Articles

Love (Elektra EKS-74001) 1966

As long as you do what I say, no problem. Arthur Lee

Arthur is not of this world. Jack Holzman

I first became aware of Love through some friends of mine, a band called the Wild Kingdom. The ‘Kingdom were the first "weird" band around Newport News, Virginia in the late sixties and were into the Byrds, the Who, the Easybeats, the Yardbirds and Love. I was taken with Love’s version of "My Little Red Book", a Hal David-Burt Bacharach tune from the film What’s New Pussycat. Love played what was called folk rock by the media back then, having been heavily influenced by the Byrds themselves, but to class them at all is quite limiting and unfair. Actually they were more like punk folk. Their range was from garage punk to smooth jazz but always melodic, energetic and right on target.

Consisting of Arthur Lee, primary writer, vocals, guitar and harmonica, Bryan Maclean, former Byrds roadie and brother of Maria McKee, on rhythm guitar, former Safari Ken Forssi, one of the greatest bass players rock has ever produced, guitarist Johnny Echols and Snoopy Pfisterer on drums. Alban Pfisterer had replaced original tub man Don Conka who was immortalized in the Lee classic, "Signed D.C.", prior to the 1966 release of Love. Pfisterer later manned keyboards and was, himself, replaced on drums by Michael Stuart.

Lee, born Arthur Taylor Porter, in Memphis Tennessee 1944 or 45 was one of the most enigmatic and elusive of the sixties many pop icons. Though Love was conceived in the heyday of flower power they were not really typical of the "love" generation. In fact it has been said that "Hate" would’ve been a more appropriate name for this band, known for their surly disposition and heroin addiction. Lee, who did not like playing live, pretty much sealed the band’s obscurity by refusing an invitation to play the Monterey Pop Festival. It has also been said, by Bryan Maclean, among others, that the recorded output of this band is a pale reflection of their in-person performances. If true, Love live must’ve been incredible! The recorded work spanned just three LP’s; Love, Da Capo and Forever Changes, each one a masterpiece. Forever Changes is generally regarded as their crowning achievement and it is a great great album but I find myself drawn more to that initial burst that gave us Love and Da Capo. These two are as raw as fresh road kill and have more of that accidental unplanned brilliance that I am drawn to. There are quite a few other albums released under the name Love but only the above mentioned were actually by the original band we are praising here.

Arthur’s overflowing talent for writing beautiful melodies and the unquestioned ability of the band made Love a force that we have not seen the equal of in the thirty years since their demise. Love was essentially the answer to Arthur Lee’s muse but it should be stated flatly that this was a BAND with all contributing. Bryan Maclean wrote only a few of Love’s songs but each one was memorable. Note the minor keyed "Softly To Me", simple and complex at the same time. It has a lovely melody but still rocks along at a good clip. His maniacal vocal performance on Dino Valenti’s "Hey Joe" is a punk gem and his rhythm guitar was insistent and consistent throughout the record. Bryan has released ifyoubelievein, a CD of some of his original compositions recorded as demos during the essential years of Love. It is on Sundazed Records (Sundazed CD SC 11051). Bryan was an underutilized talent because Lee’s personality was so strong and dominating. The fire engine that drove this group was, without a doubt, Ken Forssi. One of the most inventive, dynamic, any adjective for great bass players ever. If he is not in the rock’n’roll hall of fame he should be. Anyone who fancies himself or herself a bassist needs to listen to Forssi, the cranking dynamo of rock bottom. Forssi recently died shortly after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He will be missed by those who knew his work and should be explored by those who didn’t. His playing was aggressive, lyrical and unique. Johnny Echols was a fine guitarist and co-wrote "Emotions", "Can’t Explain" and "Mushroom Clouds". Some critics have dismissed this album as being overly influenced by the Byrds and if you are familiar with both bands you can see the connection. While it IS imitative, especially on "No Matter What You Do" and "You I’ll Be Following", this band is so amazing that their own special brand of psychedelic garage folk comes through even on those numbers; and they ARE great songs. On "Gazing", "Emotions", "And More", "My Flash On You", "A Message To Pretty" and "Colored Balls Falling" they are finding themselves, making their own statement. The Byrds served only as a jumping off point. Do yourself a favor and take a trip back to 1966 and let Love surround you. There is an excellent "best of" available on Rhino Records as well as the original versions of Love, Da Capo and Forever Changes on Elektra. Love was produced by Jack Holzman and Mark Abramson. It was recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles by Bruce Botnik. Get it. It’s good.

