12B - The Michigan Daily - Wet U. - Thursday, September 14, 1995
low ill 4
All you need is love
An influential band and its leader should not be forgotten now
By Heather Phares
Daily Arts Editor
Where most people think of black
rock stars, names like Little Richard,.
Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Lenny
Kravitz and VernonReid spring to mind
instantly, but few people would think of
Arthur Lee, leader of the influential
'60s group Love.
And that's too bad; for while Lee is a
contemporary of Hendrix' and a strong
influence on Kravitz, much ofthe band's
work has been overlooked, save for
their classic psychedelic album "For-
ever Changes." Love's status as one of
the few racially integrated rock bands
in the '60s (along with the Jimi Hendrix
Experience and Sly and the Family
Stone), along with their unique take on
garage punk, psychedelia and soul
makes their relative obscurity practi-
cally criminal.
But Rhino's thorough, elaborate box
set "Love Story" sets out to remedy that
situation and put Arthur Lee in his right-
ful place in the rock pantheon as amajor
influence not only on artists like Kravitz
but on musicians as diverse as Alice
Cooper, Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan and
Frank Black. The two-disc set features
aremastered"Forever Changes" as well
as selected singles and the majority of
Love's other albums, such as 1966's
self-titled album, 1967's "Da Capo"
and 1969's swansong "Four Sail."
"Love Story" also features some of
Lee's solo recordings, including "False
Start," on which Lee worked with
Hendrix.
Disc One of the set covers the band's
formative years and their heyday. Lee
and Love's original lineup (lead guitar-
ist John Echols, bassist Ken Forci, drum-
mer Alban Pfisterer, flautist and saxo-
phonist Tjay Cantrelli and second
singer-songwriter-guitarist Bryan
McLean) started the band in Holly-
wood in early 1965, making them one
of the first psychedelic bands in L.A.,
and making Lee the first "black hip-
pie."
Love's first album reveals both their
incipient creativity and their influences.
Seeing the legendary '60s janglers the
Byrds in concert gave Lee a new per-
spective on what rock could be about,
and their influence is prominent on the
"Love"material. "A Message to Pretty,"
"You I'll Be Following" and "No Mat-
ter What You Do" follow in the Byrds'
tradition of chiming guitars and sweet
harmonies, but Lee's raw approach to
these simple pop tunes avoids imita-
tion.
This rawness and honesty is harnessed
on the other half of "Love"'s material,
the rough, proto-punk numbers like the
group's cover of the Bacharach/David
tune "My Little Red Book" (which al-
legedly incensed the songwriters).
Tunes like "My Flash On You" lyri-
cally and sonically declare their inde-
pendence from any constraints, musi-
cal or otherwise. In fact, much of"Love"
has to do with the search for freedom
and individuality, which coming from
an iconoclast like Lee isn't surprising.
The rest of the album contains a psy-
chedelic love song by Bryan MacLean,
"Softly to Me." It hasn't aged as well as
some ofLove's othermaterial butnone-
theless is a beautiful and innovative
song for 1966. The group's cover of
"Hey Joe," speeds along at a frantic
pace. Unlike Hendrix' later, funereally
slow version of the song, in Love's
version Joe sounds mad as hell and out
for blood.
"Signed D.C" is a bluesy anti-drug
song, particularly raw and realistic for
Love
Love Story: 1966 - 1972
Elektra Traditions/Rhino
its time, when most bands were leaning
toward drug-influenced sounds and glo-
rifying drug use. All in all, "Love" is an
interesting debut which not only put the
band's name on the map but helped
define L.A's psychedelic scene.
"7 and 7 Is" is one of the band's
defining moments. This single, which
later appeared on the group's second
album "Da Capo" is a heavy, climactic
rush of single, featuring some of Lee's
most impassioned, powerful singing,
thundering drums and a zooming bass
line. It all builds up to a literal explosion
(at a Nevada testing site, no less) at the
end, giving the song an appropriately
apocalyptic air.
In contrast, much of the rest of "Da
Capo" is gentle, psychedelic pop with
baroque overtones. "Stephanie Knows
Who" and "The Castle" are both deco-
rated with harpsichord runs, while songs
like MacLean's "Orange Skies" and
"iQue Vida!" are mellow jazz-tinged
numbers. "Orange Skies" in particular
seems to have influenced Lenny
Kravitz' song "Fields of Joy." "She
Comes In Colors," also on "Da Capo,"
is a strong influence, at least lyrically,
on the Rolling Stones' classic "She's A
Rainbow."
