LOVE - Black Beauty, the long lost 1973 album.

The music press is getting pretty worked up about the forthcoming release of a long lost album by Arthur Lee & Love. Entitled 'Black Beauty' the album was recorded for Buffalo Records in 1973 but the label folded and the album has remained unreleased for four decades.

It is now to be issued in various formats and is being hailed by the rock music press as 'a lost masterpiece' and a 'wonderfully, eclectic collection of songs'.

I would agree that it is an eclectic collection. But a lost masterpiece? I don't think so!

I am a massive fan of Love and regard 1967's 'Forever Changes' as one of my favourite albums of all time. After his release from serving five years of a twelve year prison sentence in 2001, Arthur Lee returned to the music business and with the band Baby Lemonade, went on the road billed as Arthur Lee & Love. I happened to see them play twice and thought that they were simply superb. Then, tragically in 2006, Arthur Lee died.

Why then can I not get excited about this forthcoming release? Well, simply because I happen to have a bootleg album which features unreleased music from throughout Lee's career, ranging from The L.A.G.'s (1963), through The American Four (1964), Ronnie & The Pomona Casuals (1965) and on to Lee with Baby Lemonade in the early 2000's. The bootleg also includes all of 'Black Beauty'. And frankly, it is nothing special.

By the time 'Black Beauty' was made, Lee had ditched all of the original members of Love and replaced them with some fine musicians. However, it simply was not Love. The material on the album takes in blues rock ('I'm Good and Evil'), a Jimi Hendrix clone ('Midnight Sun'), his take on The Rooftop Singers' 'Walk Right In' and a cheesy attempt at reggae ('Beep Beep'). The latter being truly dreadful!

I accept that the bootleg album is hardly high quality sound and I understand that the official 'Black Beauty'  album will be far superior in this respect, however better quality sound does not necessarily mean better quality music.

Despite all the hype about this 'lost masterpiece' I would advise you to spend your hard earned cash with caution. This is probably for completists only and others would be best off digging out their copies of the real masterpieces, 'Da Capo' and 'Forever Changes'.

Don't say you haven't been warned!