This set marked several firsts for
Love
. Not only was
Out Here
(1969) their initial foray away from the
Elektra
imprint, it would be their only double-LP package. After the relative failure of
Forever Changes
(1968), co-founder
Arthur Lee
(vocals/rhythm guitar) disbanded the unit and then re-formed with
Frank Fayad
(bass),
George Suranovich
(drums),
Jay Donnellan
(lead guitar), and
Gary Rowles
(lead guitar). Granted, it's certainly not the greatest work in their catalog. However,
is proof that
Lee
's faculties for quirky and personable pop and rock compositions had yet to elude him. The results -- unquestionably a mixed bag -- present listeners with evidence of the combo's increasingly heavier approach, as well as a few selections that hearken back to the lighter whimsy of the earlier ensemble. The latter circumstance is clearly demonstrated, ranging from the acoustic introspection of
"Listen to My Song,"
to the full-blown group jam on the 11-plus minute
"Love Is More Than Words or Better Late Than Never"
featuring
Rowles
' inspired electric fretwork. The update of
"Signed D.C."
-- the original having been a key component of
's 1966 self-titled debut -- is given a weightier blues-fueled edge that remains drenched in the emotive angst of its precursor. The band's subsequent (and final) outing
False Start
(1970) continued mining the same heavy metal vein tapped on
"I'm Down"
and the suitably wordless
"Instra-Mental"."
While not exactly throwaways,
"Abalony,"
"Discharged,"
and the droll funeral procession ode
"Car Lights on in the Daytime Blues"
are more filler than killer. Still, all in all,
enthusiasts can discover plenty of music to
on
. In 2007,
Hip-O Select
's
Blue Thumb Recordings
anthology provided freshly remastered editions of both
,
, and the nearly hour-long
Live in England 1970
boasting 11 previously unreleased concert performances. ~ Lindsay Planer