And I know
Oh... Oh........... Oh...........

So many people
They just seem to clutter up my mind
And if it's mine throw it away
Throw it again once for my girl...friend

So many voices
Don't let them stop between my ears
But it appears that there they are
Though they are wrong ten thousand strong, oh, yeah

I'm lockin' my heart in the closet
I don't need anyone, oh no no no
You find me behind the door
And all of the far-out faces
From long ago, I can't erase this
All right

[BallroomDays67]

An excellent entry befitting of one of their best songs.

[jamestkirk]

The live performance with Baby Lemonade from the second link is SMOKIN'!!!