RIP Arthur Lee
Posted by: rupert bear on 04 August 2006
No-one else, so I seem to have got in first. Unquestionably one of the great innovators (like Syd!). Side 1 of Da Capo is probably as good as Forever Changes, and more than half of Four Sail also brilliant. 'August' one of the great rock tracks ever. Sadly I missed the comeback tours recently, though the film of Glastonbury performance was stunning. Forever listenable.
Posted on: 04 August 2006 by Malky
No! no, no.
Posted on: 04 August 2006 by Malky
Jeezus. I can't believe it, I mean, I knew he was terribly ill but... FUCK, right on the heels of Syd too.
Love were one of my absolutely all time favourite bands. Three stunning albums that match the creativity of the Beatles. Forever Changes was one of the best albums ever made and the first two weren't half bad either.
Luckily for me, I saw him three times in recent years. I remember the poigancy, given his very troubled life, when he sang You Set The Scene;
"This is the time of life that I am living
And I'll face each day with a smile
'cause the time that I've been given's such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There are places I am going
This is the only thing that I am sure of
And that's all that lives is gonna die
And for every happy hello, there must be goodbye"
I am so happy that he enjoyed a few brief years of unprecendented artistic, critical and personal success since his recent release from prison. Its funny, I didn't know the man, never even met him but I am so sad at the news of his passing
Posted on: 04 August 2006 by Guido Fawkes
More very sad news - I really like Forever Changes, I don't know his other material well but just knowing that one album was enough to convince me that Arthur had enormous talent.
Posted on: 04 August 2006 by bornwina
Very sad - my favourite band and album (Forever Changes). I count myself as really lucky that he toured extensively in the last few years, watching Forever Changes from row three of the Royal Festival Hall was a 'meaningful life moment'.
Posted on: 04 August 2006 by graham55
Extraordinarily sad. I stood not three feet in front of, and below, him when he performed the classic Love songs in The Borderline (a tiny underground club off London's Charing Cross Road) a couple of years ago as a warm-up to his Glastonbury appearance.
One of the very greats was Arthur Lee.
G
Posted on: 04 August 2006 by Diode100
As has been said, one on the true greats, each time you come back to his music, it's as fresh as ever, timeless stuff. worth remembering that a good part of the magic came from Brian McLelland, who died a few yearsback, almost unnoticed by the world at large. My favourite story about Arthur came form a Mojo published book about him and the band, when they got the recording deal with Eleckra they got a $5,000 dollar advance, which was given to Arthur.He bought himself a gull wing 300sl merceedes and a new harmonica, and gave the band members $100 each. What a player !
