There's a certain school of thought that considers {|Love|}'s {|Forever Changes|} to be as great an album as {|Sgt. Pepper|}, and it's not that hard to agree, since the Los Angeles band summed up the beautiful hippie vibe of '67 better than {|Beatles... Read more

There's a certain school of thought that considers {|Love|}'s {|Forever Changes|} to be as great an album as {|Sgt. Pepper|}, and it's not that hard to agree, since the Los Angeles band summed up the beautiful hippie vibe of '67 better than {|Beatles|} whimsy. Plus, the group turned in a marvelously idiosyncratic album that sums up the feeling of that year perfectly, while feeling tremendously out of time -- a saga of peace, love, and understanding that transcends its time by being so thoroughly of it. {|Forever Changes|} is essential listening, whether in its original incarnation or part of {|Rhino|}'s wonderful double-disc {|Love Story|} or the label's deluxe 2001 reissue. The reissue is augmented by two alternate mixes, an outtake called {|Your Mind and We Belong Together|} (illuminated by studio breakdowns and chatter), a demo of {|Hummingbirds,|} the outtake {|Wonder People (Do I Wonder),|} and {|Laughing Stock.|} The bonus tracks are really only interesting to the unconverted, and they couldn't really change the character of an album that's so dense and fascinating on its own that it's impossible to better. Still, these are wonderful additions for the dedicated, and even if they're not necessary, they're welcome. And the fact remains -- anything that brings an audience to the most universally acknowledged underappreciated classic is welcome, even if the basic original album makes a case for its greatness as much as this, and the bonus tracks are simply something for the diehards. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less