Woodstock 40 yr ago today

quote:

Originally posted by David Leedham:
This line up

Friday, August 15
Richie Havens
Swami Satchidananda - gave the invocation for the festival
Sweetwater
The Incredible String Band
Bert Sommer
Tim Hardin
Ravi Shankar
Melanie
Arlo Guthrie
Joan Baez

Bands declining to perform were, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The moody blues and Joni Mitchell.

Well, that's odd, Joni Mitchell wrote a song about Woodstock and a very good one at that. Didn't know she declined to attend.

A lot of people think the concert has dated and yes it has but I still like it, via recordings.

Noyes

Your set list can't be right. Jimi Hendrix (with Gypsy, Sun And Rainbows) finished the event.

So what are you trying to push here, that you don't have Hendrix?

Some sort of scam, maybe?

Graham

The set list looks correct for the opening day . Hendrix closed the event a few days later.


Looks like Joni Mitchell decided 'The Dick Cavett Show' was more important than posterity. So much for flower power....

Noyes

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
Your set list can't be right. Jimi Hendrix (with Gypsy, Sun And Rainbows) finished the event.

So what are you trying to push here, that you don't have Hendrix?

Some sort of scam, maybe?

Graham

Keep your hair on! He's talking about the first day. Hendrix was the closing act, onstage on the Monday morning. No "scam"!

Did ya see it on BBC4 last night?

The whole of the Hendrix set, and with camera stuff I had not seen before showing real close ups of his techniques. The camera operator seemed to know what to look for so much so that he must have been a guitarist.
The film showed the few people that remained at the close of the event to see it. The very familiar crowd shots from the previous days where huge, but the set that optimized Woodstock had just a few hundred.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike-B:
Did ya see it on BBC4 last night?

The whole of the Hendrix set, and with camera stuff I had not seen before showing real close ups of his techniques. The camera operator seemed to know what to look for so much so that he must have been a guitarist.
The film showed the few people that remained at the close of the event to see it. The very familiar crowd shots from the previous days where huge, but the set that optimized Woodstock had just a few hundred.

It's ironic isn't it Mike - just a few hardy souls got to see Woodstock's best performance; half a million watched Sha Na Na and Ten Years After!

(As an aside, Creedence Clearwater Revival were supposed to have been one of the highlights of Woodstock - but their set has never been released or shown. Anyone know why? And has anyone seen/heard any of it?)

For me one of the more poignant moments came as Hendrix's set was wrapping up: the director (and it is a superbly directed and edited film) cut away to some souls wearily clearing away the mountains of garbage that had accrued over the weekend.

The director was interviewed on Front Row a couple of days ago. He says he also felt that it was the end of an era and wanted to express that at the end of the movie hence his cut shot to the ' weary souls'.
And just to prove that no-ones cashing in on the evnt, I saw in HMV yesterday that you can buy selected full performances at woodstock with a previously released lp of the artist! Culprits include Santana, Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane. Who would imagine!
james

Did, like, man, people really, like, man, actually, man, talk, like, that, man?

yeh but like no but like you know init yeh....etc. Yes and we could understand each other too! It was all important stuff!
james

I've hoped that some day they'll put the whole thing on DVD. Maybe when I'm 70.

Joni wanted to go with CSN, since she was with Nash at that time, but her manager said it was more important to keep the Cavett interview to sell her latest release. Would that have been Geffen?

David wooed her to his label and said she was top on his list. (others heard the same promise) Then when her new album came out he promoted Dylan's new release and didn't advertise her at all. I wonder why she stayed with him? She went thru lovers quickly why stick with a jerk manager.

Yes I remember guys talking "like you know man, er, it's kinda like well not great, but you know um, we can do better" My father was on me all the time about slang and thinking what to say before I opened my mouth. But then I was a teenager with hormones raging along with the 60s.

There are now a number of box sets out to cash in on the 40th anniversary, both CD and DVD sets.

