On November 27 High Moon Records will be reissuing the final studio album from one of rock music’s most gifted and enigmatic legends — expanded with 12 bonus tracks. Available on CD/Digital for the first time and back on Vinyl after more than 40 years, Reel To Real captures Arthur Lee and Love at the peak of their rock/funk/soul powers.

Originally recorded and released in 1974 on RSO Records, this beautifully packaged, deluxe reissue features vibrant, remastered audio from the original tapes, a 32-page booklet with an illuminating essay by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, and a trove of candid, unpublished photos. Today, “Time is Like a River” was released on Rolling Stone and is now available to listen and share on YouTube. The track will be available as an instant download with the pre-order of Reel To Real on iTunes.

What Arthur Lee began on Love’s Black Beauty (released by High Moon Records to wide acclaim in 2013), he brought to fruition on Reel To Real. Armed with a major label budget and a powerful, intuitive band, he dug deep into the blues, soul, and rock grooves that first inspired him, reaching out to a new audience with his fierce and forward-thinking personal vision. The album features Arthur’s beloved Black Beauty band: drummer Joe Blocker, guitarist Melvan Whittington, and bassist Robert Rozelle — who Lee referred to as “cats who can play funky and rock" — augmented by guitar-ace John Sterling and cameo appearances by legendary guitarists Harvey Mandel and “Buzzy” Feiten. 
 
To a palette of stinging guitars, explosive brass (arranged by Arthur Lee), deep funk bass and clavinet, splashes of spacey synthesizer, and dream-team female backing vocals, Arthur Lee brought his funkiest and most soulful collection of songs, channeling the most visceral vocal performances he ever committed to tape.
 
High Moon Records has unearthed 11 revelatory, previously-unreleased tracks from the original sessions, including alternate takes and mixes, live-in-studio rehearsals, and 4 newly-discovered Arthur Lee originals: “Do It Yourself,” “I Gotta Remember,” “Somebody,” and “You Gotta Feel It.” These songs (three fully-produced rockers, and a spare, Imagine-era John Lennon-by-way-of Sly Stone studio sketch) were previously unknown to all but their original participants, and present a major addition to Arthur Lee’s catalog. Other bonus track highlights include the guitar fury in the extended, alternate mix of “Busted Feet,” the eccentric and darkly-comic single mix of “You Said You Would,” and an impromptu studio rehearsal of Forever Changes outtake “Wonder People (I Do Wonder).” This ultra-rare bonus material fills out the picture of a fearless, agile and very funky ensemble, led by a masterful singer-songwriter at his feral, exultant best.
 
 • CD packaged in a deluxe custom Digipak with a full-color, 32-page booklet. 
 • LP pressed on high-quality RTI vinyl with full-color, 28-page LP-sized booklet
 • LP includes download card for high-quality album & bonus tracks
 • Digital Download includes full-color, 26-page PDF booklet.
 
Pre-order CD from High Moon Records: www.highmoonrecords.com/shop
Pre-order CD from Amazon: smarturl.it/ReelToRealAmazon
Pre-order on iTunes: smarturl.it/ReelToRealiTunes
(iTunes pre-order includes advance download of “Time Is Like A River”)

––– Original Album Tracks –––
 1. Time Is Like A River
 2. Stop The Music
 3. Who Are You?
 4. Good Old Fashion Dream
 5. Which Witch Is Which
 6. With A Little Energy
 7. Singing Cowboy
 8. Be Thankful For What You Got
 9. You Said You Would
10. Busted Feet
11. Everybody’s Gotta Live

       ––– Bonus Tracks –––
12. Do It Yourself [Outtake]
13. I Gotta Remember [Outtake]
14. Somebody [Outtake]
15. You Gotta Feel It [Outtake]
16. With A Little Energy [Alternate Mix]
17. Busted Feet [Alternate Mix]
18. You Said You Would [Single Mix]
19. Stop The Music [Alternate Take]
20. Graveyard Hop [Studio Rehearsal]
21. Singing Cowboy [Alternate Take]
22. Everybody’s Gotta Live [Electric Version]
23. Wonder People (I Do Wonder) [Studio Rehearsal]
      All Bonus Tracks Previously Unreleased Except 18
 

New York, September 11, 2015: Love's Black Beauty is that rarest of rock artifacts: an unreleased full-length studio album from an undisputed musical genius. Originally recorded in 1973, Black Beauty remained unreleased for 40 years. It is the missing link in a catalog that includes Forever Changes, the classic 1967 Love album the New York Times called“one of the most affecting and beguiling albums of all time.” With Black Beauty, Arthur Leemanages to combine searing 70’s-rock with gorgeous melodies and stellar songwriting—topped off by his most powerful, soulful vocals ever. With its wonderfully eclectic collection of songs, the album offers Love fans a rare glimpse into a previously undocumented phase of Arthur Lee’s fabled career, while shining a light for new fans to discover the unique genius that is the music of Arthur Lee and Love.
 
