From the 60's to the beginning of the 80's, not quite as much these days, you had pop artists that really embodied the essence of a city. I could go on and on but for instance in Los Angeles we had Love and the Doors amongst others (I'm talking pop music here...so X gets no mention). I've had friends tell me that if LA was a seashell and you put it to your ear, you'd hear Love's "Forever Changes," I concur.
The Mamas and the Papas are another one of those bands, but specifically John Phillips (the Papa). The man who claimed that he'd gotten high every fifteen minutes for two years, the Wolf King of LA. This record is a totally overlooked gem. It has all the twang of the Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" without the camp (mind you that's one of my favorite records of all time). It's for those of us who like a little more junk with their country, basically me. The songs are so unbelievably good, and the elastic pedal steel oozing all over this thing makes me wish I was hanging out with John tying off in his car in Topanga Canyon (not really, don't use drugs children...).
Anyway, as a note to all you "beachy" bands these days, you don't have to sound exactly like the Beach Boys (it helps though) to feel the sand in your toes. This record is a country record for sure, but I haven't really heard country soak up the Pacific Ocean like a sponge, and wring it out directly into my ear, which sounds disgusting in practice but in principle is incredibly romantic. I would check this record out immediately if you're into that sort of thing, and also if you're not on LaLa, you probably should be.
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