In the case of Creedence, I seem to recall that their set or parts of it are now available on one of the box sets, most likely the six CD set on Rhino. The other famous band which has never previously signed the releases for their performance was the Dead, and they have allowed their set to be included, and there are a few songs taken from their set on the new deluxe edition of the DVD, and more songs on the CD release. The Dead were never happy with their performance, which was not particularly good. Their sound man had decided that the way the stage amps were grounded was not suitable so he had directed someone to redo this, and it was not finished by the time the band had to go on, which was actually in one of the prime spots on Saturday night. The band was playing in a rain storm, with gale force winds blowing the rear canopy of the stage around, and every time they touched the microphones they got shocked, to say nothing of the fact that their big number, Pigpen's cover of the R & B chestnut, Lovelight was basically turned into a hippie public service announcement with a long discussion of how to deal with a bad trip. They did not manage to recreate the magic of the Live Dead material, which is a shame, since that was recorded earlier that year, and they could well have been rememembered as the finest live band of the era had they played well.

Years later, in the new facility that was built on the grounds of Max Yasgur's farm, the Dead's bassist Phil Lesh was leading his Phil Lesh and Friends band through a typical set on a summer night, and by the third song or so my friends and I realized they were playing the Dead's whole set from Woodstock as some form of karmic tribute to Garcia or to set the record straight or something similar. He had Phish's Trey Anastasia on lead guitar for that tour, and when they got to St. Stephen, it was clear that they were not suffering from bad acid or any other performance inhibitions. They wrapped up the set, and then came back to do three songs all completely identified with Garcia including He's Gone and Touch of Grey. It was a very moving tribute to his old band mate, and the ghosts of hippies past were dancing just out of sight all across the hills of the natural amphitheater, which is a beautiful venue called Bethel Woods if any of you get to upstate New York in your travels.

I do think it very fitting that the best song to emerge from Woodstock was Joni's poetic recollection of a show she wasn't at, but that is the role of an artist. Leave the facts to the journalists.

Good Vibes to all,

Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin-W:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike-B:
Did ya see it on BBC4 last night?

The whole of the Hendrix set, and with camera stuff I had not seen before showing real close ups of his techniques. The camera operator seemed to know what to look for so much so that he must have been a guitarist.
The film showed the few people that remained at the close of the event to see it. The very familiar crowd shots from the previous days where huge, but the set that optimized Woodstock had just a few hundred.

It's ironic isn't it Mike - just a few hardy souls got to see Woodstock's best performance; half a million watched Sha Na Na and Ten Years After!

(As an aside, Creedence Clearwater Revival were supposed to have been one of the highlights of Woodstock - but their set has never been released or shown. Anyone know why? And has anyone seen/heard any of it?)

For me one of the more poignant moments came as Hendrix's set was wrapping up: the director (and it is a superbly directed and edited film) cut away to some souls wearily clearing away the mountains of garbage that had accrued over the weekend.

As for CCR's non appearence on the film Their Wilikpedia entry states...Their set was not included in the Woodstock film or its original soundtrack because John Fogerty felt the band's performance was subpar. (Several CCR tracks from the event were eventually included in the 1994 commemorative box set.) Stu Cook's view: "The performances are classic CCR and I'm still amazed by the number of people who don't even know we were one of the headliners at Woodstock '69." The band also complained that they had to take the stage at three in the morning because The Grateful Dead had jammed far past their scheduled set time. By the time Creedence began playing — "the hottest shot on Earth at that moment", said John Fogerty bitterly, nearly twenty years later — many in the audience had gone to sleep. [8]

And on a personal note ...as a 14 yr old guitar hero worshipping schoolboy Ten Years After were (at the time) my favourite act! "I'm Goin' Home" remains a DVD fave in my house to this very day!!

