"Riot On Sunset Strip – Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand In Hollywood"
Domenic Priore
288 pages, Published by Jawbone Press 2007
Imagine what it must have been like to be hanging out in Los Angeles - the Sunset Strip during the mid 1960's.
Forget about the movie stars, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood – L.A. was a hot bed for Pop music, art, and culture.
The scene appeared in an almost over night fashion.
The landing of "The Beatles", "The Rolling Stones" and the British Invasion certainly made all of this a reality.


But as quickly as it appeared it soon vanished with the riots of 1966 and the gravitating of the scene to San Francisco and the "Summer of Love".
Author, Domenic Priore – (who also wrote Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile!) takes a detailed look at the quick rise of an influential period in Rock history.

The Seeds at The Marina Palace, Seal Beach (photo courtesy Domenic Priore)

"Riot On Sunset Strip – Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand In Hollywood" is the essential encyclopedia for L.A. MUSIC from 1965-1966 and it's influence beyond.
The book features all the familiar names: "The Byrds", "Love", "The Doors", "The Beach Boys", "The Monkees", "The Mamas And The Papas", "The Mothers Of Invention", "The Turtles", "The Buffalo Springfield" along with slew of some of the more underground Garage Punk bands that suddenly found fame – "The Leaves", "The Seeds", "The Standells", "The Music Machine", and a surplus of others that even time may have forgotten.


The nightlife on the strip was just as important as the bands that graced its' stages.
The book not only details some of the legendary bands of the period, but also it's now legendary venues.
"The Whisky a Go Go", "The Troubadour", "Ciro's" (where "The Byrds" and "Bob Dylan" brought it all together), "Ben Franks" (the hip happening place to be), "The Trip" (where even "Velvet Underground" made a rare West Coast appearance and "Arthur Lee"'s Home), "Pandora's Box", and more! Even folks like "Jerry Lewis" ("Jerry Lewis Club") had clubs on the strip.
In between the book spotlights chapters on Pop Art in L.A. during this period - and it's widespread influence which could be found from diverse media as gig posters, t-shirts, restaurant menus – even the 1965 World Series programs - between the Minnesota Twins and The Los Angeles Dodgers.
As you would also expect, a chapter is also dedicated to the Folk-Rock movement and all it's important players.
The last chapters also include a nice listing of the periods clubs (most of which are long gone) and the author's growing collection of live LP's recorded in Los Angeles by the likes of "Rick Nelson", "Neil Diamond", "The Dillards", "The Standells" and lots more.