Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 [Paperback]

Bob Spitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1989

The story of the creation of the Woodstock music festival was more complicated than the magical, peaceful portrait visitors recieved. Woodstock was as replete with scandal, graft, and corruption as it was with fellowship and high ideals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 515 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc (August 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393306445
• ISBN-13: 978-0393306446
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,149,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of all the books on Woodstock, August 26, 2005

By 

Mitchell Tingiris - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 (Paperback)

I have read EVERY book I could find on Woodstock and where this one gets set apart from all the others is in how it is told. This telling of Woodstock draws you into it and makes you feel like you are in the room planning it all with the promoters and at the event itself. Where the others read like a resume this book tells a STORY. It's not 15 individual chapters, each one told by a different person. If you are going to read just one book on Woodstock... read this one, you won't regret it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent commentary on an event that defined a generation., November 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 (Hardcover)

For anyone who wants to know the backstage scoop on one of the most remembered (or thought to be remembered) events in rock history, this is the book to read. This book includes the info you don't get from the movie. Of course, you have to wonder if anyone really knows what happened for those three days.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Most detailed telling of Woodstock Music Festival Ever, December 17, 2001

By 

Marty (ed) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 (Paperback)

Simply put, if it involved Woodstock, this book has a record of it.

As the festival started as the brainchild of two hippie investors and later two "yuppie" investors, Woodstock became the festival that would define a generation. The festival touched millions of people's lives. The book Barefoot in Babylon is the factual account of exactly how everything fell into place. The story starts at the first site of the concert, Woodstock, NY. Woodstock was eventually forced out of town due to farmers' concerns over their crops. WIth time running out and little room to move, the investors managed to find ample ground on Max Yasgur's farm, twenty miles from Woodstock in the town of Bethel.

However, this is not the only problem Woodstock faced. Whether it was droughts, food shortages, or even lack of performers, Woodstock certainly had its downs. Jimi Hendrix was not even sure if he was going to play until the third day of the concert had even started.

Overall, this book is very well written, yet exhausting with details. Any fan of the music of the 1960's should at least give it a try.