Music Blogs

This week, we take our rock road trip out West to Los Angeles. Aside from being the headquarters of nearly every major record label, L.A. is also home to nearly every genre. No other city has such diversity: heavy metal, folk, and jazz artists all peacefully co-exist in this Pacific coast musical utopia. Here are some of the more legendary music landmarks for your summer vacation.

GALLERY: See all the stops on your L.A. Rock Road Trip

Capitol Records Tower - 1750 Vine Street
Although the major record labels have offices in Los Angeles, Capitol is the only one to own a landmark building. Just north of the famed intersection of Hollywood and Vine, the tower is the world's first circular office building (built that way to resemble a stack of 45s). At night, a red blinking light on top of the tower spells "Hollywood" in Morse code. But the main attraction is the ground floor studio, which has been home to some of music's most legendary stars, from Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole to Neil Young and Green Day.

Roxy Theatre - 9009 West Sunset
One of the many clubs perched on the Sunset Strip, the Roxy opened in 1973 with a weeklong residency by Neil Young (whose managers, David Geffen and Elliot Roberts, were Roxy co-owners). The club has been ground zero for nearly every major music scene, and Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, and Red Hot Chili Peppers all played career-changing gigs here. Paul Reubens debuted his Pee-Wee Herman character on the Roxy stage. And John Belushi was last seen partying at the Roxy and the neighboring Rainbow Bar & Grill before OD'ing at the Chateau Marmont down the street.

Whisky a Go Go - 8901 Sunset Blvd
The Whisky opened in 1964, modeled after the famed 1947 Paris nightclub. Complete with dancing go-go girls in cages, the Whisky was at the center of the '60s musical and social revolution. The Doors were its house band until Morrison's incestuous rant during "The End" got them booted. The 1966 Sunset Strip riots, in which cops clashed with hippies, broke out virtually on the Whisky's doorstep. In the years since, it's been the first stage stop for bands playing L.A. Even The Police played there in 2007 when they announced their reunion tour.

A&M Records - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue
Charlie Chaplin built this studio in 1917 and filmed classics such as "City Lights" within the faux English village compound. Herb Alpert and his partner, Jerry Moss, bought the lot in 1966 for $1 million and kept it as their fabled record label's headquarters until it was sold in 1999. During the years in between, A&M was home to the "We Are the World" recording session ("Check your egos at the door"), along with countless A&M acts, ranging from the Carpenters to Soundgarden. The lot now houses Jim Henson Studios, and Kermit the Frog now spins where the A&M logo once stood.

Hollywood Landmark Hotel (now Highland Gardens) - 7047 Franklin Avenue
From the outside, it looks like any other run-of-the-mill Hollywood hotel. In reality, the 1950s building has been temporary home to traveling musicians from  the Rat Pack to Jefferson Airplane. Their Website will tell you that Janis Joplin stayed there. What they don't tell you is that she also died there, on October 4, 1970, in Room 105. See if you can request it when you make your reservation.

Sunset Grill - 7439 W. Sunset Blvd.
It used to be a dumpy, 1960s, corrugated tin diner that fed wannabe rock stars who didn't have enough money to buy a Les Paul at the Guitar Center next door. Now it's a redesigned, dumpy two-story diner feeding wannabe DJ kids who can't afford a turntable at the Guitar Center next door. The 1957 Sunset Grill was also the inspiration for the 1984 Don Henley song of the same name. Grab a burger, then check out the famous musicians' handprints at the Guitar Center's Rockwalk. Many of those musical legends got their start scraping together change for a Sunset Grill hot dog.

The Hyatt on Sunset - 8401 Sunset Blvd.
Known as the "Riot Hyatt," this was home away from home for every touring rock band in the '60s and '70s. Guests in adjoining rooms might be awoken to the sounds of John Bonham riding his motorcycle down the hall or Keith Richards throwing a TV from his window. You might also have to step over a few groupies on the way to the elevator. The 2000 film "Almost Famous" re-created much of the Hyatt debauchery. One hotel guest kept a lower profile: Little Richard stayed in Room 319 most of the '80s and '90s without incident.

Barney's Beanery - 8447 Santa Monica Blvd.
This biker roadhouse opened in 1920 along what was then Route 66. By the '50s, it was a haven for Beatnik poets and bohemians, such as Charles Bukowski, who was a regular. In the '60s, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison drank and fought each other there. Morrison was kicked out for pissing on the bar. Years later, Quentin Tarantino began writing "Pulp Fiction" from one of the booths. Grab a bowl of chili fries and soak up the rock excess. Sit in Booth #34. It was supposedly Janis' favorite.

Corner of East 7th Street & South Main Street - Downtown Los Angeles
On March 27, 1987, U2 set out to create a Beatles rooftop moment by performing their "Joshua Tree" single "Where the Streets Have No Name" atop the Republic Liquor Store. The festivities were shot for a music video that won a Grammy. The store (now a Mexican restaurant) is coincidentally near the Rosslyn Hotel, which served as the inspiration for the 2000 film "The Million Dollar Hotel." Bono produced the movie from an original story idea first hatched upon seeing the hotel during the "Streets" video shoot.

Doug Weston's Troubadour - 9081 Santa Monica Blvd.
Named after London's Troubadour Club, this West Hollywood venue opened as a folk club in 1957. It launched the careers of Elton John (who played his first U.S. gig here, introduced by Neil Diamond), the Eagles, and Linda Ronstadt. John Lennon was famously launched FROM the club, along with drunken pal Harry Nilsson, for heckling the Smothers Brothers during a 1974 show. By the '80s, the Troub was transformed into the heavy metal center of '80s L.A. Guns N' Roses played their first gig and soon after were discovered by Geffen Records on the Troubadour stage. The club still maintains its balance of emerging folkies alongside edgier fare. Call ahead so you know whether to wear Crocs or biker boots.

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