There's Battle Lines Bein' Drawn...

In 1964, the musical focus shifts from New York City to this innovative, idealistic setting on the West Coast. Rock'n'roll takes hold of L.A., and it's movie star glamour is out. LA's club scene ignites into a frenzy of revolutionary music, art, and politics. Elmer Valentine opened the Whisky A Go Go, after being inspired by a French Nightclub of the same name, and it changes the Strip forever. By 1965, the Sunset Strip is booming and buzzing with the arrival of a new string of clubs. Pandora's Box and Gazzarri's, house the burgeoning garage-punk scene, including: The Standells, The Knickerbockers, The Seeds, and The Bobby Fuller Four- who adopt the fuzz-tone sound. Frank Zappa emerges, leading The Mothers of Invention, while The Byrds jump-start the folk-rock genre. A rush of new bands stem from them including: Love, The Leaves, The Rising Sons, The Turtles, The Mamas and the Papas, and more. A chance meeting on the Strip leads to the formation of Buffalo Springfield, while The Doors break on through at the Whisky; becoming their house band. Teenagers spent their evenings on the Strip, interacting with various budding icons of music. However, in the span of November 1966 to January 1967, the longstanding generational tensions reach their boiling point, when a peaceful protest goes arise. The LAPD's crackdowns, curfews, and harrassment towards young people, turn the peace protest into a 5 night battle between the teens and the police. Riots ensue, and this chaos inspires the song: "For What is Worth" by Steven Stills. He said: "I sat down and wrote the song in 15 minutes...The Sunset Strip riot was just a funeral for a bar. But then you had the immortal genius of idiots that ran the LAPD, who put on all of those troopers in full battle array, looking like the Macedonian army, up against a bunch of kids". Police ended up closing several clubs within weeks of the riots. Eventually, big businesses swooped into Hollywood and brought to a close the vibrant scene- making it lose it's organic and unique quality which produced some of the most creative music of the 60's.

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down















Love-in













Gail Zappa




John and Michelle Phillips at the Whisky




Early Doors performance at the Whisky.































(photos scanned by me from: Riot on the Sunset Strip: Rock'n'roll's last stand in Hollywood. Lyrics of 'For What is Worth' by Steven Stills.)