Los Angels, CA (Top40 Charts/ Rhino Records) - Much has been written about the significance of the Woodstock
Music & Art Fair as a cultural event. Ironically, what has been least examined up to now is the very thing that brought nearly half a million together in 1969: the music itself. As the historic festival marks its 40-year anniversary, Rhino presents WOODSTOCK - 40 YEARS ON: BACK TO YASGUR'S FARM, a 77-song, six-CD boxed set that features the most comprehensive collection ever available of artists that performed at the original festival, sequenced in chronological order of performance, featuring 38 previously unreleased recordings, including the Grateful Dead, The Who, Tim Hardin, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe & The Fish, and others.
To assemble the most comprehensive document of the myth-steeped weekend, the boxed set's co-producer Andy Zax pored over every inch of multitrack tape in search of the strongest parts of each of the 33 sets. "The way we approached all of the material was as if it was a cinema verite documentary - the raw record of the event," Zax says. In addition to the music, the set offers considerable amount of ancillary material sprinkled throughout the discs - stage announcements, lysergic babble, the sounds of rain, a cameo appearance by Abbie Hoffman, and the graciousness of Max Yasgur's address to the crowd, heard for the first time in its entirety.
Another significant byproduct of the WOODSTOCK - 40 YEARS ON: BACK TO YASGUR'S FARM boxed set is that, by virtue of its size and rigorously chronological sequence, it gets closer to a sense of the performances as they occurred in real time than any previous compilation. For the first time, the complete and accurate set lists will be available in the boxed set's booklet. Some Woodstock aficionados will be taken aback by the actual order of the performances; it differs from both various written accounts and from Michael Wadleigh's film Woodstock, which takes certain liberties with chronology in order to maintain its narrative flow.
In addition to the Woodstock boxed set, Rhino will also reissue the long out-of-print MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK AND MORE: WOODSTOCK and WOODSTOCK TWO on June 2, simultaneously with Warner Home Video's reissue of the documentary film Woodstock. Originally released in 1970 as a triple-LP, MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK AND MORE: WOODSTOCK topped Billboard's Pop album chart for four weeks, and was a Top 20 R&B album as well.
Following the chart-topping, multiplatinum success of the original soundtrack, 1971's WOODSTOCK TWO served up even more peace and music. Originally released as a double-LP, it expands the listening experience with 16 additional performances. Each set was remastered from the original analog soundboard tapes from the historic 1969 concert, and the release features rare photos and new liner notes.
WOODSTOCK - 40 YEARS ON: BACK TO YASGUR'S FARM BOXED SET
Track Listing
Disc 1
1. "Handsome Johnny" - Richie Havens
2. "Freedom (Motherless Child)" - Richie Havens
3. "Choppity Choppity" - John Morris
4. "Look Out" - Sweetwater
5. "Two Worlds" - Sweetwater *
6. "Jennifer" - Bert Sommer *
7. "And When It's Over" - Bert Sommer *
8. "Smile" - Bert Sommer *
9. "There Goes Marilyn!" - John Morris
10. "Hang On To A Dream" - Tim Hardin *
11. "Simple Song Of Freedom" - Tim Hardin *
12. "Flat Blue Acid" - John Morris
13. "Raga Puriya-Dhanashri/Gat In Sawarital" - Ravi Shankar *
14. "Momma Momma" - Melanie *
15. "Beautiful People" - Melanie
16. "Birthday Of The Sun" - Melanie
17. "Coming Into Los Angeles" - Arlo Guthrie ***
18. "Wheel Of Fortune" - Arlo Guthrie *
19. "Every Hand In The Land" - Arlo Guthrie *
20. "All You Funny People" - John Morris
Disc 2
1. "Joe Hill" - Joan Baez
2. "Sweet Sir Galahad"- Joan Baez
3. "Hickory Wind" - Joan Baez *
