This week in (original) LoVE history...

[jamestkirk]

Thanks for this...a very enjoyable read!!

[silentseason]

For the week of January 30-February 5:

January 30 Recording session, Sunset Sound Recorders Los Angeles CA. Single "Your Mind And We Belong Together" and "Laughing Stock" recorded. (1968)

January 31 Recording session, Sunset Sound Recorders Los Angeles CA. Single "Your Mind And We Belong Together" and "Laughing Stock" recorded. (1968)

February 5 Concert Hullabaloo, Los Angeles CA. (1967)

-Previous takes on the "Your Mind" single here http://www.thefreedomman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3883 and here http://www.thefreedomman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3895

Alternate universe scenario/Food for thought: Could things have been different in terms of financial success for the Doors and LoVE? Probably not, but consider the following scenario. Imagine that for the Doors the brothers Manzarek (Rick and Jim) opted to stay with the nascent Doors. Imagine that the group was able to get more professional gigs in late '65/early '66. And consider that maybe Columbia decided to record the band fully rather than drag their heels. Add those together and you have a band without Robby Krieger, recording in early '66 without the benefit of the London Fog or the Whisky to really hone their sound, and a recorded sound that might possibly be akin to the World Pacific Jazz acetates. The result probably would have been that the Doors were nothing but a footnote in history. Thankfully the reality was much different.

Now imagine this: Since Don Conka couldn't continue as their drummer, Arthur was able to convince Michael to come and join LoVE in late '65. Since he was trying to blend the sound together and incorporate new sounds as well the band opted to concentrate more on practicing in early '66 and didn't gig heavily until later '66. Consider that if the band was signed to Elektra in late '66, they were the second or third rock act to go with the label, and the production and promotion for LoVE was top notch. Added together maybe LoVE might have hit the "big time".

Obviously the force of the groups main personalities were what drove both bands, and the resultant histories of both bands were not accidents, but success and failure are not as far apart as one would think.

[jamestkirk]

Good insights!

[silentseason]

For the week of February 6-12:

February 10 Concert Modesto Skating Rink Arena, Modesto CA (1967).

February 11 Concert Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose CA (1967).

-For the Modesto gig, LoVE appeared on the same bill for the only time with The Doors. Here are some recollections of this concert:

Michael:

"Love and The Doors absolutely did play on the same bill, but only once that I can remember.
Sorry I can't recall the name of the venue, just that it was somewhere in Southern California, probably in late-'66 or '67. I only have a mental image of a large indoor facility with a temporary stage set up. While we stood together near the back and waited to go on, The Doors finished their set with "Light My Fire."

They were having a good night. Just like the record, it was. They were tight, and Densmore was cookin.

I don't think The Sons Of Adam ever crossed paths with The Doors, at least not while I was in the group. I joined Love near the end of August in '66."



Tom Aragon, who attended this show:

"...the Doors in Modesto, CA at the Ice rink. They actually weren’t the headliners
on that bill. Love was the featured act. The Doors of course stole the show.
They blew everyone, including Love, right off the stage. It was interesting to
see the looks on the 13 year old girls in the front row watching Jim hump the
microphone stand. They looked intrigued and horrified at the same time. On that
gig the local music store provided all the amplification. They set up Vox Super
Beatle Amps and vocal amplification. In that day that was the priciest stuff you
could get. I recall during the last part of “The End”, Robby picked up the amp
head and dropped it to the ground. The spring reverb in those amps would produce
a thunderlike effect when you did that. The owner of the music store was at the
front of the stage screaming/pleading for him to stop. Kind of funny.
People were raving about them and they never got to see them in their true
element. It’s funny how they sounded better using our equipment versus their
brand new gear of their own."




And finally Johnny has this rebuttal:

"I remember the gig in Modesto, Jim and I were almost arrested, when we got into an argument with the security folks, who were off-duty cops.
They seemed to get off, [on] man handling these little girls who just wanted to touch us. One cop in particular, had a real problem with it. So the two of us got in his face.

Music is in the ear of the beholder, but I hardly think the Doors could have ever stolen a show from us, "sound wise". even in their wildest dreams.

