Forms and Feelings

Forms and Feelings is the title of a Love Sculpture album released in 1970 on the Parlophone label and rereleased by EMI on CD in 1999. The single Sabre Dance made its way up to sixth place on British music charts in November 1968; the rest of the record didn't fare quite as well, mostly because it's all stock 60's music--but it's pretty good, at that.

The first four tracks are soft, touching reflections on those (supposedly) more innocent days--and then Edmunds throws us a curve ball. The fifth track, a four-minute guitar transcription of Georges Bizet's Farandole, is a masterful electric guitar transposition of the original's theme; the patches of vibrato and vibrant, high-energy segments more familiar in an ensemble rendition translate fantastically to the guitar. This inspired performance is followed by You Can't Catch Me and People People with little musical continuity. However, it foreshadows the later instrumental pieces. Although Mars, from Gustav Holst's Planets suite, did not appear in the UK version (a nasty lawsuit from the Holst estate was the impetus), it is a compelling example of guitar adagio and deserves a listen. From this slower planetary pondering they leap right back into "traditional" electric guitar work with eleven and a half minutes of Sabre Dance, another novel variation on a classical theme. This last track is probably the most interesting on the record, as it foretells the success of similar guitar trickery by such artists as the Beach Boys later on.

The rest of the album is peppered with forgettable and admittedly naive but ultimately touching little ditties. They express the love-all-life sentiments of the 60's with precise clarity and impress the listener with their sincerity (if not depth) of emotion.

I couldn't find lyrics anywhere, so I listened to the album a few times and typed them out. If anyone has a better idea of what Dave is mumbling during "Seagull", please get in contact. ;)

1. In the Land of the Few


2. Seagull


3. Nobody's Talking


4. Why (or "How Now")


5. Farandole (instrumental)


6. You Can't Catch Me (a cover of Chuck Berry's song)


7. People People


8. Mars (US release only)


9. Sabre Dance