"Revelation," the closing track of the
album, was left off of "Love Story" for
the simple reason that it's over 20 min-
utes long - it took up an entire side of
"Da Capo." But even with that exclu-
sion, it's evident that "Da Capo" is one
of the '60s' classic recordings, mixing
blues, jazz, punk, pop and folk in a
completely innovative way.
Disc One concludes with the first
half of the "Forever Changes" material.
"Changes" sees Lee and the rest of the
group moving further away from their
heavier, garage-rock sound to a more
refined style. MacLean's "Alone Again
Or" blends flamenco guitar, strings and
brass into a song that's especially intri-
cate and compelling for a pop tune; it's
the best song he wrote with the band.
"A House Is Not A Motel" is a
barouge-pop tune with a wiry guitar
solo in the middle, and"Andmoreagain"
features soft strings and a classical gui-
tar. "The Red Telephone" is sort of like
Love's "A Day In the Life": an acoustic
ballad with a bizarre ending chant of
"They're locking them up today/and
throwing away the key/1 wonder who
it'll be tomorrow/You or me?" The
song's title refers to the President's
White House hotline, adding another
weird touch to an already unique song.
Disc Two begins with the remainder
of the "Forever Changes" songs.
"Maybe the People Would Be the Times
or Between Clark and Hilldale" and
"Live and Let Live" are acoustic-based
numbers that have a driven energy simi-
lar to the Doors' work of that period
(interestingly, Lee discovered the Doors
and helped them get label attention).
"Bummer in the Summer" is something
of a return to Love's fiery form; it's
largely acoustic but features an angry,
rebellious vocal from Lee.
18 months after the release of "For-
ever Changes," "Four Sail" came out.
The 1969 album featured Lee and a new
backing band: In the time between the
two records, Lee fired the original mem-
bers of Love, including MacLean. In
their place were bassist Frank Fayad,
What's not to Love?
drummer George Suranovich, and gui-
tarist Jay Donnellan. It's Donnellan's
guitar work that stands out on "Four
Sail" rather than any particular track.
"August" is a good example; the actual
song isn't much but the long guitar solo
at the end is classic '60s rock. "Good
Times" also has a jazzy, extended-jam
feeling to it. Lee's singing and
Donnellan's guitar make the song. Much
of the "Four Sail" material simply isn't
up to the standard of the group's previ-
ous work; it lacks the the focus of Love's
most effective songs. But tracks like
"Always See Your Face" point toward
Lee's more soul-inflected work in the
next few years.
Lee's two early '70s albums "Out
Here" and "False Start" mix rock with
some soul, funk and gospel, especially
on tracks like "I'll Pray For You" and
"Run to the Top." But Lee's interest in
folk music remains evident on tunes
like "Doggone" and "Listen to My
Song." And while "False Start" is best
remembered for having a track with
Jimi Hendrix on it, that song, "The
Everlasting First," is one of the best
things about the albun:A heavy blues-
rocker, it's got Hendrix' guitar all over
it, which definitely improves the song.
The last song of "Love Story" is one
of Lee's most philosophical tunes,
"Everybody's Gotta Live." Reminis-
cent of some of John Lennon's solo
work, especially "Instant Karma," it's
also influenced by spirituals.ft's a fit-
ting end to the set; after pioneering
psychedelic rock, helping create the
L.A. scene of the mid-to-late '60s and
trying to find his own way of expres-
sion, the joyful celebration of individu-
ality on "Everybody's Gotta Live" is a
neat summation of Lee's way of life.
"Love Story" is a thoughtful cotpi-
lation, not to mention a great listen. The
innovation and variety on all 44 traks
of the set reflect Lee's talent and pas-
sion for free expression. Hopefully,
"Love Story" will bring Lee's artistic
vision to a new group of fans. Even 'for
old fans, the set is a worthwhile pur-
chase. This is definitely all the Love
you need.
A new brew, just for you
Computer quandary: What should you buy?
