Forever Changes Concert, The (Live At The Royal Festival Hall 2003) [ECD]

"Arthur! You don't know how long we've waited!" shouted one enthusiastic female member of the audience after Love had finished performing their first song. "But you know how long I've waited," Arthur Lee playfully tossed back, eliciting sharp cheers from the crowd. Such was the spirit at the Royal Festival Hall, where, on January 15, 2003, Lee and Love re-created the Forever Changes album live in London for the first time. What could have been a pathetic display -- Lee, the onetime star, performing old hits by rote -- actually becomes a transcendent experience through two virtues: inspired string and horn accompaniment from a Scandinavian eight-piece, and the sheer shock and relief that Lee is able to hold himself together despite his years of well-documented self-abuse. The Forever Changes Concert does not take any liberties with the content of the legendary Forever Changes album, preferring note-for-note replication over reimagining. While this may be disappointing to some listeners, others will revel in the impressiveness of how well those strings and horns blend in with Baby Lemonade, the backing band that, with Lee, comprises the touring version of Love. Meanwhile, Lee himself cuts a sympathetic and winning figure throughout the show. While he misses a note or two on "The Daily Planet," and can't quite touch Bryan MacLean's graceful high notes on "Old Man," he acquits himself vocally quite nicely and retains the precisely measured diction that made the album such a psychedelic peculiarity upon its initial release. Age has taken away the punk gruffness of tracks like "Bummer in the Summer," though. The interplay between Lee, his band, and the small orchestra is nothing short of breathtaking in certain spots, particularly when the show hits its crescendo on "You Set the Scene," the closer to the original album. The second half of that song is an unqualified triumph, instruments blending beautifully and Lee demonstrating clear elation at the fact of simply having made it through. When it's done, the instinct is to cheer much as one would for a sports underdog who's unexpectedly won a big game. That the bonus tracks -- renditions of selected well-known cuts from the rest of Love's erratic history -- are anticlimactic and less powerful hardly takes away from the success of this live set. Fans of Love will be impressed that Lee and his group are holding together so well, while listeners less familiar will find a sterling recapture of one of rock's greatest albums. ~ Joseph McCombs|