Woodstock... A newcomers observations...

[Trane]

The list of bands who ALMOST made it to Woodstock is pretty awe-inspiring.

• Dylan
• Jethro Tull
• The Doors
• Joni Mitchell
• John & Yoko
• Led Zeppelin
• Iron Butterfly
• Procol Harum
• Chicago
• The Moody Blues
• Jeff Beck Group
• Blind Faith
• The Rolling Stones
• Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention

Not to mention The Beatles, Spirit, Love and Traffic (who made the second one 25 years later)

Outside Santana , how many of the Frisco bands made it out there?

[Scrotum Scissor]

Outside Santana , how many of the Frisco bands made it out there?

Airplane, Dead, CJ & the Fish.

Compared to some displayed and evident standards of today, btw, Yes/Genesis/KC are really sloppy and amateurish, and with a conceited dedication to high art. Ha-ha. "Symphonic" rock my ass, hee-hee. Haw-haw and hoy-hoy.

[Trane]

Airplane, Dead, CJ & the Fish.

Compared to some displayed and evident standards of today, btw, Yes/Genesis/KC are really sloppy and amateurish, and with a conceited dedication to high art. Ha-ha. "Symphonic" rock my ass, hee-hee. Haw-haw and hoy-hoy.

... and Janis and Sly (Family Stone) and CCR (everyone forgets they were from there too) >> most (if not all) of themplayed on the afternoon/evening of Saturday

I knew the answer (though I probably would've forgotten CJ&TF), but I wanted to make a point that Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band, Moby Grape, It's A Beautiful Day, Sons Of Champains didn't make it either

Jerry Garcia was known to suggest that the Dead tended to be "awful" during "important gigs" such as Woodstock or their 1978 trip to Egypt, as if the pressure would just cause them fold on the spot. That might be an exaggeration, but apparently, things were terribly wrong at Woodstock. They were playing in the rain, with a stage that was in danger of collapsing (due to the large screens that were set up for a large projection light show, which acted like sails once the wind started to kick up), several band members were getting electrical shocks off the vocal mics, and Phil Lesh's bass amp was picking up stray radio signals from the police CB's (he said he almost crapped himself laughing at the Air Force base scene in This Is Spinal Tap, because that's pretty much what happened to him at Woodstock). I've never actually heard the tape, but I've been told it's not that great, but it's also not as bad as it's reputation suggests.

It's amazing to see Alvin Lee dancing while playing guitar in puddles on that shitty assembly of boards... They're real lucky nobody got electrocuted.

That kind of DYI is impossible nowadays, especially that the wattage required for such an event has probably gone up by three zeros (x1000)

[Supersonic Scientist]

From what I recall seeing in "some version of the movie" Ten Years After's version of I'm going Home is pretty blistering (if not way too long) & Johnny Winter's performance was pretty damn good too.

Sad that there is no footage of Quill (That I know of)

Can't recall if I remember seeing any footage of Paul Butterfield's Blues Band...

[Scrotum Scissor]

... and Janis and Sly (Family Stone) and CCR (everyone forgets they were from there too) >> most (if not all) of themplayed on the afternoon/evening of Saturday

I knew the answer (though I probably would've forgotten CJ&TF), but I wanted to make a point that Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band, Moby Grape, It's A Beautiful Day, Sons Of Champlin didn't make it either

True. The first bunch you mentioned were somewhat "atypical" SF-bands, though - pretty devoid of the usual longevity improvs etc. As for the other bunch, they were all pretty hot names of the hour, so their absence was noted. Of course, both the Airplane and the Dead sounded quite loose and uninspired at 'Stock. The Dead's performance there was even awful in places. The CJ & the Fish act was solid, though - they had employed Greg Dewey at this point. He was the former drummer of Mad River, and you had to be damn good to get that gig. More folks should hear the final album of theirs (not counting the reunion one from '77), CJ Fish. A really fine record with some great tunes and playing, the latter especially from Dewey.

