Forever Changes

Hasn’t aged well, in my opinion. Or maybe you had to be there.

1967 was the best year for music since 1966. Pop music was on a golden streak that continued until the end of the decade, when it all wentt a bit weird This record represents the darker side of the hippy dream, and i think it is wonderful and has been a favourite for years. It's hard to be objective when you know something so well.... As strong an opening track as any from this era, the mariachi trumpets, the strings, the guitar work, it's just fucking lovely. God they were good, its a shame that Arthur Lee (wait for it Piers, I'll get it in before the end) went a bit crazy from the drugs , sacked the band, and never wrote anything as good (as this again like Brian after Pet Sounds).... Great though this album is, nothing on it is as good as the opening track, which is a bit of a let down after the excitement and expectation it generated. Had there been one more perfect tune, then it would receive 5 stars, but it doesnt. Of course if you don't enjoy superbly produced folksy psychedelic pop, then this album is not for you, but this is very much my bag...and I wouldn't prefer some Arthur Lowe instead (totally shoehorned that one in)

This was a strange old fruit. A 1967 album with a cover like that, immediately launches into Zombiesesque psychedlic folk rock, i was figuring this would reflect free love and tune in drop out side of the sixties. Instead we got the real sixties, all violence, seismic cultural changes and dissillusionment. I liked it a great deal, it started out really strongly but it tailed off as the album continued, preventing it from being a classic of the genre in the vein of say Nick Drake's Bryter Later. Still, this is the sort of thing this exercise is all about.

Oh-so-earnest singing coupled with wobbly instrumental performances and terrible production (guitar panned hard right, drums panned hard left, ugh) does not equal magic. This is an unlistenable artyfact from the dreadful age of psychedelia where no idea was too terrible to put on vinyl (all in the name of "experimentation").

5,5/10

60s psych pop rock executed excellently Rating: 8/10

This was really an awesome album. Started off pretty odd but once it gets into the groove by the third track it goes. Definitely an album to listen to in full and not as singles.

A beautiful album, full of light, and darkness, and harpsichord. The lushness of the instrumentation and the sophistication and intricacy of the arrangements is only matched by a handful of albums I can think of. A lovely album, full of interesting and sometimes puzzling songs. An American psychedlic take on prog. FOUR STARS

i considered giving this 4 stars, but i think that’s only because i’ve had such a string of 3s, and this is better. but ignoring the recency bias, this is a high 3. didn’t mind this, but wont put it back on i reckon. bummer in the summer is an incredible name though.

I love it when something comes up I’ve never heard and I immediately want to go back for a second listen.

A very good psychedelic record, liked the range and orchestral instrumental on basically every song. Unfortunately, it didn’t have anything standing out aside from a very consistent quality throughout.

Call me young but this just seems like a band from the 60s

Interesting cover, wish the group name was a bit more unique. This album is great though, Unfortunately off to a bad start with Alone Again Or, which does not realise that headphones have a left and right ear. Other than that this is pretty interesting. Most of the songs are about events had by the observer. Small things, like seeing a girl with pigtails on the street bouncing around, or a blue bird landing on his property. Very interesting to sing about everyday events, usually something people do not touch on. Old Man and Red Telephone focus on random events too, but these ones sound more like they are from a musical, which I certainly have never heard on an album before. Live and Let Live had some... questionable lyrics, one about his snot drying on his pants. You Set the Scene had a powerful and memorable guitar backing. Unfortunately for me, the best song happened to be the longest by name. Best Song: Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale. Worst Song: Live and Let Live.

Oh, I’m sorry. I fell asleep at song one and just woke up.

Fun, but dated. This album has a few great songs, but the age shines through in most of the music. Additionally, the last half is significantly worse than the front. Strictly rating the first few, this record is a hesitant 4, but it slumps at the end and causes me to lean towards a 3.

