I've owned the Woodstock O.S.T. for ages, but it's not an album I return to very often, since these performances are rarely the definitive versions of the songs in question. Still, it's an essential piece of any serious rock collection. Watching the performances on video is, of course, a different matter altogether. A few days ago, I stumbled upon this compilation in the bargain bin at my neighborhood record store and decided to add it to my collection as well. This 3-CD set features selections from the mother of all Woodstock reissues: Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive; a mammoth — nay, brontosaurus-sized — Grammy-winning, 38-CD box set containing the complete recordings of the music performed at the legendary Woodstock festival, August 15–18, 1969, presented in performance order. The set employs state-of-the-art audio restoration techniques to breathe new life into the original recordings, while stripping away later fixes and overdubs intended to correct performance and recording mishaps, often at the expense of authenticity and sonic fidelity. Since few of us can afford the full monty — the median sale price on Discogs tops $2000 — more compact 10-CD and 3-CD/5-LP editions were released alongside the complete set. So, time to unbox my recent purchase, see what the compilers have chosen to include, and find out how it stacks up against my old vinyl Woodstock O.S.T.
First off, The 50th Anniversary Collection contains 42 tracks, 30 of which are songs, the remainder being stage announcements and spoken interludes. Sound issues aside, its main selling point is the inclusion of performances by some—but not all—of the artists who appeared at the festival but declined to be filmed and were consequently left off the original movie soundtrack. Among them are Janis Joplin, The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. The tracks are arranged in chronological order. The tracks are arranged in chronological order. According to eyewitness accounts, festival opener Richie Havens played for hours because technical problems delayed the arrival of the artists scheduled to follow him. The CD opens with his signature tune, “Handsome Johnny,” which I remember from the movie but which was left off the original OST. It is followed by his set closer “Freedom (Motherless Child)”, which Havens famously improvised on the spot after running out of songs in his repertoire. We continue with acoustic folk from Tim Hardin (“Reason to Believe”, not included in the OST), Arlo -son-of-Woody- Guthrie (“Coming Into Los Angeles”), and a duet by Joan Baez and the virtually unknown Jeffrey Shurtleff (“Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man”). So far, so good—but what kind of rock festival is this, anyway? It's all acoustic folk!
The only "rock" band to perform on the first day was Sweetwater, a group now all but forgotten, whose performance was omitted from both the film and this collection. Day Two proceedings kick off with Country Joe McDonald delivering his anti-war message through the satirical “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag.” This is one of those rare cases in which the Woodstock performance became the definitive version of a song. Country Joe gets the audience involved in his now-legendary call-and-response routine: “Gimme an F! Gimme a U! Gimme a C! Gimme a K! What's that spell?” He gets an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people shouting “Fuck!” in unison, again and again, before launching into his musical fuck-you to the political and military establishment. Santana go out next, and their apearence here is a historic moment: having released their debut less than 2 weeks prior to the festival, the band was virtually unknown outside of the Bay Area but their explosive mix of Latin Rock sweeps the vast crowd off their feet. Of the two tracks ("Jingo" and "Soul Sacrifice") only the second is included in the OST. John Sebastian was not scheduled to appear in the festival, but he entertained the spectators during a long break, with a solo acoustic performance. A version of his former band's “Darling Be Home Soon” is included in the 50th Anniversary Collection. Canned Heat follow with an electrifying blues rock set. We get "Going Up the Country" and an elongated version of "On the Road Again", of which only the former apears in the OST. Disc two opens with a marathon 20-minute workout by The Grateful Dead ("Dark Star"), followed by two tracks by Creedence Clearwater Revival. John Fogerty was unsatisfied by his performance and initially denied the inclusion of his songs in the movie and soundtrack. Listening to “Bad Moon Rising” and “I Put a Spell on You”, it's difficult to see what irked him so much. Santana are up next, and their appearance is a historic moment. Having released their debut album less than two weeks before the festival, the band were virtually unknown outside the Bay Area. Woodstock changed all that: their explosive fusion of Latin rhythms and rock makes a powerful impression on the vast crowd. Of the two tracks featured here, “Jingo” and “Soul Sacrifice,” only the latter made it onto the original movie O.S.T. John Sebastian wasn't scheduled to perform at Woodstock, but he stepped in to entertain the crowd during a lengthy break, delivering a solo acoustic set.
