Customer Reviews

Woodstock Diary 1969: Friday Saturday Sunday

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Woodstock Diary 1969 is kind of like the movie Woodstock. But it has a lot of missing performances that were not included in that wonderful flick. Unlike the movie, this film follows the acts closer to the order of how they actually appeared on stage, and is broken up into the three days that Woodstock ran in 1969 - Friday, August 15, Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17 (actually, by the time Jimi Hendrix closed out the show, it was mid morning on Monday, August 18). The only bummer with this DVD is that they actually run closing credits after each day ends and then re-run the film's opening credits for each new day, which is a total waste of time, to say the least.

Other than the opening 10 minutes or so of Woodstock Diary 1969 (which explains how the event was put together) and throughout its entire run includes some current day comments from the organizers, the rest of this film is mainly all performances. Yes, they do show a lot of the crowd, and some of the shots are the same that we saw in Woodstock. But the main thing the viewer gets to enjoy here is the music, and again, mostly performances of songs not seen before. The only repeats from the movie Woodstock are: One song from Richie Havens' opening act, "Freedom". But we also see him doing "I Can't Make It Anynmore", which wasn't shown before. Country Joe McDonald, who followed Havens, only played one song, "Fixin' to Die Rag", and that is also shown again here. Country Joe wasn't suppose to play solo, and his band The Fish was not scheduled to play till Sunday. He was just up there to fill time since the acts that should had been playing were stuck in traffic (Richie Havens, who opened Woodstock, had to do so for the same reason, as he wasn't suppose to go on until later Friday night).

Other repeated songs already shown in the movie Woodstock came from Santana, Ten Years After, and one part of Jimi Hendrix's performance. Only difference this time around for these repeats are some different camera angles. All of the rest of the songs we get to see in Woodstock Diary were not in the movie Woodstock.

There were several highlights here for me that I very much enjoyed. Janis Joplin, who's performance wasn't even in the movie (except for the director's cut) is shown singing "Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)" and "Ball & Chain". Man was she on fire and what a joy to watch! Then The Who does a nice take of "My Generation". Only problem here is the camera shots are not that great, we don't get to see too much of Keith Moon and almost nothing of John Entwistle.

Also wonderful to view is Canned Heat doing "Leaving This Town"; Joe Cocker belting out "Let's Get Stoned"; The Band with a great take of "The Weight"; and Johnny Winter doing "Mean Town Blues". Another nice bit is Joan Baez singing a duet with Jeffrey Shurtleff on "Drug Store Truck Driving Man"

I can see why Jefferson Airplane's performance wasn't in the movie. They didn't really seem to have it together in the two songs shown here. "Somebody To Love" is awful, and the easy to play "White Rabbit" is simply okay at best. Grace Slick actually doesn't sound bad at all, but the band sounds off. They were suppose to play Saturday night, but because of all the delays, which wasn't their fault, they didn't take the stage till after sunrise on Sunday morning. Yes, they had been up all night waiting to go on, and it showed.

Woodstock closed out with Hendrix. The one song repeated here from the movie is "Star Spangled Banner", which is fine with me, as nobody has ever played it better! Then next up is Jimi just jamming away with what is titled "Woodstock Improvisation" and man, this is just out of sight! I could watch Hendrix play guitar like this all day long and never grow tired of what this shooting star left us with.

If you liked the movie Woodstock, especially for the music, then you will love Woodstock Diary 1969. This DVD is for sure something you will want to get your hands on, so do check it out!

Hopefully, this is the entire three-part documentary which aired on cable (Showtime, I believe) in 1994. Not only has it never seen an official US release, it contains quite a bit of footage not included in the new 40th Anniversary box set. The concert footage from 1969 is interspersed with interviews (Mike Lang, Wavy Gravy, Joan Baez, et.al. if I remember correctly). There's a lot of repeated footage on the original song list, which may not even fit on one disc. Hopefully, they'll just include the unreleased stuff. Here's how it appeared in 1994:

1. Richie Havens - I Can't Take It Anymore; Freedom
2. Country Joe MacDonald - Fish Cheer/Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag
3. John Sebastian - Rainbows All Over Your Blues
4. The Incredible String Band - When You Find Out Who You Are (quite short)
5. Bert Sommer - Jennifer
6. Tim Hardin - If I Were a Carpenter
7. Ravi Shankar - Instrumental Raga
8. Arlo Guthrie - Walkin' Down the Line
9. Joan Baez - Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man; Sweet Sir Gallahad (note: somewhat of a disappointment as this latter song starts out with Joan, and then plays over the credits. One of my favorites by her).
10. Quill - Waiting for You
11. Santana - Soul Sacrifice
12. Canned Heat - Leaving This Town
13. Mountain - Southbound Train
14. Sly & The Family Stone - Love City
15. Janis Joplin - Try (Just a Little Bit Harder); Ball and Chain
16. The Who - My Generation
17. Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love; White Rabbit
18. Joe Cocker - Let's Go Get Stoned
19. Country Joe & The Fish - Thing Called Love
20. Ten Years After - I'm Going Home
21. The Band - The Weight
22. Johnny Winter - Mean Town Blues
23. Crosby Stills & Nash - Blackbird
24. Paul Butterfield - Everything's Gonna Be Alright
25. Sha Na Na - Duke of Earl
26. Jimi Hendrix - Star Spangled Banner; Improvisation; Villanova Junction

