1967’s Da Capo captured Love in a transitional phase, evolving from the frenetic garage folk of their debut album to the lush, psychedelic textures of their third release, Forever Changes. Da Capo’s first single, the tremolo drenched rave-up “Seven & Seven Is,” is a direct link to the energy and verve of the debut and rightfully became a garage-punk classic. In contrast, the Bryan Maclean-penned “Orange Skies,” with its subtle samba rhythms and exotic instrumentation, pointed the way forward for the group. Regarding the instrumentation, for this recording the band expanded to include Michael Stuart on drums and Tjay Cantrelli on flute and saxophone, while the band’s erstwhile drummer, Alban “Snoopy” Pfisterer, moved to harpsichord and organ.

 

The closing song of side 1, “She Comes in Colors” features the larger combo to full effect in an intricate arrangement that foreshadowed the “baroque rock” of The Left Banke. 

 

Side 2? Well, that’s a different story entirely! “Revelation,” the sole track on the second side, grew from a hard-driving live group jam, giving all the musicians a chance to improvise and elaborate on the song’s melodic lines. The side-long track was daring for the time, with only Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” (from Blonde on Blonde) and Frank Zappa’s “The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet” (from Freak Out!) beating it to release. Incidentally, “Revelation”’s sonic similarity to the Rolling Stones’ “Going Home” may have been less than coincidence. The Stones saw Love perform the song live and, interestingly, both tracks were recorded at the same studio, RCA, studios a few months apart. Hey, it’s only rock and roll, right?

 

1967’s Da Capo captured Love in a transitional phase, evolving from the frenetic garage folk of their debut album to the lush, psychedelic textures of their third release, Forever Changes. Da Capo’s first single, the tremolo drenched rave-up “Seven & Seven Is,” is a direct link to the energy and verve of the debut and rightfully became a garage-punk classic. In contrast, the Bryan Maclean-penned “Orange Skies,” with its subtle samba rhythms and exotic instrumentation, pointed the way forward for the group. Regarding the instrumentation, for this recording the band expanded to include Michael Stuart on drums and Tjay Cantrelli on flute and saxophone, while the band’s erstwhile drummer, Alban “Snoopy” Pfisterer, moved to harpsichord and organ. The closing song of side 1, “She Comes in Colors” features the larger combo to full effect in an intricate arrangement that foreshadowed the “baroque rock” of The Left Banke.