Love is Love (except when it's new old Love)

Despite college tries to physically travel back in time (irregardless of massive ingestions of lysergic acid dyethylamide) it's been impossible, save for mentally doing it. One particularly pleasant express trip you can book back to 1967 is an album called "Forever Changes" by L.A.'s own Love. Simply put, there's really no way you could recreate this recording today, whether it's the genius of the compositions, the lyrical pastiche that was a groovy representation of the Sunset Strip days or the phrasing of the singers. And Rhino has just released a deluxe edition, with bonus tracks and a complete other version that I didn't even know exist. Robert Plant probably didn't either (he's the guy who got me hooked on it). Thank God this album was even made. Because while you could point to The Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow or the debuts from The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors or Sgt. Pepper's as fitting representatives of the year and be perfectly credible, nothing--to me--sounds more like 1967 than Forever Changes. But Headquarters from The Monkees comes close...

From A Hilltopper To THE Greatest Bruin--Thank You

The greatest college basketball player ever has some very nice--and very true--things to say about my alma mater in the L.A. Times. Thanks, Kareem. We Topper alums appreciate you.