Various Artists

Heroes & Villains: The Sound Of Los Angeles 1965-1968


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• A four-hour, 90-track overview of the Los Angeles music scene between 1965 and 1968

• Featuring a dazzling combination of major league LA players, enduring cult acts and ultra-rare garage punk 45s

• Housed in a stylish clamshell box that includes a heavily illustrated and annotated (more than 20,000 words) 80-page bound booklet, ‘Heroes and Villains’ is a fascinating four-hour trip into the heart of the late ‘60s LA music goldmine.

After The Beatles captivated a generation with their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Los Angeles music scene moved beyond the previously-dominant surf, hot-rod and girl group discs to fashion a spirited response to the British Invasion.

Hollywood studios and the Sunset Strip teen clubs played host to a thrilling assortment of bands, with such names as The Byrds, Sonny And Cher and the increasingly ambitious Brian Wilson leading the charge as LA established itself in 1965 as America’s leading music city. The scene moved on to encompass Psychedelia, Sunshine Pop and Proto-Hard Rock before August 1969’s horrific Tate-LaBianca murders traumatised LA’s music community and brought the freewheeling ‘60s to a shocking, apocalyptic end.

‘Heroes and Villains: The Sound of LA 1965-68’ charts the entire cataclysmic scene, with classic hits from The Monkees, Paul Revere And The Raiders, The Association and The Grass Roots joined by vital cuts from Love, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Mothers Of Invention, Captain Beefheart, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas And The Papas.

Featuring enduring cult names (Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Seeds, Electric Prunes), the new breed of Singer-Songwriter (Tim Buckley, Nilsson), the emerging wave of Heavy bands (Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly), nascent Country-Rockers (Gene Clark, Stone Poneys, Gram Parsons’ International Submarine Band) and studio-based, Beach Boys-inspired harmony Pop acts (Sagittarius, The Millennium, The Parade).

In among the unreleased-at-the-time demos, alternative versions and first-time releases, there’s a raft of hugely obscure Garage Punk 45s – many from bands now stepping forward to tell their story for the first time, including The Satans (the notorious ‘Makin’ Deals’), Somebody’s Chyldren (Hollywood legend Mae West’s backing band on her brace of 1966 albums), The Prophets of Old, The Heros and The Odds And Ends.

Tracklist

DISC ONE:

1 PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY (single version) – The Monkees
2 KICKS – Paul Revere and The Raiders
3 LET HER DANCE – Bobby Fuller Four
4 BUT YOU’RE MINE – Sonny and Cher
5 TOMORROW’S GIRL – Merrell and The ‘Xiles
6 SAND – Lee Hazlewood with Suzi Jane Hokom
7 ACID HEAD – The Velvet Illusions
8 ALONG COMES MARY – The Association
9 DON’T SAY NO – Ruthann Friedman
10 TWELVE THIRTY (YOUNG GIRLS ARE COMING TO THE CANYON) -The Mamas and The Papas
11 I CRIED MY EYES OUT – The Misunderstood
12 OUR LOVE SHOULD LAST
FOREVER – The Whatt Four
13 WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE – The Rogues
14 THE WIND BLOWS YOUR HAIR (demo version) – The Seeds
15 MY BABY’S BAREFOOT – The Syndicate
16 POINT OF NO RETURN – The Music Machine
17 CHICANERY – The Royal Teens
18 KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN – Kaleidoscope
19 A CHILD’S GUIDE TO GOOD AND EVIL – West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
20 FLOATING DOWNSTREAM ON AN INFLATABLE RUBBER RAFT – The Second Helping
21 LET’S LIVE FOR TODAY – The Grass Roots
22 SHE SENDS ME – The Roosters
23 (CAUSE) YOU DON’T LOVE ME – The Odds and Ends
24 HELP YOURSELF – The Sanctions
25 I’M GOING BACK TO NEW YORK CITY – Somebody’s Chyldren
26 THE TRIP – Kim Fowley
27 SAY WHAT YOU MEAN – Glad
28 COME LOOKING FOR ME – Diane Hildebrand
29 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE – The New Wave
30 NEW HARD TIMES – Stone Poneys

DISC TWO:

1 HUNGRY FREAKS, DADDY – The Mothers Of Invention
2 ZIG-ZAG WANDERER – Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
3 COMPUTER GIRL – Urban Renewal Project
4 THE MOST UP TILL NOW – The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
5 IT WON’T ALWAYS BE THE SAME – The Millennium
6 THE MUSIC SCENE – Fapardokly
7 JUST CAN’T WAIT – The Prophets Of Old
8 SHE GOT ME – The Misunderstood
9 MAKIN’ DEALS – The Satans
10 VIET NAM – Bobby Jameson
11 WITH NONE SHOES – The Leaves
12 BE HAPPY, BABY – The Odds and Ends
13 TEARS IN MY EYES – The Royal Teens
14 SUNSHINE GIRL (promo-only stereo mix) – The Parade
15 MR RICHLAND’S FAVORITE SONG – Nilsson
16 DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK) – The Beach Boys
17 ALWAYS YOU – Roger Nichols and The Small Circle Of Friends
18 CARNIVAL SONG – Tim Buckley
19 FIRE ENGINE SKY – Michael Blodgett
20 I’M NOT LIVING HERE – Sagittarius
21 DON’T TURN THE LIGHT OFF – The Churchill Downs
22 NO SHAME – The Touch (Hunger)
23 UNCLE JACK – Spirit
24 AUGUST MADEMOISELLE – Children Of The Mushroom
25 LONG TIME – The Rose Garden
26 RUN* – The Candy Company
27 TOO MANY PEOPLE – Jim and The Lords
28 JUST WANNA BE MYSELF – The No-Nâ-Mees
29 SAY IT WITH A SMILE – The Heros
30 MOVE WITH THE DAWN – Mark Eric

DISC THREE:

1 YELLOW BRICK ROAD – Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
2 SHE COMES IN COLORS – Love
3 TIME WILL SHOW THE WISER (album version) – The Merry-Go- Round
4 JOHN WORKS HARD – The Laughing Wind
5 CALM ME DOWN (promo single version) – The Human Expression
6 WHY (alternative version) – The Byrds
7 I CAN ONLY GIVE YOU EVERYTHING – The Heros
8 GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN – Grains Of Sand
9 YESTERDAY HOLDS ON – Moorpark Intersection
10 WINDY – Ruthann Friedman
11 DO I HAVE TO COME RIGHT OUT AND SAY IT – Buffalo Springfield
12 DRIVIN’ SIDEWAYS (ON A ONE-WAY STREET) – Merrell Fankhauser and H.M.S. Bounty
13 9 O’CLOCK BUSINESS MAN – The Peppermint Trolley Company
14 THE GREAT BANANA HOAX (extended mix) – The Electric Prunes
15 ISHA – Chris and Craig
16 SIT WITH THE GURU – Strawberry Alarm Clock
17 TRIP ON ME – The Forum
18 ROAD TO NOWHERE – Hearts and Flowers
19 SO YOU SAY YOU LOST YOUR BABY – Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers
20 LUXURY LINER – International Submarine Band
21 RUNNIN’ ON BACK – Del Shannon
22 SHE SLEEPS ALONE – The Parade
23 PIPE DREAM – Chad and Jeremy
24 END OF THE LINE – Boystown
25 SUMMER MAGIC* – The Paper Fortress
26 CUT YOUR LAWN – The Chyldren
27 A GIRL I KNEW (single version) – Steppenwolf
28 FLOWERS AND BEADS – Iron Butterfly
29 BLACK ROSES – Clear Light
30 HIPPY TOWN – Georgy and The Velvet Illusions