Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets

Gorgeous 2009 European Rhino Records/Warner Music 101-track 4CD box - 'In Los Angeles during the mid-'60s, music was everywhere - from the garages of Orange County, to the dingbat apartments of the San Fernando Valley, to the bungalows of Laurel Canyon. But without a doubt, the epicenter of the music scene was the Sunset Strip, where 'freaks' filled the rock clubs lining the famed Hollywood thoroughfare. Rhino continues the storied Nuggets tradition with a four-disc boxed set that mines the city's rich musical history for unsung gems.

WHERE THE ACTION IS! compiles 101 tracks that mix many of the city's brightest stars (The Byrds, Love, The Doors, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, Captain Beefheart, The Mama & The Papas, Lowell George, Iron Butterfly, The Monkees) with talented artists whose stellar songcraft sadly flew under the radar (The Seeds, Jameson, The Electric Prunes, Modern Folk Quintet, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Spirit, The Everpresent Fullness, Kaleidoscope, The Standells, The Bobby Fuller Four).

WHERE THE ACTION IS! encompasses four discs arranged thematically to cover different aspects of the pop, rock, club and Top 40 sounds of the era. The first covers some of the most notable bands that performed in the clubs of Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Disc two features a sampling of the musicians who began life in South L.A., East L.A. and such far-flung suburbs as Riverside and Bakersfield. The third delves into the artistry of L.A.'s producers, arrangers and Wrecking Crew of studio players. The final disc takes us from the nascent seeds of folk rock to the first blooms of canyon rock, country rock and full-blown psychedelia in the region. It also shows how rock pioneers such as Del Shannon and Rick Nelson took their own stabs at fitting in with 'the kids'.

Among the many highlights are: an alternate take of The Beach Boys' 'Heroes And Villains', Warren Zevon and producer Bones Howe performing '(You Used To) Ride So High' as The Motorcycle Abeline, 'Take A Giant Step' by The Rising Sons, 'Acid Head' by The Velvet Illusions, local scenester Kim Fowley's 'Underground Lady', Jan & Dean's 'Fan Tan', The Monkees' 'Daily Nightly', Jesse Lee Kincaid's 'She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune', 'Come To The Sunshine' by Van Dyke Parks, 'Sister Marie' by Nilsson and 'Hippy Elevator Operator' by The W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band.

The set also offers a trio of previously unreleased tracks: a recently discovered demo version of 'Sit Down I Think I Love You' recorded by Stephen Stills and Richie Furay shortly before they formed Buffalo Springfield| a demo of 'Words' by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, one of the West Coast's most successful songwriting teams| and 'Once Upon A Time' a collaboration between Tim Buckley and lyricist Larry Beckett.

Beautifully packaged in a coffee table book resembling the San Francisco Nuggets collection from 2006, the set provides a wealth of information about Los Angeles' music scene, including a comprehensive timeline, a listing of the clubs and who performed there, an essay about the L.A. radio stations that defined the era, plus a track-by-track commentary.' Rhino Records

Condition: Still Factory Sealed:
Unopened, Unused, new, but crease in barcode

CD1:
1. Riot On Sunset Strip - Standells
2. You Movin' - Byrds
3. You I'll Be Following - Love
4. Dr Stone - Leaves
5. Go & Say Goodbye - Buffalo Springfield
6. Zig Zag Wanderer - Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
7. Gentle As It May Seem - Iron Butterfly
8. Candy Cane Madness - Lowell George & The Factory
9. If You Want This Love - West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
10. Baby My Heart - Bobby Fuller Four
11. All Night Long - Palace Guard
12. It's Gonna Rain - Sonny & Cher
13. For My Own - Guilloteens
14. Take A Giant Step - Rising Sons
15. One Too Many Mornings - Association
16. Time Waits For No One - Knack
17. Take It As It Comes - Doors
18. Pulsating Dream - Kaleidoscope
19. Tripmaker - Seeds
20. People In Me - Music Machine
21. Saturday's Son - Sons Of Adam
22. Eventually - Peanut Butter Conspiracy
23. Swim - Penny Arkade
24. Third Eye - Joint Effort
25. Girl In Your Eye - Spirit

CD2:
1. Jump Jive & Harmonize - Thee Midniters
2. Back Up - Light
3. To Die Alone - Bush
4. Get On This Plane - Premiers
5. Little Girl Little Boy - Odyssey
6. Hideaway - Electric Prunes
7. Listen Listen - Merry Go Round
8. She Done Moved - Spats
9. Grim Reaper Of Love - Turtles
10. See If I Care - Ken & The 4th Dimension
11. He's Not There Anymore - Chymes
12. Back Seat '38 Dodge - Opus 1
13. Eternal Prison - Humane Society
14. Revenge - Others
15. Come Alive - Things To Come
16. Acid Head - Velvet Illusions
17. Guaranteed Love - Limey & The Yanks
18. Love's The Thing - Romancers
19. Underground Lady - Kim Fowley
20. Pretty Little Thing - Deepest Blue
21. You're Wishin' I Was Someone Else - Whatt Four
22. Hippy Elevator Operator - WC Fields Memorial Electric String Band
23. That's For Sure - Mustangs
24. Tomorrow's Girl - Fapardokly
25. Everything's There - Hysterics
26. Our Time Is Running Out - Yellow Payges

CD3:
1. Action Action Action - Keith Allison
2. Rebel Kind - Dino Desi & Billy
3. High On Love - Knickerbockers
4. Fan Tan - Jan & Dean
5. Halloween Mary - PF Sloan
6. Somebody Groovy - Mamas & The Papas
7. Daydreaming - Thorinshield
8. Just Can't Wait - Full Treatment
9. Yellow Balloon - Yellow Balloon
10. Times To Come - London Phogg
11. No More Running Around - Lamp Of Childhood
12. Little Girl Lost And Found - Garden Club
13. Mothers And Fathers - Moon
14. My Girlfriend Is A Witch - October Country
15. Montage Mirror - Roger Nichols
16. Flower Eyes - Pasternak Progress
17. Come Down - Common Cold
18. Jill - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
19. Daily Nightly - Monkees
20. Night Time Girl - Modern Folk Quartet
21. Don't Say No - Oracle
22. Tin Angel (Will You Ever Come Down) - Hearts & Flowers
23. Rainbow Woman - Lee Hazelwood
24. Poor Old Organ Grinder - Pleasure
25. Baby Please Don't Go - Ballroom

CD4:
1. Sit Down I Think I Love You - Richie Furay & Stephen Stills
2. Splendor In The Grass - Jackie DeShannon & The Byrds
3. November Night - Peter Fonda
4. Roses And Rainbows - Danny Hutton
5. Lemon Chimes - Dillards
6. Here's Today - Rose Garden
7. I Love How You Love Me - Nino Tempo & April Stevens
8. Words - Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
9. Your Used To Ride So High - Motorcycle Abeline
10. Los Angeles - Gene Clark
11. Once Upon A Time - Tim Buckley
12. Darlin' You Can Count On Me - Everpresent Fullness
13. I'll Search The Sky - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
14. Come To the Sunshine - Van Dyke Parks
15. Heroes And Villains - Beach Boys
16. She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune - Jesse Lee Kincaid
17. Sister Marie - Nilsson
18. Last Night I Had A Dream - Randy Newman
19. Life Is A Dream - Noel Harrison
20. Marshmallow Skies - Rick Nelson
21. I Think I Love You - Del Shannon
22. Change Is Now - Byrds
23. Truth Is Not Real - Sagittarius
24. You Set The Scene - Love
25. Inner-Manipulations - Barry McGuire