Arthur Lee - Just Us

Arthur Lee has been turning up in a few of my conversations lately and I thought I'd spotlight this excellent album from much, much later in his career. It shows that Arthur still had the unique charm and ability to craft thoughtful music just like he always had. For me, Arthur Lee was one of the greatest lyricists of our time and also recorded some of the most powerful, emotive, tuff and meaningful rock I've ever heard. From the early punk sounds to the completely crazy later years Arthur always had an incomparable finesse and unmistakable genius about him. His different approach, odd ball antics and innovation in delivery bench marked styles that would be inspiring music some 20-30 years later.


Arthur's unique spin on things was the power and innovation that he brought to rock. He made a deposit into the minds of rock musicians world wide and succeeded at 'forever changing' the way we think about pop composition. The tidal waves of creativity that he championed in pop music are still crashing on the shores of modern music still to this day.

Arthur Incorporated the same fire and power into what was commonly misogynistic cave man punk rock, but did it without the sexism and cliches. On the outside, sometimes the music sounded simple, and if judged too fast could get dismissed as typical rock. Yet, there was endless layers to this onion and he made you listen on a deeper level. He provided a more sensitive and emotional spin at times. He was the major component of the mid sixties L.A. based rock group Love. Along with Bryan MacLean that group created landmark records that combined jazz, acoustic folk, Tijuana tinged pop, and early proto-punk. They contributed the great "Forever Changes" LP which I feel gets left out of the conversation of evolving music in the 60's. A lot of comparisons are done between the Beatles and the Beach Boys on a album by album basis and how they were inspiring each other, but seldom is 'Forever Changes' even mentioned in that context. It, and Love's other albums are important pieces of music history. His solo efforts are also important pieces, and are basically Love albums. As time went on, he moved even farther out of the light of exposure. In fact, as a whole Arthur Lee and Love go unnoticed by the larger 'rock' world both then and now. Only later in life and during the early 2000's did Arthur start to see some mass appeal and adoration for what he did. Unfortunately Arthur died of Leukemia in 2006.

Interesting connection here between this and a previous post is that the treatment of the Bacharach and David's tune 'My Little Red book' was one of the first major notable records by Love. Apparently Bacharach hated this 'treatment' of his song, but it showed again that Arthur was light years ahead of his time. Arthur revamped his tunes several times throughout his releases and one of his last great performances was doing the entire 'Forever Changes' album live with a full orchestra.

Arthur Lee has always brought a different perspective to rock and roll. Whether that has something to do with him being African American is up for consideration. He certainly has a unique edge he brought to rock, yet he pushed a kind of individuality that went beyond race. He was after all, a black man in a mostly white rock world. Throughout his path he crossed with many that ultimately shaped who he became. He was inspired by Curtis Mayfield and in early Los Angeles days met and recorded with a young Jimi Hendrix. I believe that the souls of Curtis, Jimi and others that inspired him like Johnny Mathis and Burt Bacharach all made up the complex collage that was Arthur Lee. Arthur had a mixture of souls burning through him and his music and it collectively contributed to his unique fire.

I saw Arthur live in San Francisco not long after he was released from prison. It was an amazing show. Probably one the best live rock shows I've seen. He still had the pizazz, and my only regret was missing the 'Forever Changes Tour' approximately one year later. Aside from the perspective he brought to rock and roll, I feel as though he also felt the brunt and plight of being African American in the record industry and largely in the rock and roll world as a whole. He affirms this by his refusal to tour or leave L.A. during most of his career, opting to stay in his 'turf' where he felt more comfortable. The fact that he spent any time in prison was a complete mistake and inexcusable crime in itself. Arthur should have been locked in a studio and forced to record more music instead. I believe if that were the sentence we would have that much better of a world today. Arthur being locked up in prison was completely WRONG and illustrates that the music 'biz' ultimately did NOT have his back.

Back many years ago, at the height of the Napster craze I searched through a set of files that lead to a dialog and friendship with a woman that was in a romantic relationship with Arthur for some time. He was in jail at the time, but I wish I still had that contact info because now I'm sure she'd have some interesting things to say. We traded a few files and she spoke of intimate details about Arthur and their relationship. During that time I discovered an unreleased album called 'Black Beauty' from 1973.