By Sean Sweda
For the Daily
Welcome to the Cyber Space. In the
coming weeks, we'll surf the Internet,
work out the kinks in your computer
systems, search for addresses across
the world, and soon. Butfirst ofall, you
all need a computer. Here's a practical
guidefor how to find the right machine.
It used to be that you bought a
Macintosh if you wanted an easy-to-
use computer. You bought a PC if you
wanted the most bang for your buck.
Nowadays that distinction is blurred,
due to the much-improved Windows
'95 and the competitively-priced Power
PC Macintoshes.
If this is your first computer, the best
thing to do is to get a lot of hands-on
experience before making a decision.
If you can, get an experienced user to
give you a guided tour of both products.
But remember that the most important
opinion is your own-if you don't like
using your computer, you'll end up
with a glorified typewriter collecting
dust on your desk.
If you plan on replacing your current
machine, try to stick with your current
platform. The advantages you may gain
from switching to a new hardware ar-
chitecture will most likely be offset by
the cost of new software and the time
spent getting used to your new environ-
ment.
Finally, the University's support of
the Mac platform is substantially more
robust than its support ofPC's (with the
possible exception of the Business
School). If you plan on being here for a
few years you should strongly consider
a Macintosh. If you plan on purchasing
a portable computer, only Macintosh
PowerBooks can be connected to the
printers at the campus computing sites.
After settling the Mac/Windows is-
sue, the next question is power. Most
students use their computers for tasks
that are not power-intensive, like word-
processing and e-mail. A $4,000 ma-
chine is overkill.
But the least expensive computers
available are generally obsolete as soon
as you open the box, so if cost is the
primary factor in your decision pro-
cess, look at a used computer instead.
If a brand new computer is what you
want, look to spend between $2000 and
$2500.
If you're looking at a Macintosh,
you'll want to purchase one of the new
Power Macs with the PCI bus structure.
The PCI bus is the industry standard for
expansion cards, providing a wider se-
lection and lower prices for items such
as video cards.
Ifa Macintosh is not in yourplans, look
for a machine based on Intel's Pentium
processor. While PC's utilizing Intel's
486 chip are still available, it is doubtful
that any more power can be squeezed out
of that architechture.
The methods currently used to increase
the processing power of the 486 ma-
chines should be used down the road to
breathe new life into an aging Pentium-
based PC.
When looking at configuration options,
remember that today's applications are
disk and memory hogs. You should con-
sider no less than 500 MB of hard drive
space and 8 MB of RAM. Going to a I
GB/16 MB configuration can push the
total cost closer to $3000, but these com-
ponents will retain more resale value due
computer owners who are upgrading from
the lesser configurations.
An internal CD-ROM drive should
also be strongly considered. Even a dual-
speed drive will save you the headache of
a 48-disk Microsoft Office installation.
If you plan on using a CD-ROM for
multimedia or games, a quad-speed drive
is a must.
A final word about printers: with the
cheap and easy availability of high-qual-
ity laser printing on campus, having your
own printer is more ofa convenience than
a necessity. Ink-jet printers provide a
low-cost alternative to laser printing for
those who want to avoid the computing
center completely.
SAN DERS
Continued from page 101B
fice. "It's messed up that you could
have a thousand dollars waiting and a
$20 hold credit, but they won't clear it,"
Sanders complained. Well, what about
that yummy dorm food? "Cereal and
pop, you can count on that. The rest
gots ta go. They have more ways to
prepare chicken... I think they recycle
food."
On the serious tip, though, Horace
Sanders feels that "it's unnecessary the
way we go about education. I think it's
messed up that people's parents have to
work their lives off or mortgage things
and take out loans for someone to get an
education."
Sanders admits that he doesn't take
much of a liking to parking and speed-
ingtickets. "I got speeding tickets twice;
I was going downhill," he said. But, he
is proud of two accomplishments. He
no longer drinks, and he's never used
drugs. "I rarely drank when I did, and I
never got drunk," Sanders notes. "I
once drunk a cooler too fast, and it gave
me a buzz, though. And, I admit, one
time when I was eight I got a leaf out of
the backyard and rolled it up. I didn't
know what I was doing."
Why does Horace do it all? What
does he hope to gain from it? "This is all
for the purpose of upliftment," Sanders
said. "I know comedy is not going to
make everything better, but it's a form
of entertainment I know something
about at this time to get people on my
side. So, when more serious things are
done people already know how I am.
