Undoubtedly a masterpiece, this psychedelic jewel was largely ignored on this side of the Atlantic when it was first released, charting in the US at only 154. The songs shimmer with beauty, lushly wrapped in arrangements of strings and horns which were said to have been an afterthought. Led by enigmatic frontman and musical visionary Arthur Lee, the band also rocks out with the best of them on anthems like "A House Is Not A Motel." Some of the melodies are simply gorgeous (check out "Andmoreagain" and "Old Man").

Lee's lyrical brilliance permeates every track, with moods shifting from dreamlike states of childhood innocence ("Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This") to eerie prophesy ("The Red Telephone"). The mariachi horns on "Alone Again Or" still send shivers down my spine every time I hear it.

In spite of Love's apparent affinity for lysergic (and who knows what else) sources of inspiration, the album manages to retain a timeless quality, with relatively minimal studio flash.

New bands take note: this album was recorded in seven days over a four month period and later mixed in a single 17 hour session.

They just don't make them like this anymore.
� Dr Benjamin Bordoff

BOOK
SUMMERGONE
By David Macfarlane
Knopf Canada, 1999

The trick with any novel is to so draw you into the reaches of the story that you want it to go on and on and never end. Sadly this novel just didn't do that. It was tough to figure out who the actual narrator of the novel was, as it moved endlessly back and forth in time. Nevertheless, since David Macfarlane is an accomplished writer at the Globe and Mail and his previous book The Danger Tree received many positive reviews, I was determined to get through this, his first novel. Thankfully the effort was worth it.

The book is a narrative about growing up in Ontario as seen through the eyes of three generations of Newling men. None of them are exceptional successes in what they do, yet each one tries to project to his son what he feels is important.

Caz Newling, the grandson, is the protagonist who wants to hear as much as possible about his late father, Bay, who died on a canoeing trip with his 12-year-old son many years ago. He'd been separated from his dad for the previous six years, and that trip was supposed to be an opportunity to bridge the distance between father and son. But the fates decreed otherwise.

Disaster seems to follow the Newling family like a dark shadow � Bay likewise lost his parents as a kid while he was away at camp. Caz grows up feeling cheated and wants desperately to better understand who exactly was his father and what shaped him into the man he was.

The backdrop of cottage country and canoeing is very uniquely Canadian � in fact some chapters are actual extracts from a canoeing manual. Reading this, one feels that only in such a location can the distillation of the meaning of life be broached. Bring out my paddle.
� Dr Markus Martin

MOVIE
CROSSROADS
Dir: Walter Hill
Columbia, 1986
(released on video 1990)

No sorry, not your favourite teeny bopper sex star � but even without Britney this film is still well worth a look. Eighties teen idol Ralph Macchio (of Karate Kid fame) stars in this music movie classic conceived by blues guitar master Ry Cooder. Ralph plays a young classical guitar prodigy stifling at Julliard in New York and nurturing a secret passion for the blues.

He discovers blues legend Willie Brown living in a nursing home for convicts in New York city. Wily old Willie cons the green youngster into helping him escape the nursing home jail � in exchange he promises to teach him Robert Johnson's mythical lost last song. The duo embarks on a cross country journey which ends at the Crossroads, where Willie has some unfinished business with the devil.

The ensuing guitar battle for Willie's soul is a moment in cinematic history that maybe never quite reached the collective cultural mind, but I guarantee that after watching it you'll have to wonder why. Blues fans will know it, and budding blues fans will never forget it.
� Dr Barbara Watts

Calling all doctors! Do you have a classic film, CD or book that you love? Would you be interested in sharing it with your colleagues? If so, why not submit your review to the National Review of Medicine. Send your reviews to [email protected] and we'll send you a gift if we publish it.