The 50th Anniversary Collection includes his rendition of “Darling Be Home Soon,” a song originally recorded by his former band, the Lovin' Spoonful. Canned Heat follow with an electrifying set of blues-rock. We get “Going Up the Country” and an extended workout on “On the Road Again,” although only the former was included on the original O.S.T. Disc Two opens with a marathon, 20-minute rendition of “Dark Star” by the Grateful Dead, followed by two tracks from Creedence Clearwater Revival. John Fogerty was so dissatisfied with the band's performance that he initially refused to allow their songs to be included in the film and soundtrack. Listening to “Bad Moon Rising” and “I Put a Spell on You,” it's hard to see what bothered him so much. Janis Joplin's performance was likewise considered subpar by her own standards at the time. The story goes that she was too drunk and exhausted after a ten-hour wait to deliver her best, finally taking the stage after 2 a.m. But listening to this set, I'd say that's a misconception: her singing is soulful and powerful, and the Kozmic Blues Band provides equally impressive backing. I guess even on her off night, Joplin was head and shoulders above 99.9% of the competition. Speaking of soul, here come Sly And The Family Stone delivering a high energy soul rock meddley “Dance to the Music / Music Lover / I Want to Take You Higher” driving the crowd into a frenzy, singing and dancing along with the band. Many consider their set to be the absolute highlight of the entire festival. The Who hated just about everything about the Woodstock experience, but they were at the peak of their powers at the time, and it shows. As they played the “See Me, Feel Me” section of "We're Not Gonna Take It" from Tommy, the sun rose over the festival grounds, creating a magical moment captured on film and preserved on both albums presented here. They brought their set to a suitably destructive close by smashing their instruments during “My Generation,” a performance included in the 50th Anniversary Collection. Jefferson Airplane were the last band scheduled to play on Saturday night, but by the time they took the stage, it was already Sunday morning. Their set was ragged, with lengthy psychedelic jams, and Grace Slick was not in the best of vocal form, although her stage presence remained as electrifying as ever. Nevertheless, the two tracks featured here, “Somebody to Love” and “Volunteers,” are both concise and energetic. Then-unknown Joe Cocker kicks off the festival's third day proper. His rendition of the Beatles' “With a Little Help from My Friends” is one of the film's highlights and an indispensable inclusion on both albums under review. Ten Years After's Alvin Lee delivers a masterclass in speed and dexterity with his guitar work on “I'm Going Home.” Both tracks appear on both albums, but the next two are exclusive to the 50th Anniversary Collection: The Band's “The Weight” and Blood, Sweat & Tears' fine jazz-soul take on “Spinning Wheel”. Crosby, Stills & Nash take the stage in the early hours of Monday morning. It's only their second live performance together, and Stephen Stills admits they're “scared shitless.” Their harmonies shine on the acoustic “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” but the electric portion of the set is even more impressive, with Neil Young joining them for “Sea of Madness” and “Wooden Ships”. The Butterfield Blues Band's “Love March” is an extended, horn-driven jam, while the album closes with Sha Na Na's rockabilly revival of “At the Hop.” And yes, you read that right: no Jimi Hendrix, no “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The most iconic moment of the Woodstock film is inexplicably missing.