Plus it's something I like to do."
Can't argue with that.
Black Folks Productions' first com-
edy night takes place tomorrow, 8:15
p.m. to 10 p.m. at Auditorium A of
Angell Hall. The cost of tickets is $4in
advance, $5 at the door. M-Gard is
accepted.
By Maureen Sirhal
Daily Staff Repor ter
Microbrewery. It is a word that's
unfamiliar to many people. If you
asked people what they are they would
probably say Miller or Anheiser-
Busch.
Ann Arbor can finally join the band-
wagon of cities with microbrewery
restaurants. The Arbor Brewing Com-
pany, located on Washington street
one block east of main, can finally
answer the question on the minds of
young (legally aged) adults interested
in good drink. They brew beer from
their own recipes and combine that
unique aspect with a full restaurant
and bar.
While Arbor Brewing Company
prefers to be known as a brewing pub,
it is still a very similar idea. Owners
Matt and Rene Greff of Ypsilanti said
they wanted to try something new.
"We were interested in beer and
looking for a way to market it," ex-
plained Matt Greff. "I studied abroad
in Germany and fell in love with Ger-
man style beer. I saw a home brewing
kit in the party store and began fool-
ing around."
What began as "fooling around"
has become a new trend in the way of
restaurants. Cities all over the coun-
try including Detroit have dove into
the microbrewery trend. They have
become a tremendously popular al-
ternative to the everyday bar and grill.
The Greffs began their venture last
year and after securing the financing
from investors, they began renovat-
ing the Washington St.. sight in march.
The location was the former home of
Washington St. Station.
After roughly four months the brew
pub opened for business and has been
booming ever since.
"(Ann Arbor) is a much more re-
ceptive crowd (for a
brewery),"explained Matt Greff.
"They are constantly reading and
learning."
Greff said that he and his wife have
tried to prepare their staff for the many
question they encounter by patrons.
"We don't carry name brand beer
like Bud light," said Rene Greff. "We
carry beer according to style."
The couple said that some patrons
will leave because of that factor but
on the whole most people are very
interested in something new.
Each of the house taps are very
distinct styles of beer that Greff in-
vented himself.
"We brew four kinds of beer, Red
Snapper special bitter is a variety of
British ales, Bonnie's Bliss is special
wheat beer, Faricy Fest Irish Stout is
a light bodied Stout, and Matt's Pre-
mium Pils is apilsner beer,"explained
Rene Greff. "If people want a bud
light we explain to them that we don't
carry Bud Light but offer them our
version of a light beer."
Another aspect of the Gref's brew-
ing process is how they actually brewv.
None of the beer is filtered.
"When you filter beer, you strip it
of a lot flavor," Greff said
Beside the beer, Greff have tried to
run first class restaurant.
"It doesn't matter if the beer is
terrific, if the food and service is no
good, than the restaurant is doomed."
asserted Rene.
The brew pub carries a range of
dishes from deli-style sandwiches to
bratwurst and lobster cakes. The prices
remain competitive with most Ann
Arbor restaurant prices.
Service was another major concen-
tration for the success of the business.
"I think this is a good place to work,
'Rene said. "Each of our staff mem-
bers gets a beer after work and a
sandwich before their shift. We
haven't had to advertise at all since
opening."
Students may find the atfiosphere a
little different from that of Rahk's or
Touchdown.
Matt Greff describes the clienfele
as a "very mature audience." The bulk
of the business is Ann arbor residents,
but the patrons are very mixed.
Students have mixed opinions; but
the majority have said that it is a nice
change from the typical bar sedne on
campus.
"It's an interesting change from
your typical Rick's or Charley' s,"said
Theater School senior Nancy Moran.
"It is definitely a mixed crowd."
The Arbor Brewing Company is
open at from noon to midnight or
Sunday and 11:30 a.m. till midnighi
Monday through Wednesday-anc
11:30 a.m. till 1:00a.m.' Thursda
through Saturday.
ARE YOU A
LEADER?7
We have openings for MSA, the LS&A
Curriculum Committee, and for the LS&A Joint
Student-Faculty Committee. If you are a LS&A
student with a little spare time and a lot of
enthusiasm, we invite you to apply. To get started,
Recycle the Daily.
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