Love [Vinyl]

Love includes: Arthur Lee (vocals); Bryan MacLean (vocals, guitar); John Echols (guitar); Ken Forssi (bass); Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer (drums).
Recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California.
Love's 1966 debut burst upon the world like a punkier version of the Byrds. One member of Love was even a former roadie for McGuinn & Co. Arthur Lee's songwriting brilliance is in evidence, though not as fully-formed as it was to become over their next two releases, DA CAPO and FOREVER CHANGES. His "Signed D.C." and "A Message To Pretty" immediately mark him as writer of note. Bandmate Bryan Maclean's "Softly To Me" is a riveting highlight, but his songwriting was to forever take a back seat to that of Lee, the band's more forceful leader.
They scored a hit with their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "My Little Red Book," which does indeed forcefully throw down the gauntlet as the opening number to this album. In addition, their take on "Hey Joe" is one of the best ever rendered, though it was unfortunately caught up in and buried among the many competing versions released around the same time.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop