VARIOUS ARTISTS - Heroes And Villains - Sound Of Los Angeles 1965-68 (3CD) - UK Grapefruit Edition

A three-disc set containing a cross-section of the Los Angeles music scene in 1965-1968. From the publisher: "After The Beatles delighted with their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Los Angeles music scene moved beyond the previously dominant surf records to create a thrilling response to the British invasion. Hollywood studios and teen clubs on the Sunset Strip hosted an exciting range of bands such as The Byrds or Sonny And Cher, and in 1965 Los Angeles established its position as the leading music city in America. The scene expanded into psychedelia, sunshine pop and proto-hard rock before the terrifying Manson murders in August 1969 traumatised the Los Angeles music community and brought the carefree sixties to a shocking, apocalyptic end. 'Heroes And Villains' presents the whole LA scene, with classic hits by The Monkees, Paul Revere And The Raiders, Association, The Grass Roots, Love, The Byrds, Beach Boys, Mothers Of Invention, Captain Beefheart, Buffalo Springfield or Mamas And The Papas. It features cult artists such as Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Seeds and Electric Prunes, vocalists such as Tim Buckley or Harry Nilsson, the rising wave of heavy-playing bands such as Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly, the nascent country rock (Gene Clark, Stone Poneys, Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band) and studio pop bands inspired by the work of the Beach Boys (Sagittarius, The Millennium, The Parade). Everything in a rigid box, with an 80-page, attractive booklet inside. (MU)