In my Opinion Arthur Lee was one of the greatest contributors to music. The impression he left on rock and pop music is largely under appreciated and under valued. He may be one of the best kept secrets in the recorded world, and a treat for anyone to discover over and over again. Arthur gave so much over such a long time, and what he brought to the table was sincere genius. He crafted a bevy of incredible psychedelic and introspective lyrics often focused on social and relevant issues. He also had a piece of himself in his music that was self analyzing, one to one personal and often existential. Listening to Love and anything by Arthur Lee is about as close to an 'out-of-body' experience that I can have listening to music. I love the first album and even this much much later album in 1981. Seeing him live was one of the greatest shows I've had the pleasure of witnessing.

Arthur with Jimi Hendrix

If anything this 1981 LP shows that Arthur hadn't lost a single bit of his touch, his attitude or his purpose. I'm throwing your way the best three tunes from this album, but if you're NOT familiar with Love or Arthur Lee, you seriously need to get down to brass tacks and git this doods shit.

This is really a minute bit about a man that needs pages more to tell his whole story. I just kinda threw this all together with the underlying purpose to expose these tracks from this LP. I think we here at Soundboutique owe a deeper more comprehensive post in the future. Arthur certainly deserves it, and there's a plethora of other tracks to share. In my efforts to gather more info about Arthur, I came across a number of interesting things...two blogs that have detailed info about Arthur Lee.
Have You Heard Of Arthur Lee?
http://observer1984.blogspot.com/2007/09/have-you-ever-heard-of-arthur-lee.html
And..
http://poisgoneforever.blogspot.com/

And the movie entitled 'Love Story' which I still haven't seen, but hear that it is revealing and comprehensive.
Love Story Promo





These tracks are just a small taste...
Arthur Lee - Just Us
Arthur Lee - Happy Me
Arthur Lee - Do You Know The Secret

Captain Beefheart - Diddy Wah Diddy

So sad to hear of this man passing away. It has truly been a landmark year for the passing of our musical heroes. One right after another from all fields of music. Big bummer, but always an ample opportunity for adjusting the spotlight in their direction.
I first heard this tune on KALX 90.7 FM waaaaay back in the day. There was some kinda special on 60's music. I must have been 16 or 17 years old. It was many years later until I knew who exactly it was that had blasted through the radio. I had never heard anything so heavy and nasty and this blues R&B number had never sounded tougher. I think Bo Diddley would approve of the treatment.

Blazing with some of the baddest harp and fuzz guitar I had ever heard, this track seriously, seriously rips. It rips through your ears like a chainsaw. Captain Beefheart has forever been bad ass in my eyes. All of his huge catalog has been entirely entertaining to discover. From his fuzzed out R&B antics to the hybrid strange rock sound they had later on. My homie Kool Kyle pointed out to me, that if you were searching for where Nerd got their choppy syncopated production sound, it might rest right in a few of Beefheart's tunes. Purely coincidence? Possible. But, the Captain was well know for innovation and adversity.

Their brand of rock and roll infused jazz, soul, punk and garage. They seemingly had no commercial interest. They were even so experimental that any momentum they had acquired by this 'hit' single, dissipated by 1974 and drove the group to break up. They eventually formed again and put out three more albums. But, Beefheart has never been a sell out. Far from it. Or, seemed to have any interest in 'success' other than doing things a bit different. But, that odd touch, that different approach did yield them quite a bit of acclaim. Rolling Stone praised 'Trout Mask Replica' as a masterful piece of work. And, fans like myself are all appreciative of the things that the 'Magic Band' laid down.
The Captian's real name is Don Glen Vliet. He was truly an innovator and pushed the envelope in his music. To that we say Thank YOU. Enjoy this slab of 60's punked out R&B be you caveman or cavewoman.

