Woodstock

Performer: Original Soundtrack/Various Artists
Artist: Jeffrey Shurtleff
Engineer: Edwin H. Kramer; Lee Osborne; Tom Flye
Producer: Eric Blackstead
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Audio Mixers: Stan Agoi; Erol Blacstead; Dave Regno; Jack Hunt. Audio Remasterer: Dave Schultz. Officially it was "Music from the Original Soundtrack [of Michael Wadleigh's documentary feature film Woodstock] And More," but the triple-LP (later double-CD) Woodstock was really rock's first "coffee table" album. Bought by millions but not really listened to that often, it's amid a flood of wrong notes and the inherent flaws in recording live in front of hundreds of thousands of people in a temporary, makeshift venue. It was more satisfying for journalists and scholars than for ordinary listeners, what with its artists represented by one or two tracks and no more than 15 minutes of music by any single performer. But it did sell in the millions (and yielded a follow-up, Woodstock 2), fueled by the mystique surrounding the event and the release of the accompanying movie, and at times it did have a certain amount of energy to help drive it. There were some telling moments: the second-ever public appearance by Crosby, Stills & Nash, not in great voice but surprisingly adequate given that they were trying to harmonize in front of 250,000 people, and the introduction of Neil Young as the fourth member of the group; Joan Baez, at her most politically defiant and at the height of her reach with younger audiences, doing what is probably the definitive version of Gram Parsons' "Drugstore Truck Driving Man"; Canned Heat near the end of the road for its classic lineup; Joe Cocker on his way up the superstar ladder; Jefferson Airplane near the end of its classic era; and Jimi Hendrix in one of his biographically (if not musically) transcendant public appearances. The original, domestic triple-LP vinyl version had notoriously noisy pressings, and the original master suffered from all of the sound leakages and other defects inherent in recording live in the open air in front of several hundred thousand people. The Mobile Fidelity triple-CD version, combining Woodstock and Woodstock 2, was probably the best version of that version of Woodstock. In 1995, the Woodstock: Three Days of Peace & Music [25th Anniversary] four-CD box appeared, combining virtually all the key parts of both sets remastered from original analog source tapes using the latest technology, plus previously unissued songs by Janis Joplin, Tim Hardin, and others. A little earlier and less visibly, the Woodstock two-CD set reappeared in August 1994 in a narrow, double jewel-case package, also remastered from the best tape sources. The latter version is a serious choice for those unwilling to buy the box (or who want CSNY's "Wooden Ships," which didn't make it onto the four-disc set), recapturing the original release's mystique and also getting listeners up close and personal with most of the music, crunchy electric guitars everywhere and a sound so tight you can almost hear the action on Spencer Dryden's drum kit during the Airplane's "Volunteers." Richie Havens' "Freedom" (which is really a rewrite of "Motherless Child") and Arlo Guthrie's "Comin' Into Los Angeles" give listeners about the same level of intimacy on their acoustic guitars. And listening to CSNY's "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," while it might not be the group's best harmonizing or tightest performance, Stephen Stills does one hell of a great job and offers a sample of what he'd deliver on his stunning first solo album a little down the road. ~ Bruce Eder

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