Art Laboe's Memories Of El Monte (The Best Of L.A.'s Rock And Roll)
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Album Summary
Released in 1960 on Memco Records, 'Art Laboe's Memories of El Monte (The Best Of L.A.'s Rock And Roll)' was compiled and produced by the man himself — Art Laboe, the legendary Los Angeles radio disc jockey whose voice had been the soundtrack to cruising, romance, and Saturday nights all across Southern California. Laboe reached deep into his personal collection and radio archives to pull together a handpicked retrospective of the early rock and roll and doo-wop sound that had been burning up the Eastside and the airwaves throughout the 1950s. The album gathered recordings from local and regional L.A. artists who had cut their teeth on the independent label circuit, and Laboe shaped them into something more than just a collection — he shaped them into a love letter to a scene, a city, and a generation that had made Southern California one of the most vital breeding grounds for early rock and roll in the entire country.
Reception
- The album achieved strong commercial visibility in the West Coast market, where Art Laboe's deep radio roots and loyal Southern California audience gave it an immediate and enthusiastic reception.
- It stood as one of the earliest and most notable rock and roll compilation albums of its era, establishing a meaningful template for how retrospective releases of 1950s material could be approached with care and authenticity.
- The album connected powerfully with both the original fans who had lived through that first wave of rock and roll and a younger generation just beginning to discover the doo-wop and R&B sounds that had defined the decade.
Significance
- This album represented a genuine preservation effort for early rock and roll, doo-wop, and R&B recordings tied to the Los Angeles independent label world — music that, without Laboe's dedication, risked fading into obscurity before its time.
- The collection made a strong cultural statement about the regional importance of Los Angeles in the birth of rock and roll, shining a light on the Eastside scene and pushing back against any notion that the story of early rock and roll began and ended on the East Coast.
- Through this release, Art Laboe cemented his identity not just as a DJ but as a true archivist and curator of rock and roll history — a man who understood that the music deserved to be remembered, honored, and passed down.
Tracklist
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A1 Let's Start All Over Again —
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A2 Cherry Pie 177
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A3 Pachuko Hop —
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A4 Leavin' It All Up To You —
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A5 Love You So —
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A6 Corrido Rock —
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B1 You Cheated —
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B2 This Is My Story —
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B3 Dedicated To You —
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B4 Blue Mood —
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B5 Why Don't You Write Me —
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B6 I Remember Linda —
Artist Details
Here's the thing about Various, baby — this artist burst onto the 1980s rock scene like a force of nature, blending raw energy with a sound that was somehow both timeless and perfectly of its era. Various carved out a reputation for delivering tracks that hit you right in the chest, the kind of music that made you pull over your car just to let the song breathe. With a catalog that speaks for itself, Various remains one of the most compelling figures to come out of that decade of big hair, bigger riffs, and even bigger feelings.
