Love, "Forever Changes" (Elektra, 1968)

Some sad news: Arthur Lee has been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He has no medical insurance, already has medical bills in excess of $100,000 and is facing a probable bone marrow transplant.

The diagnosis occurred when some favorably light finally seemed to be shining again on a musician who's faced his share of adversity since he made a name for himself with Love, one of the legendary bands to spring out of Los Angeles in the mid-'60s. His life during the ensuing decades included a period of incarceration, but by the late '90s he was performing again for enthusiastic audiences.

His recent shows have been known to include full versions of the 1968 Love album "Forever Changes," and one such performance in England was captured for posterity on DVD. Viewing it is a real treat for fans who for decades have admired one of rock's great records, albeit one that never sold in great quantitites.

More than 40 years ago, Lee started building recognition for himself within L.A.'s emerging music scene by reportedly appearing at strategic spots wearing just one boot on his two feet. Such erratic behavior would hardly seem to have singled him out - Frank Zappa and other members of the Mothers of Invention were hanging around the same places, after all - but Arthur's band certainly captured attention. Love developed such a following that the lead singer of another fledgling Los Angeles band aspired to be that popular; of course, Jim Morrison got more than he bargained for with the Doors.

As big as Love was in Los Angeles, it never quite captured a national following. Two singles, "My Little Red Book" and "7 And & Is" sold in reasonable quantities and now are considered classics of the psychedelic/garage era, but they hardly made Love a household name. Also, band members preferred to stick close to home rather than taking their act to the far reaches of the continent (or to Britain, where Love had developed a sizable following). Love even declined to travel as far as Monterey, a few hours north of L.A., for the June 1967 festival that made superstars out of numerous peers.

In 1968, following quite a few lineup changes over the course of Love's first two albums, the band went to work on a third. What emerged was a collection of songs representing a stylistic departure from the relatively raw sound of the band's earlier days. The acoustic guitar is the instrument that drives most of "Forever Changes," combining with superbly crafted harmony vocals and, in many spots, orchestral and horn arrangements to produce one of the more enjoyable and stimulating works of the late '60s.

The compositions, though, make for the album's real strong point. Lee wrote most of the songs, with the late guitarist Bryan MacLean adding a few. True, the enigmatic titles of some - "Alone Again Or," "The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This," "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale" - have overtones that are inextricably linked to the era of their creation. But for the most part, this is timeless music, just as much at home in the 21st century as in the 1960s, as Arthur has proved with his recent performances.

Of course, the record-buying public often fails to recognize works of art, and "Forever Changes" failed to make the U.S. charts. (It was a top seller in Britain, but that couldn't convince Love to cross the Atlantic.) Lee subsequently revamped the band's lineup for the follow-up, "Four Sail," but the previous album had set the bar too high for anything else to live up to expectations.

A collaboration between Lee and Jimi Hendrix ended with the famed guitarist's death, after they'd recorded one song together, "The Everlasting First," which appeared on the appropriately titled "False Start" album as more or less of a last hurrah for Love. Lee's recent comeback added an encouraging chapter to his story, but news of his health problems certainly have put a dark cloud on proceedings.

Fortunately, he has plenty of friends and admirers who want to help him. A benefit concert, "We're Doing It For Love," is scheduled for Friday, June 23, at New York's Beacon Theater. Tickets go on sale today.

Headlining is a singer who has been performing three of Arthur's songs on his most recent tour: Robert Plant. He's joined by Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Garland Jeffreys and one of more impressive bands to emerge since the '80s, Yo La Tengo.

They're trying to help the cause of a man whose name might not be the most recognizable of the '60s-era musicians, but whose best work stands up among the true classics of his time.