Record reviews

Love,Love Songs (SALVOMDCD 43)-Arthur Lee’s trailblazing Los Angeles outfit were the first rock band to sign to the influential Elektra label during the mid-sixties.and although they never enjoyed too much in the way of commercial success Love were responsible for one of the classic psychedelic albums of the era in the shape of 1967’s Forever Changes. This musical landmark is revived here in its entirety alongside extracts from similarly inventive gems such as Four Sail and Da Capo, with the late great Jimi Hendrix guesting on The Everlasting First, a track from their otherwise disappointing 1970 album,False Start. Splendid stuff.

Colosseum,Time On Our Side (Ruf 1209)- The members of Colosseum may be a little long in the tooth these days but they’ve yet to lose their genuine passion for music-making,and the pioneering jazz-rock ensemble’s first studio album since 2003’s Tomorrow’s Blues is well worth an hour or so of anyone’s time. Saxist Barbara Thompson proves a more than able replacement for the late lamented Dick Heckstall-Smith despite being beset by some major health issues of her own,and veteran vocalist Chris Farlowe is in typically fine fettle on stand-out tracks such as New Day, City of Love and You Just Don’t Get It.