Arthur Lee's 21st century comeback was one of the most amazing and unexpected in show business - I count myself very lucky to have witnessed it. I had fallen in love with the music of Love when I first heard it in my late teens. Their tunes, the lyrics, and Arthur's voice really moved me - both their acclaimed masterpiece Forever Changes and their simpler garage folk debut rank among my all-time favorites. But I never expected to see them live: rumors were that Lee was a lost cause, his talent was totally spent, and his behavior was too erratic for any labels/concert organizers to bother with him. He was almost forgotten by the mid-80's but the 90's saw his popularity rise steadily, so that he was able to tour again and release a pretty decent album (to be presented here sometime, along with the rest of his discography). Until, that is, the American penal system decided to make an example out of him: he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the "negligent discharge of a firearm", which basically means shooting in the air. Who could imagine that a victimless offence could carry a heavier penalty than, say, voluntary manslaughter? Well, that's what you get in California under the "three strikes law" - especially if you happen to be black, as many observed at the time. He was released on December 2001 after serving 5,5 years - not so much because of the support movement by a handful of musicians and fans, but because the judge who convicted him was found guilty of judicial misconduct, leading to a lot of his decisions getting overthrown. Lee immediately contacted Baby Lemonade, the neo-psychedelic band that had backed him during his first attempt for a career revival in the 90's, and they started touring the world again. This is when I first had the chance to see them, summer 2002 in an open air double bill with Porcupine Tree as headliners. I came to the gig apprehensively: yes, Arthur Lee and Love had produced some of my favorite records, but -even in the 60's- they never had a great live reputation, plus the man had been out of commission for years. Well, I've seen hundreds of gigs but this counts as one of the best ever: I've never seen someone so exhilarated to be on stage and to be able to perform his songs in front of an audience. When he sang those lyrics from "Red Telephone" you really felt chills up your spine "They're locking them up today/They're throwing away the key/I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?...We're all normal and we want our freedom". One could feel the "love" flow to and from the audience, and it seemed that happy endings are indeed possible. Next year the band were back, this time augmented with horns and strings, to play their masterpiece Forever Changes the way it was meant to sound, replicating the ornate studio arrangements. If the 2002 tour was the unlikely resurrection of an underground legend, the Forever Changes Tour was the victory lap: High-profile media coverage, big venues, and a live CD/DVD in the works. Once more, the enthusiasm was palpable. The third, and last, time I saw Artur Lee and Love was in 2005. This time they relied more on their experience and musical affinity rather than some sense of elation. After 4 years touring together, Lee and Baby Lemonade had morphed into the new Love, and arguably better than the originals were: not burdened by drug problems, clearly in love with the material, the younger guys happy to be playing alongside one of their heroes. As a bonus, Johnny Echols from the original band was there to provide another link with the past, and he obviously had great chemistry with both Lee and the other band members. For this occasion I had come together with my girlfriend to share my excitement about the band with her. At the time I thought she was unlucky to have missed the first two magical concerts, but in the light of what happened next, she -and everyone else who witnesses Love during those last years- was very lucky indeed. 3 months later, Arthur Lee and Love would cut their tour short and part ways. The general assumption was that this was due to a relapse to Lee's old quirks which had hindered the original band's progress, plagued his solo career and driven him to prison. Some kind of unnamed health issue was also mentioned. He never publicly acknowledged its seriousness, and was busy making plans for a new Love line-up featuring members of fellow Memphis residents The Reigning Sound. It later transpired that the man was sick with leukemia, and only had a few months to live. He never played again, and finally died on August 3rd, 2006 at the age of 61. Had the judge's decision not been overturned, he probably would have died in prison and be remembered as just another psychedelic casualty like Syd Barrett. Fortunately that didn't happen. Instead, these last 4 years as an active musician (2002-2005) have reconnected him with his audience, fed his legend, and brought him the international acclaim he so richly deserved and which had eluded him the first time around.
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