Captain Beefheart - Diddy Wah Diddy

Cuby And The Blizzards - Your Body Not Your Soul

More Dutch punk. War torn Europe created a multitude of teenagers with displacement, angst and anger, and in the Netherlands in particular it just so happens they created some of the best garage punk in the world. Cuby And The Blizzards are a prime example. This could arguably be one of the best dutch punk 45's ever. It's definitely one of my all time favorite garage punk tunes. Plain and simple, its got all the right elements. It's not even 2 and a half minutes long, but the havoc done will leave you wanting more. The drums are relentless and crash with a savage fury, the guitar wails throughout, and that tambourine comin' in just at the right time...oh, it's so bad ass. The rest of their offerings are in the Pretty Things and Dutch Outsiders vein. So, you know where they're coming from..heavy blues fuzz and raw sixties punk.

Interesting little side story and claim to fame I have surrounding my copy of this 45.... It was featured on Nuggets vol 2 : Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond.
Alec Palao of Ace/Big Beat gave me a call and asked if he could use my copy for a photo of this 45 for the release. Sure, of course I said. Now, I flip through that CD compilation and can say..'that's MY record!' Actually I think it may only be on the outside of the box in the back..No wait.. the booklet, it's in the booklet!! but, pretty cool right? Now I gotta figure out how to really get my record collection to pay for itself!

That's my shit!

Cuby And The Blizzards - Your Body Not Your Soul

The Shocking Blue - Inkpot

The Shocking Blue are one of my all time favorite bands. Originally hailing from the Hague, in the Netherlands they were one of few bands to become a pop success outside of their native homeland. They had their feet firmly planted in both the 60's and 70's and made an impressive catalog of tunes. From the first LP "At Home" on Pink Elephant in 1969 to this 1972 track it's all quality stuff.

Originally formed by Robbie van Leeuwen in 1967 they only had minor success until Mariska Veres took over the vocals. Her powerful voice lead them to a number one single with 'Venus' and commandeered their strong and passionate sound. Most Shocking Blue tracks rage with an unstoppable fire. Simple melodies, clear separation of elements and always with hard drums. The production on all of their material has a serious bite. Everything is loud in the mix and you can plainly hear each individual instrument, making it that much more powerful when things come together. For Shocking Blue it often does come together, and the end result and final package is hard rock with serious soul. If you like your rock and roll with fury and a punch, they're the band for you.
In the eastern melodies, regular use of electric sitar, and tablas, they laid the groundwork for an evil web of rock 'n roll. A sound that later would be harvested by groups ranging from Black Sabbath to Nirvana. Not to mention they became a favorite of beat diggers, funk collectors and rare groove DJ's world wide. Based on snappy drums, breaks, and general potential as a rock group to be sampled, they became even more desired.
Mariska's vocal talents are unbelievable, her vocals soar throughout each number. Those like myself that have an affinity for poorly pronounced english and unusual accents will be pleased with their material. As is the case with a lot of Dutch rock, some words sound even better when pronounced differently. It's not so much how it's said that's important, but what they say. And, there's a LOT of cosmic content to the lyrics here, referencing the sun, the moon and the stars. The lyrics are often heavy with metaphors and imagery.
I also became obsessed with them visually, collecting every 45 release and strange Japanese LP issue just for another cool pic of them. They do look super fab. Sporting the best threads and blending 60's swingin' London with the bright and colorful platform of the 70's glam trip.

This particular track is a light number with a bugglegum or pop feel, yet hardened up with wicked sitar and wah-wah electric sarod. They got a positive message here, and it's one of their less dark tunes..although you can still hear that it dips into that spooky feeling a bit too. The 'Shoe-be-do-wah' lyrics might lose a few customers here, but will more than make up for it with the eastern grooves and bangin' drums. It's psychedelic pop in it's purest form. The changes and grooves laid herein is a small sample of what Shocking Blue are all about.

I highly recommend ALL of SB's material. If you're already familiar with them, you may think why 'Inkpot'? It's partly because it's one of their under-played tunes. I'm a fan as much of this as I am of the smashing 60's punk fury of 'Long And Lonesome Road' Again, all of the Shocking Blue is good. 'Rock In The Sea' which sounds like an early Cure song, is another one from this same year that's incredible as well. There will be many more to post from them in the future. They've got so much good stuff, you could really begin anywhere. I'd start with the first LP, or any compilation of all of their singles.


The Shocking Blue - Inkpot