Friday, February 22, 2008

Forever Amber - The Love Cycle (1969)


Forever Amber was a young, British six piece pop band that lacked the money and resources to make it big. Apparently, only 99 copies of their sole album The Love Cycle were manufactured to avoid tax. Originally known as the Country Cousins, they changed their name to Forever Amber in response to the rise of psychedelia in 1967. Although The Love Cycle is meant to be a cohesive story about the stages of a blossoming relationship that ultimately goes sour, the sound of the record is largely inconsistent. Throughout the album, there are five different lead vocalists and the band flounders between stereotypical love songs and far out psychedelic pop. While I heavily favor the more psychedelic cuts like "The Dreamer Flies Back" and "Better Things Are Bound To Come," I still appreciate many of the poppy songs that dominate the album. They're full of nice harmonies, tinkering harpsichord, and catchy organ. Unfortunately, most of the drumming sounds like someone who started playing a week before the recordings. Despite The Love Cycle's flaws, it still remains an important pop album from the psychedelic era, especially considering the circumstances it was made under.

Here's the themes of the stages of the album:

The Meeting:
1. Me oh My
2. Silly Sunshine

The Talking:
3. Bits of Your Life, Bits of My Life
4. For a Very Special Person
5. The Dreamer Flies Back
6. Misunderstood
7. Better Things Are Bound To Come

The Walk Home:
8. On a Night In Winter

The Joy:
9. On Top of My Own Special Mountain
10. Mary (the Painter)
11. All the Colours of My Book

The Doubt:
12. Going Away Again

The Sorrow:
13. A Chance to Be Free

The Scorn:
14. I See You As You Used to Be

The Grief:
15. Letters From Her
16. My Friend

Download The Love Cycle

20 comments:

stephen said...

Thanks. Not bad.

M said...

Classic Cult UK Psych

track: "dreamer flies back to reality" kicks Pink Floyd!

Good Post dude A definete fave of mine

Anonymous said...

I did a cover of "Letters from her" you can hear it at the site: http://www.myspace.com/theabelincolnband

Anonymous said...

I have listened to "anonymous"' version of my song and it is truly awful. There are two versions on the re-issue CD (Wooden Hill WHCD015) and, whilst neither is perfect, at least the melody and lyrics are right and the singers are in tune.

J M Hudson

Doug said...

I listened to the Abe Lincoln Band's cover of "Letters from Her" and while I don't remember it being "truly awful," I do remember thinking it sounded nothing like the original. Anyhow, thanks for dropping a line John and everyone else.

Anonymous said...

And ''promote'' it did!! thanks to your terrific blog I found another gem. wish me luck finding the cd. cheers!

Danny B, said...

I still want to hear the '78 version of ''Bits of Your Life''. Can't find the cd anywhere. Anyways, a magnificent album.

Motorbike Boots said...

it's nice, keep it on..

Anonymous said...

Thanx a lot!

price per head said...

Wonderful post. If only I'd of come across something as wise and straightforward when I was starting out! See you at the reading!

Anonymous said...

mike richardson said, the best band he ever fronted, wish we could do it all over again.

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