They had no bass player. The sound was very light weight. More akin to a "lounge act" than a rock group.Teenie boppers, might have lusted after Jim, but there was no way any group, (the doors included could have touched our thing.)"


-The Santa Clara gig was with the Mojo Men and the Chocolate Watchband. It was part of an event promoted as "Big Abe's 158 Birthday Party" (even though Lincoln's actual birthday was February 12). Technically LoVE was the headliner but ended up playing first. Go figure.

[silentseason]

For the week of February 13-19:

February 14 Concert The Trip, Los Angeles CA (1966).

February 14 Concert Hullabaloo, Los Angeles CA (1967).

February 18 Concert Valley Music Theatre, Woodland Hills CA (1967).

-For the Hullabaloo concert, Strawberry Alarm Clock and Pubblic Bubble were also on the bill. Puportedly Arthur asked Pubblic Bubble member Steve Bartek to sit in with the band on flute which brings up some interesting questions. Did this mean that A) this gig meant that LoVE used cuts from Da Capo for the first time in 1967 since both Tjay and Snoopy had been let go prior to the end of '66? B) What was LoVE using as a standard set list for the beginning of 1967 since the Da Capo material leaned heavily towards jazz influences? C) Was this a one-off concert in regards to the flute inclusion? All questions that will most likely never have a definitive answer.

[silentseason]

For the week of February 20-26:

February 21 Lead guitarist Johnny Echols born in Memphis, TN (1947).

February 25 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go (1966).

February 26 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go (1966).

-The band might have also played at the Whisky February 22, 23, and 24 but this is unconfirmed.

-Memphis Tennessee would play a varied role in the lives of the founders of LoVE as both Johnny and Arthur were born here before their families relocated to Los Angeles in the 1950's. There were many musical trends that would influence them in their teens that spanned the whole spectrum but most of them were LA based. However, Booker T. and the MG's (a Memphis based group) inspired them with their cool southern soul. In fact an early band the two fronted was called Arthur Lee and the LAG's (LA group), an homage to the MG's. Sadly Arthur would move back to Memphis and spend the last year of his life there before he finally succumbed to illness.

-The Leaves were billed with LoVE for the Whisky shows.

[jamestkirk]

Great week in LoVE history! Happy Birthday, Johnny!

[silentseason]

For the week of February 27-March 4:

February 27 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go (1966).

February 28 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go (1966).

March 1 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go (1966).

March 2 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go (1966).

March 3 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go (1966), Winterland San Fransciso (1967).

March 4 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go (1966), Earl Warren Showgrounds Santa Barbara (1967).


-The Winterland gig was billed as "The First Annual Love Circus".

-The Santa Barbara gig was notable in that Michael's old group The Sons of Adam were one of the opening acts.

-The band is in the midst of a 14 (possibly 17) night run at the Whiskey and I would offer a guess that here is where they really established themselves as THE up-and-coming band on the Strip. Besides being one of (if not) their longest bookings ever, the band was still early enough in their formation that they were still young and hungry but had now established a reputation for being a crack live show. They were mature enough to trust their established sound and I would suspect that the seeds of Da Capo were being formed around now. Another good guess would be that since this was around the time that the Doors had just started working at the London Fog and would sometimes visit the Whiskey during breaks to scope out the groups playing that LoVE during this run was one of the groups they spied on.

[silentseason]

For the week of March 5-11:

March 5 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966).

March 6 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966).

March 7 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966); Arthur Lee born as Arthur Taylor in Memphis TN (1945).

March 8 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966); Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco (1968).

March 9 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966); Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco (1968).

March 10 Concert Whisky A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966); Bido Litos, Los Angles CA (1966); Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco CA (1968).

March 11 Concert Bido Litos, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-The Bido Litos concerts seem a bit confusing to me. First, why would LoVE play that venue when at the time they had well outgrown it? Second, were they double billed on March 10 at both the Whisky and Bido Litos? These two particular gigs seem suspect to me.

