Dave Chamberlain

While I normally defer to James Porter regarding obscure bands from the sixties, in Love's case I actually feel qualified: the band's "Da Capo," released in 1967, lived in my hippie mom's collection of LPs, and as such it's a record I've listened to since I was 6 years old. Thanks to various compilers of obscure sixties rock ("Nuggets," "Pebbles," etc), a few tracks by Love haven't been entirely forgotten; "7 and 7 Is" and "My Little Red Book" are garage-rock standards. Love's follow up to "Da Capo," "Forever Changes," is hailed as one of rock's triumphs, a pinnacle of psychedelic rock mixed with acoustic instrumentation, Latin rhythms and acid-inspired lyrics, which included "Alone Again Or" (covered by the Damned) and "AndMoreAgain." The record, which sold well in England but not stateside, epitomized Lee's dynamic ability to blend folk-rock with psychedelic, but unfortunately signaled the beginning of the end. Lee disbanded the original Love and carried on with session players, but without critical or commercial success. In 1970 he was even part of a planned supergroup, Band Aid, with Steve Winwood and Jimi Hendrix, but Jimi didn't see October of that year. Attempts at more modern sounds (hard rock, disco) failed, and his post-Love career never galvanized. Throughout the late seventies and eighties and into the early nineties, Lee occasionally put together a touring band (he even played Chicago in 1992), but in 1996 he was a victim of California's "three strikes" law and sentenced to prison for illegal possession of a firearm. His conviction was overturned last December, which brings us to Friday night. Mr. Porter tells me that, ten years ago, Lee could still smoke a room; here's hoping that hasn't changed.

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