Michael Walker (2)Besprekingen

As music books go, this was all right. Not fantastic, not earth-shaking, but all right.

As many other reviewers have noted, while it purports to be the "inside story of rock and roll's legendary neighborhood" it does take far too many detours out of Laurel Canyon and into the offices of music companies, or into LA, or wherever.

It started out strong, and I will say I quite enjoyed the first half, and I think if Walker had simply focused on Laurel Canyon up to, say, the Manson murders, and gone more in depth on the musicians in the canyon, and more about their songwriting and collaborations and inspirations, this would have been a far more interesting read.

Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-and -Roll’s Legendary Neighborhood by Michael Walker is a 2007 Farrar, Straus and Giroux publication.

During the 1960s a group of people who would later become household names, made their home in Laurel Canyon. The neighborhood then became legendary- but is mostly mythologized. It had a reputation for having a commonality, a peace and love, 'my door is always open' atmosphere.

Until...

The Manson family murders, that is.

Suddenly, all those open doors were slammed shut and locked up tight. The murders, along with the disastrous Altamont concert are often blamed for killing the mood in the late sixties, but as we look back, all that ‘brotherhood’ stuff was mostly an illusion to begin with.

As these musicians began to reap financial rewards, cocaine became a status symbol, without the accusation of having commercially sold out. Once the drug took over it was truly the end of an era.

This scene fizzled out eventually, as these things often do, when times and taste change- as well as the darker side of the lifestyle takes over, and goes too far, causing people to wake up - or in many cases, finally grow-up.

Still, Laurel Canyon, for many, remains romanticized and nobody dares to dispute that. It has its place in pop culture history, much the same as Haight-Ashbury, during the 1960s.

As to this book, though, it starts out strong, but continues far, far too long. The author moved out of Laurel Canyon before the halfway mark, it seems, and proceeded to explain how rock became bloated, how punk popped that bubble, and how all those early sixties artists had moved out, the famous landmarks closed, and cocaine, murders, and decadence burned it out, sometimes literally, leaving only idealistic, nostalgic memories in its wake.

Towards the end of the book, I was skimming over the material, because I’d either heard it before, or found it boring, or the author quoted people I’d never even heard of, didn't care about, or had nothing to do with Laurel Canyon, really- and because it had moved past the decades I had wanted to read about in the first place.

Eventually, the author returns to the Canyon to close the book with another infamous mass murder that killed any semblance of innocence that might have remained.

Most of this stuff can be found if one is willing to do the research, read a few biographies, or comb through the interviews given during this time. But, I'm not sure I'd ever much care about long forgotten rock groupies and most of the history presented here is not news to me, so ultimately, the book became a snooze-fest.

2 stars

An interesting and nostalgic look at the residents of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles in the 1970’s – Joni Mitchell, Jim Morrison, Graham Nash, Cass Elliott, Carole King, Don Henley, and David Crosby - as music turned away from the Brill Building in New York City to the performer/composer in California. Full of inside tidbits and inside stories. A fun read.

One of my favorite old albums is Coolidge's "Anytime. . . Anywhere." I didn't know a lot about her except that she was married to Kris Kristofferson in the 70s. Now I know her story, in her own words: how she knew and sang with (and sometimes romantically involved with) some of the best known artists of the time: Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Leon Russell. . .and eventually Kristofferson. She wrote songs (and didn't always receive credit), and songs were written about her. But we also glimpse her home life too--her strong ties to her parents and siblings (especially sister Priscilla), her desire for children, and her struggle to balance motherhood with her career.½

FROM PUBLISHER: She inspired songs—Leon Russell wrote “A Song for You” and “Delta Lady” for her, Stephen Stills wrote “Cherokee.” She co-wrote songs—“Superstar” and the piano coda to “Layla,” uncredited. She sang backup for Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, and Stills, before finding fame as a solo artist with such hits as “We're All Alone” and “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.” Following her story from Lafayette, Tennessee to becoming one of the most sought-after rock vocalists in LA in the 1970s, Delta Lady chronicles Rita Coolidge’s fascinating journey throughout the ’60s-’70s pop/rock universe.
A muse to some of the twentieth century’s most influential rock musicians, she broke hearts, and broke up bands. Her relationship with drummer Jim Gordon took a violent turn during the legendary 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour; David Crosby maintained that her triangle with Stills and Graham Nash was the last straw for the group. Her volatile six-year marriage to Kris Kristofferson yielded two Grammys, a daughter, and one of the Baby Boom generation’s epic love stories. Throughout it all, her strength, resilience, and inner and outer beauty—along with her strong sense of heritage and devotion to her family—helped her to not only survive but thrive. Co-written with best-selling author Michael Walker, Delta Lady is a rich, deeply personal memoir that offers a front row seat to an iconic era and illuminates the life of an artist whose career has helped shape modern American culture.

