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.
