Twelve absolutely essential albums from the LA’s Laurel Canyon scene

San Francisco’s Flower Power scene was not the only one on the West Coast that was producing great music. The scene developing in the Los Angeles area of Laurel Canyon where most of the pop/rock musicians of the day lived (and worked) parallel to the one in San Francisco gained full prominence a bit later (but not much) but lasted longer - deep into the seventies.

At the same time, the number of artists and possibly the diversity of musical styles seem to have been more wide-ranging. The artists covered everything from pop/rock and all its sunshine variations to psychedelia, LA style, garage rock, experimental, and prog rock becoming a sort of an epicenter for the so-called singer-songwriter genre.

The number of brilliant albums created during the period of Laurel Canyon’s musical dominance is quite staggering, and you can add many more to the twelve albums chosen below.

Ten fantastic albums from the Laurel Canyon scene

The Mamas & Papas - If You Can Believe your Eyes & Ears (1966)

Folk rock and harmony were two very prominent elements in Laurel Canyon's canon of the mid-sixties and on, and the group that had a huge hand in creating such a sound was this male and female quartet.

This might have been their official debut album, but it not only had all the key ingredients of their sound (and two of their greatest hits) but also was the first presentation of the Laure Canyon vibe and some exceedingly high-quality songwriting.

The Beach Boys - Smiley Smile (1967)

This is possibly one of the most misunderstood albums not only in the Beach Boys' ever-expanding dossier but in pop/rock music in general.

Sure, it was originally conceived as an escape plan after the failure to release the famous (or infamous) Smile project, which was highly anticipated at the time. It not only had ‘snippets’ of what Smile could have been (”Good Vibrations” was there, among others) but showed the weird (and brilliant) side of Brian Wilson, his brothers, their cousin, and friend(s). Lambasted by the critics at the time, it has rightfully been reassessed as a great album, which it is.

Love - Forever Changes (1967)

If you want to pick up masterpieces of the Laurel Canyon scene, you should definitely include this one. A masterful combination of Arthur Lee’s paranoid visions, psych rock at its best, and some incredible orchestral arrangements it is an album that keeps unveiling its beauty at every new listen. No wonder it keeps cropping up on almost every ‘best of’ album list.

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)

If you look at the cover of This, The Byrds’ fifth album, you can see a horse head in the right-hand corner, along with the three (then remaining) band members. It was meant to represent then-booted David Crosby, who was no longer a member of the band.

Yet, despite all the internal problems the band had, the music that appeared on the album was some of the best the band recorded. The album itself turned out to be one of the most consistent The Byrds came up with even without Crosby or Gene Clark.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

If there ever is an album that epitomizes the Laurel Canyon scene of the late sixties and on into the seventies, then it is this one. A unison of songwriting and vocal brilliance of the three distinct artists who were able to create such musical synergy produced this album one of the masterpieces of modern music.

Maybe it was all due to fresh air and the Laurel Canyon drinking water, maybe it was a moment, or it all just had to do with the talent of these three guys and their collaborators here.

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats (1969)

If you want to pinpoint one of the true originators of prog rock, then Frank Zappa should definitely be at the top of everybody’s list. His first official solo album after disbanding The Mothers of Invention, came up with one of his best albums (with or without The Mothers) and a prog rock/experimental/avant-garde masterpieces so far.

Neil Young -After The Gold Rush (1970)

Laurel Canyon sound, West Coast sound, soft rock, and singer-songwriter genre are very often interchangeable terms. If you want to name one artist who combined all of those subgenres then it is Neil Young. The subgenres are all epitomized in this album, definitely one of Young’s best, including some of his best and most memorable songs.

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (1970)

When the term male singer-songwriter comes up, possibly the first name that would crop up would be that of James Taylor. Taylor’s drawing power was always his ability to combine strong music with good, sober lyricism and his quite soothing voice. All of these qualities are present on this album, quite possibly Taylor’s best.

Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)

The musical and lyrical variety Joni Mitchell presented during her career are quite staggering, something that deservedly made her a musical icon.

This album is the one her devoted fans always point to as great. It is the record that concludes her "pure" singer-songwriter phase with some of her most deeply personal songs that still produce goosebumps when heard, even for the umpteenth time.

Carole King - Tapestry (1971)

Moving from New York’s Brill Building to Laurel Canyon didn’t make Carole King lose her pop songwriting excellence but actually made her combine it with the scene’s early seventies vibe, with a simply brilliant outcome. The result was one of the best and best/selling pop/rock albums of all time.

Ned Doheny - Ned Doheny (1973)

You can pinpoint Doheny as one of the artists who introduced the so-called ‘blue-eyed soul’ to the Laurel Canyon’s singer-songwriter scene, starting out with this self-titled album, paving the way for the huge success for the likes of The Doobie Brothers (with Michael McDonald). It is impeccable songwriting and some brilliant musicianship that sparkle on this album.

Jackson Browne - Late For The Sky (1974)

As the Laurel Canyon scene slowly started to vane, it was up to Browne, whose songs almost everybody scene wanted to (and did) interpret, to come up with one of the scene’s best albums, this one. Browne always had an incredible touch to balance brilliant music with equally brilliant lyrics, exemplified through all the songs presented here

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