Los Angeles became the main incubation space for country rock for a number of reasons. For one thing, the city is quite literally the outer edge of the western frontier, and as such it has always fed into the explorer/cowboy archetype. You may be sitting in horrible traffic on the Golden State Freeway, but it still somehow feels like the Wild West out here. Even in the second half of the 20th century, as rapacious developers went on a rampage, gobbling up every last bit of available land and overbuilding the region beyond sustainability, the dispersed spatial topography of LA continued to give it an expansive feel that fed right into the mythic American motifs that were a key source of inspiration for country rock. And then there's the natural terrain and its fusion with urban life. Angelenos of a certain age will remember the way the late Jerry Dunphy used to sign off his news cast: 'From the desert to the sea to all of Southern California…' He could have thrown in the mountains as well. The intensity of nature is part of the daily lived experience here, and I’ve always felt that this, as much as anything, is the source of the West Coast sound. When people refer to West Coast harmonies, what they really mean is Los Angeles harmonies. It starts with the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean and curls its way up through the Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and then finds its fullest expression in Crosby Stills and Nash. For all the reservations I have about CSN, the sheer perfection of their harmonies ties them inseparably to LA, and this redeems them for me... The awesome power of nature – pleasing, angry, sublime, terrifying, – is reflected in the otherworldly blending of voices, flawless multi-part harmonies that make you stop what you’re doing and pay attention. It hits you on a spiritual level. And harmonies are such an important part of country music. This is another reason why Los Angeles was so hospitable to country rock. Just listen to the harmonies in tonight’s song. Where else could music like that possibly come from? It’s pop…It’s c&w…It’s harmony…It’s life beating Gene Clark down, but it’s also Gene Clark living another day to tell about it, with a little help from his friends. The music is as beautiful as the place that inspired it...
Monday, August 27, 2012
byrdsongs, xxvi
Los Angeles became the main incubation space for country rock for a number of reasons. For one thing, the city is quite literally the outer edge of the western frontier, and as such it has always fed into the explorer/cowboy archetype. You may be sitting in horrible traffic on the Golden State Freeway, but it still somehow feels like the Wild West out here. Even in the second half of the 20th century, as rapacious developers went on a rampage, gobbling up every last bit of available land and overbuilding the region beyond sustainability, the dispersed spatial topography of LA continued to give it an expansive feel that fed right into the mythic American motifs that were a key source of inspiration for country rock. And then there's the natural terrain and its fusion with urban life. Angelenos of a certain age will remember the way the late Jerry Dunphy used to sign off his news cast: 'From the desert to the sea to all of Southern California…' He could have thrown in the mountains as well. The intensity of nature is part of the daily lived experience here, and I’ve always felt that this, as much as anything, is the source of the West Coast sound. When people refer to West Coast harmonies, what they really mean is Los Angeles harmonies. It starts with the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean and curls its way up through the Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and then finds its fullest expression in Crosby Stills and Nash. For all the reservations I have about CSN, the sheer perfection of their harmonies ties them inseparably to LA, and this redeems them for me... The awesome power of nature – pleasing, angry, sublime, terrifying, – is reflected in the otherworldly blending of voices, flawless multi-part harmonies that make you stop what you’re doing and pay attention. It hits you on a spiritual level. And harmonies are such an important part of country music. This is another reason why Los Angeles was so hospitable to country rock. Just listen to the harmonies in tonight’s song. Where else could music like that possibly come from? It’s pop…It’s c&w…It’s harmony…It’s life beating Gene Clark down, but it’s also Gene Clark living another day to tell about it, with a little help from his friends. The music is as beautiful as the place that inspired it...
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