[ronmac]

I've got to chime in here re a few things. First of all, this festival took place 48 years ago. Not only were mega rock festivals in their infancy, but filming rock concerts was in its infancy. Monterey Pop was the first real big rock festival to be held, and that was in a much smaller venue. Sound systems were archaic in comparison to what would come in the next decade.
Plus, these performances are edited--you aren't getting complete sets.

Re Joan Baez, some of these comments are just naive. Yes, she was a folk singer. If you don't like folk music, you probably won't like her. But to surmise she was out of place at Woodstock is laughable. Baez and Dylan were THE voices of the folk and protest movement of the 1960s. They sang at the famous civil rights rally in Wash DC in 1963 in support of MLK, which drew a massive crowd around the Lincoln Memorial etc. Her outspoken voice was incredibly important in advancing civil rights laws and jump starting the AntiWar movement. And no, she as not a "war hawk"--she was the opposite. Maybe to YOU she seems out of place because you know nothing about her, but she was a music icon already by 1969 and one of the signature voices of the peace and love generation. She also had and has one of the greatest pure voices in music history.

May I suggest keeping these things in mind before you start slagging an entire iconic historical music landmark as well as some of the iconic and legendary artists who played there. No, not everyone was great, not everything worked like clockwork, there was drugs, torrential rains, logistical nightmares etc. But why not try watching the whole Directors Cut first and digesting it before commenting? Watch the bonus features about how it came about. Maybe read up and educate yourself a bit before going in full bore denigration mode. Digest it and understand and appreciate the context of the times in which it took place.

+1

Jimmy Hendrix

Jimi. You'd think, after all these years...

From what I recall seeing in "some version of the movie" Ten Years After's version of I'm going Home is pretty blistering (if not way too long) & Johnny Winter's performance was pretty damn good too.

Sad that there is no footage of Quill (That I know of)

Can't recall if I remember seeing any footage of Paul Butterfield's Blues Band...

Johnny's performance was great, as usual. Although, the footage was not of the best portion. I am pretty sure I have some footage of Butterfield.

Hendrix was the only one who's complete set was scheduled to be filmed. I'm glad they did. It's effing historic and quite excellent. (Oh, and he didn't end it with the SSB as one noted here.) The biggest regret is that they didn't capture the audio of all the players. The percussion, based on reports, added a really cool vibe that was missed. In fact, they actually missed filming part of his set while both cameras were being reloaded at the same time. Luckily, there was a guy at the side of the stage with a newfangled camera filming B&W video who captured it. That actually made it onto the estate's release, which is GREAT. The story is that he recorded the set and was able to show Jimi portions of it after the show.

There were some great performances and some not-so-great ones. In fact, some of the music on the official albums wasn't even from that show. Portions of Mountain's set was one of them.

My biggest problem with the original movie is that the editing blows. All of that footage of the top of Jimi's fro and the keys of his guitar miss all the magic of his fingers.

WRT, CSN&Y, it was their second gig ever. So, I'm happy to give them a pass on flubbing lyrics.

People might be surprised how much of the concert has been subsequently released. There's a majority of it available.

[arabicadabra]

So.... is it possible to get a DVD set of Woodstock that includes Johnny Winter, Mountain, CCR and more Hendrix?

[JJ88]

^The expanded DVD/Blu-ray version which was a 40th anniversary release.

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Wood...elease/5717765

Some of the above are on this, which has been a budget DVD release in the UK. It was a 'companion' of sorts to the original film.

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Wood.../master/685300

Don't get why The Who's performance has never been released- I don't know if all the footage exists but the audio presumably does. The claim that 'it was a bad gig' doesn't hold water with me when they were happy to put out that 1977 Kilburn gig. The Woodstock set is far more historic than that.

[ronmac]

So.... is it possible to get a DVD set of Woodstock that includes Johnny Winter, Mountain, CCR and more Hendrix?

