Arthur Lee News

(6/2/03, 3 p.m. ET) -- Arthur Lee performing Forever Changes in its entirety with full orchestral accompaniment. At UCLA's distinguished Royce Hall in his hometown of Los Angeles. In the scheme of all things rock 'n' roll, this has seemed about as likely as Dead Beatles rising from their respective graves to take up that offer to reunite at Madison Square Garden. But as inescapably surrealistic as it was, it in fact happened here Friday night--and all things considered, it was fairly marvelous.

For those unaware, Lee is the guiding force behind Love, one of the very best bands of the '60s, and Forever Changes, originally released in 1967, may be the very best album of all time. A significant number of music critics certainly think it is, myself included. Lee's gradual fade following that album has been one of pop music's most unfortunate stories; his imprisonment in the '90s one of its saddest. Still, despite his lengthy absence from the international scene, the appeal of his recorded legacy has never diminished.

Last year, Lee's return to the stage was remarkably triumphant by all accounts. He was in surprisingly fine voice--no small thing considering both his age and the delicacy that is his vocal trademark--and in fine company, with a band that clearly knew every nook and cranny of his recordings. The singer proceeded to give a stunning number of live performances during 2002--more than 60 around the world--and then, to really nail his return, started doing this. And the response has been astounding.

Billed the "Forever Changes Concerts Tour 2003," Lee is now methodically performing most of Love's best-known tracks ("Little Red Book," "Signed D.C.," "Orange Skies") around a complete sequential performance of the Forever Changes tunes. Those who saw him in early 2002 might've seen some of the same songs performed, but in this new context--with strings and horns playing the same arrangements that made the original album so unique--the emotional effect was, to rabid fans, near overwhelming.

Performing in his hometown in so conspicuous a showcase clearly had special meaning for Lee. When an audience member shouted out, "We love you!" Lee rapidly fired back, "You love me while I'm here, but will you love me when I'm on the street?" In all, the enthused crowd was more than willing to share as much love as possible with the singer--even through a few rough patches, including some missed singing cues and wrong notes. In the old days, Lee's sloppiness might've indicated he was dabbling in areas he shouldn't; these days, it may well mean these continuous nights out on the road are taking a physical toll.

Of special significance to the hometown crowd were two guest guitarists brought out for the encores: Johnny Echols, Lee's original guitarist, who supercharged the band's performance of "Seven And Seven Is," and Jay Donellan, who joined Love for their Four Sail and Out Here albums and co-wrote "Singing Cowboy," the night's closing number. Seeing Lee singing all of Forever Changes was odd enough, but seeing those two onstage with the singer again bordered on the miraculous.

One of the year's most significant tours--and one of rock 'n' roll's very finest artists making music that gains more significance with each passing year. To those who made Forever Changes the soundtrack of their lives, this show was about as good as it gets.

-- Dave DiMartino, Los Angeles

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