They once featured future Manson Family member Bobby Beausoleil on guitar, and leader Arthur Lee was friends with Jimi Hendrix.
But Love stood out among the late-’60s psychedelic bands for other reasons, including their interracial lineup and a psychedelic approach that drew from Spanish styles rather than the typical Eastern influences.
The group started out performing a mix of garage rock and Byrds-influenced folk rock but took a more ambitious approach on their second album, 1966’s Da Capo, which incorporated baroque rock as well as jazz rock on the 18-minute jam “Revelation.”
But it was Forever Changes, from the following year, that established the group’s largely acoustic guitar-driven approach to psychedelia.
The tandem of lead guitarist Johnny Echols (who favored a Stratosphere Twin double-neck) and rhythm guitarist Bryan MacLean (often seen with a Gibson Barney Kessel) paired together smoothly on tracks like “Alone Again Or” and “Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale,” where Echols plied his nimble fretwork against MacLean’s steady rhythm.
Overlooked at the time, Forever Changes has gone on to be one of the most celebrated albums of the first psychedelic era, and one that continues to sound fresh rather than stylistically dated and derivative.
In this fantastic Vinyl Rewind interview, Echols shares some stories about Arthur Lee and the roots of Love in Memphis, Tennessee.
“He’s just always been there. He’s like my big brother,” says the guitarist. “I never knew a time in life (until, of course, when he passed) that he wasn’t there.”
Speaking of the early days, Echols reminisces about visits from his old friend, the “architect of rock ‘n’ roll,” Little Richard.
“He had relatives in the area, and he would always come by,” he recalls. “We would see him in the area and so everyone would rush over because Richard would hand out dollars.”
Elsewhere, Echols talks in-depth about the making of the Love classic Forever Changes.
“It was meant to be dark,” he explains. “It was a reflection of the times in which we lived.”
Browse the Love catalog here.
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