Quintessential 60s vibes. Some songs didn’t stand out but overall it was a very enjoyable listen

I’ve heard this before and I own it. This one took me a while to warm up to since it’s a departure from their first two albums which I had first. I guess Da Capo was a departure from the self titled as well. This has more symphonic and also folky elements and more vocal harmonies, almost reminiscent of The Association but more psychedelic. Folk psychedelia rather than guitar solo psychedelia or wild noise psychedelia. All the songs are well constructed and catchy and you start to love it after a few listens.

Hmmp not a fan

Psychedelic they say. My word for this is somnolent. I would remark that it's unremarkable, whomever it may have influenced. Not awful but also not memorable.

Overrated

Made me nostalgic for things I no longer want.

So this is totally the reason I am doing this album generator. Like, what a cool album. Idk if I feel like all the songs are something I want to listen to back to back again but there is just something so easy to connect with in the album. Lots of good songs. Season: Late Summer Favorite Song: You Set The Scene

Δεν ήταν κακό. Ήταν απλώς αδιάφορο.

Just never got into it despite many, many listens over the years

Great symphonies, good psychedelia. Never quite as popular as the beatles. It just doesn't do very much for me.

How much 60s britpop is too much? Surely we’ve reached the limit by now.

Somewhat enjoyed this one. It feels more mature than a lot of other records of that genre and time.

It was a fun listen. For some reason it gave me some strong Wicker Man vibes. Not any songs that I would throw on a playlist but it was a fun complete experience

This was way better than I expected. It started off really strong and then lost energy throughout, but there were still a couple solid tracks scattered in there.

This was alright. A little to 60s hippy for me

I remember when I first heard of this thinking I was supposed to really like it and just didn't. Didn't change upon revisiting.

I don't think I recognize this artist, album, or any of the tracks. So I'm mostly going into this completely blind. You know how in the movie "This Is Spinal Tap" they go through the history of Spinal Tap as they evolved through the sixties and attempted every single fad genre? This album feels like it could be one of Spinal Tap's psychedelic/folk forays, or at least possibly a template they could have used to make a joke song for Spinal Tap to play during this era. There's nothing bad about this album, but seeing a lot of high praise for it also seems jarring. I wonder what I'm missing about it. It's just solidly meh, and I don't really feel compelled to listen to it again. Wait. Are we just going to overlook the first line of "Live and Let Live"?

Bon ben encore un album de rock des années 60. Plutôt folk et acoustique, celui-là. Qu'est-ce que tu veux que je te dise de plus ? Un de plus un de moins...

Nicely psychedelic. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll just barely bump up to a 5, on the strength of “You Set the Scene” as a nice closing track. I mean, it’s a pretty well done album across the board. There’s a baroque/psychedelia mixture that permeates throughout each track, and while it occasionally gets a little too flowery or a little too muddied in the lyrics, it doesn’t take away from the instrumental & vocal delivery. These guys know what they’re doing. If this had the benefit of a mono mix, I’m sure a lot of my minor nitpicks about drums & vocals feeling a little buried at times would be nonexistent. It may be one of those albums that just feels far better on speakers than with headphones. That lyrical floweriness is most of what has me at a 4.5; as a lyrics guy, some of these are just harder to parse, even if I usually got there. I think there’s some great lines throughout, but for every handful of clearcut lines, there’d be a metaphor that went over my head or zoomed by too fast to really capture. That might just be my fault, really. The only one that I had to listen to twice was “Live and Let Live”, just because the reincarnation of the native guy into a bluebird never came to my head, and it recontextualizes the whole track. Of course, focusing solely on the lyrics would deprive the instrumentation at hand; there’s some solid complexity here for 1967, occasionally dipping into pseudo-prog rock at times, or a bit of a ska lean with some of the brass. It's a good variety, and while it does mess with the flow of the album, I admire the swings a lot, since they usually deliver. I especially admire it on “You Set the Scene”, which is 7 minutes of reaffirming that life is what you specifically make it. You get what you give, you make your own destiny, and you have to put in the effort to do what you want to do. If you’re happy, you’re happy. If you want kids, give the lady your best. If you don’t want to fight your dad’s wars, don’t fight them. You set the scene. It’s good affirmations about crafting your own destiny, while a very cool instrumental happens in the back that occasionally carries the same energy as the Rocky theme. It’s a pretty good closing track, and it’s what’s gonna bump this album up to a 5 for me. I can kind of hear why people would hold this in incredibly high acclaim; personally, I think it’s just consistently well done in a way that’s kind of undeniable, but nothing that’s too insanely special. I’ve only listened to it once though, so maybe there’s something that unlocks the more you listen to it. Perhaps it’s the way it addresses some of the turmoil of the ‘60s with a more honest & self-aware look than the happy-go-lucky attitude brought upon by some of their contemporaries. Eventually, the summer of love ended. I guess that’s why “forever” changes. Like I said, it’s kind of undeniably good. The floor is a 3, but for me, it’s a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. I’m glad it’s on the list.

