A startling evocation of the social and artistic revolution that took place in Los Angeles in 1965-66 and gave birth to The Byrds, Love, The Doors, and more.
On the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in 1965 and 1966 an electrifying scene appeared out of nowhere, exploded into creativity, and then, just as suddenly, vanished. So much remarkable music, art, and social revolution came from one place at one time, it's difficult now to grasp how it all happened.This book tells the story of the astonishing time when rock 'n' roll displaced movies as the centre of action in Hollywood. From the moment The Byrds debuted at Ciro's on March 26th 1965--with Bob Dylan joining them onstage--right up to the demonstrations of November 1966, Sunset Strip nightclubs nurtured and broke The Doors, Love, Buffalo Springfield (featuring Neil Young and Stephen Stills), Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, The Turtles, The Mamas & The Papas, and many others. The Strip was a hotbed for garage punk bands such as The Standells, The Electric Prunes, and The Leaves. Folk-rock and psychedelia were born there, while it was also a favourite hangout and inspiration for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Velvet Underground.Republished to coincide with the 50th anniversary of these incredible times, Riot On Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand In Hollywood captures the excitement of this great artistic awakening, telling how the scene came together and then fell apart at the Monterey Pop festival, the tragic grand finale of the Summer of Love. It serves as a startling evocation of the social and artistic revolution that was the 60s.
“The Byrds were happenin’. Bob Dylan was happenin’. And it was the most beautiful time in my life …” Arthur Lee, Love“If you’ve ever seen American Graffiti, the Strip used to be like that …” Stephen Stills, Buffalo SpringfieldOn the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, an electrifying scene appeared out of nowhere, exploded into creativity, and then, just as suddenly, vanished. Riot on Sunset Strip captures the excitement of this great artistic awakening and serves as a startling evocation of the social and artistic revolution that was the 60s.From the moment The Byrds debuted at Ciro’s on March 26th 1965—with Bob Dylan joining them on stage—right up to the demonstrations of November 1966, Sunset Strip nightclubs nurtured and broke The Doors, Love, Buffalo Springfield (featuring Neil Young and Stephen Stills), Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, The Turtles, The Mamas & The Papas, The Standells, The Electric Prunes, and so many more.With a foreword by Arthur Lee, period maps by Shag, and a brand new epilogue, this book tells the story of the astonishing time when rock’n’roll displaced movies at the center of the action in Hollywood.