Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood

by Michael Walker

I grew up in the 60s & went to College in the 70s listening to musicians & groups like Joni Mitchell, The Mamas & the Papas, Led Zeppelin, Carole King, The Eagles & Crosby, Stills & Nash. What I didn't realize until much later was the 1 common factor in much of the music I grew up on, Laurel Canyon.

Laurel Canyon is a part of the greater Los Angeles/Hollywood area. In the 60s it became something more than just another neighborhood. It was the gathering place for a collection of some the most talented singer-songwriters & musicians of the era. It became the cauldron where folk, rock & pop came together in a way never seen before or since. The result, music that defined an era.

This book tells the story of how it came about, what the author calls "the perfect cultural storm." & how everything eventually fell apart.

In order to do so, Michael Walker interviewed many of those who were involved. Among those he talked to were Graham Nash, The Byrds' Chris Hillman, Gail Zappa (Frank Zappa's widow), groupies like Pamela Des Barres & Welch, & many others.

The book is a fascinating insight into the people & music. But, it does have 1 weakness. Because of the scope of the subject, too often he has to settle for a series of snapshots to give a general idea of the whole picture.

Fortunately he does take time to go into detail at some key points. 1 of those is the chapter where he focuses on Cass Elliot. He shows the vital role she played. Her house became a focal point, a nexus. People could gather there, feel safe, relax. For many of the young men who gathered there she was, as Graham Nash describes her, "(T)his incredible mother figure."

But she did much more than provide a safe haven. She often helped things along. She helped Gary Burden to go from an obscure architect to the designer of many of the most famous album covers of the era. To this day, he gladly acknowledges his continuing debt to her.

Probably most people are unaware of her greatest effect on the music of the era. I know I wasn't. This book tells that story. Walker describes it "most celebrated case of matchmaking." She is the person responsible for introducing Graham Nash to David Crosby & Stephen Stills. Nash still marvels at her vision & willingness to bring it about. As Nash puts it: "It's as if it was already a predetermined future to her, in terms of how she viewed me and David and Stephen." "I don't know what my life would have been like if I had not befrended Cass."

He also looks at the dark side of the resulting success, drugs, especially the damage & destruction that cocaine brought about. "There was damage to the body, damage to the soul, damage to the quality of the rock and roll." (Jackson Browne)

Another part of the dark side was the sexual promiscuity. Without (mostly) going into details, Walker paints a picture that I found very sad. He depicts a world that denegrated people. People were used & discarded.

He also takes a look at the 2 infamous murder stories associated with Laurel Canyon. The 1st was the 1969 Tate-LaBianca Murders by the Manson family in 1969. The 2nd were the Wonderland Murders in 1981.

Because of the nature of some of the subjects covered this is not a book for younger people. Like I said, he mostly avoids going into details of the promiscuity that pervaded the 60s era. He also keeps the foul language to a minimum. & even though he does show the damage done by cocaine, he (unfortunately) glamourizes the sex & drugs of the era. This is understandable. But, I can't agree with the conclusions about them basically being OK that he presents.

That aside, for those of us who grew up on this music this book is well worth reading. For good or bad it is a part of what made us baby boomers who we are today. This book suceeds in what it set out to do, paint a picture of a point in time that will continue to have an effect for a very long time.