Love the first cut... and then it turn into a late 60's folky rock album, which is not in itself bad 1004/1089

Wow

Good pysch folk record

Nothing mind blowing, but also not offensive to the ears.

1081 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

Quite possibly the most 60’s sounding album ever. If someone asked me what 60’s music sounded like, I would just have them listen to this. Even the album art screams 60’s.

2,7/5

It was smooth

Nice without been amazing. Some nice horns, some nice Melodie’s, some nice strings, some nice folky sound. Something special about something that is just nice. But nice doesn’t win prizes. Felt like a better version of the Rolling Stones though! Best track- ‘live and let live’ pushed the boundaries of nice to lovely! Worst track- ‘old man’ 8/10

Love - Forever Changes I don't really have the words to describe how wonderful this album sounds. It's all about the acoustic guitars at a time of Hendrix and The Who, and the strings and orchestration that then take this to another level. I loved every single second. Best Track - Alone Again or Worst Track - there isnt one but if we must then Bummer in the Summer 10/10

a house !, alone again, maybe the people 3.5 not bad. classic pop rock

Baroque pop isn't very good in my opinion. It's not even stylistically interesting, most of the time they sound lost, the style doesn't want to drive the song forward or propel the musical themes. There's no urgency, it's the soundtrack of people lying down in a field surrounded by daisys, which isn't really a very interesting scene. I also don't think they are good enough at their instruments, singing or the recording process to create luscious soundscapes. It's just a bunch of teenagers with some vocal reverb renting a string quartet for a week. This album seems to be universally beloved as a psychedelic landmark, and I recognise the first song from that Wes Anderson movie where everyone was emotionally detached and all of the scenes were symmetrical. So a 2 I guess.

“You know, uh, I never thought I'd say this to anybody, but you two smoke entirely too much reefer.” Half Baked (1998)

Good enough didnt pay attention to half of it

Cool, interesting. Clearly experimental. Not really for me, but I see why it's here

It's like echoes of classic rock songs that I know well

Never heard of them or this album, it's older than me. It sounds super dated and very 60's. Shockingly 60M people have listened to "Alone Again Or", so it's a hit song?! I lost interest early. It's got merit, and the mix is good, the songs just never struck a chord with me. The horns and lack of punch turned me off. It's just not an album I would consider Top 1001 worthy. 2 stars

Every time I play this album, I remember that the first track is that vaguely familiar song that I either know from the oldies station or from movies or something, but I can never recall how it goes until I’m listening to it. I’m always like ‘ah, that’s right, this song!’ And, I like that song. From there though, the album blurs into forgetability.