-Since the band is in the midst of their run at the Whisky, Michael offers these comments about the venue:

"The Whisky was first introduced to the public via "Johnny Rivers, Live At The Whisky A Go Go," with his big hit "Memphis" in around 1964 (I believe), and on that record you can hear the smallness of the club and the proximity of the stage to the audience, what with the clapping along with the beat and the "woo woo"s from the audience.

It was almost like the stage at The Whisky was built to accommodate Johnny Rivers and one or two backup musicians, or similar acts, and the multi-member rock groups that came along later, just kind of wedged themselves in there. However, I don't remember there being any real problem, but then again, I was up there safe behind my drum kit, not walking around.

Personally, I didn't really care for the cavernous venues with their big stages...give me the small clubs with their small stages any day. The sound of the music and the ambiance is wayyyy better."

-It would have been Arthur's 67th birthday if he were still alive. RIP Arthur-you are a true musical genius.

[jamestkirk]

What a wonderfully active week for LoVE!

Thanks again for this post, ss!!

[silentseason]

For the week of March 12-18:

Bare week as no documented concerts or significant events took place. However around this time a couple of noteworthy events merit some discussion.

-LoVE's debut album and "My Little Red Book" single were released around this time in 1966. The album made it as high as 57, while the single clocked in at 52 and was Elektra's biggest hit record up until then.

-The band took up residency in the (in)famous Castle, the communal band home for the better part of 1966. Johnny relates a couple of stories about the Castle:

" Over the years, many many people have asked me how the song "A House is not a Motel" got its name? The group lived in a huge Mansion we called the "Castle." The place was absolutely humongous. So Bryan Maclean, being the social person he was, started inviting people over, lots and lots of people.

At any given time, day or night, the place would be wall to wall people. Being that it was the sixties, we would often come home, and find naked strangers in our rooms, in our beds. After a gig one night, Arthur brought a young lady home, and when he got to his rooms, he found them occupied, and he just blew it. He yelled as loud as he could...."Bryan my house ain't no f*****g motel.


It became a running joke, whenever Bryan invited someone over, one of us would repeat that line. And that's how the song title came about."

and this:

" The future mother of my daughter, and my now ex wife made the biggest impression on me obviously. Otherwise the encounter that stands out the most, was when I came home really tired, and badly in need of sleep, and found Grace Slick, in my bed. She was spending a few days at the Castle with the rest of the Airplane. And I walked into my room, and found her splayed out on my bed, sleeping like a baby. I assume she had gone to the wrong room. Ever the diplomat I informed her " you gotta split man!" Grace glared at me, jumped up and stormed out, leaving her clothes in my chair. I guess back in the day, she wasn't accustomed to being ordered out of a dudes bed. Though we had a good laugh about it later, that night she was not a happy Diva."

[silentseason]

For the week of March 19-25:

March 21 Concert Rock Garden, San Francisco (1967)

March 22 Concert Rock Garden, San Francisco (1967)

March 23 Concert Rock Garden, San Francisco (1967)

March 24 Concert Rock Garden, San Francisco (1967)

March 25 Concert Rock Garden, San Francisco (1967)

-Opening groups were Big Brother and the Holding Company and Citizens for Interplanetary Activities.

-This week contains most of a six night gig at the Rock Garden in San Francisco. It was the grand opening of this alcohol and music venue, and what better group than LoVE to open things up. It is not 100% verifiable but probable that the genesis for lyrics for the song "A House Is Not A Motel" were born during this time. During a gig in San Francisco but before going on Arthur and Johnny happened to meet up with a soldier back from Vietnam. In the midst of their discussion with the soldier, who was by this time very drunk, it was bandied about that when someone is wounded and their blood flows into the mud it turns the color of gray. The soldier apparently then pulled out a gun on Arthur and Johnny, but cooler heads prevailed and Arthur in his genius retooled this scene into one of his most powerful lyrics ever. Since the story included facts that Big Brother and Holding Co. were playing while they waited and the fact that they were at a bar, I feel secure in stating that these gigs were where this incident occured.

