LOVE "LOVE" Original 1966 U.S. Elektra stereo LP M-/M "My Little Red Book"

$

32

LOVE "LOVE" Original U.S. stereo first pressing LP featuring the L.A. Psychedelic legends w/their great debut. Featuring tracks from their groundbreaking album, simply titled "Love". Elektra Records was primarily an independent Folk label but owner Jac Holzman saw the writing on the wall & wanted to branch out into the exploding Rock market with the advent of the Hippie movement coinciding with underground FM radio in the mid-1960s. On a scouting mission to L.A. in 1966, he saw Love at a small club on the Sunset Strip & immediately signed them to the label. Their live show was exciting & included some unusual song choices such as the Bacharach-David track "My Little Red Book" performed by Manfred Mann in the "What's New Pussycat" film & a frantic version of "Hey Joe" that had been popularized by the Byrds & charted by fellow L.A. garage legends The Leaves in addition to their top-notch original material. Visually they were interesting as well w/leader Arthur Lee & guitarist John Echols being African-American, blond & blue-eyed rhythm guitarist & sometime vocalist Bryan MacLean looking like he had just stepped out of the California surf & 3 other various L.A. Hippie-types on bass, keyboards & drums. "My Little Red Book" from the debut 1966 LP got some airplay & charted at a decent #52 on the Top 100. Another great track (later recorded by Kurt Cobain's Nirvana for MTV's "Unplugged") is "Signed D.C." -essentially a suicide note left by the heroin addicted original drummer Don Conka. Other strong tracks were "A Message To Pretty" which they performed (along w/"My Little Red Book") on their first national TV appearance on "American Bandstand" which also included a non-plussed Dick Clark attempting to interview the band as well as "My Flash On You" & "You'll Be Following". Lead vocalist & group leader Arthur Lee's surreal lyrics are in top form & Bryan Maclean contributed a good original song w/"Softly to Me" & sings lead on "Hey Joe" which is performed in the frantic uptempo style of the Leaves  as opposed to the moody, slow blues rendition which the Jimi Hendrix Experience released as their debut single a year later. The LP delivers good value containing 14 mind-blowing songs (11 Arthur Lee originals, 1 by Bryan Maclean & 2 covers). The Doors (recommended to Holzman by Lee as the other L.A. band to watch) soon followed on Elektra & Jim Morrison's more macho style somewhat overshadowed the more fragile Arthur Lee & Love. But the reputation of Love as one of the 1960s best & most influential bands has grown steadily over the years making this album an essential addition to your 1960s Psychedelic collection. Produced by Jac Holzman & Mark Abramson at Sunset Recorders in Los Angeles. Engineered by Bruce Botnick. Great cover & logo by William S. Harvey (Elektra) EKS-74001 stereo M-/M.