LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

180 gram audiophile vinyl
Expanded edition contains 3 bonus tracks

Four Sail is the fourth album by the American Rock band Love, released in 1969. By mid-1968, Arthur Lee was the only remaining member of the Forever Changes line-up of Love. Three LPs worth of material were recorded in a makeshift studio in a Los Angeles warehouse, released as Four Sail and the Blue Thumb LP Out Here.

Guitarist Jay Donnellan plays a heavy lead guitar and gets lots of solo space in the arrangements. The rhythm section favors a leaden sound, particularly drummer George Suranovich, who soaks the barbecue with Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell licks. The tracks are deep in feeling and performed with an emotional fervor that sometimes approaches anguish.

Lee's lyrics and performances have been compared to Jimi Hendrix, certainly a compliment. This album is such a good example of these strengths that it rises above the garage band sound to communicate a sense of time and place as well as some truly sincere feelings.

"Always See Your Face" was featured in the 2000 film High Fidelity and was included on the official soundtrack. This expanded edition of Four Sail includes three bonus tracks.

Side A
1. August
2. Your Friend And Mine–Neil's Song
3. I'm With You
4. Good Times
5. Singing Cowboy
6. Dream
7. Robert Montgomery

Side B
1. Nothing (Lee)
2. Talking In My Sleep
3. Always See Your Face

Bonus Tracks
4. Robert Montgomery (alternate vocal)
5. Talking In My Sleep (alternate mix)
6. Singing Cowboy (unedited version)