This is NOT the remastered original album, but a live perfor
Jim Melanson | Milford, CT USA | 12/10/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ignore the album details as listed by CDNOW/Amazon above. This is a live recording from a performance at, I believe, the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. I do not own a copy yet, but I did listen to the album and the performance is wonderful. Of course the songs are wonderful to begin with so I give it 5 stars.
PS: There is also a DVD available. I can't wait to see that."
TRUE MAGIC
Phillip A. Anderson | Dallas, Texas | 10/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I was 10 years old I bought the Guess Who 45 "Hand me down world". I played it for anybody and everybody who would listen (my poor mom), it was magic to me. A quarter of a century later I buy the Forever Changes live DVD and that old "magic feeling" returned like a tsunami. The "Forever Changes" lp always had something special about it, incredibly this show multiplies whatever it is infinitely. Some people say it is "Arthur Lee", but I also give credit to whatever God aligned the planets when these musicians took stage that night. It REALLY is that special. And speaking of Arthur, God rest his soul, he is the reason I would buy the DVD first - he is so cool on stage - the world lost possibly its best frontman when he passed this year. It was definately the "bummer in my summer".
If you truly love music - buy this DVD (and CD) NOW! If your not moved by it, check your pulse, or put your Nickleback CD back in. PEACE!"
Astonishing live CD----and not a retirement gimmick from an
Jason Mierek | Urbana, IL | 07/07/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just a handful of years ago, I had never heard of Love or Forever Changes. Luckily for me, my wife had heard the album as a young woman and wanted the CD release for her birthday. I thought it was impenetrable and hated it on my first listen, yet the next day I found myself humming the incredibly hooky, if complex, melodies crafted by Arthur Lee, the genius behind Love. With repeat listenings, the literary quality of Lee's lyrics, evoking all the facets of tumultuous 1967, became readily apparent; lyrically, the album is up there with Dylan and Costello. It rapidly became one of my "desert island" CDs, and I recognized why many rock critics include this in their top 20 albums of all time lists.
This CD is not a remastered version of the studio album from 1967. Rather, it is a live performance of the entire album, recorded in London's Royal Albert Hall, 35 years after the album was released (and after Lee spent a six-year stint in prison for gun offenses).
And it smokes. Lee's voice is clear and strong, even when he provides higher-range vocals for the two songs originally sung by rhythm guitarist Bryan MacLean. His sense of humor and joy at playing these songs for such an appreciative audience are apparent in the sparse between-song banter. What really makes this album a winner, though, is the music itself. The band is tight, the sound is crisp, and these guys play their hearts out. Of particular note is Lee's guitar solo on "A House is Not a Motel": it is beyond scorching, beyond blistering, almost a third-degree burn of intensity. It definitely ranks among the best guitar work from Hendrix, Prince, or Funkadelic."