Contact High with The Godz (ESP-1037) 1966

The Godz. Not those heavy metal Godz from the mid-seventies. Hell, no! I'm talking about the one true Godz, the most Godz awful, brilliant, inept, awe inspiring, genius band ever to flash down to earth on that heavenly comet of rock'n'roll. THE Godz.

Since purchasing Contact High new sometime around 1967 I have suffered a lot of screwed up faces trying to preach the gospel of the Godz. These guys threw away more radical ideas than most MUSICIANS will ever have. This record was made on September 28, 1966, engineered by Andrew Burliner, and you can hear much of the new or no wave territory being plotted years before there was a new wave. The Godz would indulge any fantasy at all. Their one chord spirituals are most often referred to as dadaist or deconstructionist. That's pretty close.

"Come On Girl, Turn On", the faux country dittie that kicks the LP off was a goof on Timothy Leary's "turn on, tune in, drop out" credo. Quite funny too. This was nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more, say no more to psychedelic country folkie hymns played so badly they were able to create a dead on parody, however accidental. Every country cliché is twisted, mutated, mutilated and poked for fun. The one line lyric "come on girl, turn on" chanted into neverland accompanied by ineptitude taken to an unheard of extreme.

"White Cat Heat" begins safely enough but quickly becomes a lunatic free-form frenzy of feline fornication. It reaches its dramatic cat fight cat heat climax then mellows into a satisfied fat cat purr. Pure bliss.

"Na Na Naa". I have been unable to supply any words to describe this piece o' work. Let it be sufficient to say that this is the pure essence of what made the Godz what they were.

"Elevem" is a moody, almost melodic repetition of a single manta like chant that will set you completely free from melody, beat and chord progression. This is like jazz, man. It is one of those one chord one sound, monosyllabic atonal rantings that makes this a truly great album. It's like a séance or an exorcism, very cleansing. Think Maynard G Krebs and daddy-o beards.

There was a day when you had to flip the Monaural 12 inch vinyl LP over to hear the other side. Do that now. Doesn't that take you back?

"1+1=?" is a slashing insult to music. It get sooo close to an actual chord but the tuning on the guitar is what makes it laughable, and a gem - it's sung pretty straight but he CAN'T be serious. Jim, are you serious?

"Lay In The Sun" is another folkie ballad, complete with yodeling. Did I mention that when this disk was recorded these guys didn't know as much as the average geek about how to actually play the instruments. That is part of what makes this session a classic.

"Squeak" is a rape of the violin. Grating chaos that generates it's own dynamic out of a rhythmless dirge. Reminds me of some of the excursions John Cale took with the Velvet Underground if he had been a bit less "classically" trained or more likely if he had not been trained at all. You just would never play anything like this if you knew better. Another of the defining pieces on Contact High.

"Godz". Sounds a lot like a peyote party where just a little too many buttons were popped. It's insistent rhythm(?) guitar is the push that keeps it moving. Another truely defining moment.

"Words For The Birds" is another one of those failed country ditties. This is played too straight to be taken seriously. Not a favorite.

The Godz are: Jay Dillon-psaltery; Larry Kessler-bass, violin; Jim McCarthy-guitar, plastic flute, harmonica; and Paul Thornton-drums, maracas, guitar. According to the liner notes; "THIS IS THE GODZ' TRUTH: two sides of eight original tunes by four New Yorkers who don't give a good God-damn whether you dig it or not. They are human, alive, and hot in the blood, creating their own song, forging their own sound with a beat like an elephant's heart. They are that way because they hold honesty dear, and have no need for arrogance." Well said.

My feeble attempt to express to you the wonder and the beauty that was the Godz, to crystallize the primitive naiveté that allows this record to exist in the first place, has, I know, been inadequate. The Godz are the most inept band ever to actually record an album, but, by contrast, one of the MOST TALENTED. Trained musicians have no idea how to be this good. Their training and their musical reason would not allow them to reach into the areas of the psyche that the Godz routinely traversed. If your mind is open, your sense of humor is intact and you have the ability to recognize true genius when it smacks you in the face pick up a copy of Contact High with the Godz. It is available on CD if you can't find the real vinyl version but however you get it, get it. You'll never be the same again.

The 1st Church of the Godz lives on the web at: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/6115/godz2.htm. Visit often.

Rock'n'Rolls Last Stand...