I was very intrigued with the album cover and the year it came out. To my surprise, it wasn’t the kind of music I thought I would discover. It was a very enjoyable listen. A blend of plenty of styles, with some orchestrations. Acoustic guitar is very present (love it by the way), some bits of folk, psych. Is it an album I will going back? No. But that not means that it’s bad. Just happy I listened to it. If the album was like Bummer in the Summer, that would be in heavy rotation. 3.5/5. Alone Again: 4 A House Is Not An Hotel: 4 Andmoreagain: 3 The Daily Planet: 3,5 Old Man: 3 The Red Telephone: 3,5 Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale: 3,5 Live and Let Live: 3 The Good Humor Man Hw Sees Everything Like This: 3 Bummer in the Summer: 5 You Set The Scene: 3

The music was fantastic. His voice irritated me for some reason.

I really like the opener and I’m fairly agnostic to the rest. Not too shabby.

Fine but simple.

Seth - 4/5 Logan - 2.5/5 a house is not a motel andmoreagain

Nice. Really pleasant arrangements and sounds. The production in general sounds really impressive for the 60s. The core of the songs seems kind of ordinary to me. I'm sure I just didn't listen deeply enough and if I did I'd really love it.

Alone Again Or on its own is worth the admission price here. Which is just as well because I can’t say I’m keen on the rest of the album. But that track is superb as it can transport me back to the 60’s with its sound and vibe. Not very often just one track alone makes a great album to have but this one is just that. 4/5 16/9/26

Some very cool mixing in this album. I can be a bit of a generic 60’s vibe but there are some interesting takes too.

I had been listening to The Damned’s version Alone Again Or for decades before I discovered it was a cover version, so I jumped on this album about a decade ago hoping for more of the same. I still don’t think the rest of it holds up to that opening track, but there’s still enough there to keep it interesting and fun as an album. If we were ranking out of 10, I reckon I’d go as high as a 7, so I will round up my score accordingly but it doesn’t quite feel like a definite 4/5 for me.

Unpredictable without being chaotic in melody, tempo and instrumentation. It’s got the 60s rock backbone but isn’t afraid to get a little weird with it. It just never quite does what you expect it to do in the best way possible. One real standout in this regard is Bummer in the Summer, which takes what sounds like an electric blues rock song and somehow makes it work over a folksy acoustic guitar.

Great mellow background vibe. Work focus and zoning appropriate.

I get the psychedelia, and that's all fair enough, but these are truly awful lyrics. "Snot cakes" just don't belong on any playlist.

Was okay, I guess. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. 3-stars.

Not bad, but not in my radar

This album keeps getting more and more well know, deservedly so. First time I have ever written the word 'deservedly'.

O que esperar de uma banda chamada apenas “Love”? Certamente o som deles encaixa-se perfeitamente nas expectativas. Extremamente sessentista, no conteúdo lírico, no estilo vocal, e nos instrumentais também. Por sorte, é um estilo que me agrada. Algo que se destacou aqui pra mim foi a sútil variedade musical presente. Com passagens variadas, algumas puxando pra um estilo Folk, uns dedilhados a-lá Flamenco, umas trompetes ocasionais… Muita coisa gostosa pra te manter atento. Corriqueiro, mas uma bela coletânea de ótimas composições de um período musical bem turbulento e avassalador. Gostei bastante do disco e da banda. Novamente, um álbum simples sem muito o que ser dito. 5/5

Mysterious, refined, and earthy psychedelic pop. Runs out of steam a bit in the second half, but still one of the best baroque/psychedelic albums of the late 60s.

I guess? I really have no words besides, boring.

Trop bien à réécouter avec Lionel

This is a perfect album. The 60s were a magical time for music. The 70s may have perfected it but they also rounded off the edges. The '60s was where experimentation was the norm and these guys were at the forefront. They should have been a lot bigger than they were.

Pretty nice.

I mean…there’s nothing wrong with it per se, but if I needed an archetype for generic late 60’s rock this album would be the benchmark. It’s not bad, but it’s dull and trite, when compared to the other music coming out around the same time (admittedly I’m holding this up against legendary bands) it seems utterly lackluster. Maybe if you were around at the time and these songs happened to speak to you there’s a value that I am missing.

