24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ultimate edition? Definitely not!!, June 23, 2010
At first sight and after reading the press release I was disappointed with this commemorative box set. On a second thought when I bought the DVD I changed my mind but I still think that the ultimate release of the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair is yet to be done, period.
Woodstock Music and Arts Fair (1969) along with Monterey Pop Festival (1967), Atlanta Pop Festival (1970), and Isle of Wight (1970) are the only festivals of the sixties and early seventies that were properly recorded both on audio and video formats. Nevertheless it has been more recently that parts of the recorded material has been released after being stored for almost 40 years, while another bunch still remains unreleased.
Woodstock is not only one of the best known festivals of all the times, but it is also the most complete testify of the summer of 1969 festivals in USA: Newport 69 (June 20 - 22), Newport Jazz Festival (July 3 - 6), Newport Folk Festival (July 16 - 20,), Atlanta International Pop Festival (August 1 - 3), and Texas International Pop Festival (August 30 - September 1). Almost all the music performed at Woodstock was carefully recorded (hello Eddie Kramer) and filmed (when rain and humidity allowed to), something that didn't happen with the other 1969 festivals (maybe "Got no Shoes Got no Blues" film for the Texas Festival but this one is of an inferior quality).
I have reviewed previous re-releases of this film and its soundtrack and most of my comments refers to the music, the missing artists, the wrong order of featuring (with no indication of which day actually is) and cut short performances. I do understand the amazing work done over the film and it really deserves the prizes and recognitions won over the past, but I think it's time to go a step ahead and dust off the unique material stored for 40 years (D. A. Pennebaker did something about it with the Woodstock Diary DVD set).
I think it's really a shame that Warner Home Video had lost the chance to do a DEFINITIVE edition of the festival. It should have been a fantastic opportunity to have included long forgotten artists and to expand even more those already known performances, even though there is a large quantity of officially filmed material that still remains unreleased and it has only been partially available as bootleg videos. By the way you need more than a source to get all the video music available (Woodstock Film in all its incarnations including this box set, Woodstock Diary, Woodstock Lost Performances).
There are artists not included in any of the releases of the festival: Sweetwater, Quill (just seconds of film on Woodstock Diary), Incredible String Band (same quote as for Quill), Ravi Shankar (same quote as for Quill) and Keef Hartley Band.
Also there are artists with very well known extra material officially filmed not included in this box set: Richie Havens (3 extra songs, 2 of which are in Lost Performances), Country Joe (complete performance), John Sebastian (1 song), Swami Satchidananda speech, Arlo Guthrie (2 songs), Blood Sweat and Tears (4 songs one of which is available on Lost Performances), Janis Joplin, Credence Clearwater Revival (2 extra songs), Grateful Dead, The Who (the band has included various portions of their performance on The Kids are Alright DVD), Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1 song), Crosby Stills Nash & Young (at least 1 song with Young actually performing). These performances are one of a kind and the best recorded examples of the 1969 summer festivals in USA
The Box Set:
- Bonus Disc: Some of these performances are already released items. Jimi's Spanish Castle Magic is on the complete set of his performance. Canned Heat performing Woodstock Boogie is available on others DVD of Woodstock, but the main thing is that is totally abridge to less than a third from the the total time. The Who's Sparks is available on the Kids are Alright DVD.
The Who's full performance MUST be fully recorded and filmed but I think Mr. Townshend has not approved the release (see next comment). The Ox and Keith have passed away so what a great tribute should be an official release of their performance. I have asked The Who official site about it but no news about it. The featurettes are really interest but too brief in my opinion since they are from the people that actually made the festival.
-Woodstock: Untold Stories: All performances are amazing and worth to be seen, most of them are unreleased (40 years on the shelves!!) and a "must-have" to anyone interested in rock / blues music. Joan Baez is great but I missed the songs available on Woodstock Diary. Country Joe is fully filmed and same quality (I got the video!). Santana looks great and sounds incredible (I can't believe that only two numbers were filmed, I think the whole set is filmed as it is the soundtrack). Canned Heat is pretty well covered since Going Up the Country is included on Lost Performances (a terrible quality image indeed) and Woodstock Boogie is the only number still unreleased in its full length. Mountain's "Southbound Train" is finally complete (edited version on Woodstock Diary). The Deads number is really an invaluable example of a 60's live performance of the band (All the boys are here, Pigpen, Jerry, Bobby, Billy, TC, Phil and Micky). Creedence is fine and resurfaces in all its form.
The Who performance is a different matter since their portion shown on film has been always too abridged (on Woodstock Diary was added "My Generation"). They performed TOMMY!! and also Heaven or Hell. At least "We are not gonna take it" is finally included as during a long time its name was used for "Summertime Blues".
J Airplane looks fantastic (Oh! that's Nicky Hopkins on Piano). J Cocker appears singing the same song performed the day before by Blood Sweat & Tears. Johnny Winter number is edited as it is shown on Woodstock Diary (drum beat and guitar slide introduction are missing - the song lasts actually 8+ minutes), Paul Butterfield is excellent.
A special mention to The Who. They were one of the few British acts at Woodstock and Chip Monk introduction is very unusual and amazingly polite (Ladies and gentlemen please warmly show your appreciation for a band that came especially for this festival... a warmly welcome for The Who). Once again I think their whole performance is filmed and recorded (just take a look at "The Kids are alright DVD"). By the way there is a well known unreleased video (with time counter) of their set taken from the stage right camera that actually shows a handful of additional numbers, even Pete kicking the cameramen on stage and the seconds after the Abbie Hoffman incident (this same source was used for the additional Hendrix material included in the definitive edition of his performance).
About the interviews they are very interesting for those people that are really into the history of the festival and all the 60's events. Great stories about filming, setting the Eclairs and getting the proper lights on the stage. I missed some people that must be in any Woodstock related project: John Roberts, Joel Rosenman (the pair that actually put the money), Arthur "Artie" Kornfeld, and John Morris.
In all I recommend this box mainly for the extra material included which is really fabulous.
Please note that Sony is currently releasing the complete sets on CD performed at Woodstock by J Winter, Santana, J Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone and Janis. Rhino is about to release a mamooth like compilation of chronological assembled set of performances including more than 30 previously unreleased material.
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