Forever Amber
The Love Cycle (1969)
Label:   
Length:  1:03:29
    Track Listing:
      1.  
      		 Me Oh My - FOREVER AMBER    1:12
      2.  
      		 Silly Sunshine - FOREVER AMBER    2:39
      3.  
      		 Bits Of Your Life, Bits Of My Life - FOREVER AMBER    2:27
      4.  
      		 For A Very Special Person - FOREVER AMBER    3:07
      5.  
      		 The Dreamer Flies Back - FOREVER AMBER    3:20
      6.  
      		 Misunderstood - FOREVER AMBER    1:50
      7.  
      		 Better Things Are Bound To Come - FOREVER AMBER    3:25
      8.  
      		 On A Night In Winter - FOREVER AMBER    1:56
      9.  
      		 On Top Of My Own Special Mountain - FOREVER AMBER    3:11
      10.  
      		 Mary (The Painter) - FOREVER AMBER    1:25
      11.  
      		 All The Colours Of My Book - FOREVER AMBER    2:50
      12.  
      		 Going Away Again - FOREVER AMBER    3:21
      13.  
      		 A Chance To Be Free - FOREVER AMBER    2:32
      14.  
      		 I See You As You Used To Be - FOREVER AMBER    2:01
      15.  
      		 Letters From Her - FOREVER AMBER    1:55
      16.  
      		 My Friend - FOREVER AMBER    4:22
      17.  
      		 Me Oh My ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    1:42
      18.  
      		 Indecision ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    2:54
      19.  
      		 Bits Of My Life, Bits Of Your Life ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    2:23
      20.  
      		 A Night In Summer ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    2:23
      21.  
      		 Misunderstood ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    1:28
      22.  
      		 A Chance To Be Free ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    3:49
      23.  
      		 Letters From Her ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    2:22
      24.  
      		 My Friend ~ 1978 Remake - FOREVER AMBER    4:43
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      Love Cycle - Forever Amber 1969


      Review by Lindsay Planer

      Love Cycle (1969) from the virtually unknown and short-lived sextet Forever Amber is practically the definition of an obscure 'sleeper' album.
      One primary reason that it never gained significant status at the time of its creation was a built-in collectability.
      This was a result of the no-budget band only pressing up a mere 99 copies of the album to avoid having to pay a 'purchase tax' that was applicable on any orders of 100 or more.
      At least one of the platter's eventually did resurface in the late 1980s and on sheer mystique and cache alone — as so few had actually ever heard the endeavor — bootleg vinyl
      and eventually CDs began to surface among traders. These eventually circulated far and wide enough for The Love Cycle to land in a 'countdown' by a glossy music fanzine
      who trumpeted it as "one of the dozen best British pop albums of the late '60s." The story of Forever Amber in some ways reflects the unrequited relationship depicted
      in the project's unified narrative and is divided into seven distinct stages. In a decidedly unorthodox combining of talents, the author and arranger was not actually
      a member of the Cambridge-based combo. Prior to adopting the moniker of Kathleen Winsor's racy novel Forever Amber, the group played the lucrative local 'cover band' circuit
      of private parties and the like as the Country Cousins. The Cousins' manager Derek Buxton became the liaison between the band and John M. Hudson. Made for around $200.00,
      the 16-track Love Cycle was documented in a mammoth 19-hour recording session in September of 1969 at the DIY Studio Sound in Hitchin, England — who likewise ran the small
      Advance Records label. The music is a mélange of Brit-pop and psychedelia, with considerable folkie overtones. Immediately, the wispy and reflective ballad "Me Oh My" sets
      the tune stack's tenor. The suitably frolicking "Silly Sunshine" is steeped in a discernable giddiness reflecting the sheer joy of a budding affair.
      "Bits Of Your Life, Bits Of My Life" is one of several brilliant sonic time capsules. The tender tune defines both the lovesick Love Cycle context while also standing
      on its own merits as an affecting '60s British pop song. The reflective "For A Very Special Person" as well as the baroque leanings of "Misunderstood" directly contrast
      the overt psychedelia of "The Dreamer Flies Back" and heavier freakbeat stylings heard on the catchy "Better Things Are Bound To Come".
      The cheery "On A Night In Winter" is followed by The Love Cycle's primary trifecta the stylish psych rave-up "My Own Special Mountain," Northern Soul influenced
      "Mary (The Painter)," and the propulsive rocker "All The Colours Of My Book". As the two parties depicted in the lyrics dissolve their interaction,
      titles such as the melancholy "She's Going Away," "A Chance To Be Free" and "Letters From Her" clearly reflect the sadness of a receding romance.
      Love Cycle concludes with a final bit of inspired songwriting by way of the haunting and introspective "My Friend," by efficiently infusing a bit of whimsical folk
      and producing yet another memorable masterwork. In 2007, Love Cycle was finally issued on CD under the auspices of John Hudson who contributed to the CD booklet and even
      added eight re-recordings — circa 1978 — of key cuts from the outing.


      Track List

      The Meeting

      1; Me Oh My
      2; Silly Sunshine

      The Talking

      3; Bits Of Your Life, Bits Of My Life
      4; For A Very Special Person
      5; The Dreamer Flies Back
      6; Misunderstood
      7; Better Things Are Bound To Come

      The Walk Home

      8; On A Night In Winter

      The Joy

      9; On Top Of My Own Special Mountain
      10; Mary (The Painter)
      11; All The Colours Of My Book

      The Doubt

      12; Going Away Again

      The Sorrow

      13; A Chance To Be Free

      The Scorn

      14; I See You As You Used To Be

      The Grief

      15; Letter From Her
      16; My Friend

      Bonus Tracks (Recorded in 1978 by John Hudson and Richard Lane)

      17; Me Oh My
      18; Indecision
      19; Bits Of My Life
      20; A Night In Summer
      21; Misunderstood
      22; A Chance To Be Free
      23; Letter From Her
      24; My Friend
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