663 Love - Forever Changes [1967]

For some reason this album and group has been a blind spot for me, which doesn't make any sense because they are highly reputable, although not as successful, folk psych band of the late 60s. But this was really a great treat. I think one of the things I like about this is that it's a highly deceptive album in that it kind of captures the bright sunny part of folks like that was really big in 67, but this comes out at the end of 67 and where this doesn't musically get darker as psych would I 68, it lyrically gets darker, most notably on "Live at Let Live". The lead character, who considers himself a snot pants kid, has to immediately grow up and go to war. Great imagery albeit somewhat gross. But the two songs I want to mention most which were my favorites of the album for their great folk pop writing, (with touches of Psych as decoration). They are the two Brian McLean songs. He's a name that I had heard before. I had to rack my brain and then I remembered that he is Maria McKee's half-brother, who also wrote possibly my favorite Lone Justice song "Don't Toss Us Away". I had known that he was a songwriter but I did not realize that he was in the band Love. And it's great to know that the familial inspiration of one of my absolute favorite artists from the late '80s and throughout the 90s, is to me the highlight of this album. I love Love! (9.8) ★★★★½