The late, great, self-proclaimed “first black hippie” gets a deluxe reissue. “Black Beauty”, the never-before-released masterpiece by Arthur Lee’s legendary band Love is making its first-ever official release in any format, anywhere! Chosen as one of Time Magazine’s most anticipated releases, critics are hailing the album as an instant classic. ‘Black Beauty’ is that rarest of rock artifacts: an unreleased, full-length studio album, from an undisputed musical genius. It represents the missing link in a catalog that also includes ‘Forever Changes’, the seminal 1967 Love album the New York Times called “one of the most affecting and beguiling albums of all time. With ‘Black Beauty’, Arthur Lee manages to combine searing ’70’s rock with gorgeous melodies and stellar songwriting – topped off by his most distinctive, snarling, soulful vocals ever. With unparalleled sound, and a wonderfully eclectic collection of songs, the album offers Love fans a rare glimpse into a previously undocumented phase of Arthur Lee’s career, while shining a light for new fans to discover the unique genius that is the music of Arthur Lee and Love. David Fricke wrote about the album in Rolling Stone: “Black Beauty” might have been received as a strong comeback for Lee, a turn to steamy R&B, with heavy-guitar punch – if it had come out.” High Moon Records is honored to finally grant Arthur Lee’s wish for ‘Black Beauty’ to be available to music fans worldwide.
Before his untimely death in 2006, Arthur Lee claimed that without him, there’d be no Jimi Hendrix or Sly Stone. Sure enough, the extended Black Beauty rocks loud and funks hard. By 1973, Love was a vacuum-tight all-black band. Vestiges of their early psychedelic sophistication surface in “Lonely Pigs.”
The Fat Angel Sings 