gts136 “lash”
Blame Canada. When cold air droops down, what happens to all that hot dry air that was over Death Valley?
01-01 Al Jolson & Isham Jones Orchestra – Brunswick 2569 – California Here I Come (1924)
01-02 The Mama’s & The Papa’s – RCA Victor 45.905 – California Dreamin’ (1965)
— written in New York City during a bad blizzard
01-03 Royal Gigolos – Musique Deluxe 05 – California Dreamin’ (2004)
01-04 Roy Rogers & Dale Evans – RCA Victor 20-3075A (P215-E) – San Fernando Valley (1948)
— side five on an “album” of eight 78rpm sides called a Souvenir Set. On the disc, Roy is titled “King Of The Cowboys”. Dale Evans not credited, nor is Trigger.
01-05 Arlo Guthrie – The Big Ball 105 – Coming In To Los Angeles (1970)
— The Big Ball was a double-LP sampler from Warner Records which was scoffed by music purists at the time, but now considered a tour-de-force compilation.
01-06 Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg – Teenage Dream 03 – California Gurls (2010)
— did more for her career than shooting sparklers from her bra, if you can imagine that, and stop imagining that, you lech. And really, can Snoop “Doggy” Dogg possibly rule American culture any more than he did in 2024?
02-01 Woody Guthrie – Library Of Congress Recordings 608 – Los Angeles New Years Flood (1964)
— collected by Lomax for the LOC, note the release date, this 3-LP release had a profound impact on the next 10 years of folk music.
02-02 Cheech & Chong – Get Out Of My Room 101 – Born In East L.A. (1985)
— in the midst of a string of hit stoner movies, the comedic video for this put the novelty tune in the actual charts.
02-03 Bob Arlin – Olympia 500 – East L.A. (1960)
— did not chart.
02-04 Julie Roué – Zorro OST 02 – Once Upon A Time In Los Angeles (2024)
— music from the TV series, although the term “series” has lost all meaning by now.
02-05 Of Mexican Descent – Demo 03 – Puro Los Angeles (1992)
— darned pure example of the birth of Mexican-American hip-hop.
02-06 Maná – Cuando Los Ángeles Lloran 08 – Cuando Los Ángeles Lloran (1995)
— “When The Angels Cry” is clearly about LAPD abuses in the Rodney King era.
03-01 Randy Newman – Trouble In Paradise 101 – I Love LA (1983)
— his score to the movie “Ragtime” is still my favorite, but this one song (and especially the MTV video) put Randy’s name in the mouths of the pop fans who were already open to Jimmy Buffet.
03-02 The Raveonettes – Mark Radcliffe Programme 2005-07-19 – Ode To L.A. (2005)
— from the Silver Age of British radio.
03-03 The Decemberists – Billy Liar 02 – Los Angeles, I’m Yours (2004)
03-04 2Pac & Dr. Dre – Greatest Hits 18 – California Love (Original Version) (1998)
— Tupac’s first single after getting sprung from prison in 1995 was on his album “All Eyez On Me”. This shorter 1998 version was released posthumously. The actual “original” version, with 3 full verses from Dr. Dre, is in the possession of Snoop Dogg’s personal DJ, and has not seen the light of day in 30 years. Maybe someday?
03-05 The Red Elvises – Lunatics & Poets 02 – Venice, USA (2004)
— now ex-Russian ska band with a connection to the town of Palmyra, New York, 20 miles from Rochester. This song appears as the denoument music of a good movie, and it fits memorably well with the wrap-up of the flick.
04-01 Peggy Lee – Blues Cross Country 103 – Los Angeles Blues (1962)
— only took Peggy three songs to get to L.A., just to find she was out of the element.
04-02 Bill Frisell – East-West 102 – Blues For Los Angeles (2005)
— proving Peggy wrong.
04-03 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magick 11 – Under The Bridge (1991)
— BSSM is one of “those” albums, ones with not a single bad tune on it.
05-01 Bad Religion – The Empire Strikes First 06 – Los Angeles Is Burning (2004)
— pretty freaking eerie, so accurate 20 years on.
05-02 The 69 Eyes – Angels 08 – Los Angeles (2007)
05-03 Dawes – Oh Brother 01 – Mister Los Angeles (2024)
— also accurate, in a damning kinda way.
05-04 Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings 03 – Los Angeles (2008)
05-05 Ash – Free All Angels 08 – Pacific Palisades (2001)
— yipes, title and band-name are prescient.
06-01 Go-Go’s – Living At The Canterbury (1979)
— the Canterbury was a flophouse at the corner of Yucca and Cherokee in Hollywood, a ratty place but critical incubator for West Coast punks and punkettes. Jane Weidlin penned the tune in 1978, heard here at rehearsal in February of 1979.
06-02 Cyn – Valley Girl 08 – Los Angeles, No Offense (2024)
06-03 X – Los Angeles 201 – Los Angeles (1980)
— Lady X (Exene Cervenka) has to get out of town. If you were brave enough to hang out at The Canterbury, you would have met her and John Doe.
06-04 Le Orme – Smogmagica 101 – Los Angeles (1975)
— everything that’s good about “pasta prog”
06-05 Good Charlotte – Greatest Remixes 01 – Los Angeles World Wide (JNRSNCHZ Remix) (2008)
— no, dancey pop is not what you’d expect from this hard-rock band, but there it is.
… and a bonus track…
07-01 The Standells – Tower 314 – Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
— for the film of the same name