Fifty years ago, the epicenter of counterculture, the San Francisco neighborhood Haight-Ashbury, attracted young people by the thousands. Though an eclectic group, they often shared similar beliefs: experimentation, a rejection of consumerist values, peace, and a general opposition toward the Vietnam War. They also shared a passion for music. The Haight district came alive with dance parties featuring local stars like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the Holding Company. Events like the Human Be-In and the Monterey International Pop Festival defined the spirit of the Summer. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, London's own Summer of Love was blossoming. Young people moved to the city and lived communally, sharing the anti-establishment views of their peers in Haight-Ashbury. With the UK release of both The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced in May 1967, and the emergence of Pink Floyd and psychedelic culture, a similar revolution was happening in London. This guide offers a starting point for exploring the artists, music, fashion, and culture of the Summer of Love on its 50th anniversary.
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First two handbills from the Jeff Gold Collection; other artwork from the Helen Hersh Collection.
Are You Experienced? by
Remastered from the original 2-track mixdown master tapes, this expanded 17-song collection features the ageless classics Purple Haze; Red House; Stone Free; Hey Joe; and Are You Experienced. Bonus DVD features mini making-of documentary.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by
All selections recorded in Studio Two at Abbey Road except Fixing a hole which was partially recorded at Regent Sound Studio, Tottenham Court Road, London. The works were recorded from Dec. 6, 1966 to Apr. 1, 1967.
Best of Jefferson Airplane by :format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2958181-1313017821.jpeg.jpg)
Historic Performances at the Montery [sic] Pop Festival by
Recorded live at the Monterey International Pop Festival, Monterey, Calif., June 16-18, 1967.
The Grateful Dead by
Arranged and performed by the Grateful Dead (Bob Weir, Pigpen, Bill the Drummer, Jerry "Captain Trips" Garcia, and Phil Lesh). Originally released in 1967.
Box of Pearls: the Janis Joplin Collection by
Janis Joplin, vocals ; in part with Big Brother and the Holding Company (James Gurley, Sam Andrew, guitar ; Peter Albin, bass ; David Getz, drums) ; Kozmic Blues Band (Sam Andrew, guitar ; Richard Kermode, Gabriel Mekler, keyboards ; Brad Campbell, bass ; Maury Baker, Lonnie Castille, drums ; Sam and Snooky, background vocals ; Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers, baritone sax ; Terry Clements, tenor sax ; Luis Gasca, trumpet) ; Full Tilt Boogie (John Till, guitar ; Ken Pearson, Richard Bell, keyboards ; Brad Campbell, bass ; Clark Pierson, drums ; with additional musicians) ; with additional musicians.
Otis Redding: Respect Live 1967 by
Filmed live in performance in Oslo, Norway, Apr. 7, 1967 and at the Monterey Pop Festival, Monterey, Calif., June 17, 1967.
The Complete Monterey Pop Festival: Original Film, the Festival, and Live Recordings by
Concert film documenting the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, with live performances, interviews, photos, and more.
California Dreamin' : The Songs of the Mamas & the Papas by
Celebrates the 40th anniversary of the group with the 1965 release of their first record, spotlighting a wealth of classic television performances.
These articles are available in the Free section of the database Rock's Back Pages.
The Summer of Love: Haight-Ashbury at its Highest by 
Summer of Love: The Inside Story of LSD, Rock & Roll, Free Love and High Time in the Wild West by
From Library Journal:
Journalist Selvin (Monterey Pop, Chronicle, 1992) offers a popularized history of acid rock. Basing his account on interviews with such musicians as Jerry Garcia and Grace Slick, he chronologically outlines psychedelia from its inception in 1965 to its decline in 1971. Selvin weaves a gossipy tale of the personal lives of major acid rockers as well as cultural notables such as Ken Kesey, but the author seldom places this flurry of events in either musical or historical context. This sensationalist history adds little to Charles Perry's classic The Haight-Ashbury (LJ 7/84) and fails to provide much insight into the times, psychedelic music, or the musicians who have been interviewed.
David Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Don't You Want Somebody to Love by
"Darby Slick, guitarist for the Great Society and brother-in-law of Grace Slick, has written an autobiographical account of the rise of the San Francisco Sound. Don't You Want Somebody to Love is a distinctly personal perspective on those times"--Amazon.com.
Hippie by
An illustrated celebration of the 1960s counterculture captures the political fervor, historical events, slogans, sayings, fashions, styles, music, artwork, and other characteristics and personalities that defined the era from 1965 to 1971.
The Human Be-In by
History. Hippies California. San Francisco, 1966-1967. Personal observations
A Perfect Haze: the illustrated history of the Monterey International Pop Festival by 
I Want to Take You Higher by
"Whether you turned on, tuned in, dropped out, or just stood by, you know the psychedelic movement and its music are unforgettable. It is an era that remains a legend to boomers and slackers everywhere. Celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Summer of Love with this definitive volume from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum - -an incredible time capsule of a document that ties in with the museum's first major exhibition since its grand opening. Including classic as well as rare, previously unreleased images, lyrics, and paraphernalia from the wildest moments of 1965-1969, and boasting an eye-stopping cover as psychedelic as its subject, this is the spectacular official tribute to all the style, sound, peace, and power of the infamous Summer of Love."--Publisher's description.
The Mama's and the Papa's Souvenir Song Album by 
Janis: A Collection of 16 Janis Joplin Classics as Performed Live and on Record from 1963 to 1970 by Listed below are notable collections and items of interest.
Fillmore Auditorium Handbills, 1966-1970
These handbills from the Manny and Skippy Gerard Collection include handbills for performances by Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe and the Fish, Grateful Dead, Moby Grape, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Flamin' Groovies, and others.
Michael Ochs Collection, Series I: Business Papers, Subseries I: Artist Files
This subseries includes artist files for performers including the Mamas and the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and many others. This subseries also includes documents related to the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967 and the San Francisco Sound.
Avalon Ballroom Handbills, Postcards 1966-1969
Handbills and postcards from San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom from the Manny and Skippy Gerard Collection. These include handbills for events including Krishna Consciousness Comes West with Swami Bhaktivedanta, the Daily Flash, the Great Society, Rising Sons, Charlatons, Sons of Adam, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, and many others.
Joint Show Posters, 1967
In July of 1967, the Moore Gallery in San Francisco hosted an art exhibition featuring psychedelic art posters. It was the first art show to celebrate psychedelic rock concert poster artists and their work. This collection contains four of the five original posters
Jimi Hendrix at Monterey Pop, 1967
Non-commercial VHS recording of Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 from the John Platt Collection.
"Drop out - detach yourself from the external social drama which is as dehydrated and ersatz as TV.
Turn on - find a sacrament which returns you to the temple of God, your own body. Go out of your mind. Get high.
Tune in - be reborn. Drop back in to express it. Start a new sequence of behavior that reflects your vision. But the sequence must continue. You cannot stand still. Death. Life. Structure." - Timothy Leary, 1967
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