Love, the band, from my hometown Los Angeles. I was 12 when this album was released. I have no recollection of them before "Love" was released. I imagined that they played on the Sunset Strip. Still, this album is the best music to come out of Los Angeles 1966. I always felt that they were sophisticated. Not exactly a garage rock band, but something classy. I listen to this album 51 years later, and I'm still in love with the sound made by Arthur Lee and others.
Arthur Lee, perhaps the lead Love (with Byran Maclean as secondary importance in the band) had a rare talent to throw an unusual lyric, such as "slip, slip, slip" in "A Message to Pretty." Johnny Mathis sounding on the ballads, or rocking with intensity on the upbeat numbers. It's not surprising that they covered Bachrach/David's "My Little Red Book." There are these jazzy approaches to the straight ahead pop song in Love's work. Maclean also had an incredible voice; that's angel-like but perhaps carrying brass knuckles behind his back. There is something very street/smart about Love. The Byrds I know are Los Angeles based, but I sense Love was more in tuned to the streets of L.A. and all the by products of that culture.
Love's first album sound is the very rhythmic guitars with a beat. It reminds me of Lou Reed in the Velvet Underground. Both Lee and Reed can write and sing something that sounds simple, but then there's the complexity in what we think is simple. It's that juxtaposition of sweetness and hardness in their music that keeps me listening to this record. The other thing I want to note is that I strongly suggest listening to the Mono version of "Love." The stereo mix or format doesn't work for me, with regards to this album. The music here needs to be confined in a space that comes from one direction.
