all the good that's happening
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Artist:
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I kind of know stuff. Not about a lot of things, but among my areas of expertise is the Pop Music Scene of the 1960's. It's nothing to be particularly proud of or impressed by, and it doesn't have many practical applications to actual life, but there's a lot of arcane information floating around my brain about records. Imagine my surprise, then, when I checked out the 'Where The Action Is!' boxed set of Los Angeles pop and rock from 1965-1968, and discovered that of the 26 artists represented on Disc 2, I was aware of maybe 8 or 9, That's just one disc. On the others, I am awaiting my introduction to such groups as Pasternak Progress, The Joint Effort, and The Garden Club. I've never heard 'Our Time Is Running Out' (written by Jimmy Webb) by The Yellow Payges.
Not that I'm completely unaware of The Yellow Payges. There's a recording out there (YouTubed below) of a Yellow Payges performance at the Hollywood Bowl, opening for The Rascals and Tommy James & The Shondells. I highly recommend the Rascals stuff, but that's for a companion east coast comp (please!). So here are The Yellow Payges:
You need this box. It's presented and programmed beautifully, and even the artists you know and love are represented by tracks that haven't been anthologized to death. Some key artists are missing (The Fifth Dimension, The Mothers of Invention, Johnny Rivers, The Grass Roots), but there are 101 songs here, by everyone from Jackie DeShannon (backed by The Byrds) to Peter Fonda to Captain Beefheart. There's a lot of fuzztone. There are many not-so-veiled drug references. There's much trippy organ. There is one disc with a whole lotta Wrecking Crew (P.F. Sloan, The Mamas & The Papas, The Lamp of Childhood, Lee Hazlewood). Buffalo Springfield and Boyce & Hart demos. A previously unreleased Tim Buckley track. Nilsson, Newman and (Rick) Nelson.
You need this box. Because the music is still fresh and brimming with invention and promise. And also because you will look through the book and see many amazing things: flyers from LA rock shows, guides to LA nightclubs and pop radio (including a KRLA chart from a week in late '65), a full-page ad for the Whisky A Go Go and The Trip (playing that spring: Otis Redding, The Beau Brummels, The Byrds, The Miracles, The Loving (sic) Spoonful, Jackie Wilson…), and record labels, vintage photos. It's a trip.
You need this box. Even the Keith Allison track is good. And so is this Monkees song, which I hadn't heard in a really long time:
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MOG it up!
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Comments (11)
Note to fellow moggers: I've heard the phrase "You need this," as applied to the acquisition of recordings, from emscee for most of my life, and if he says it to you, it's usually a good idea to pay attention.
"All the good that's happening" -- was that the title of a Leaves LP?
Yes, it's a Leaves reference.
I forgot to mention (although I did over on Facebook) that 'Daily Nightly' was one of the few Monkees songs written by Mike but sung by Micky.
I found this disc listing for those who are totally intrigued, like me. I agree, we need this box.
Details
Track Listing
DISC 1: ON THE STRIP:
1. Riot On the Sunset Strip - The Standells
2. You Movin' - The Byrds
3. You I'll Be Following - Love
4. Dr. Stone - The Leaves
5. Go and Say Goodbye - Buffalo Springfield
6. Zig Zag Wanderer - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
7. Gentle As It May Seem - Iron Butterfly
8. Candy Cane Madness - Lowell George & The Factory
9. If You Want This Love - West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
10. Baby My Heart - Bobby Fuller Four
11. All Night Long - The Palace Guard
12. It's Gonna Rain - Sonny & Cher
13. For My Own - Guilloteens
14. Take a Giant Step - The Rising Sons
15. One Too Many Mornings - The Association
16. Time Waits For No One - The Knack
17. Take It As It Comes - The Doors
18. Pulsating Dream - Kaleidoscope
19. Tripmaker - The Seeds
20. People In Me, The - The Music Machine
21. Saturday's Son - The Sons Of Adam
22. Eventually - The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
23. Swim - Penny Arkade
24. Third Eye, The - The Joint Effort
25. Girl In Your Eye - Spirit
DISC 2: BEYOND THE CITY:
1. Jump, Jive & Harmonize - Thee Midniters
2. Back Up - The Light
3. To Die Alone - The Bush
4. Get On This Plane - The Premiers
5. Little Girl, Little Boy - The Odyssey
6. Hideaway - The Electric Prunes