-Rock music historian and LoVE expert Bruno Ceriotti has a great synopsis of the short lived Rock Garden, which could have been a big player in the San Francisco rock music scene but ultimately only lasted a brief time:

http://rockprosopography101.blogspot.co ... ssion.html

[silentseason]

For the week of March 26-April 1:



March 26 Concert Rock Garden, San Francisco (1967).



March 30 Kenny Forssi born Cleveland, OH (1943).



-Kenny was born in Cleveland but grew up in Sarasota FL before moving to the Los Angeles area after high school to pursue academic pursuits. Multi-talented with his hands, music ultimately caught his fancy and he began his professional career playing with a latter-day version of the Surfaris before fate directed him to LoVE. After the demise of the group Kenny suffered from dependency problems and struggled to get his life back on track. He died of a brain tumor in Tallahassee FL in 1998.



-Johnny on Kenny, as well as the rest of LoVE:



"Though he held very little sway in the day to day decisions. Bryan Maclean, played a huge role in the sound, and direction of the music. With his song writing, guitar playing, and personality, Bryan was an integral and essential component, in that which was the group Love. Before he came on board, [we] were little more than a "jam" band, albeit a very popular one. Nevertheless reality is what it is.

Kenny Forssi, was a supremely innovative bass player, who receives very little recognition for his contributions. He played exactly the right thing, at the right time. And most fans are unaware, that Kenny, (through his own initiative), turned three disparate unfinished songs, (written in different keys) into what became [the] signature song for the group...."You Set the Scene".

Michael Stuart-Ware, was the [Anchor,] the glue that held it all together. He laid the "perfect" foundation for each song, and was more concerned with the underpinnings, and rhythmic counterpoint, than he was with putting himself out front. As was the custom of many drummers at the time.

Johnny Echols,"what can I say," He (along with Bryan) played rhythm guitar on most, if not all of the tracks. He played all of the guitar flourishes, that weave throughout the songs. And as far as the lead guitar parts. "I tried to play that which complemented the song. Most lead players at the time, shouted me, me, look how many notes I can play. I always thought, the most important thing is the song.... not Me!"

Arthur Lee. The man was a genius "word-smith." He could paint a picture with words, like no-other, before or since. He was also a vocalist without peer. Arthur brought darkness, light, color, subtlety, and outrageousness to his songs, in a way that is absolutely unique. As an all-around visionary, creator, performer.... Arthur Taylor Lee, is one of a kind!

When we dwell on personalities, or who did what to whom, we tend to lose the essence of who these people were. They were five uniquely talented [Individuals.] Who were never told what, or how to play. But were given the opportunity, earned through ability. Along with, blood sweat tears toil, and laughter. To experiment, invent, and create.... which culminated in the creation of a body of work.... that has become timeless!"

[jamestkirk]

When we dwell on personalities, or who did what to whom, we tend to lose the essence of who these people were. They were five uniquely talented [Individuals.] Who were never told what, or how to play. But were given the opportunity, earned through ability. Along with, blood sweat tears toil, and laughter. To experiment, invent, and create.... which culminated in the creation of a body of work.... that has become timeless!"

Perfectly put, John.

We so often hear, "yeah, but Arthur was such a control freak, or Bryan was a brat"...we are so over-saturated with LoVE or DOORS discussions (with nothing important left to talk about) we get into the smaller and sometimes petty aspects of an artist's personal life, & lose sight of what mattered.

These musical geniuses overcame what most cannot in their personalities & lives, and created some of the greatest rock masterpieces ever recorded.

If we had to "love" & respect every artist for his every little flaw, in order to love their music, we would have few albums in our collections.

I always say... get over it, who cares... listen to the MUSIC!!

[silentseason]

For the week of April 2-8:

-April 6 Concert Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim CA (1968).

-April 7 Concert Merced Legion Hall, Merced CA (1967).

-April 8 Concert Fillmore West, San Francisco CA (1966); Turlock Fairgrounds, Turlock CA (1967).

-Somewhat of a strange two night gig engagement for LoVE as the band played the mid-California towns of Merced and Turlock in 1967. I am left wondering what the logic was behind booking the band in these two out of the way small towns rather than LA or other larger environs, given Arthur's penchant for staying close to LA.

