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Bryan Maclean
Biography
As the secondary songwriter in the renowned folk-rock/psychedelic group Love, guitarist and vocalist Bryan MacLean was overshadowed by that group's driving force, singer/songwriter Arthur Lee. Yet MacLean did manage to squeeze a few of his own compositions onto the group's first three albums: "Softly to Me," "Orange Skies," "Old Man," and "Alone Again Or." MacLean's tunes had a lighter, poppier touch than Lee's, but also had a similar evanescent, mystical glow, enhanced by MacLean's odd trembling vocals. "Alone Again Or," in fact, could be Love's most well-known song of all, leading off their classic Forever Changes album, and driven by an unearthly arrangement of harmony vocals, mariachi trumpet, and strings.

MacLean left Love under confused circumstances in 1968, shortly after the release of Forever Changes. Elektra offered to record him as a solo artist, but decided not to release anything after hearing the projected material, which label boss Jac Holzman, according to MacLean's recollection, found "too fragmented." MacLean was halfway through a solo album for Capitol when he abandoned the rock business in 1970.
Selected Discography