7. Listen, Listen! - The Merry-Go-Round
8. She Done Moved - The Spats
9. Grim Reaper of Love - The Turtles
10. See If If Care - Ken & The 4th Dimension
11. He's Not There Anymore - The Chymes
12. Back Seat '38 Dodge - Opus 1
13. Eternal Prison - The Humane Society
14. Revenge - The Others
15. Come Alive - Things To Come
16. Acid Head - Velvet Illusions
17. Guaranteed Love - Limey & The Yanks
18. Love's the Thing - The Romancers
19. Underground Lady - Kim Fowley
20. Pretty Little Thing - Deepest Blue
21. You're Wishin' I Was Someone Else - The Whatt Four
22. Hippy Elevator Operator - W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band
23. That's For Sure - The Mustangs
24. Tomorrow's Girl - Fapardokly
25. Everything's There - The Hysterics
26. Our Time is Running Out - Yellow Payges
DISC 3: THE STUDIO SCENE:
1. Action, Action, Action - Keith Allison
2. Rebel Kind, The - Dino, Desi & Billy
3. High On Love - The Knickerbockers
4. Fan Tan - Jan & Dean
5. Halloween Mary - P.F. Sloan
6. Somebody Groovy - The Mamas & The Papas
7. Daydreaming - Thorinshield
8. Just Can't Wait - The Full Treatment
9. Yellow Balloon - The Yellow Balloon
10. Times To Come, The - London Phogg
11. No More Running Around - The Lamp Of Childhood
12. Little Girl Lost-and-Found - The Garden Club
13. Mothers and Fathers - The Moon
14. My Girlfriend is a Witch - October Country
15. Montage Mirror - Roger Nichols
16. Flower Eyes - The Pasternak Progress
17. Come Down - The Common Cold
18. Jill - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
19. Daily Nightly - The Monkees
20. Night Time Girl - The Modern Folk Quartet
21. Don't Say No - The Oracle
22. Tin Angel (Will You Ever Come Down) - Hearts & Flowers
23. Rainbow Woman - Lee Hazelwood
24. Poor Old Organ Grinder - Pleasure
25. Baby, Please Don't Go - The Ballroom
DISC 4: NEW DIRECTIONS:
1. Sit Down I Think I Love You - Richie Furay/Stephen Stills
2. Splendor In the Grass - Jackie DeShannon/The Byrds
3. November Night - Peter Fonda
4. Roses and Rainbows - Danny Hutton
5. Lemon Chimes - The Dillards
6. Here's Today - The Rose Garden
7. I Love How You Love Me - Nino Tempo/April Stevens
8. Words (Demo) - Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart
9. (Your Used To) Ride So High - The Motorcycle Abeline
10. Los Angeles - Gene Clark
11. Once Upon a Time - Tim Buckley
12. Darlin' You Can Count On Me - The Everpresent Fullness
13. I'll Search the Sky - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
14. Come To the Sunshine - Van Dyke Parks
15. Heroes and Villains (Alternate Take) - The Beach Boys
16. She Sang Hymns Out of Tune - Jesse Lee Kincaid
17. Sister Marie - Nilsson
18. Last Night I Had a Dream (Single Version) - Randy Newman
19. Life is a Dream - Noel Harrison
20. Marshmallow Skies - Rick Nelson
21. I Think I Love You - Del Shannon
22. Change is Now - The Byrds
23. Truth is Not Real, The (Single Version) - Sagittarius
24. You Set the Scene - Love
Emscee - Do you think I need this box?
My affection for the music of San Francisco, New Orleans and NYC (and the cities themselves) remains intact. But there's been something wonderful about my recent tenure in L.A., since it's the town that spawned my favorite American rock sounds of the '60s. I'll just say that it's a little exciting to be in proximity to the places where the magic happened back in the day. So, as you might imagine, this collection is aimed right at me. Thanks for the alert.
And BTW, one of my fave Monkees songs is "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," another song written by Mike Nesmith but sung by Mickey Dolenz (with Mike on oh-lonesome-me back-up vocals - although, to be fair, there's an alternate take out there with Mike on lead and Mickey on back-up).
The Monkees and a Moog! Cue the wonky camera angles! No wonder Mike looks so unhappy. Can you imagine the conversation to get him into the video? 'Okay I'll do it for group unity but don't think I'm going to pretend I'm playing something." BTW I like this video. Lovely post - I used to watch Where The Action Is on a regular basis. I'm guessing the box set has no connection with the show.
The CDs and the show are connected only in spirit; there isn't even a track by Paul Revere & The Raiders. Which come to think of it, is kind of a major omission...
Them and The Turtles practically owned that show.
mmmM, lOve that Captain Beefheart tune "Zig Zag Wanderer"... that would have been a great theme song for me in my early 20's. and ya gotta love the names of some of these bands! The Seeds, The Joint Effort, The Light, The Bush... musta been a HIGH time to be in a band