[9] The Sons Of Adam, which included future Love drummer Michael Stuart, recorded the Lee composition "Feathered Fish".
[10] Love started playing the Los Angeles clubs in April 1965 and became a popular local attraction, while gaining the attention of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds.
[13] The band lived communally in a house called "the Castle", a large but run-down residence sourced by Ronnie Haran.
According to John Einarson in the book "Forever Changes", the cover photo of their first two albums was of the band taken in Laurel Canyon at a burned down house that only had the remains of a fireplace left standing.
Signed to Elektra Records as the label's first rock act,[15] the band scored a minor hit single in 1966 with their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "My Little Red Book".
[10] The single "7 and 7 Is", released in July 1966, gained notice for the exceptional guitar work of Johnny Echols and proto-punk style drumming of Pfisterer.
[10] Two more members were added around this time, Tjay Cantrelli (real name John Barbieri) on woodwinds and Michael Stuart on drums.
[13] Elektra's art director, William S. Harvey, designed a distinctive logo for the band, "four cartoonish letters with exaggerated, curvaceous serifs", incorporating male and female symbols.
[21] Writer Richard Meltzer, in his book The Aesthetics of Rock, commented on Love's "orchestral moves", "post-doper word contraction cuteness", and Lee's vocal style that serves as a "reaffirmation of Johnny Mathis".
[24] For unclear reasons, Bryan MacLean left the band after Forever Changes[11] (though one possible issue was a solo deal that he had signed with Elektra[25]), while Lee dismissed all the other members.
[27] Arthur Lee, as the only remaining member, convened a new lineup of Love with Jay Donnellan (soon replaced by Gary Rowles) on guitar, Frank Fayad on bass, and George Suranovich on drums.
At the suggestion of late-period guitarist John Sterling, Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean reunited for one show in 1978, which was recorded and released as Love Live in 1980.
[37] In 1995, Rhino Records released the compilation Love Story, a two-disc set with extensive liner notes which chronicled the band's 1966–1972 period.
[38] Ken Forssi, bassist for the classic Love lineup, died of a suspected brain tumor at age 54 on January 5, 1998.
[26] Bryan MacLean died of a heart attack at age 52 on December 25, 1998, while having dinner with a young fan who was researching a book about Love.
[42] Johnny Echols joined Lee's latest group for a special Forever Changes 35th Anniversary performance in the spring of 2003 and again for tours in 2004 and 2005.
[38] Due to Arthur Lee's battle with acute myeloid leukemia, the details of which were not known by the band at the time, he could not participate in the final tour in 2005.
[38] Michael Stuart-Ware and Johnny Echols performed with Baby Lemonade at Hollywood's Whisky A Go-Go on June 28, 2006, in a benefit concert for Arthur Lee.
[9] In 2009, a reformed version of Love, featuring Johnny Echols, members of Baby Lemonade, and Probyn Gregory of the Wondermints, toured the United States and Canada.
[8] In November 2021, they announced that they would again tour in the UK in 2022, and at some shows would play the whole of their first two albums, Love and Da Capo, in their entirety, as well as Forever Changes.
[14] Many bands of the 1990s that were influenced by psychedelic rock list Love as a major inspiration,[48] such as Primal Scream,[49] The Stone Roses,[50] and The Jesus and Mary Chain.