Some of that was cool, idk why but I was expecting big things from this album

bueno…

Another 60s psych album this week, and didn't enjoy this one as much. It was mostly just boringly okay? They would get a bit of interesting horns every once in a while, but didn't stick with it enough for me. "The Daily Planet" and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times or Between Clark and Hilldale" were the standouts for me

that was an album

Not my jam, but the cover art is amazing.

Never heard of theses guys. Nothing familiar. Very mellow but songs kept playing and later songs sounded way more interesting. Trippy guitar solos not so hippyish. Will bender listen to this again.

At first i thought that this is just some hippie crap, but after few spins i started warming to this. It has few really good songs that i even added to my own playlist. I'm torn between 3 and 4, but i have the feeling that this might turn out to be at least 4/5 after few more listens, so...

#475 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I feel like I'm confusing this album with something else. I know it's a sort of proto-psychedelic "masterpiece", while is highly polished pop music, produced to a sheen, it's also somehow rough and grating but very gently so. It's just over my annoying folk/americana line, which I cannot stand, but it's also just out of the psychedelic rock side of things, to make into my personal greats with bands such as 13th Floor Elevators or The Seeds and even MC5's protopunk garage. I guess this is too nice for me. But I do like it, so a 3 is too weak and 4/5 is too much.

***An ok, easy listening album

I've always been partial to psych and acid rock, mostly because I enjoy the unhinged, deconstructed vibe. I'm used to weirdness ; but I didn't think the genre could get so... emotional. Except for a couple of tracks that sound a bit like early experimental Pink Floyd, many songs here have a haunting sadness behind them that I wasn't prepared for. The first couple of tracks hit me really hard, and I thought it was going to be a 4 or a 5*. Unfortunately it went a bit downhill after that, with a lot of less intense, less interesting songs that spent far too much time noodling around with folksy sounds instead of experimenting. I had a good time overall, but I kind of regret the relative lack of ambition of this album. I may still give it another try, though. 5/10

Interesting but the folk vibes has run its course

Some of the arrangements are ambitious, and I find the overall project quite creative. However, by the end, I regret that the songs all remain fairly moderate in intensity. They are gentle, even though one can sense a disillusioned dimension about the countercultural trips that were fashionable at the time. But the music is not that original, which ultimately limits the impact of the message. This is not Pink Floyd…. Yet, the easy-listening side is quite enjoyable.

It's funny. The album cover is familiar for some reason, but the band name doesn't ring a bell at all. A couple of the songs were familiar too. Anyway, it's a pretty decent album that sounds ahead of its time. I'll give it a 4 even though it's not really my cup of tea and I'll likely never listen to it again.

Not what I expected but a fine listen.

Favourite Track(s): Alone Again Or A House Is Not A Motel The Daily Planet The Red Telephone Maybe The People Would Be Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale You Set The Scene

Can be good, or bad.

DNF

Decent to good acid rock album, glad this band got their shit together after the bad record Da Capo I listened to eight days ago. Some pretty melodies and good guitar work, but too many songs and lyrics sounded like ren fair material for me to give this more than a solid 3/5. Good hippie rock, but a bit too much "acid symbolism" for me.

Somehow this album really encompasses what the year 1967 sounds like in my head. The music is simple enough sounding that it's very approachable, but has some nice depth to it with a decent amount of variety through the album. Not a bad listen at all.

Supposed to be one of those overlooked masterpieces but I get serious Spinal Tap vibes

this is indeed the album Forever Changes by the band Love released in 1967

Lovely album, I know it well. Gets a bit flowery at times

I'm a sucker for this era broadly but particularly liked the slightly ominous atmosphere of this one. Felt a little different from other summer of love albums in this regard, more cynical and paranoid.

Decent enough without any truly stand out moments. I think I slightly preferred Da Capo overall. If I had to use one word to describe the album it would be sentimental.

I didn’t know this band. When I heard the first not I knew that I’d love. The whole album have the same vibe. It is incredible! Edit1: I was looking the history of this band. They were one of the first bands ever to mix black and white people. Amazing!