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A lavishly illustrated insider’s look at 80 years of music and culture in Laurel Canyon.

 

Laurel Canyon is a zip code with its own play list: to name just a few, Sonny & Cher, The Doors, The Turtles, Canned Heat, Monkees, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Eagles, and Carole King all cultivated their immortal sounds in this L.A.-based musical fraternity.

 

Written by a long-time L.A. resident who knows them all, Canyon of Dreams traces the history of the community and its enduring legacy. Taking a deeply personal approach, it uses a multiple-voice narration based on exclusive interviews with the area’s musical elite. Because of their close and long-time connection with Kubernik, some of these stars are speaking openly for the first time.

 

Eye-opening both visually and informationally, this is a book no music lover can be without! 

Interview highlights include:

 

- For the first time in years, the three surviving Doors talk about performances, recordings, band dynamics, and, of course, Jim Morrison

 

- Randy Meisner reminisces about the Eagles first gig and the recording of “One of These Nights”

 

- Graham Nash reflects on life with Joni Mitchell and describes writing “Our House”

 

- Lou Adler discusses his legendary Sunset Strip venues—the Whisky a Go-Go, Roxy Theater, Rainbow Bar & Grill, and Tapestry—and, with Michele Phillips, reflects on the Monterey Pop Festival.

 

- Slash, a child of the Canyon, details the formation of Guns N' Roses

 

- And much, much more!

 

Music journalist, record producer, and longtime resident Kubernik traces the influence of Laurel Canyon on the history of rock 'n' roll. Starting with a brief chronology of the wooded area nestled within Los Angeles, he concentrates on the rock icons who lived and collaborated there. Mainly using the words of a wide variety of former residents, he features obvious 1970s musicians such as Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, and the members of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the Eagles; he also shows the breadth of musical activity in the canyon, discussing such onetime residents as Frank Zappa, Eric Burdon, the Turtles, and John Mayall, even portraying the Monkees in a new light. Unlike Michael Walker's Laurel Canyon, Kubernik focuses on the impact of the rural setting within L.A. on the musicians who lived and created there. VERDICT Interspersing interviews and commentary with previously unpublished photos in a stunning graphic layout, Kubernik takes readers on a magical trip into an area that served as the center of rock music for nearly a decade. Fans of the era will eat it up.—Dave Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

[Page 65]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.