The Blue Thumb Recordings

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Love’s third album 1968’s <i>Forever Changes</i> was such a masterpiece that it doomed everything its creator, Arthur Lee, tried in its wake. The original band broke up and Lee reformed Love for the follow-up album, 1969’s <i>Four Sail</i>. Twenty-seven tracks were recorded; ten were used. The remaining songs were issued three months later in December 1969 with the band’s new record label, Blue Thumb, as the double album <i>Out Here</i>. This sprawling set, while uneven, features several key Lee performances. The drug-related undercurrents of “I Still Wonder,” the growing cynicism of “Gather ‘Round” and the acoustic simplicity of “Listen to My Song” are every bit as essential as Lee’s earlier work. The extended jams (“Love is More Than Words or Better Late than Never,” “Doggone”) are more indulgent and point towards jam band territory and the harder rock of <i>False Start</i> recorded in 1970 that was released on Valentine’s Day 1971. <i>Start</i> includes Lee’s collaboration with Jimi Hendrix (“The Everlasting First”) and a collection of shouters (“Slick Dick,” “Feel Daddy Feel Good”) that are uncharacteristically brusque For this collection, live tapes of the band’s 1970 U.K. tour were found and feature songs from throughout the band’s career, including “Andmoreagain,” “Bummer in the Summer” and “Signed D.C.” that continue the hard rock approach with grinding rhythms and extended guitar solos.

via Apple Music