Love, LA (2024) Vinyl Review

I can’t help it, I still get excited every April as we approach Record Store Day. One thing in particular that I get excited about it is the selection of compilations offered on this day. There are always some delicious offerings, and this year those include Love, LA, a special record that features duets by artists based in Los Angeles, including Leslie Stevens, Poppy Jean Crawford and Sunny War. The songs are mostly covers of material by well-known artists, some based in Los Angeles, others from areas other than Los Angeles. The record contains some outstanding performances, with highlights including wonderful renditions of Love’s “Signed D.C.” and The Turtles’ “You Showed Me.” The record is presented in gold vinyl. Plus, the money raised from the sales of this record will benefit the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center, so you can feel even better about your purchase.

Side A

The album opens “Arms Of Love” done by Emma Swift and Robyn Hitchcock. I mentioned that this is an album of covers, and on the record jacket it indicates that this song is by R.E.M., and indeed, R.E.M. recorded it. You can find that band’s version in the boxed set The Automatic Box, and also on a single from 1995. But for R.E.M. it was a cover. The song was actually written by Robyn Hitchcock, who included it on the 1993 Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians album Respect. Also, I don’t think Emma Swift and Robyn Hitchcock live in Los Angeles. So it is an odd choice to start this particular compilation. But it’s an excellent track. There is an intimate vocal delivery at the start, “Maybe tonight you’re aching/For someone you’re dreaming of,” and that delivery grabs us. Robyn Hitchcock sings the first lines, and then Emma Swift takes over, “Maybe tonight you’re crying.” And speaking of Los Angeles, here she sings “Down Sunset you’ll be flying” instead of the song’s original line, “Any time now you’re flying” (R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe delivered that line as “Tell me you’ll soon be flying”). Then their voices come together on these lines: “Maybe tonight you’re falling/For someone you don’t know enough.” This is a beautiful performance. And I’m realizing now that I still need to pick up Emma Swift’s Blonde On The Tracks, which also features Robyn Hitchcock.

“Arms Of Love” is followed by “Leather & Lace” done by Leslie Stevens (who does live in Los Angeles) and Jim James (who spends much of his time in L.A.). You likely know Jim James from his work in My Morning Jacket. “Leather And Lace” is a song from Stevie Nicks’ first solo album, Bella Donna, released in 1981. The song is a duet there too, Stevie Nicks joined by Don Henley. Here there is some sweet work on strings as the track starts, and Leslie Stevens does a fantastic job on the vocals, her approach having a similar vibe to Stevie Nicks’ original performance. Leslie Stevens impressed me the first time I saw her in concert in 2016, and she has a new album coming out soon. Jim James takes the second verse, just as Don Henley does on the original, and he also does a tremendous job. And they sound great together. Then Paige Stark and Marc Maron cover the song “Signed D.C.,” which is from the self-titled debut record by the band Love, released in 1966. It was written by Arthur Lee. Paige Stark, who is a member of the band Tashaki Miyaki, takes the first line, “Sometimes I feel so lonely.” Then she and Marc Maron trade lines, until they come together for “No one cares for me.” This is a powerful and striking rendition, featuring some nice work on guitar over a haunting rhythm (I do wish this release had some liner notes, listing the musicians who play on each track). This is one of the record’s best tracks.

Johanna Samuels was born in New York, but is now based in Los Angeles. On this record she teams up with Marlon Rabenreither, who performs under the name Gold Star. They cover “I Found A Reason,” written by Lou Reed and included on that fantastic Velvet Underground album Loaded, released in 1970. This track has a sweet folk and country vibe, with some nice work on harmonica at the start. This is the first of the album’s tracks to have a male voice on its first lines. They sing together throughout the track, which also features good stuff on steel guitar. There is a nice repetition of the line “What comes is better than what came before” near the end. The first side of the record wraps up with “Speak Your Mind” done by the group More, which is the duo of Kane Richotte and Malcolm McRae. The song comes from Marc Benno’s 1971 album Minnows. A steady beat provides the track’s pulse. There is something both soothing and uplifting here, particularly in those moments with the backing vocals, which have a certain beauty.

Side B

“You Showed Me” is a song that was written by Byrds members Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark, and originally recorded by The Byrds, though not released at the time. A few years later it became a big hit for The Turtles. Here it is performed by Poppy Jean Crawford with the band Tashaki Miyaki. I love that opening moment, setting the tone for this captivating, gorgeous rendition, that vocal work welcoming us, putting us into a strange, relaxed state, like a drug taking effect immediately. This is another of this collection’s highlights. In fact, it is perhaps the best version of this song I’ve ever heard, in large part because of their vocal performances. I need to look into the work of both Poppy Jean Crawford and Tashaki Miyaki, and add their albums to my collection. That’s followed by “Never Let Me Down Again.” Sunny War is the name that Sydney Lyndella Ward performs under, and on this track she teams up with J. Micah Nelson, who performs under the name Particle Kid. “Never Let Me Down Again” is a song from Depeche Mode’s 1987 album Music For The Masses. It was also released as a single. Particle Kid’s is the first voice we hear here. There is a strange beauty to this track too, and a haunting aspect as they tell us, “We’re watching the world pass us by.” The repetition of “Never let me down” near the end is like an entreaty, and like a mantra.

Cherry Glazerr is a band that formed a decade ago. Jeffertitti Moon is a musician who previously recorded under the band name Jeffertitti’s Nile. Together they cover the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dosed,” a song that band released in 2002. There is something almost magical and innocent in the sound of this track. And when it kicks in, it seems to envelop us. “Deep inside the canyon, I can’t hide/All I ever wanted was your life.” It is dreamlike. As it concludes, this track deposits us in a strange place. Then Joel Jerome and Paloma Parfrey combine forces to cover, appropriately, a song titled “Los Angeles.” It’s the Frank Black song of that name, included on the Pixies front man’s debut solo album in 1993. This track has a harder edge and sound, and the line “I want to live in Los Angeles” seems to come from some other realm, a darker, twisted place, their voices sounding like demons in human form expressing their own peculiar needs. There is a great raw power to this track, and we are left not entirely certain just which Los Angeles we’ve been talking about.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Arms Of Love – Emma Swift & Robyn Hitchcock
2. Leather & Lace – Leslie Stevens & Jim James
3. Signed D.C. – Marc Maron & Paige Stark
4. I Found A Reason – Gold Star & Johanna Samuels
5. Speak Your Mind – More

Side B

1. You Showed Me – Poppy Jean Crawford & Tashaki Miyaki
2. Never Let Me Down Again – Particle Kid & Sunny War
3. Dosed – Cherry Glazerr & Jeffertitti
4. Los Angeles – Joel Jerome & Paloma Parfrey

There is one thing I have to mention about the record jacket. Though I have use the ampersand in the track list, the record jacket puts an “X” between the artists’ names in place of the ampersand, as in “Emma Swift x Robyn Hitchcock,” which is just wrong. I’ve noticed people doing this recently, and it makes no sense. What, Emma Swift times Robyn Hitchcock? Or Emma Swift by Robyn Hitchcock, like the dimensions of a rectangle? Anyway, please stop that, everyone. If you don’t wish to use the word “and” or an ampersand, there is also the plus sign at your disposal.

Love, LA is scheduled to be released on April 20, 2024 through Org Music. This release is limited to 1,000 copies.