Canyon of Dreams
The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon
Harvey Kubernick
Sterling Publishing
ISBN: 9780104027-6589-6
File Under: Rock music, flower power baby

Any one who has read this site for a while realizes I don't hide my disdain for much of the music of the 1960s. Instead of a high point for music as it is often shown by the baby boomers, I reckon it as often a self indulgent low point. I am happy that this self-indulgence led to the punk explosion, but that is where it extends.

So it may come as a surprise to you about how much I enjoy this book. What I didn't know is that most of the bands that I did like from that time period had something in common; Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon was home of Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Joni Mitchell and many others.

This book is gigantic At 368 pages and the size of your high school year book it is full of great photographs from the scene and an exhaustive description of the music makers that could only be told by someone who was there. The way that the musicians interacted with each other and built each other up is worthy of any diy scene that we celebrate today. It is inspiring.

Here is what I learned again, my dismissiveness of an entire period of music was of course unwarranted. This book resulted in me gaining a greater understanding of how some of the more inventive musicians of that era created a great scene. It also resulted in me making a list of other musicians to check out.

- Dave Baker

Bonus Material

In my book, Buffalo Springfield was the best the 60s had to offer.