Not the complete performances, except for Hendrix's. It's my understanding that his was the only full set being filmed. CCR had about 15-20 minutes filmed. Johnny Winter was only part of one song. Mountain, maybe only one song. Not quite sure.

I should have been more clear, when I stated that, "People might be surprised how much of the concert has been subsequently released. There's a majority of it available." I was referring to audio only.

[JJ88]

^I think it was Sony who put out the full sets of some of their acts in packages called The Woodstock Experience. Santana, Johnny Winter, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and Sly And The Family Stone are the ones I heard about.

[progeezer]

I've got to chime in here re a few things. First of all, this festival took place 48 years ago. Not only were mega rock festivals in their infancy, but filming rock concerts was in its infancy. Monterey Pop was the first real big rock festival to be held, and that was in a much smaller venue. Sound systems were archaic in comparison to what would come in the next decade.
Plus, these performances are edited--you aren't getting complete sets.

Re Joan Baez, some of these comments are just naive. Yes, she was a folk singer. If you don't like folk music, you probably won't like her. But to surmise she was out of place at Woodstock is laughable. Baez and Dylan were THE voices of the folk and protest movement of the 1960s. They sang at the famous civil rights rally in Wash DC in 1963 in support of MLK, which drew a massive crowd around the Lincoln Memorial etc. Her outspoken voice was incredibly important in advancing civil rights laws and jump starting the AntiWar movement. And no, she as not a "war hawk"--she was the opposite. Maybe to YOU she seems out of place because you know nothing about her, but she was a music icon already by 1969 and one of the signature voices of the peace and love generation. She also had and has one of the greatest pure voices in music history.

May I suggest keeping these things in mind before you start slagging an entire iconic historical music landmark as well as some of the iconic and legendary artists who played there. No, not everyone was great, not everything worked like clockwork, there was drugs, torrential rains, logistical nightmares etc. But why not try watching the whole Directors Cut first and digesting it before commenting? Watch the bonus features about how it came about. Maybe read up and educate yourself a bit before going in full bore denigration mode. Digest it and understand and appreciate the context of the times in which it took place.

Wow!

[rcarlberg]

Not to mention The Beatles

Although it was mentioned (by John), I don't think there was ever really a chance they would perform. They'd stopped touring three years earlier, and John quit the band a month later.

[Halmyre]

A lot of it was. Woodstock has a big reputation but most(?) of the performances are pretty crap. IMO

Santana, John Sebastian, Richie Havens, Sha Na Na & a few others redeemed themselves well I thought.

The list of bands who ALMOST made it to Woodstock is pretty awe-inspiring.

• Dylan
• Jethro Tull
• The Doors
• Joni Mitchell
• John & Yoko
• Led Zeppelin
• Iron Butterfly
• Procol Harum
• Chicago
• The Moody Blues
• Jeff Beck Group
• Blind Faith
• The Rolling Stones
• Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention

I wonder how many of them never knew they'd been asked, with their managers or agents simply turning the organisers down flat. I'm sure I've heard it of at least one act, besides Joni Mitchell.

[arturs]

Re Joan Baez, some of these comments are just naive. Yes, she was a folk singer. If you don't like folk music, you probably won't like her. But to surmise she was out of place at Woodstock is laughable.

I think you completely missed my point about Baez. No one is denying her iconic status. But, based on the director's cut, she was totally out of place, at Woodstock, in 1969. The crowd reaction is minimal, and her stage banter was awkward. She was just of a different time.

[SteveSly]

I wonder how many of them never knew they'd been asked, with their managers or agents simply turning the organisers down flat. I'm sure I've heard it of at least one act, besides Joni Mitchell.

Here is an article on some of them from the Ultimate Classic Rock website: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/woods...ho-didnt-play/

[moecurlythanu]

I think you completely missed my point about Baez. No one is denying her iconic status. But, based on the director's cut, she was totally out of place, at Woodstock, in 1969. The crowd reaction is minimal, and her stage banter was awkward. She was just of a different time.

That's a bizarre take. She was firmly "in" with the Counterculture and the Anti-War Movement, and as such right in the Woodstock wheelhouse.