-While this doesn't have any ties to this weeks gigs, Michael humorously recalls his involvement with the novelty song "Woolly Bully", both with LoVE and the Sons Of Adam:

"You know, I don't remember that at all but yeah, I guess if we broke into "Woolly Bully", maybe we were in a light-hearted frame of mind because "Red Telephone" was one of the later instrumental cuts we laid down, and suddenly we realized, "Hey, we're gonna get it done, after all!"

I remember playing "Woolly Bully" with The Sons of Adam though. One night at The Beaver Inn, it was. Some guy came up to the edge of the stage and asked us to play it and Randy said "Sorry we don't take requests" and about two minutes later the owner of the bar came up and told us it we didn't play it, we needn't come back the next night, so Randy says "Well OK, I guess we'll play it then."

Beaver Inn was a sweet gig. UCLA frat bar. Lotta lotta beautiful girls and lines around the block every night. It's where Kim Fowley almost got beat up just for looking like he did."

[silentseason]

For the week of April 9-15:

-Concert Fillmore West, San Francisco CA (1966).

-Concert Fillmore West, San Francisco CA (1968).

-American Four take up residence at the Brave New World (1965).

-Perhaps it was at the Brave New World that the timeline for LoVE as a band should start. A gay bar when the American Four started, during this time the proto-LoVE used the residency here to begin their growth as a legitimate rock entity. A name change (to the Grass Roots), a steady gig at a legitimate club before packed audiences (the Beverly Bowl became a distant memory), experiments with their sound by bringing in another guitarist (Bummer Bob Beausoleil) and most importantly the establishment of a hip reputation with the Sunset Strip crowd were only baby steps, but April 1965 might legitimately be called the birth month of LoVE.

[BallroomDays67]

Great entry, except that the Anaheim Convention Center show shouldn't be there. It was correctly included in the previous entry.

[silentseason]

Great entry, except that the Anaheim Convention Center show shouldn't be there. It was correctly included in the previous entry.

Duly noted; I was on spring break for last 10 days and the shoddy entry shows this. Thanks for catching this.

[silentseason]

For the week of April 16-22:

April 18 Concert Winterland, San Francisco CA (1968)

April 18 Concert Fillmore West, San Francisco CA (1968)

April 19 Concert Winterland, San Francisco CA (1968)

April 20 Concert Winterland, San Francisco CA (1968)


-Minor point of confusion as to whether the Fillmore or Winterland or both concerts took place on April 18 1968. If so then the band would have played two competing venues on the same day. They certainly could have pulled this off, but it is unusual that it would have been attempted.

-Just in case you missed it, there was a recent thread involving the Winterland. It was a major player in rock history and everything you want to know about it is offered for your perusal (thanks to jtk):

http://www.thefreedomman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4266

[silentseason]

For the week of April 23-29:

-April 23 Concert The Cheetah, Santa Monica CA (1967).

-April 25 LoVE resigns a new contract with Elektra (1966).

-April 26 Concert The Cheetah, Santa Monica CA (1968).

-April 27 Cancelled concert at the Catskills NY (1968).

-The '67 gig at the Cheetah included the Chambers Brothers and Iron Butterfly, again another bill that I sincerely wish I could have seen for all three bands.

-Brief history of the Cheetah, which was another great venue to some of the greatest rock bands in the world that was open for only a brief time (it closed in 1968):

The Cheetah was at 1 Navy Pier, in Santa Monica. It had been built in the 1930s as the Aragon Ballroom, and had reopened in March, 21,1967 as The Cheetah. It was open 7 nights a week, with bands most nights, but there were not regular posters, so publicity for Cheetah shows is hard to come by. There was also a Cheetah in Chicago, in the Aragon Ballroom. Its not clear what connection there was between the three Cheetahs, but there was probably at least an informal one, as the Santa Monica Cheetah was modeled on the New York one.

-Michael on the cancelled Catskills gig:

"We never traveled very far by car. I think the furtherist we ever traveled by car was by limo from New York City, just up the road a piece to a little college in the Kaatskills and we didn't make it. On time anyway. I mean, everybody (the prospective audience) was gone when we got there."

