After a tumultuous period of near-success and personal excess as kings of the L.A. scene, the original incarnation of Love finally fell apart following the release of their masterwork, Forever Changes.
The careful sequencing is also dangerous because this album flows by without much really grabbing the listener. That being said, it's all played and sung with conviction, and some of Lee's weird sidways storytelling ability occasionally peeks through. The two tracks that get caught in my brain each open a side: "Sad Song," released as a single at the time, and the original appearance of "Everybody's Gotta Live," resurrected as a concert staple in the '00s. The latter song also appeared again when Lee reclaimed the Love moniker for 1974's Reel to Real.
It's unfair but difficult for many listeners (myself included) not to compare Lee's subsequent work to Forever Changes, an album that would be nearly impossible to top. But Vindicator is probably Lee's most consistent work from after the original Love's dissolution, whether the intermittent high points elsewhere are matched or not. I'm guessing that like much of his work, it will continue to grow more interesting with repeated spins. (A&M 1972, reissued on CD by
