Love's self-titled debut is something of a canonical classic, and it contains their famous version of Bacharach's "My Little Red Book". In retrospect, Love in 1966 often still sounded like a generic garage band. The biggest thing that set Love apart was the vocals, with both Arthur Lee's powerful lead and Bryan MacLean's beautiful harmonies seeming to jump out of the speakers—the recording of the voices sounds great too. The drums sometimes lack power and can be buried under a tambourine, a quirk that's emphasized on my 80s pressing by overly-bright mastering. The songwriting is a bit incosistent, but originals like "A Message to Pretty" and "Signed D.C." show the talent that would become more manifest on Da Capo and Forever Changes. The front and back cover photos are beautiful, as are Lee's amazing plaid pants. the Love logo is obviously of its era, but it still retains its majesty.
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