Saturday, October 8, 2011

Alvin Lee & Mylon Lefevre So Sad (No Love Of His Own)

In 1973, Alvin Lee of Ten Years After and Mylon LeFevre formerly of the LeFevres and Mylon and Holy Smoke recorded “On the Road to Freedom.” It was a great little album that is hardly remembered now nearly 40 years later. I bought this LP as a poor college sophomore in 1974 and still enjoy it. The LP charted in 1974 at #138 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.



The album has a star studded cast of session musicians including George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood, Jim Capaldi, Mick Fleetwood, and the talents of Lee and Lefevre. Although our feature track “So Sad (No Love of His Own)” was not a radio standout, it was my favorite cut on the album. Mylon Lefevre handles the lead vocals on this track.

“So Sad (No Love of His Own)” is a George Harrison composition that later appeared on his 1974 LP “Dark Horse.” Because of his contract with EMI, George appears on slide guitar on this LP under the pseudonym “Hari Georgeson.” This is one of the several pseudonyms he used over time – others include L’Angelo Misterioso, George Harrysong, Nelson Wilbury, Spike Wilbury, and Geoge O’Hara-Smith.



George Harrison’s later version


Listed only as “So Sad” on George’s LP “Dark Horse,” I prefer the original version by Lee and Lefevre. The arrangement and Mylon’s vocals are much better. In my estimation, “Dark Horse” is not one of George Harrison’s best albums on Apple.