Jet, yo’ to Ten Years After.
I used to be a founder member of The Marquee and got to see all their gigs.
Last time I saw them at the club Alvin blew the house away but half way thru the last number ended up collapsed on the floor & needing medical help. I never did find out what caused it, judging by the performance it could have been oxygen or water depravation, but most people seemed to think it was something else.
But despite his and TYA brilliance at transforming the old time jazz & blues classics into thee TYA style, Hendrix for me was the king. I was in one night when Chas bought him to see (I think it was Nice), he was just off the airplane and looked kinda spooked by all us Yurupeeans for the first time. After the house was cleared 4 or 5 of us sat around listening to him playing an unamplified semi-accoustic..... wha'da'f### wow !! how did you do that; playing a bass line with fingered long A’s, he had the most dexterous thumb and the longest finger spread I have ever seen.
I used to know Mitch very well before & after Experience, and used to go visit him at his house in Ireland during the times I worked over there.

Ah well that’s my dose of nostalgia over for the day, but now have a need to go fire up the TT and listen to some stuff again.

quote:

Originally posted by Jet Johnson:
The band also complained that they had to take the stage at three in the morning because The Grateful Dead had jammed far past their scheduled set time. By the time Creedence began playing — "the hottest shot on Earth at that moment", said John Fogerty bitterly, nearly twenty years later — many in the audience had gone to sleep. [8]

That night the Dead did a 45-minute version of "Turn On Your Lovelight", so it's hardly surprising they overran!

quote:

Originally posted by Mike-B:
Jet, yo’ to Ten Years After.
I used to be a founder member of The Marquee and got to see all their gigs.
Last time I saw them at the club Alvin blew the house away but half way thru the last number ended up collapsed on the floor & needing medical help. I never did find out what caused it, judging by the performance it could have been oxygen or water depravation, but most people seemed to think it was something else.
But despite his and TYA brilliance at transforming the old time jazz & blues classics into thee TYA style, Hendrix for me was the king. I was in one night when Chas bought him to see (I think it was Nice), he was just off the airplane and looked kinda spooked by all us Yurupeeans for the first time. After the house was cleared 4 or 5 of us sat around listening to him playing an unamplified semi-accoustic..... wha'da'f### wow !! how did you do that; playing a bass line with fingered long A’s, he had the most dexterous thumb and the longest finger spread I have ever seen.
I used to know Mitch very well before & after Experience, and used to go visit him at his house in Ireland during the times I worked over there.

Ah well that’s my dose of nostalgia over for the day, but now have a need to go fire up the TT and listen to some stuff again.

WOW Mike It's not many people who can say they were there at the beginning of Hendrix's career as a "star"! jealous ain't the word you lucky bazza! I'm a bit of a saddoe when it comes to Hendrix ....But I guess most of us who grew up in that era are aware of the apparent fact that Hendrix landed with Chas in England with only his guitar, the clothes he stood up in, and a tube of valderma spot cream!

I'm not a musician but some things are IMHO irrefutable (i.e Jimi WAS the greatest guitar player who ever lived)

As for TYA "Stonedhenge" was the 2nd LP I ever bought and I played it to death (it was a mono copy on Deram - why do I always remember that??) I still dig out "Cricklewood Green" and "Recorded Live" amongst their other stuff from time to time...

Obviously I did see em' play live in the 70's and I remain a fan of Alvin Lee even though he left TYA some time ago (unless he's returned without my knowledge?) but really surely TYA without Alvin is akin to Laurel without Hardy??

..Right .....where the hell did I put "Undead" (Live at Klook's Kleek ) there ain't nuthin' like the blues TYA style!

Ahhh !!!! ya jut hit another memory chord, Klooks Kleek. The club with carpet, the place that you were expected & required to behave or some big bloke politly asked you to leave. I saw so many up & coming bands there, plus it was a great jazz venue.

The other place to be in those days was Middle Earth at Chalk Farm, saturday nights 22:00 to 06:00, line ups to die for; String Band, Who, Nice, Tull, and all on one night. I still have my membership card.

TYA "Undead", I still have a scratchy ol' copy ......... "its .... Wwwwwoodchoppers Ball !!!"