If there is a symbolic capstone for this period, it would be Woodstock because not only did it bring these same performers together in one place, it was the most iconic embodiment of their ideals – peaceful community and artistic expression. Around the same time, Nash and Mitchell set off on a rapturous love affair colored so exquisitely by the CSNY tune “Our House.” The Bubble Bursts I can’t think of a more eclectic group than Crosby, Mickey Dolenz (of The Monkees), and Eric Clapton in the middle of Cream, all being serenaded by the acoustic artistry of Joni Mitchell.įorever the social creature, it was also Mama Cass who brought together arguably the greatest supergroup of all-time: Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young). Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas famously held garden parties and hangouts where everyone gathered. Taking stock of everyone who was gathered together, he might honestly have a point. It’s David Crosby who makes a grandiose comparison, with the Laurel Canyon community being like the Reinnasance or Paris in the 1930s. What becomes evident is how – at least in those early years – in the mid-60s, the community could still maintain a kind of bubble, and the songs were mostly apolitical (One of the exceptions was the emblematic protest anthems “For What It’s Worth). ![]() If I survey myself, I tend to think purely of folk-rock, which certainly had its roots here, but then you have the likes of Frank Zappa and Alice Cooper or even the Monkees, all playing a part in this petri dish of collective cultivation. Just in considering a few of the names, this docuseries is an instant reminder of how diverse the music was burgeoning up out of this creative nucleus. With The Doors as the local house band and Buffalo Springfield one of her many subjects, she boasts yet another extraordinary catalogue. If Diltz serves as one makeshift documentarian, the other is Nurit Wilde who graduated from groupie to a light technician at the Whisky a Go Go, moonlighting as a photographer on the side. Creatively, Alison Ellwood accentuates this decision by assembling the images and home movies into this equally personal framework. Far from mere social significance, these years were formative for many on a personal level.Īs teased from the outset, it’s less about the present and more about actually capturing the moment in time. Instead of having an erudite batch of talking heads explain the social significance, it feels far more intimate, laced with anecdotes and more off-the-cuff imagery. What feels particularly special is having this vast assortment of first-hand witnesses who were on the ground floor as these things were happening. The narratives surrounding these partnerships are not altogether new. Soon thereafter you had Richie Furay joining forces with Stephen Stills and Neil Young to headline Buffalo Springfield. For those who know anything about folk going rock and roll, you need only look to The Byrds, started inauspiciously by Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Gene Clark. In full disclosure, Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time isn’t altogether unparalleled in subject matter or the way it winds up talking about it. Not only did Jakob Dylan headline Echo in the Canyon, in what felt like a pilgrimage to a musical mecca, we have also seen documentaries on the likes of David Crosby and Linda Ronstadt, among others. ![]() It was simply life as it happened.įor whatever reason, there seems to be a renewed interest in the creative, collaborative ecosystem that was Laurel Canyon. ![]() No one could have known that many of these folks would bloom into some of the most luminary talents of a generation. ![]() In such an environment, he photographed some of the most iconic members of the music scene in their natural habitat, as it were. As a resident, he came to appreciate the sounds of the canyon: coyotes off in the distance, the intermittent hoots of an owl at night, and of course, acoustic guitars. Its geography was made up of a whole host of arteries and capillaries radiating out from L.A. He started out at the famed Troubador nightclub – part of The Modern Folk Quartet – and grew to know the surrounding community intimately. If there’s anything close to a historian of Laurel Canyon, he might very well be it. If you’ve followed the ’60s music scene at all, Henry Diltz is one of those ubiquitous names you’ll hear kicked around at some point or another.
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