***** for The "Fish" Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag (Country Joe McDonald), Jingo (Santana)
**** for Handsome Johnny (Richie Havens), Coming Into Los Angeles (Arlo Guthrie), Soul Sacrifice (Santana), Going Up The Country (Canned Heat), Dark Star (The Grateful Dead), Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival), I Put A Spell On You (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Kozmic Blues (Janis Joplin), Piece Of My Heart (Janis Joplin), Dance To The Music/ I Want To Take You Higher (Sly & The Family Stone), We're Not Gonna Take It (The Who), Somebody To Love (Jefferson Airplane), With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker), I'm Going Home (Ten Years After), Spinning Wheel (Blood, Sweat And Tears), Sea Of Madness (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Wooden Ships (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
*** for Freedom (Richie Havens), Reason To Believe (Tim Hardin), Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man (Joan Baez With Jeffrey Shurtleff), Darling Be Home Soon (John Sebastian), On The Road Again (Canned Heat), My Generation (The Who), Volunteers (Jefferson Airplane), The Weight (The Band), Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Love March (The Paul Butterfield Blues Band), At The Hop (Sha Na Na)
As mentioned earlier, the original Woodstock O.S.T. has reportedly undergone a number of alterations, most notably the replacement of “Sea of Madness” with an entirely different live performance. The Sly and the Family Stone medley is considerably shortened, while other tracks, including those by Arlo Guthrie and Joe Cocker, feature overdubs. None of this is necessarily a bad thing; soundtrack albums often differ from what we hear in the film itself. The original O.S.T. remains a terrific listen, even if it doesn't always faithfully document how the performances actually sounded at Woodstock. It is also secquenced for better flow rather than chronologically. About three quarters of the album is repeated from the 50th Anniversary Collection. There are, nevertheless, some tracks not included on it. These include two songs by John Sebastian "I Had a Dream" and "Rainbows All Over Your Blues". From Country Joe & The Fish we get the funky "Rock And Soul Music" (the band played on the 3rd day, while their singer played a solo set on the 2nd) while Joan Baez's protest folk "Joe Hill" is another showcase for the clear crystal of her voice. Which brings us to the festival's stunning finale: Jimi Hendrix was scheduled to close the proceedings on Sunday night, but delays pushed his performance into Monday morning. By the time he finally took the stage, around 9 a.m. on August 18, much of the crowd had already left. Backed by his newly formed band, Gypsy Sun & Rainbows, Hendrix delivered a two-hour set that culminated in his now-iconic rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” — a cultural milestone that reclaimed the national anthem for the freaks and hippies. The collection itself closes with a noisy, distorted rendition of “Purple Haze”. Both albums include spoken-word excerpts that are essential to conveying the atmosphere of the festival. In this respect, I'd give the edge to the movie OST, despite its numerous and significant omissions. In purely musical terms, however, Back to the Garden: 50th Anniversary Collection had been coming out on top—until its baffling omission of Jimi Hendrix's set. Leaving out the festival's most iconic performance is a serious misstep. I can't, in all honesty, recommend it. Get the movie OST, it is the classic Woodstock experience. Or, if you can afford it, the more expansive 10-CD edition.
***** for The 'Fish' Cheer (Country Joe McDonald), Star Spangled Banner (Jimi Hendrix)
**** for I Had A Dream (John B. Sebastian), Freedom (Richie Havens), Rock & Soul Music (Country Joe & The Fish), Coming Into Los Angeles (Arlo Guthrie), Sea Of Madness (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Wooden Ships (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), We're Not Gonna Take It (The Who), With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker), Soul Sacrifice (Santana), I'm Going Home (Ten Years After, Medley: Dance To The Music/Music Lover/I Want To Take You Higher (Sly & The Family Stone), Purple Haze & Instrumental Solo (Jimi Hendrix)
*** for Going Up The Country (Canned Heat), At The Hop (Sha-Na-Na), Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man (Joan Baez), Joe Hill (Joan Baez), Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills & Nash), Volunteers (Jefferson Airplane), Rainbows All Over Your Blues (John B Sebastian), Love March (The Butterfield Blues Band)
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