-Arthur was able to wrangle a new deal out of Jac Holzman by pointing out that he wasn't legally old enough to sign a contract at the time of the band's original signing back in January. Arthur got a cash advance (and a legion of more myths) and Jac an agreement for future LoVE recordings and made sure to get a photostat copy of Arthur's drivers liscense this time around. Unfortunately peace did not reign in regards to money and contracts between the band and Elektra even after detente was reached this time around, and quite frankly both sides did not "win" in this agreement.

[silentseason]

For the week of April 30-May 6:

-May 3 Concert SUNY-Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY (1968).

-Stony Brook concert was with Janis Ian opening.

-Some of the more mundane aspects of a functioning rock band are commented on by Michael here:

-Everyday rehearsals:

"All the rehearsals for Da Capo took place up at Arthur's house in the canyon on Brier. There was deck outside the sliding glass door to the rear that overlooked a small canyon, with a pool down further down some wooden stairs below. Arthur shared the upstairs portion with Snoopy, and Bryan lived in the downstairs portion alone. The rehearsals all took place in the living room of the upstairs portion.

On rehearsal days, we would all arrive around one o'clock and Arthur would play a few records and we would pass the hash pipe for a while. Everyone would joke around a bit and Arthur would entertain us with various pigeons he would retrieve from the pigeon coop he kept out on the rear deck, and then pretty soon, we would get down to business.

Arthur would always play the tune on his black Gibson acoustic and sing the vocal and we would all work out something we thought fit. I don't think I set my drums up for these rehearsals. To the best of my recollection, I just had my sticks and played the drum parts on whatever surface was available, or maybe I just set up my snare... I can't remember. Bryan played his acoustic Gibson Hummingbird and I guess Johnny and Kenny might have had small amps set up but I'm not certain. Tjay, of course, played his parts on his flute and soprano sax. I think Snoop might have had his electronic keyboard set up, as well.

The mood was always light and cheerful.

The rehearsals for Forever Changes all took place at Arthur's new (Trip) house in the canyon... again, up to the top of Kirkwood, sharp left at Elmer Valentine's pad... then crank it around and up a small single-lane blacktop and dirt road that I haven't yet been able to find on the map, because you need like a microscope. The rehearsals started around one, as usual, but this time there was no playing of records or showing tricks by pigeons and very little joking around, just a little getting high and then right to the business of learning the tunes.
My drums were set up for these rehearsals and I just left them there throughout."

-how his various bands traveled is recounted this way:

"...the Sons of Adam took care of all the transport and setting up of our equipment and also any fixing of any equipment breakdowns. Even when we went to San Francisco, we always drove and took all our own equipment.

With Love, we brought and set up our own equipment for all our "in town" (L.A.) performances, as well, and of course dealt with any equipment-failure issues ourselves. On the road, we usually took our own guitars but (to the best of my recollection) amps and drums were usually provided by the concert promoter.

We didn't really have a "roadie"... even the second time around, after "Four Sail," when I played with the Frank Fayad-Gary Rowles line-up, I remember the group didn't have a roadie.

One night at a gig in northern California (I think,... or it could have been Vegas) Gary had a problem with his guitar and he and I went in search of a guitar shop that might be open, because it was like about six or seven in the evening. We found one, but there was no repair person on the premises, so Gary talked the clerk into letting him go into the back room and try and fix the problem himself. He had his guitar all apart on the workbench in the back room and was in the process of soldering something back in place, when suddenly the owner came in got all irate and kicked us out. I remember on the way out the door Gary turned and virtually slammed the glass door as hard as he could behind us and yelled the F word. I guess he had it all fixed though, because we played the gig and his guitar worked."

-and finally air travel:

"Nobody was afraid of flying. Just routine business. Except for getting to the airport on time. There was something about the, "start early so you don't be late," concept that rubbed us the wrong way, which usually resulted is us having to run that last little bit. Some anxiety there, I guess, but no real fear, because in the backs of our minds the thought was, "Well, if we miss this plane, we'll just catch the next one."

