Biography
In 1964 the American Four issued a lone, little-known 45 on Selma, a Del-Fi subsidiary, pairing “Luci Baines” with “Soul Food.” The quartet’s chief claim to attention lies in its inclusion of future Love frontman Arthur Lee, who handled vocals and songwriting, together with Love guitarist Johnny Echols, all prior to the formation of Love itself. A Goldmine piece further identifies John Fleckenstein as a fourth participant; he would later supply brief bass work for Love before departing ahead of the group’s debut album. Although plainly derivative, the record retains a measure of charm: its A-side, prompted by the name of President Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, delivers an animated reworking of “Twist and Shout” fronted by Lee, while the B-side, jointly composed by Lee and Echols, offers a Booker T. & the MG’s-styled soul-rock instrumental.
Both tracks appear on the Love-related rarities bootleg Black Beauty & Rarities, which also contains a third number, “It’s the Marlin, Baby,” likewise attributed to the American Four. This minor pop-R&B dance track suffers from thin, even substandard production that suggests a possible live recording. Originally released on the Texas LSD label under Love’s name and listing Lee and Echols as vocalists, the single prompted Lee to tell Goldmine that he retained no recollection of the session. Its flip side, “House of the Rising Sun,” was erroneously credited to Love; the same Goldmine account identifies the actual performers as the Hurrikanes.
Both tracks appear on the Love-related rarities bootleg Black Beauty & Rarities, which also contains a third number, “It’s the Marlin, Baby,” likewise attributed to the American Four. This minor pop-R&B dance track suffers from thin, even substandard production that suggests a possible live recording. Originally released on the Texas LSD label under Love’s name and listing Lee and Echols as vocalists, the single prompted Lee to tell Goldmine that he retained no recollection of the session. Its flip side, “House of the Rising Sun,” was erroneously credited to Love; the same Goldmine account identifies the actual performers as the Hurrikanes.