This was the third album by Los Angeles-based band, Love, and the second to
appear on my list of 1001 Albums To Listen To Before I Die. By 1967, Love were the hippest band in LA after The Byrds. But acts like The Doors and Jimi Hendrix were poised to steal the spotlight. Love faced many challenges: they were ethnically mixed, with two black front men playing music unlikely to appeal to a black audience; songs stretched out for entire LP sides; and their drug use was spiralling out of control. They decided to go back to basics with their third album.
By the time they hit the studio to record, they were in such bad shape, that the producer had to hire session players to record the first two songs, "The Daily Planet" and "Andmoreagain." They took time off to get their act together and learn the next batch of tunes. They would come back to the studio, record a couple of songs in a day and then take time off to learn the next batch. This formula took them nearly four months to complete recording.
What I love about this album is that it's acid rock played with acoustic guitars and a symphony orchestra. There are a couple of catchy tunes, but not enough to help make this album a commercial success. It eventually cracked the Top 30 in the UK, but peaked at #154 in the US. Years later it would be recognized as one of the best, if not most haunting, albums to come out of the Summer of Love.
Track Listing:
01. Alone Again Or
02. A House Is Not A Motel
03. Andmoreagain
04. The Daily Planet
05. Old Man
06. The Red Telephone
07. Maybe The People Would Be The Times or Between Clark And Hilldale
08. Live And Let Live
09. The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This
10. Bummer In The Summer
11. You Set The Scene
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