[silentseason]

For the week of May 7-13:

-May 8 Concert Generation Club, NYC (1968).

-May 9 Concert Generation Club, NYC (1968).

-May 9 New contract signed with Elektra (1967).

-May 10 Concert La Cave, Cleveland OH (1968).

-May 11 Concert La Cave, Cleveland OH (1968).

-May 12 Concert Brave New World, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-May 13 Concert Brave New World, Los Angeles CA (1966).


-The Generation Club was another in a line of short lived music venues that the band played. After closing in 1968 it found new life as Electric Lady Studios when it was purchased by Jimi Hendrix and coverted into a recording studio in Manhattan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Lady_Studios

-More contract drama (was there ever a time when there wasn't?) between the band and Elektra. This go around the four original members and those who might be employed for recording purposes (ie Michael) signed a new deal that obligated them to record 12 songs for an upcoming album (which would be Forever Changes). The band got monies released from a trust from the two previous albums (essentially Arthur and Bryan as the main composers benefited), the right to choose the album's producer, $5,000 in an immediate cash advance and if they brought the album production costs in under $25,000 then they would pocket the difference. Elektra got a guaranteed third album from the band.

[silentseason]

For the week of May 14-20:

-May 14 Concert Brave New World, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-May 14 Concert The Scene, NYC (1968).

-May 15 Concert The Scene, NYC (1968).

-May 16 Concert The Scene, NYC (1968).

-May 18 Scheduled appearance at the Miami Pop Festival cancelled (1968).

-May 19 Concert Winterland, San Francisco CA (1967).

-May 20 Concert Winterland, San Francisco CA (1967).

-May 20 Concert Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco (1966).

-Thus begins probably the darkest week in the history of the band in 1968. A desperately needed east coast tour that would have bolstered the band's fortunes and spirits had it been successful didn't do the trick. Playing to non-capacity audiences, members succumbing to heroin indulgences, pawning off equipment to pay for fixes, the cancellation of an important gig in Miami, and the death of group hanger-on Neil Rappaport were like black clouds of doom which occured during this time. The end was coming and this week was, IMO, the definitive starting point. Everything about what transpired in this 2-3 week time frame was depressing to read and is saddening to this day. Perhaps being a non-participant may skewer my interpretation of what was really happening with the band, but the overall negativity of their scene just overwhelms me. I get a similar vibe from this as I get from the Doors '70 New Orleans gig; the energy and mojo from the group's were gone. The fact that LoVE lasted another two months is surprising after this mini-tour.

Michael on missing the Stony Brook gig:

"... getting lost and missing the small college gig was just downright embarrassing/humiliating. That long long ride out into the middle of nowhere, and we didn't even get to play. Then, to add insult to injury, after sending our poor driver up to the office to take the blame, we just had to turn around and do the long silent limo ride back to New York with our tails between our legs. It was bad."

Can't end on such a downer so Michael on one of the band's "friends" in NYC:

"... the mob joint. Sammy was our protector. We were in good hands with Sammy at the helm. Straight out of "The Godfather" he was. Could have been Steve Paul's Scene Club."

and maybe the only good memory from NYC:

"...I do wax nostalgic about the fun Kenny and I had riding the subway in the middle of the night and meeting a couple of girls at a topless joint and dining at an all-night cafeteria and doing the things we did on our time off, which of course was most of the time. I think all the band did there after missing the college gig was play our one club gig downtown."

[silentseason]

For the week of May 21-27:

-May 21 Concert Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco CA (1966).

-May 22 Concert cancelled at Avalon Ballroom due to poor ticket sales (1966).

-May 22 Concert Bido Litos Los Angeles CA (1967).

-May 23 Concert Bido Litos Los Angeles CA (1967).

-May 24 Concert Bido Litos Los Angeles CA (1967).

-May 25 Concert Bido Litos Los Angeles CA (1967).

-May 26 Concert Bido Litos Los Angeles CA (1967).

-May 27 Concert Bido Litos Los Angeles CA (1967).

[silentseason]

For Week of May 28-June 3:

-May 28 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-May 29 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-May 30 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-May 31 Concert Whiskey A-Go-Go, Los Angeles CA (1966).

