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Waiting for the Sun: A Rock & Roll History of Los Angeles
A classic, finally back in print British rock historian Barney Hoskyns (Hotel California, Across the Great Divide: The Band in America) examines the long and twisted rock 'n' roll history of Los Angeles in its glamorous and debauched glory. The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, the Doors, Little Feat, the Eagles, Steely Dan, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, and others (from ...more
Paperback, 420 pages
Published
February 1st 2009
by Backbeat Books
(first published 1996)
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"The Sound of Los Angeles" -- now what does that mean to you? Or anyone? NWA? Black Flag? Tha Alkaholiks? Firefall? Lots of folks will zoom in on the sixties, Beach Boys and Byrds and Doors, and yes this history devotes considerable attention to that very fertile and strange, even demonic era. But Hoskyns really does try to encompass the whole of L.A. music history, from early jazz beginnings all the way up to 1992 (this was published in 1996, but his narrative stops in that grunge-bes...more
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Lots of fun for rock and roll fans. Hoskyns’ research yielded some great stories. There is a lot of detail, minutiae even, on the personalities involved, their personal lives, the creative process, business dealings, and how famous and not-so-famous bands came about and worked together. In the chapters on the sub-genres I was less interested in, I did some skimming, but most of it was really entertaining. Got some real insight into just how crazy Phil Spector was even way back (and we know h...more
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
40-somethings interested in bands/albums/songs of 1970s FM radio.
Recommended to Thomas by:
Amazon.com
A good survey but the author tried to bite off more than he could chew in this book. Some important acts were covered in 1 paragraph while others had pages and pages (really? Randy Newman? He was given as much coverage as James Taylor!!!) I'd rather have read 3 books and gotten more details about later periods of time that were only touched on here. I did like hearing his opinions come out (We Are The World, etc.) and I'm glad he "got" Janes Addiction, even though he obviously did...more
read this (or the relevant chunks of it) again while in LA doing the LA PROJECT, and man-- still amazed by how well it takes a sprawling and ineffable subject and, y'know, renders it effable. the only bound works i picked up more times this week were Alan Furst's NIGHT SOLDIERS and the room-service menu.
Amazing!! After I read this I bought about 10 CDs of Los Angeles Bands because this book really makes you understand all the great music that came out of LA. The title is misleading because people might think its a Doors book, but it's not.
Exhaustive, detailed. Long on names and short on substantive analysis or much real discussion of the music. But I'm a sucker for this kind of thing. Not for the faint of heart.
When will Barney Hoskyns limn the history of Detroit music with his vivid, cheeky prose?
Good, if a bit brief, book outlining all the music to come from LA.
I'd forgotten until recently what a fun book this cultural history of the LA music scene is. The scope is impressive: from the late 40s of King and Sinatra to the early 60s of B. Wilson, the late of everybody in the world, and on to the Runaways, hair bands, and assorted other scenesters. I didn't always agree with his estimation of the music itself, but then this isn't a review book. It's a worthy model of how to structure an broad view of a place.
A fascinating look at music from the perspective of a city rather than an artist or genre. Very well-researched.
This book radically shifted my perceptions of this adopted city of Los Angeles for the better. It also got me listening (and re-listening) to a lot of amazing music that I had not appreciated to the extent that I did after reading it. Thank you, Barney!
Great account of the history of music in La La Land by an almost always topnotch music writer, the West Coast editor of Mojo magazine.
started (on the bus), but took a break. Also purchased at the EMP Pop Music Conference in Seattle -- 2003?
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