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Tracks: 21, including Going Up Country, Freedom, Joe Hill, Wooden Ships, With A Little Help From My Friends, Dance To The Music, Star Spangled Banner / Purple Haze.
Billed as ‘Three Days Of Music And Peace, Woodstock
(or Woodstock Music and Art Fair as it was officially plugged) remains the most famous outdoor festival ever.
Rhino now releases the music from the original soundtrack and more – the more is presumably rainstorm, crowd sounds, announcements and the general hysteria.
By today’s standards, Woodstock was slightly chaotic, beset with problems like artist access to the site due to overcrowding and traffic jams – half a million showed up- occasional rain, and peripheral protests. Like its modern day counterparts, there was plenty of mud to revel in.
Unlike Woodstock 40 box set, this only has 21 of the 30 plus acts. The remainder can be found on Woodstock 2. Neither CD 1 or 2 has the correct running order of the event. 1960s remember.
I first heard the original version on three vinyl LPs in gatefold format back in 1971, now neatly squeezed onto 2 CDs. My then older friend was obsessed with it, especially the tricky anti-Vietnam war song I –Feel- Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die-Rag….” Give me an F. Give me a U. Give me a C. Give me a K…” will forever be an earworm.
Troubled from the start, Richie Havens opened on day one – Friday 15 August 1969, saving the day with a three-hour set of eight which ended with Freedom. Country Joe & The Fish played five songs but here (for whatever reason) we get Rock & Soul Music, then after pseudo rock’n’rollers Sha Na Na with a blistering At The Hop, I Feel Like…is dropped in.
From that first day some great acts like Melanie, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar are omitted.
Instead, we get all to brief an Arlo Guthrie delivering one song from three – the classic Coming From Los Angeles. Joan Baez’s set is cropped from 12 to two, sadly. At the time she was the hottest folky of her generation and we don’t get to hear enough of her fabulous voice.
Highlight of CD 1 is a very nervous Crosby Stills & Nash who played their second gig ever actually on day 3, and considering the circumstances pulled it off with aplomb. From their nine acoustic set we get Judy Blue Eyes, and from their seven electric set we get Sea Of Madness and Wooden Ships. The addition of Neil Young added a bit of dazzle to the electric songs. Their class shines like a beacon amongst some less impressive performances.
Next up is The Who, who played last on scheduled day two - Saturday 16, which stretched into day three. They sound positively tame on a lacklustre We’re Not Gonna Take It. Daltrey never the best of singers is very average compared to the likes of Paul Rogers (Free) and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) no never got play. We mustn’t forget, the band kicked off at 4 am on Sunday and this was song 19 of 24, so they were pretty knackered by then.
Joe Cocker’s With A Little Help From My Friends from day 2, gives a show-stopping finale to his five song set.
CD 2 opens with a hippy rain chant to ward off (or encourage) future downpours followed by a blistering and memorable Soul Sacrifice by Latino-rockers Santana. Leader Carlos Santana gives one of the best guitar master classes, ever.
From day 3, The Band are skipped in favour of Ten Years After, with yet another display of showmanship, whipping up the crowd into frenzy with a ten minute I’m Going Home, one of five. Jefferson Airplane, who were one before TYA get one of nine, a slightly shambolic Volunteers.
A major highlight from the entire event was a hi-octane mid-set medley from Sly And Family Stone (who were on before Janis Joplin and The Who that day) featuring hit single Dance To The Music.
By now that atmosphere is electric with thousands clapping and Sly egging them on with, “ I want to take you higher, “ raising the frenzy.
Bizarrely, it switches back to act four from day 1. Former founder of Buffalo Springfield John Sebastian thinks its “groovy” to see everybody living in tents. His future US single (1970) Rainbows All Over Your Blues is well received.
Then we’re back to day 3, actually unscheduled day 4, for the early hours showing of The Butterfield Blues Band’s quirky 10 minute Love March.
Headliner Jimi Hendrix who was pegged for midnight of day 3, took to the stage at nine a.m. on Monday, playing a two hour set with his brand new group, The Gyspy Sun and Rainbow Band, to a dwindling crowd. Astonishingly at one point he quips, “ You can leave when you want to, we’re just jamming”, before he launching to a stunning guitar exhibition of Star Spangled Banner and Purple Haze. He ended with Hey Joe, not included.
Despite its choppy and edited format, it captures the spirit of the event to perfection.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Woodstock: 
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
