LOVE/ARTHUR LEE FOREVER CHANGES RARE ORIG '67 ELEKTRA STEREO LP SHRINK STUNNING

$

283

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       LOVE featuring ARTHUR LEE - FOREVER CHANGES – ORIGINAL ELEKTRA RECORDS 1967 STEREO LP EKS-74013

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       ORIGINAL TAN ELEKTRA LABEL, MID-TO-LATE '60s STYLE

·       ALLENTOWN, PA (AL) ELEKTRA PRESSING

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       ONE OF THE GREATEST ROCK ALBUMS OF THE LAST 60 YEARS – THE UNIVERSALLY ACCLAIMED MASTERPIECE

·       ORIGINAL, THIN CARDBOARD COVER

·       COVER IS STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL SHRINK (CELLOPHANE) WRAP

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

 (►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you'll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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Love's Forever Changes made only a minor dent on the charts when it was first released in 1967, but years later it became recognized as one of the finest and most haunting albums to come out of the Summer of Love, which doubtless has as much to do with the disc's themes and tone as the music, beautiful as it is. Sharp electric guitars dominated most of Love's first two albums, and they make occasional appearances here on tunes like "A House Is Not a Motel" and "Live and Let Live," but most of Forever Changes is built around interwoven acoustic guitar textures and subtle orchestrations, with strings and horns both reinforcing and punctuating the melodies. The punky edge of Love's early work gave way to a more gentle, contemplative, and organic sound on Forever Changes, but while Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean wrote some of their most enduring songs for the album, the lovely melodies and inspired arrangements can't disguise an air of malaise that permeates the sessions. A certain amount of this reflects the angst of a group undergoing some severe internal strife, but Forever Changes is also an album that heralds the last days of a golden age and anticipates the growing ugliness that would dominate the counterculture in 1968 and 1969; images of violence and war haunt "A House Is Not a Motel," the street scenes of "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hillsdale" reflects a jaded mindset that flower power could not ease, the twin specters of race and international strife rise to the surface of "The Red Telephone," romance becomes cynicism in "Bummer in the Summer," the promise of the psychedelic experience decays into hard drug abuse in "Live and Let Live," and even gentle numbers like "Andmoreagain" and "Old Man" sound elegiac, as if the ghosts of Chicago and Altamont were visible over the horizon as Love looked back to brief moments of warmth. Forever Changes is inarguably Love's masterpiece and an album of enduring beauty, but it's also one of the few major works of its era that saw the dark clouds looming on the cultural horizon, and the result was music that was as prescient as it was compelling.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY MARK DEMING, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

Probably one of the very few albums that can invoke a total, universal consensus: this is one of the most beautiful - and important - albums of the rock era. Recorded in mid-1967, just as LOVE's original line-up was about to disintegrate, Elektra’s house producer and engineer, Bruce Botnick (who went on to record and produce virtually every Doors’ album) assembled a stellar studio band - which included, among others, Hal Blaine, legendary studio drummer - to support the faltering "Love" members while they were bickering in the studio. The impact of this "parallel" group of musicians was swift and massive: the band somehow perceived them as a competition and a threat, and managed to regain its composure and creativity and  to create one of the most enduring minor-key masterpieces ever committed to vinyl. If you have never heard this album, take my word: you are missing a lot. The album aged better than 99% of its contemporaries and attained a genuine cult status. Cited by many rock stars as their source of inspiration (various members of Led Zeppelin and Fairport Convention come to mind), the impact this majestic album still exerts on rock music (and aesthetics) cannot be overestimated. Finally, the cover art for this album is one of the most memorable and recognizable visual presentations in all of contemporary music, and a great artistic accomplishment to boot. So much so that Arthur Lee himself mimicked it on his 'Forever Changes Reunion Tour' album.  

For its extraordinary contribution to the modern music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship,  revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, writers and general public, this album was voted one of top-200 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted by Paul Gambaccini, legendary BBC Radio A&R man, surveyed more than 50 top music professionals (including Roy Carr, Jonathan Cott, Robert Christgau, Cameron Crowe, Chet Flippo, Ben Fong-Torres, Charlie Gillett, Greil Marcus, Murray the K., Lenny Kaye, Bruce Morrow (a/k/a "Cousin Brucie"), Tim Rice (of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita" fame), Lisa Robinson, Robert Shelton (who wrote liner notes for Bob Dylan's first album), Ed Ward, Joel Whitburn, Pete Wingfield, etc.). For more details, see: "Critics Choice: Top-200 albums" compiled by Paul Gambaccini, Omnibus Press, Library of Congress Catalog No.7855565.

And, finally, if this is of any relevance (and we do not claim that it is) "Forever Changes' is an important  entry in  my personal top list. Other entries on our top-50 list (in no particular order) include Otis Redding, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Sam Cooke, Can, Tim Buckley, Byrds, James Carr,  Stooges, Five Royales, The Stooges,  Everly Brothers, Richard and Linda Thompson,  Muddy Waters  and others)

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·                               CONDITION:

·                               THE RECORD

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL  AS  NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs -  are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible,  and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

(a)          The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(b)          Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·       THE COVER

COVER IS STRONG NEAR MINT,  STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Cover has a light "wrinkle" (crease)  in one of the corners.

-        Cover has JUST A HINT of ring wear (nothing significant); On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 1.

-        Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine (nothing significant)

-        Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

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INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from one region of  the world to another. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

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FINE (BUT IMPORTANT!) PRINT

 (1) The year indicated in the title bar is the year of the original release,  NOT necessarily the year of the actual pressing; for the actual generation of the pressing, please see our item description (top section, text in red letters). (2) Please do NOT bid based on the title bar, subtitle bar or item specifics box alone; instead, please read the entire description and grading before bidding; (3) Absolutely NO order cancellations after the auction closes. ever, under any circumstances. We can ONLY cancel bids before the item closes. (4) We are unable to cancel bids in the final 12 hours of the auction; if you need to do so, please contact eBay for help (5) We are unable to provide matrix-, stamper- or other pressing  information in the final 24 hours of the auction. If you require this information, please contact us well before the final day of the auction. (6) Yes, we DO combine shipments. Please click on "Shipping and Payment" tab on top of the auction page for additional details. (7)  All Paypal payments must be made from confirmed Paypal shipping addresses. NO third party shipping addresses will be honored  (8) Absolutely NO partial refunds: if you are unhappy with the merchandise you received, please return it for a full refund, postage included (9). Civilized people can disagree without accusing each other of being indecent or dishonest; if you need proof of this seller's personal integrity, please check our eBay feedback, which speaks for itself  (10) All disagreements and miscommunications can be - and will only be - solved in a civil and mutually respectful manner;  please avoid puerile, offensive, abrasive or menacing language (attempted humor is fine and usually appreciated, although overused-to-death sarcasms can be really, really tedious. (11) This seller will accommodate all reasonable requests and is generally a flexible and agreeable person (12) Our love & appreciation for your trust, loyalty and business, always and forever;  Thank You & Good Night!

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