Liner Notes

In the past year or so, I’ve gotten really into film noirs and shaggy-dog detective stories that take place in and around L.A. in the…

Liner Notes

In the past year or so, I’ve gotten really into film noirs and shaggy-dog detective stories that take place in and around L.A. in the 1970s. Films like The Nice Guys and Inherent Vice. Or similarly minded tales like The Crying of Lot 49. Or ones set in more recent eras like The Big Lebowski and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

There are obviously some common threads with the examples given: Shane Black and Thomas Pynchon for one. I like witty entertainment that feature seemingly benign institutions that are more sinister than readily apparent, such as the group of dentists in Inherent Vice, the various postal services in The Crying of Lot 49, or the Big Three car manufacturers in The Nice Guys.

Another thread in my pop culture consumption is the music of Laurel Canyon artists, both in the turbulent 60s and solipsistic 70s (there’s gotta be some redundancy there, don’t both decades imply or at least suggest those two adjectives?).

I’ve mostly come around on my dislike of the Eagles (I still think “Hotel California” sucks but that’s mostly because I hate the way Don Henley sings on that one). It’s a natural end point I suppose for my passion for country rock. Every stone must be unturned in case there’s some hidden gem that was either forgotten or critically maligned and worthy of some revisionism.

Anyway, I put together a mix that approximates what would be on the soundtrack to any film noir set in L.A. in the 70s I would write. It’s a blend of country-inflected stuff, singer-songwriter stuff from musicians’ musicians, a dash of sunshine pop, forgotten power pop, and cult figures unearthed for latter day stardom.

1. “Topanga Canyon” — John Phillips

I’m not the first to mine this territory, Noah Baumbach used another cut from John, the Wolking of L.A. in The Squid and The Whale. Phillips was a fucking monster as a person, but his music is pretty decent, whether as member of The Mamas & The Papas or solo.

“Topanga Canyon” encapsulates that Sunday Morning vibe, when you’re still coming down from Saturday’s reverie. You’re a touch hungover, the sun’s too bright even behind your shades, so you go for a drive, maybe a bite, all in order to stave off the dread of Monday morning.

It’s an easy-going tune, that belies the darkness below the surface, references are made to scoring drugs. Likely heroin in this case as that was the drug du jour in this particular locale and era at least as far as the longhair musicians were concerned.

2. “Smile” — Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro’s talent was making sophisticated, deeply weird pop that felt effortless. A songwriter’s songwriter. Musical polymath Todd Rundgren counts her as one of his favorites and a major influence on him as a singer and songwriter.

I could imagine this being used in a sequence involving heavy drug use. It’s laidback like the prior track, but there’s a different, arguably darker vibe to this cut.

During this portion of her career, Nyro incorporated musical textures from China. The koto at the beginning (technically a Japanese instrument though it originated from the Chinese zheng, kind of works because of the West’s tendency to blend disparate cultures into one) plays a figure that suggests stereotypical Chinese music. Here’s a link to a great NPR piece on this phenomenon.

3. “Backs Turned Looking Down The Path” — Warren Zevon

Another songwriter’s songwriter. Along with Randy Newman, one of the great chroniclers of fucks up and losers trying to get ahead in southern California. From his self-titled sophomore album, which featured a who’s who of 70s breezy California rock, including Jackson Browne, who provides harmony vocals and slide guitar, and Lindsey Buckingham, who plays guitar on this cut.

It evokes a similar feeling as “Topanga Canyon” without the specter of heroin on it. Not to say the song is drug free, given its era and some of the participants, cocaine was likely involved at some point during the making of the album.

4. “Went To See The Gypsy” — Bob Dylan

New Morning is one of my favorite Dylan albums for it’s low-key air and focus on domestic contentment. It’s not an Important Album like the late 60s electric trio, but it’s a crucial document for understanding the development of Dylan. It’s stakes are low but its rewards are many. Some viewed this as a balm to heal the wounds caused by Self Portrait, though New Morning was already in work prior to the release of the former.

This selection is my nod to The Big Lebowski which makes use of “The Man In Me” early in the film. The Big Lebowski was certainly a background influence in compiling of this track.

5. “A Child’s Claim To Fame” — Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield, one of the roots of country-rock. This is a Richie Furay song, allegedly a barb at Neil Young, due to the latter’s erratic behavior. The mercurial behavior of Young in this period is likely due to a combination of his problem with seizures and youthful foolishness.

Furay, along with Jim Messina and Rusty Young, formed Poco out of the ashes of Buffalo Springfield. They were joined by future-Eagle Randy Meissner. Messina would go on to a successful career with Kenny Loggins, becoming a major force in Yacht Rock. Furay later partnered with former-Byrd Chris Hillman and songwriter J.D. Souther.

I could go on and on, the country-rock family tree is about as incestuous as the British Royal Family’s.

