Zodiac were a studio group who released one album, Cosmic Sounds - Celestial Counterpoint with Words and Music, in May 1967. The members of Zodiac were respected session musicians Bud Shank,Carol Kaye, Cyrus Faryar, Emil Richards, Hal Blaine, and Paul Beaver. Each song is devoted to the signs of Chaldean astronomical zodiac. The music was written by Canadian synthesizer … Continue reading One Album Wonders: The Zodiac
Author: Eric Brightwell
Eric Brightwell is an essayist, rambler, explorer, cartographer, and guerrilla gardener. He lives in Los Angeles, not because he was born here, but because he chose to... for all of the things for which its famous: its verticality, its mass transit, its diversity, its schools, its liminal spaces, its architecture, its wildlife, its museums, its night markets, its cinemas, its theaters, its enclaves, its restaurants, its bars, its libraries, &c
A Look Back at the Depeche Mode Riots
Today is the 50th anniversary of the Watts Riots (or Watts Rebellion, depending on your point of view). In that riot, 3,438 Anglenos were arrested, 1,032 were injured, and 34 died. This year (but not today) is also the 25th anniversary of another, less serious uprising, the Depeche Mode Riots, in which five to seven … Continue reading A Look Back at the Depeche Mode Riots
Share this:
No Enclave — Exploring English Los Angeles
Diversity has long been part of the fabric of Los Angeles and Southern California. Humans first arrived here at least 13,000 years ago and more than twenty Native American nations made their home here before the Spanish Conquest. The Spanish pueblo of Los Angeles was itself founded by people of Native, African, European, and mixed ancestries and … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring English Los Angeles
Share this:
One Album Wonders: April 16th
The following entry originally appeared on the Amoeblog April 16th (APRIL 16TH APPRECIATION SOCIETY) English hard rock/heavy metal band April 16th formed in London in the summer of 1985. The members were Chris Harris (guitar), Dave Russell (vocals), Eric Puffet (bass), John Fisher (drums), and Lawrence Mills (lead guitar). They released just one album, Sleepwalking, … Continue reading One Album Wonders: April 16th
Share this:
One Album Wonders: Bigstorm
BIGSTORM -- LIVING IN EXILE (1989) Bigstorm were an Australian band comprised of Bjarne Ohlin (Guitar, Vocals), Don Miller-Robinson (Lead Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Huey Benjamin (Drums, Vocals), and Stewart D’Arrietta (Lead Vocals, Keyboards). They released on album, Living in Exile, on WEA in 1989. The members of Bigstorm came from varied backgrounds. Ohlin had appeared … Continue reading One Album Wonders: Bigstorm
Share this:
One Album Wonders: Billy Satellite
BILLY SATELLITE -- BILLY SATELLITE (1984) Billy Satellite formed in Oakland in 1983. The members were Danny Chauncey (lead guitar, keyboards and vocals), Ira Walker (bass and vocals), Monty Byrom (lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards), and Tom Falletti (drums). Of the members, Chauncey had the most recording experience, having previously performed in Mistress, a band which … Continue reading One Album Wonders: Billy Satellite
Share this:
New Release: Lulu Jam’s Temporada Alta
After a seven year recording hiatus, Chilean electro-pop group Lulú Jam! have a new album out called Temporada Alta. The path of my discovery of Lulú Jam! is, I think, kind of amusing in that reveals something about the changing landscape at the intersection of technology and recording. I moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and one … Continue reading New Release: Lulu Jam’s Temporada Alta
Share this:
One Album Wonders: The Merry-Go-Round
THE MERRY-GO-ROUND -- YOU'RE A VERY LOVELY WOMAN • LIVE (1967) This week's One Album Wonder is the 1960s baroque pop band The Merry-Go-Round, who released their only album in October 1967. Although several members played in the band, few would challenge the claim that the ringleader of the band was a prodigious then-teenager named Emitt … Continue reading One Album Wonders: The Merry-Go-Round
Share this:
Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Montreal Snapshot
Note: I visited Montreal for the first time last summer (2014) and immediately started writing a Where Fools Fear to Tread piece but put it on the shelf for various reasons. Now that I’m back from visiting England and Scotland, I thought that perhaps it was high time to finish it, so here it is. … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Montreal Snapshot
Share this:
One Album Wonders: Opal’s Happy Nightmare Baby
OPAL - HAPPY NIGHTMARE BABY (1987) Opal was an American band associated with the Paisley Underground and whose guiding force was David Roback, a guitarist and songwriter from Pacific Palisades. Roback graduated from high school in 1975 and in 1981 formed The Sidewalks who, renamed Rain Parade, were seminal within the Paisley Underground scene. Roback quit Rain Parade in 1983 after the release of their … Continue reading One Album Wonders: Opal’s Happy Nightmare Baby
Eric Brightwell 