A bagatelle.

Reading this book took me back to the early 70s when I was first listening to Rita, Joe Cocker, Delaney & Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos, CSN - I've always loved her smoky voice. I saw her and Kris Kristofferson in concert once, and he was stumbling around the stage, obviously drunk - it was rather shocking at the time. The book wasn't extremely detailed about her life, although she does give us a few tidbits. I wanted more!½

If you are looking for easy reading that brings back memories of a certain era, here's a book for you. Nothing too in-depth. i think Coolidge was aiming to give her side of life, her relationships, her family..... Maybe other versions have wronged her, maybe she 'dis-remembers' who knows. But you have to be fair and understand that this is HER viewpoint.
I am 10 years younger but the names and musical creations were eye-opening.
"Music really is the voice of the soul and the heart." So to each his/her own.

Some books just take us back. Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson were my first couple crush. Thought Rita was beautiful, her voice so clear, mellow and emotive. Thought Kris was gorgeous, A star is Born is the only movie I ever stood in line for and as a couple they were phenomenal. Was devastated when it didn't last, was to young to be cynical yet.

The music of the times, Graham Nash, Joe Cocker, Cher, Clapton, George Harrison, all phenomenal, all part of the scene. Loved reading Rita's thoughts on this time period, these musicians as well as others. She gives a special nod to Bob Dylan, this book came out before he won his big controversial prize, saying she wonders if he realizes how much his words effected a generation. Her youth, her closeness with her sister, Patsy and Patsy's horrific end. Her career, loves and her marriage. Plenty of drug use ne alcohol, but she did not heavily partake in either. The music, lifestyle and scene. Gobbled it all up, loved the way she told her story. I highly respect not only her musical abilities but her view of her past and present life.

This snapshot of Laurel Canyon, by veteran journalist Michael Walker, focuses on the 60's and 70's and provides many rock and roll tidbits, in addition to an indepth exploration of this canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Its strength is in the lively history of bands, musicians, groupies, managers, record company employees, music venues.
His extensive research upholds the view that the time frame and bohemian occupants were critical in forever changing the way
popular music was recorded and marketed.
"Laurel Canyon found itself a nexus of counterculture activity and attitudes in the 1960s" and "Walker focuses on the scene through numerous lenses."

Walker's compilation is wistful is part, but also bittersweet.
Darkness did descend on the canyon....first drugs (pot to cocaine), then the Manson family murder spree.
Anxiety and apprehension infiltrated the canyon.
Cocaine would weave itself into the fabric of the canyon as both a symptom and cause of an era's end.

In 1979, fire destroyed 23 canyon homes.
1981 brought the "Wonderland Massacre".

You'll find Walker's work encompasses pre and post 60's -70's.
I've simply highlighted my particular area of interest.

You'll find a well researched book that I heartily recommend.

4★

Much has been written on the subject of 60's/70's Rock and Roll. This book takes a fresh and interesting angle by focusing on a 'neighborhood' and it's influence/involvement in the history of the LA based music scene of this era. Well researched and fun read.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly for 248 Pages-Illuminating.

Given my interest in this subject, I could not put this down. Excellent. A meaningful historical account which puts things into perspective. The “real” 60’s of LSD, Marijuana, singer-songwriters living in a “love-in” flowery peace, paisley and tie dye existence, perhaps lasted for only a few years before things became darker. But, then again, that is part of the history of it all.

What is also interesting is how the talented musicians of Laurel Canyon in the mid to late sixties spawned a Los Angeles music culture and business which took over the world. It eclipsed New York and might have had its only peer in London with the Beatles and the Stones.

What is for sure is that nothing was ever the same again. I highly recommend this one for those who have an interest in the music, its historical context and the emergence of the music business as we know it today.