Various Artists - Riot On Sunset Strip / Rarities: The Standells (1967 us, exciting garage psych beat folk rock, 2009 bonus tracks remaster)

The riots on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip took place in the summer and fall of 1966. As riots go, they were a far cry from those that afflicted the city during either Watts or those inspired by the Rodney King beating in 1991. Hundreds of teenagers began peacefully hanging out on the Strip on weekends, creating a traffic problem (though little else) while waiting for the latest phenomenon of the '60s - the 'Happening'.

The LA police over-reacted, imposing a curfew on under-21 year olds and heavy-handedly breaking up the crowds that continued to gather. These rather one-sided violent affairs were magnified by the popular press of the time into The Riots On Sunset Strip. The Stephen Stills/ Neil Young band Buffalo Springfield documented the affair in the song For What It's Worth, which charted nationally putting the civil rights issues involved once more on view from Coast to Coast. Sam Katzman (the man behind the movie Rock Around The Clock) rushed out a cash-in film Riot On Sunset Strip. 

All the hallmarks of the teenage movie were there - hokey plot, wooden acting and cheap sets - but the film has survived as a firm cult favourite, mainly for the night-club scenes featuring (amongst others) The Standells and The Chocolate Watchband. The original soundtrack album reissued here includes The Chocolate Watchband's Don't Need Your Lovin' and Sitting There Standing, two of their wildest performances and reportedly close to the raw feel the band generated in-person. The Standells' appearance in the movie further fuelled their punk notoriety. As an added bonus for their fans, Rarities contains 11 rare and unissued tracks including the early (1965) recording It's All In Your Mind, recorded at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. The CD booklet also contains many rare photographs.

Ace Rcds

Artists - Tracks
1. The Standells - Riot On Sunset Strip (Tony Valentino, John Flack) - 2:25
2. The Mugwumps - Sunset Sally (Vincent Malamed) - 2:20
3. The Sidewalk Sounds - The Sunset Theme (Mike Curb) - 2:25
4. Debra Travis - Old Country (Debra Travis) - 2:02
5. The Chocolate Watchband - Don't Need Your Lovin' (David Aguilar) - 2:39
6. The Mom's Boys - Children Of The Night (The Mom's Boys) - 2:29
7. The Sidewalk Sounds - Make The Music Pretty (Guy Hemric, Jerry Styner) - 1:41
8. The Standells - Get Away From Here (Larry Tamblyn) - 2:09
9. Drew - Like My Baby (Mike Curb, Drew Bennett, Davie Allen) - 2:02
10.The Chocolate Watchband - Sitting There Standing (David Aguilar, Gary Andrijasevich, Bill Flores, Mark Loomis, Sean Tolby) - 2:23
11.The Standells - Love Me (Dick Dodd, Tony Valentine) - 2:46
12.The Standells - Batman (Neal Hefti) - 3:06
13.The Standells - Our Candidate (Mike Smith) - 4:12
14.The Standells - The Boy Who Is Lost (Larry Tamblyn) - 2:34
15.The Standells - It's All In Your Mind - 2:42
16.The Standells - School Girl (Graham Gouldman) - 2:17
17.The Standells - I Hate To Leave You (Tony Valentino, Dick Dodd) - 2:33
18.The Standells - Looking At Tomorrow (Barry Mann, Cynthia Well) - 2:18
19.The Standells - Don't, Say Nothing At All (D. Washington) - 2:32
20.The Standells - Try It (Joseph Levine) - 2:50
21.The Standells - Rari (Ed Cobb) - 5:33

Related Acts
1966  The Standells - Dirty Water
1966  The Standells - Why Pick On Me
1966-67  The Standells - Try It
1966-67  The Standells - The Hot Ones (rare out of print issue)
1965-67  The Chocolate Watchband - Melts In Your Brain...Not On Your Wrist / The Complete Recordings
1967  The Chocolate Watch Band - No Way Out
1968  The Chocolate Watch Band - The Inner Mystique
1969  The Chocolate Watchband - One Step Beyond
1966-68  The Chocolate Watchband - Forty Four

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