LA Music
The Los Angeles area has spawned many of the world’s best known musicians and bands. Given that there are also many major record companies and studios located here, not to mention the obvious appeal of the area, many others make LA their home. Here is a selection of musicians and bands that came out of LA.
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The Bangles
Like their 80’s counterparts The Go-Go’s, this all-girl band had a similar bright bubbly sound, with ever so slightly more serious themes. Prince wrote “Manic Monday” for the band which became their biggest hit.
Greatest Hits The Essential Bangles
Top Songs: “Manic Monday”. “Walk Like an Egyptian”, “Eternal Flame”.
The Beach Boys
The songwriting genius of Brian Wilson, and the gorgeous harmonies of the group, combined with the themes of surfing, cars and girls epitomizing the California lifestyle, led to massive international success. The Wilson brothers grew up in Hawthorne, a mid-size city just south of Los Angeles.
Pet Sounds Smiley Smile
Surfin Safari Sounds of Summer
Top Songs: “California Girls”, “Surfin’ USA”, “Don’t Worry Baby”, “Good Vibrations”, “Barbara Ann”, “Wouldn’t it be Nice”, “God Only Knows”.
Beck
His musical style is probably best summed up as “eclectic”, incorporating elements of pop, jazz, funk, and other influences.
Odelay Sea Change
Top Songs: “Loser”, “Where It’s At”.
Berlin
With blonde bombshell Terri Nunn fronting the band, and songs written by John Crawford, Berlin were very popular in the 1980’s, especially in the Los Angeles area. Terri Nunn still tours under the name Berlin, though she is the only original member.
Best of Berlin
Top Songs: “Take my Breath Away”, “Sex”, “The Metro”.
Jackson Browne
LA’s troubabour for a broken heart. Browne’s highly lyrical style more often than not addresses all that ails adult relationships. Also co-wrote “Take it Easy” with Glenn Frey, which became The Eagles first single.
Late For The Sky Running On Empty
Top Songs: “For a Dancer”, “The Pretender”.
Buffalo Springfield
Altough Neil Young hailed from Canada, he came to LA and formed the Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills and Ritchie Furay (who would later form Poco). The band had a strong influence on much of the music that followed in the country, folk-rock, vein. Young and Stills went on to form Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, with Young becoming a major solo artist in his own right soon thereafter.
Buffalo Springfield Greatest Hits
Top Songs: “Expecting to Fly”.
The Byrds
Influential country rock band who formed in LA in the sixties.
Sweetheart of the Rodeo Greatest Hits
Top Songs: ”Eight Miles High”, ”Mr.Tambourine Man”.
The Doors
Very few rock and roll bands have left the lasting impression on the music scene that The Doors have. With flamboyant frontman Jim Morrison at the helm, who constantly wavered between the erratic and genius, their music conveyed the mood of the times into a heady mix of psychedelia.
  The Doors Strange Days   LA Woman Best Of Top Songs: “Light my Fire”, “LA Woman”, “Break on Through (To the Other Side), “People are strange”. |
The Eagles
Though Don Henley hailed from Texas, and Glen Frey from Michigan, The Eagles were quintessentially an LA band. They formed here, lived here, recorded here, played here, wrote songs about here, and by all accounts lived out the rock and roll excesses of the 70’s here -while making some of the best popular music ever recorded.
As the main writing team, Henley was to The Eagles what Lennon was to The Beatles. Frey being The Eagles McCartney. This is generally true in both writing and singing style. Frey singing more of the upbeat tunes, and Henley most of the weightier material.
Desperado Hotel California
On The Border Greatest Hits
The addition of Joe Walsh added a new element. Previously with the James Gang, and an established solo artist in his own right, with solid albums such as “Barnstorm”, “The Smoker You Are, The Player You Get” and “So What”, he not only was a very distinctive guitarist and vocalist, but also an excellent writer. The “Hotel California” album was the first he played on and his influence was obvious in tracks like “Life In The Fast Lane”.
The depth of Henley’s writing, with his acerbic wit on social commentary and relationship problems, in combination with glorious harmonies, and first rate musicianship, gave the Eagles their unmistakable sound.
The Long Run Hell Freezes Over – Live
Particularly relevant to Los Angeles are “Hotel California” (Featuring the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel on the cover), “Life In The Fast Lane”, and “King of Hollywood” about the producers casting couch…“he looks at the ones that he hasn’t had yet”. Also “The Last Resort”…“to the Malibu, where the pretty people play, hungry for power”. The Eagles are still touring and released a new studio album, “The Long Road Out of Eden” last year.
Long Road Out Of Eden
Top Songs: ”Take it Easy”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, ”Desperado”, “Tequila Sunrise”, “Hotel California”, “Lyin’ Eyes”.
Although both Frey and Henley have released multiple solo albums, Henley’s stand up better, indeed offering many songs up the standard of the best Eagles material. Joe Walsh also has several excellent albums in his own right.
Don Henley
End Of The Innocence Inside Job
Top Songs: “The Boys of Summer”, “Dirty Laundry”, The Heart of the Matter”, “In a New York Minute”.
Joe Walsh
Barnstorm The Smoker You Want
Top Songs: “Turn to Stone”, “Rocky Mountain Way”, “Emma”, “Life’s Been Good”.
Fleetwood Mac
The pairing of Americans Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks with the existing British Fleetwood Mac members, Mick Fleetwood and husband & wife team John & Christine McVie, who had moved to LA from England after the breakup of the original band with guitarist Peter Green, turned a fairly successful band into a supergroup.
Fleetwood Mac Rumours
Their first album together, “Fleetwood Mac”, was an excellent record which, combined with heavy touring to promote it, sold several million copies. It was on their second album though that they really hit their stride. “Rumours” (the English spelling), which epitomized the Southern California lifestyle, was a musical soap opera that sold over 30 million copies, becoming one of the best selling albums ever. Subsequent recordings were also successful, and the band remains an extremely popular live act.
Top Songs: “Rhiannon”, ”Landslide”, “Go Your Own Way”, “Don’t Stop”, “Sara”.
Stevie Nicks
Outside of Fleetwood Mac, Nicks became a bona-fide star in her own right, and poster child for all things ethereal, scoring several major successes, including the duet with Tom Petty “Stop Dragging my Heart Around” and “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley.
Bella Donna Best Of
Top Songs: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, “Leather and Lace”, “Edge of Seventeen”.
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