4. "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" - Joan Baez w/Jeffrey Shurtleff
5. "Bring Scully His Asthma Pills" - John Morris
6. "Insulin" & Quill Intro - John Morris
7. "They Live The Life" - Quill *
8. "That's How I Eat" - Quill *
9. "I Understand Your Wife Is Having A Baby" - Chip Monck
10. "Donovan's Reef" - Country Joe McDonald *
11. "The 'Fish' Cheer"/"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" - Country Joe McDonald
12. "Persuasion" - Santana
13. "Soul Sacrifice" - Santana
14. "How Have You Been" - John B. Sebastian
15. "Rainbows All Over Your Blues" - John B. Sebastian
16. "I Had A Dream" - John B. Sebastian
17. "The Letter" - Incredible String Band *
18. "When You Find Out Who You Are" - Incredible String Band *
19. "She Is Lost" - Chip Monck
Disc 3
1. "We're In Pretty Good Shape" - Chip Monck
2. "Going Up The Country" - Canned Heat
3. "Woodstock Boogie" - Canned Heat **
4. "The Brown Acid Is Not Specifically Too Good" - Chip Monck
5. "Blood Of The Sun" - Mountain ***
6. "Theme For An Imaginary Western" - Mountain ***
7. "For Yasgur's Farm" - Mountain *
8. "For Those Of You Who Have Partaken Of The Green Acid" - Chip Monck
9. "Green Acid Advice" - Jerry Garcia & Country Joe McDonald
10. "Dark Star" - Grateful Dead *
11. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
12. "Bad Moon Rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival *
13. "I Put A Spell On You" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Disc 4
1. "Work Me, Lord" - Janis Joplin
2. "Ball And Chain" - Janis Joplin
3. Medley: "Dance To The Music"/"Music Lover"/"I Want To Take You Higher" - Sly & The Family Stone
4. "The Politics Of The Situation" - Abbie Hoffman
5. "Amazing Journey" - The Who *
6. "Pinball Wizard" - The Who *
7. Abbie Hoffman vs. Pete Townshend
8. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - The Who **
9. "The Other Side Of This Life" - Jefferson Airplane *
10. "Somebody To Love" - Jefferson Airplane
11. "Won't You Try"/ "Saturday Afternoon" - Jefferson Airplane
12. "We Got A Whole Lot Of Orange" - Grace Slick
13. "Volunteers" - Jefferson Airplane
14. "Breakfast In Bed For 400,000" - Wavy Gravy
15. "It Just Keeps Goin'" - John Morris
16. Max Yasgur Speaks
Disc 5
1. "Feelin' Alright" - Joe Cocker *
2. "Let's Go Get Stoned" - Joe Cocker
3. "With A Little Help From My Friends" - Joe Cocker
4. The Rainstorm
5. "Rock & Soul Music" - Country Joe & The Fish
6. "Love" - Country Joe & The Fish *
7. "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" - Country Joe & The Fish *
8. "Summer Dresses" - Country Joe & The Fish *
9. "Silver and Gold" - Country Joe & The Fish *
10. "Rock & Soul Music" (Reprise) - Country Joe & The Fish *
11. "Leland Mississippi Blues" - Johnny Winter *
12. "Mean Town Blues" - Johnny Winter
13. "You've Made Me So Very Happy" - Blood Sweat & Tears *
Disc 6
1. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" - Crosby Stills & Nash
2. "Guinnevere" - Crosby Stills & Nash
3. "Marrakesh Express" - Crosby Stills & Nash
4. "4 + 20" - Crosby Stills & Nash
5. "Sea Of Madness" - Crosby Stills Nash & Young
6. "Wooden Ships" - Crosby Stills Nash & Young
7. "No Amount Of Loving" - The Butterfield Blues Band *
8. "Love March" - The Butterfield Blues Band
9. "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" - The Butterfield Blues Band
10. "Get A Job" - Sha Na Na *
11. "At The Hop" - Sha Na Na
12. "Get A Job" (Reprise) - Sha Na Na *
13. "The Star Spangled Banner" - Jimi Hendrix
"Purple Haze" - Jimi Hendrix
"Woodstock Improvisation" - Jimi Hendrix
14. "Woodstock Farewell" - Chip Monck
(*) Previously Unissued = never before released
(**) Previously Unissued Full-Length Version = previously released on a Woodstock title in edited form.
(***) Previously Unissued Woodstock Recording = presenting the actual Woodstock performances here for the first time.