Black Beauty (Deluxe Version) includes 6 ultra-rare, previously-unreleased bonus tracks: 3 explosive, live performances from the short-lived Black Beauty-incarnation of Love, a revelatory 1974 Arthur Lee interview for Rolling Stone, and two unreleased Arthur Lee studio cuts - the title song from legendary filmmaker Max Julien’s Thomasine & Bushrod, recorded a few months after the completion of Black Beauty, and “L.A. Blues,” the last song recorded by Arthur Lee before beginning his six-year prison sentence. 

The digital download also features an extensive PDF booklet with an acclaimed essay by renowned rock journalist Ben Edmonds and a trove of never-before-published photos of Arthur Lee and the Black Beauty band.

Black Beauty, the masterpiece by Arthur Lee’s legendary psychedelic rock band Love, is making its first-ever official release on CD, out November 11th via High Moon Records.  The album had never been released in any format until High Moon Records put it out on vinyl in 2012. In November, Black Beauty will be available as a TrueSound Audiophile CD, packaged in a Hardbound Eco-Book.  With its unparalleled sound and state-of-the-art packaging, Black Beauty is being hailed as an instant classic by critics worldwide.  Read and share the exciting announcement courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Black Beauty, the masterpiece by Arthur Lee’s legendary psychedelic rock band Love, is making its first-ever official release on CD, out today, November 11^th, via High Moon Records.  The album had never been released in any format until High Moon Records put it out on vinyl in 2012. Today, Black Beauty will be available as a TrueSound Audiophile CD, packaged in a Hardbound Eco-Book. The Deluxe CD comes with a 62-page photo-filled booklet with over 35 never-before-seen photos by Herbert W. Worthington and a revelatory essay by Ben Edmonds.   With its unparalleled sound and state-of-the-art packaging, Black Beauty is being hailed as an instant classic by critics worldwide.

The CD features 6 previously-unreleased bonus tracks, with explosive live Black Beauty-era Love performances, an unearthed Arthur Lee interview from 1974, and two unreleased Arthur Lee studio cuts, including “L.A. Blues” streaming via A.V. Club. “L.A. Blues” is an absolute Arthur Lee obscurity, virtually unknown and unheard since its recording in 1996. As the story goes, the track was actually written by legendary Country Music storyteller, Tom. T Hall, and was originally intended for inclusion on a Tom T. Hall tribute album. Soon after the track was recorded (with Arthur backed by up-and-coming L.A. band Ventilator), Arthur was sentenced to 12 years in prison. As Arthur was unreachable while incarcerated, the contract could not be finalized, and the song was left off the album, it's existence known only to its participants. In a stroke of serendipity 15 years later, an MP3 of "L.A. Blues" was emailed to Arthur's wife, Diane Lee in the Summer of 2011. Diane was blown away by the song, and she and High Moon Records' George Wallace agreed it would be the perfect final song for the Black Beauty CD.

The other unreleased studio track is the ultra-rare title song from legendary filmmaker Max Julien’s ‘Thomasine & Bushrod’, recorded a few months after the completion of Black Beauty. It was Arthur Lee’s first and only foray into film soundtrack composition. 

Black Beauty is that rarest of rock artifacts: an unreleased full-length studio album from an undisputed musical genius. Recorded in 1973 for Hair Executive Producer Michael Butler’s Buffalo Records, Black Beauty remained unreleased when the label folded. The album is the missing link in a  catalog that includes Forever Changes, the classic 1967 Love album  the New York Times called “one of the most affecting and beguiling  albums of all time.” With Black Beauty, Arthur Lee manages to combine searing 70’s-rock with gorgeous melodies and stellar songwriting—topped off by his most powerful, soulful vocals ever. With its wonderfully eclectic collection of songs, the album offers  Love fans a rare glimpse into a previously undocumented phase of Arthur Lee’s fabled career, while shining a light for new fans to discover the unique genius that is the music of Arthur Lee and Love. Finally, after 40 years High Moon Records is honored to fulfill Arthur Lee’s wish that Black Beauty be heard by music fans worldwide on CD.

There will be a Love exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens in 2015.  Love’s Black Beauty album will be featured in the exhibit.