Various Artists

Laurel Canyon is a mountainous region in between Hollywood and Central Los Angeles. In the 1940’s and ‘50’s it was famous as being the home of many film stars and others associated with the film industry, but by the 1960’s it was more famous as the home of a great many folk and rock musicians, some household names and some not so much.

This collection, across 3 CDs, gives a pretty fair representation of the kind of hippy-dippy West Coast that was coming out of the area. Disc 1 covers 1967-68 (folk music and early, pop orientated rock), Disc 2 covers’69 to ’71 (Country influences and heavier rock) and Disc 3 the years ’71 to 1975 (more ‘Star’ and Hollywood) and gives a pretty good feel for the changes across the years.

The range of music covered here is impressive, but some notable residents are notable by their absence – no Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Neil Young or Canned Heat – but there may be contractual issues there.

Of the music that is included, there are some familiar names – The Doors, Frank Zappa, The Association, the Monkees, Capt. Beefheart, Love – but a lot of names that are less commonly found, and the music across the three discs is changeable both through familiarity and quality.
The biggest issue with a compilation like this is that the material is squeezed to fit the concept, but the concept here is strong enough to survive the constant changes in musical direction.

Overall, it paints a remarkable picture of the many changes across less than 10 years in an artistic community . There are a few tracks that I have never heard before – The Holy Mackerel (!) – but most are by artists I have either been a fan of, or at the least have known of, for years.

Very listenable and a few gems to be found.