-May 31 Concert Grande Ballroom, Detroit MI (1968).

-June 1 Concert Grande Ballroom, Detroit MI (1968).

-June 2 Concert at Pasadena Civic Auditorium (1967).

-A good question has been brought up as to whether during this time Arthur was formulating the songs for what would become Four Sail and Out Here. Probably, but almost certainly on his own with no specific input from any of the current band members. I am curious as well what the set list was as the original LoVE was in it's dying days.

[BallroomDays67]

The Pasadena Civic concert actually did take place. The Doors cancelled and were subsequently replaced by the Fifth Dimension, but Love did perform at that show.

I asked Johnny if he had worked on any of that later-era material, and this was his reply:

We worked on Gather Round, He knows a lot of Good Women (Scotty's Song,) and several others, mostly from Four Sail. The titles as released, and the working titles are different, so I'd have to listen to the cd's to know which ones. JE.

[silentseason]

Good stuff Bally.

The Pasadena gig intrigues me as it was right before the FC sessions started. I would venture to guess that there is absolutely no chance the band did anything other than their standard set then, with no FC songs maybe being tried out.

I would also wonder if any specific songs were remembered by Johnny or Michael as being worked on other than Gather Round? Jay Donnellan has said that he and the other Four Sail members were primarily responsible for August; but could Johnny and the others influenced Arthur and could then Arthur withheld credit or recognition of this? As much as I admire Arthur this would be in keeping with his personality. Oh well...

Thanks for the input.

[BallroomDays67]

You're probably right about the Pasadena show. Johnny described it as a "killer set", but didn't mention any specific songs. He said that they were "rocking the house" when all of a sudden the amps went silent. After the power was finally restored, the "magic was gone." They finished the set, but skipped the encore.

"August" is such a great song. I feel that it would have been a good fit with "Your Mind and We" and "Laughing Stock." It sounds like it could have been worked on around that time.

[silentseason]

For Week of June 4-10:

-June 7 Concert Electric Theatre, Chicago IL (1968).

-June 8 Concert Electric Theatre, Chicago IL (1968).

-June 9 Concert Electric Theatre, Chicago IL (1968).

-June 9 Recording session Sunset Sound "Andmoreagain", "Daily Planet" attempted (1967).

-June 10 Recording session Sunset Sound "Daily Planet" recorded with members of the Wrecking Crew (1967).

-The Electric Theatre was also known as the Kinetic Playground, and is yet another of a long list of venues the band played that only lasted for a short while. Opened in April '68, the club changed its name after a lawsuit from a NYC nightclub called the Electric Circus. Many famous acts of the era played here besides LoVE. And to complete the circle, the movie Medium Cool had some scenes filmed here and some of their crew were extras in the movie. The theme to the movie Medium Cool is none other than "Emotions", performed by LoVE and written by Johnny Echols. A fire severly damaged the club in November '69 and it never reopened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_Playground

-This week begins what turned out to be the three-plus month odyssey that was the recording of "Forever Changes". The first day went awful, with the band underrehearsed and unprepared mentally to cut the album. After the first attempts the ploy of bringing in LA's top session players to fill in for the band resulted in two songs of theirs making the final cut on the album, one of which was "The Daily Planet". IMO the Wrecking Crew's material was inferior to LoVE's.

[silentseason]

For the week of June 11-17:

-June 11 Concert Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara CA (1966).

-June 12 Recording session Sunset Sound "Andmoreagain" with Wrecking Crew (1967).

-June 14 Concert Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles CA (1968).

-June 15 Concert Kaleidoscope, Los Angeles CA (1968).

-June 16 Concert invitation to play Monterey Pop Festival turned down (1967).

-June 17 Recording session Sunset Sound, "Hummingbirds", "7 and 7 Is" (1966).

-For June 15 gig Neil Young supposedly sat in with band and soloed with Johnny during 'Revelation'.

-More about the Kaliedoscope here (it would be a significant venue in the band's history):

http://rockprosopography101.blogspot.co ... od-ca.html