.................... LOVE ....................

                       USA - (GOLD) ELEKTRA RECORDS - STEREO 

FINAL COLLECTION COPY !!

STILL IN ORIGINAL FACTORY CELLOPHANE

ORIGINAL 1966 first press... containing the Elektra printed inner sleeve  ...

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LOVE's first LP is a psychedelic-garage-punk masterpiece. Influenced by the folk-rock sound of west coast groups like the Byrds (Love was based in Los Angeles), the album tore through manic rave-ups, waded through scary blues-harp dirges, introduced hallucinogenic instrumentals and managed to sound like the Byrds, the Kinks and the Yardbirds, while maintaining a unique style accented by Arthur's empassioned vocals. The album also included LOVE's first and biggest hit, "My Little Red Book" (a moody, alienated deconstruction of a minor Bacharach/David tune which was a huge West Coast hit and peaked at #52 nationwide). Along with the Byrd's "Fifth Dimension", this LP was a major influence on Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett, who would record one of psychedelia's greatest album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" in early 1967. The album also featured a wild punk-fuzz version of the folk song, "Hey Joe" which was later to be recorded by the Byrds and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The song list is close to a set-list Love would play when they were the house band at the Whiskey during the 1966 youth-quake. The Sunset Strip riots became the harbinger of the social explosion of the Sixties and began at a club called Ciro's when police attempted to arrest underaged youth for curfew violations. The Strip erupted as police and "freaks" battled for liberated turf. Of all of the bands playing the Strip in '66 Love had the largest following. Bands like the Doors, Mothers of Invention and Buffalo Springfield were opening acts when Love played. It was ground zero in the explosion of psychedelica and Love steered the course.

The production quality sounds like a typical live "one-take/no remixes" rock album of that era, which has lead to the self-titled album being labeled as 'garage' rock. The opening cut "Little Red Book" shows why Love was not simply another one hit wonder from garageland. The song starts simply enough, with a pulsating one note bass line and accompanied by a tamborine with reverb drenched guitar joining in. It's sounds like a garage band tune, but soon we are listening to a very complicated composition, with time signature changes at both the bridge and the chorus. There are rapidly changing chord progressions and a murderous key change toward the end of the song. It would crazy for a vocalist to attempt to coherently phrase the wordiness of the lyrics within this bizzare song structure. Arthur Lee not only does it, but does so with elegance and feeling. The Love version of the Burt Bachrach tune "My Little Red Book" became the definitive version of that song. Dionne Warwick (who was queen of the Bachrach intrepeters) was so daunted by Lee's vocals, that she never even attempted a version of "Little Red Book."

The self titled Love debut is full of jewels. Many of the Arthur Lee compositions are the equals of the Velvet Underground's for dark, atmospheric tunes. "Can't Explain" with impulsive rhythms and catchy bridge. We see Love's early embrace of samba and calypso with Byran MacLean's "Softly To Me" and "And More". There is so much here to indicate Love's musical sophistication and unique style which became so apparent in "DuCapo" and "Forever Changes" This debut is musical equal of any debut by the great bands of the sixties. Love could play "Hey Joe" with the best of them. Love was a break-through band for more reasons than "Forever Changes." Jim Morrison took Arthur Lee's long stream of consciousness songs and fashioned them into rock epics like "The End" and "When the Musics Over." Jimi Hendrix appropriated Arthur's flamboyant style of dressing and moved from L.A. to London,and Hendrix's fashion style was almost as important as his brilliant guitar playing. The Byrds were already folk-rock stars on Columbia Records but their admiration of Love led to a shift from folk rock to psychedelica on "Fifth Deminson" and "Younger Than Yesterday." So Love's impact on music begins with this self titled debut and curiously enough, "Forever Changes" was not fully appreciated until long after Love's dissolution as a band. Their self titled debut is one of the great albums of the sixties.

My Little Red Book

Can't Explain

Message to Pretty

My Flash on You

Softly to Me

No Matter What You Do

Emotions

You I'll Be Following

Gazing

Hey Joe

Signed D.C.

Coloured Balls Falling

Mushroom Clouds

And More

 CONDITION: The cover: rated: M- in factory cellophane and outstanding with exception to delete cut at lower left - otherwise MINT all over . Very stiff and clean all over, has original colors, no delete marks,  no split seams, no fraying, no bends ....  51 years old:

The vinyl: both sides are shiny smooth, rated: near "M-" expect very nice play grade with enjoyable audio and NOT surface distraction! Both gold Elektra labels are clean, no visible spindle marks