[mozo-pg]

I think you completely missed my point about Baez. No one is denying her iconic status. But, based on the director's cut, she was totally out of place, at Woodstock, in 1969. The crowd reaction is minimal, and her stage banter was awkward. She was just of a different time.

I think it's you totally and completely missed the point. DocProgger's post was so well articulated.

[arturs]

That's a bizarre take. She was firmly "in" with the Counterculture and the Anti-War Movement, and as such right in the Woodstock wheelhouse.

Ideologically, yes, Joan Baez was very much in line with the Woodstock culture. But her lingo, mannerisms, music style, were all past their shelf life by 1969. Every time I've watched the directors cut, that has jumped out at me.

[ronmac]

Although it was mentioned (by John), I don't think there was ever really a chance they would perform. They'd stopped touring three years earlier, and John quit the band a month later.

I'm glad you picked up on that comment, which I missed.

John said a lot in interviews that wasn't quite true. One had to take his comments with a grain of salt in those days. He was quite bitter.

Yes, they were falling apart as a band by then. There was NEVER any talk of them performing, aside from rumors, just like the ones during Monterey Pop. For those who don't know the history, John did not formally quit a month later. He did inform the others that he was leaving. But, it was Paul who finally publicly quit and announced it to the world in April of 1970.

[arturs]

I think it's you totally and completely missed the point. DocProgger's post was so well articulated.

I'm just responding to Doc's comments about Joan Baez very directly. He can respond to me if he feels strongly about it; he knows for sure what he meant, not you not me. As for your unsolicited opinion, I don't give a shit.

[ronmac]

Ideologically, yes, Joan Baez was very much in line with the Woodstock culture. But her lingo, mannerisms, music style, were all past their shelf life by 1969. Every time I've watched the directors cut, that has jumped out at me.

I'll have to disagree with that. She was entirely relevant at that time.

[ronmac]

If anyone was out of place, it was Sha Na Na. I would also argue that Blood, Sweat and Tears was, too.

[mozo-pg]

I'm just responding to Doc's comments about Joan Baez very directly. He can respond to me if he feels strongly about it; he knows for sure what he meant, not you not me. As for your unsolicited opinion, I don't give a shit.

If you didn't give a shit, why did you bother to reply. Makes absolutely no sense. As for unsolicited, it's a open forum and I'll comment when I want to comment.

[mogrooves]

By the time we got to Woodstock, on Saturday, Keef Hartley was on. By virtue of our proximity to the stage--until Sunday afternoon--the music was decidedly secondary to "being there." Yes, there were sketchy performances, but under the circumstances, not surprising.

Woodstock was the third festival I attended that summer, the other two being the Laurel Pop Festival in Maryland and the Atlantic City Pop Festival in NJ, both held at racetracks. Good times....

[progmatist]

The best was Joni Mitchell. Her manager had set her up with an appearance on the Dick Cavett Show that Monday, and said that the TV show was "more important than the festival", so she was advised to not go down to Bethel, lest she should be stranded and couldn't get back to NYC in time for the taping. If you watch the program, it was actually her, the Airplane, and I think CSN (I don't think Y is involved here). Apparently, Jimi was supposed to be on the show too, but he didn't show up (he might have been still onstage), Cavett makes a couple jokes at Jimi's expense about it.

But if CSN and Jefferson Airplane could do both, I suspect Joni probably could have pulled off. But like I said, maybe it was already known how much of a debacle the festival site had turned into, and her manager, not realizing how "important" Woodstock was gonna turn out to be, pop culture wise, gave her what ended up being bad advice.

Didn't stop her from writing the song Woodstock, though.

It was a last minute decision for Joni to sit out Woodstock. It was made only after it turned into the zoo that it was. The huge crowds were totally unexpected, and the decision to make it a "free" concert was also last minute.

Neil Young did perform with CSN. He only sat out the portions which were being filmed because he didn't want to appear on film.