6. “Time Between” — The Byrds

Speaking of Chris Hillman, this was one of four songs he wrote for Younger Than Yesterday, there’s a strong country influence on Hillman’s contributions to the album.

7. “Why Not Your Baby” — Dillard & Clark

Another Byrds alum, Gene Clark. A tune from The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark, a musical partnership with banjo player Doug Dillard. It featured future Flying Burritos Brother and Eagles member Bernie Leadon.

8. “Mendocino” — The Sir Douglas Quintet

A name chosen to cash in on the British Invasion, but the band’s true passion was for Tex-Mex and country-rock. At this point in the band’s history, they’d relocated to the Bay Area, but this song still evokes the sights and sounds of the desert, but also southern California.

9. “The Rain, The Park & Other Things” — The Cowsills

A sunshine pop hit from the family band that inspired The Partridge Family. Though they were from Rhode Island, this song is a pure slice of bubblegum pop that evokes the sights and sounds of California. Though that’s probably from the viewpoint of a true Pollyanna

10. “So You Say You Lost Your Baby” — Gene Clark & The Gosdin Brothers

Another Gene Clark song, albeit with a different group. Again, the country-rock vibe. A lot of these L.A. set noirs feature driving around at night, it’s a staple in the summer months in more temperate locales, but it’s something that’s always availabe for residents of Los Angeles.

11. “L.A. Freeway” — Guy Clark

Clark passed away earlier this year and this is one of his finest compositions, evoking the stress and misery of trying to leave a place you hate. Clark describes the snarl and misery of L.A. traffic. A staple of life for residents of the city who must commute.

12. “A Life Of Illusion” — Joe Walsh

I was first exposed to this song in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. That’s partially why I chose this track, as it worked so well in that L.A.-set film. There’s also the obvious connections to the whole soft-rock, country-rock scene that Walsh has.

13. “Bummer In The Summer” — Love

Forever Changes evokes the dark side of hippiedom, the paranoia lurking just under the surface of the so-called “Summer of Love.”

14. “Midnite Cruiser” — Steely Dan

The Dan before they got super slick. The perfect soundtrack to aimless, late night drives.

15. “Time Will Show The Wiser” — The Merry-Go-Round

Emitt Rhodes, another casualty of the pop music machine. A skilled polymath, he recorded every instrument on subsequent solo albums, many of which were out of print for years or otherwise nearly impossible to find. This was his band before going solo. He also served as drummer for another band that appeared on the expanded Nuggets collection: The Palace Guard.

Fairport Convention covered this song on their first album.

16. “To Claudia On Thursday” — The Millennium

A supergroup of California psych musicians started by sunshine pop impresario Curt Boettcher. Vocalist Sandy Salisbury later became a writer of young adult fiction. That’s where I first encountered his works, in books like Blue Skin of the Sea and Under the Blood Red Sun, the latter of which was adapted into a 2014 film.

When I learned of the connection it was akin to when I realized Alex Chilton in Big Star was the same guy on The Box Tops’ “The Letter” or when Creed from The Office was the same guy from The Grass Roots.

17. “Tighter” — Paul Revere & The Raiders

A Pacific Northwest rock group, though the name seems like a playful jab at the British Invasion, the band settled on the moniker in 1960. Most people likely know their songs “Kicks” and “Just Like Me.” They relocated to Los Angeles.

“Tighter” comes from Revolution! a collection of tunes produced by Terry Melcher. Melcher was a major influence behind the scenes in the L.A. music scene, he produced the first two releases by The Byrds and introduced Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson. Speaking of Parks, he, Hal Blaine, and Glen Campbell played on a few of the cuts on Revolution!.

18. “Chemical Fire” — Van Duren

One of two out of place tunes on this mix, geographically speaking. Van Duren was a contemporary of other power pop groups in Memphis and played with Chris Bell. He auditioned to play guitar in Big Star but didn’t make it. This track, from Are You Serious? was recorded in Connecticut.

The AllMusic review of it describes his sound as a blend of Emmitt Rhodes and Badfinger, which is why “Chemical Fire” is a fine addition to this mix.

19. “He Gives Us All His Love” — Randy Newman

Arguably one of the more sincere Randy Newman songs, it’s basically a hymn, it’s open and honest and lacks the twist of the knife or caustic venom of some of Newman’s character sketches. A perfect song for the story’s denouement.

20. “Halfway Up The Stairs” — Rodriguez

A cult figure, whose story was documented in the 2012 film, Searching For Sugar Man. He was more popular overseas, particularly in South Africa. The documentary focuses on the efforts of South African fans to contact him and its effect on his recording career. Rodriguez himself is from Detroit, Michigan, and Coming from Reality, the album featuring “Halfway Up The Stairs” was recorded in London, though his label, Sussex Records was based in, you guessed it! Los Angeles, California.

This would be the song that would roll during the film’s credits.