THE B E A T FEBRUARY 2 0 1 5

ReviewBeat

The in-crowd reunited in TURN UP THE RADIO!

Rock, Pop And Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972

Harvey Kubernik (Santa Monica)

www.santamonicapress.com

By Alan Clayson

THE D ISPARATE likes of Kim Fowley, Lou Adier, Russ Titel-man, Jack Nitzsche and Phil Spector were part of a clique that surfaced principally from Los Angeles high schools in the late 1950s as a reaction against the caste of middle-aged musicians with first re­fusal on virtually all record dates in city studios.

Of course, while assisting in the transformation of their home turf into a pop Mecca, they and their cronies became an in-crowd themselves, courted by the next generation of young hustlers from a residential hinter­land no different to outsiders from any other arcadia of desert bloom and sun-dappled wood­land becoming rapidly lost in an encroaching urban sprawl.

Nevertheless, in the cases such as those of Frank Zappa, Scott Walker and Brian Wilson, it proved to be comparable to Gauguin's South Sea island or Byron's Italy in its potential to in­

spire genius or at least accom­modate it after perhaps years of pavement-tramping, curt brush-offs and rounds of unreturned telephone calls in and around Hollywood, especially 'Record Row', the city's Tin Pan Alley.

Further afield, others shook frustrated fists in the direction of the Big Orange, maybe only hours away by rail, road or air, but it might as well have been Mars, unless they uprooted themselves as - say, Roger McGuinn and Joni Mitchell did from, respectively, Chicago and the Canadian praines - to base themselves there.

So, eventually, did many of the prime movers of the 'British Inva­sion' and their post-psychedelic heirs after the 'power' returned to the Sunshine State, most con­spicuously with the coming of The Monkees and Tamla-Mo-town's relocation to LA in 1968.

An engrossing and well-researched story is told by Kubernik, whose long career has been balanced between journal­ism and the record industry. In a sturdy large-format - and surpris­ingly cheap - hardback, he chooses to relate it via the edit­ing of many tape-recorded miles of interviews with key dramatis personae and associates, an­chored by his own commentary

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Los Angeles WWiJIM and historical perspective. * A ' ' ' P 1 i ^ ^ J.i fJ [(.

He also provides illustrations trawled from a cornucopia of photographs, picture sleeves, posters, radio playlists, ticket stubs, press cuttings and other memorabilia, which plunge the most casual book shop browser into the heart of an account that is as entertaining as it is educa­tional.

'Power' returned to the Sunshine State, most conspicuously with the coming of The IVlonkees and Tamla-Motown's relocation to L A in 1968.

Hull New Theatre Manchester Opera Haust New Theatre. Oxrord New Wimbledon Theatre Churchill Theatre, Bromley Rhodes Arts Complex. Bishop's Stortford

J Kings Theatre, Southsea I Epsom Playhouse I Winding Wheel. Chesterfield

Embassy Theatre. Skegness Whitley Bay Playhouse Cheltenham Town Hall Richmond Theatre, Surrey Southport Theatre Victoria Hall, W e Princess Theatre, Torquay * Private Booking • ' - ^ ^ Courtyard Theatre, HerefonJ - / Grimsby Auditorium Royal & EJemgate Theatre. Northampton

July 24 Harlow Playhouse August 13 New Alexandra Theatre. Birmingham ' August 14 Empire Theatre. Liverpool August 15 New Alexandra Theatre. Birmtngham August 23 New Victoria Theatre. Woking August 27 Grand Opera House. York ' August 28 Bristol Hippodrome August 29 West CIrff Theatre. Ciacton-on-Sea September 5 Theatre Royal, Brighton September 10 Milton Keynes Theatre * September 13 Edinburgh Playhouse ' September 25 Palace Theatre. Mansfield September 26 Pavilion Theatre. Rhyl September 27 Towngate Theatre, Basildon '-'^ October 1 King's Lynn Com Exchange October 16 Sunderland Empire ' October18 King's Theatre. Glasgow " V -November 6 Palace Theatre, Manchester" • November 7 Regent Theatre, Stoke December 4 Wgmore Club. Gillingham. Kent ^

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* * • L L V I S v s J E R R Y L E E LEWIS-The SHOWDO'A\* B u ^ h Hall, Great Yarmouth May 22 Chequer Mead Arts Centre, East Grinstmif

) Cheltenham Playhouse OctobsrSI HIam Sports and Social Club * * * The JERRY LEE LEWIS STORV M

Brookside Theatre. Rwnfofd May 9 Royal Hippodrome Theatre. Eastbourne ' • Dates to be confirmed and subject to change

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