Massive music festivals--Monterey, Woodstock, Altamont--ushered rock 'n' roll into the 1970s, the decade that would feature some of the greatest musical performances of all time. Rock bands were writing increasingly expansive concept albums with sweeping themes, and as venues expanded in tandem with their creative ambitions, they were inspired to create elaborate stage shows as vehicles for their music. Their records promised "theater of the mind," and concerts brought these dreams to life.Rock concerts became mega-entertainment experiences, with artists using every available piece of stagecraft -- lights, projections, backdrops, props, and costumes. Musicians created flamboyant personas, delivering high-octane performances characterized by musical virtuosity in over-the-top theatrical spectacles, or just plain rebellious grit. I bore witness to these fantastic concerts in and around Los Angeles, California... the "city of angels." This book celebrates more than three-dozen of these incredible tours including key performances by bands such as Led Zeppelin, Queen, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Heart, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, The Who and Yes. We'll share memories of those legendary concerts and reviews of the best video documents of the era, each band illuminated by a hand-picked collection of brilliant images by the best photojournalists of that time including Richard E. Aaron, Jorgen Angel, Fin Costello, Armando Gallo, Neal Preston, Jim Summaria, Lisa Tanner and Neil Zlowzower along with many others. This is their story, and ours....

DeCurtis reveals his ongoing engagement with rock music as artistic forum, source of personal inspiration, and compelling site of cultural struggle in more than 20 years as a critic.

Recounts the story of Los Angeles. He tells a tale of greed, manipulation, power and prejudice that has made Los Angeles one of the most cosmopolitan and most class-divided cities in the United States.

Inventive, outlandish, and tender fairy tales from a bestselling author The fantastic has always been at the edges of Heather O'Neill's work. In her bestselling novels Lullabies for Little Criminals and The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, she transformed the shabbiest streets of Montreal with her beautiful, freewheeling metaphors. She described the smallest of things—a stray cat or a second-hand coat—with an intensity that made them otherworldly. In Daydreams of Angels, O'Neill's first collection of short stories, she gives free reign to her imaginative gifts. In "The Ugly Ducklings," generations of Nureyev clones live out their lives in a grand Soviet experiment. In "Dear Piglet," a teenaged cult follower writes a letter to explain the motivation behind her crime. And in another tale, a grandmother reveals where babies come from: the beach, where young mothers-to-be hunt for infants in the surf. Each of these beguiling stories twists the beloved narratives of childhood—fairy tales, storybooks, Bible stories—to uncover the deepest truths of family life.

The music world exploded into Technicolor on February 9, 1964, when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and ignited the music phenomenon dubbed “The British Invasion”. In the weeks and months to come, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Ottawa teenagers put away their hockey sticks and picked up guitars, starting up bands in basements and garages, with visions of screaming girls and stardom dancing in their heads. For some, that dream came true, in packed High School Gymnasiums, Church basements, bowling alleys and every other venue they could find. Groups were working three or four nights a week on both sides of the Ottawa River. The Esquires, The Staccatos, The Townsmen, Don Norman and the Other Four and many others cut records that were as good as anything coming out of Britain or the States. DJ's Gord Atkinson, Nelson Davis and Al "Pussycat" Pascal make them stars by playing their records. Sandy Gardiner followed their exploits in his weekly "teen" column in the Ottawa Journal, and we checked out the weekly "Swing Set" to get the lowdown on the newest groups. From the day Elvis Presley came to town in 1957, to the release of The Five Man Electrical Band’s mega-hit “Signs”, we relive those memories with the bands, the clubs, the concerts and the colorful cast of characters who made it happen. Pull back the curtain on the magic of "Ottawa’s Golden Age of Rock and Roll”,

Gonzo journalist and literary roustabout Hunter S. Thompson flies with the angels—Hell’s Angels, that is—in this short work of nonfiction. “California, Labor Day weekend . . . early, with ocean fog still in the streets, outlaw motorcyclists wearing chains, shades and greasy Levis roll out from damp garages, all-night diners and cast-off one-night pads in Frisco, Hollywood, Berdoo and East Oakland, heading for the Monterey peninsula, north of Big Sur. . . The Menace is loose again.” Thus begins Hunter S. Thompson’s vivid account of his experiences with California’s most notorious motorcycle gang, the Hell’s Angels. In the mid-1960s, Thompson spent almost two years living with the controversial Angels, cycling up and down the coast, reveling in the anarchic spirit of their clan, and, as befits their name, raising hell. His book successfully captures a singular moment in American history, when the biker lifestyle was first defined, and when such countercultural movements were electrifying and horrifying America. Thompson, the creator of Gonzo journalism, writes with his usual bravado, energy, and brutal honesty, and with a nuanced and incisive eye; as The New Yorker pointed out, “For all its uninhibited and sardonic humor, Thompson’s book is a thoughtful piece of work.” As illuminating now as when originally published in 1967, Hell’s Angels is a gripping portrait, and the best account we have of the truth behind an American legend.

Rivers are arteries and feeder streams capillaries. It's the same water-based pattern repeated over and over again on the surface of this and other planets where water once flowed. Whether it's the thigh of a human leg, or the Andean borne, blood-red, silt-laden waters of the Rio Paraguay flowing across the Pampas of South America, water is the animal! Water is the Animal contains seven years of Cheeveresque journal entries recording the peripatetic existence of a diplomatic courier. From meditations on the cultural and historical legacy of Homo sapiens around the globe, to the present day geopolitical and ecological challenges of over 150 countries, Water is the Animal reveals a perspective of the planet few are given. From the archaeology of Costa Rica, to the genocidal horrors of Rwanda, to the ancient temples and congested cities of South Asia, Water is the Animal reflects on the state of the Earth at the dawn of the new millennium.

Los Angeles magazine is a regional magazine of national stature. Our combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design covers the people, lifestyle, culture, entertainment, fashion, art and architecture, and news that define Southern California. Started in the spring of 1961, Los Angeles magazine has been addressing the needs and interests of our region for 48 years. The magazine continues to be the definitive resource for an affluent population that is intensely interested in a lifestyle that is uniquely Southern Californian.

Motor City Music is a pioneering study of the musical life of an American metropolis. 1940s-60s Detroit produced prominent musicians, from jazz to classical to ethnic. Author Mark Slobin begins with a reflection on his life growing up in Detroit, stresses public-school music, surveys neighborhood musical life, and covers industry, labor, the counterculture, media, and the record industry, including Motown.