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

I have the original Woodstock movie in many various forms,on original 2 tape 1987 VHS,which is shown the way it originally looked at the movies in 1970 before they made the newer directors cut in 1994.i have the 1994 vhs directors cut,i have the newest 2009 40th anniversary directors cut DVD version,i have the 1994 directors cut on DVD also.by now you will realize that i am a self proclaimed expert on the video and sound quality of the Woodstock movie.when they made the directors cut in 1994 they used a format called "matted wide screen format"this formats intention was to clean up the film.but in the process,that format actually slightly darkened the look of the film and took away the very colorful And Bright look the movie originally had.you will only see the original look, on the original 1987 two tape VHS set.which also has the original 1969/1970 cover art.that being said,i recently purchased this Woodstock diary DVD and was so happy to see that this movie,which is really cool, made in 1994, thankfully did not utilize the matted format.this version is stunning!!even more colorful than the 1987 original VHS version.amazing how sometimes you need to go backwards in time to get the good stuff.the picture quality of this original UN-messed with film elements,is very refreshing to say the least.in my opinion,the more they try to "clean-up" these Woodstock films,the more the films feel like they are missing something,maybe its just me?you be the judge.the perfect Woodstock movie release would be to utilize the original film elements they used for the 1987 vhs set,and transfer a high bit rate master of that to DVD or bluray,with a really nice book And The Original Cover Art,to go with it.that's really all we need.simple/perfect/and original!!How It Was Seen In 1970.I Used The Original Woodstock Movie As Part Of This Review For Woodstock Diary Because They Are Different Films,But The Event Is The Same,And Even Some Of The Footage Is Replicated.Thanks For Reading And I Hope This Helps Some People Who May Have Forgotten How This Movie Used To Look Before They Made The Changes in 1994.it wasn't for the better,and you will clearly see what i mean when you watch Woodstock diary.thanks from mike b.

First off, let me state that this was originally released in 1994 for the 25th Anniversary along with the 4-CD box set. Like that box set, you got a lot of good previously unreleased performances but a lot of things were misrepresented as well. For starters, Country Joe McDonald, John Sebastian, and Incredible String Band played on Saturday, not Friday (for years Country Joe insisted that he followed second after Ritchie Havens....see what all that LSD can do to ya). The liner notes proclaim that every act that played at the festival is represented on this collection....not true. For Friday, it is missing Sweetwater (who followed Ritchie Havens) and Melanie. Saturday is missing Keef Hartley Band (nobody seems to be sure if they were even filmed), The Grateful Dead, and CCR while Sunday is missing Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Furthermore, Sly and The Family Stone took the stage AFTER Janis, not before. Jefferson Airplane performed early Sunday morning, not on Saturday! Paul Butterfield, Sha Na Na, and Jimi Hendrix all played Monday morning because of delays. Why is this so hard to get right? Even back in 1994, why was it hard to get the correct information before releasing these things?! And it annoys me when footage in spliced into other footage that doesn't belong, such as the blond chick with the glasses we see rocking out to Santana, but instead here, she's supposedly reacting to Bert Sommer singing "Jennifer." However it is obvious that the break-of-dawn footage we always see during the "Going Up The Country" segment of the original Woostock movie was actually filmed during The Who's performance of "My Generation" during those wee hours of Sunday morning. You get to see a portion of Canned Heat doing "Woodstock Boogie," erroneously titled "Leaving This Town" on the DVD case! And you get Joan Baez's beautiful "Sweet Sir Galahad" cut right off in the middle to roll the credits instead! It appears there was little attempt, if any, to remaster this presentation from 1994 and make it a better viewing experience for DVD in 2009. Alongside the performances, the story of the festival is told by those who were involved, Michael Lang, etc. That's entertaining, if a little sad that so much "suit action" had to get involved after the festival was over. So much for peace, love, and brotherhood come that September! So if you love this festival, this is a nice addition to your collection. Just don't expect the remastering job that was done to the recent DVD release of "Woodstock."

For anybody who loves Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock boxset and wants even more film document of this mecca, then this is it. D.A.Pennebaker (Monterey Pop Festival) and Chris Hegedus to a great job directing this documentary of three days of peace and music and presenting the music in order as it happened. There are a few quick shots and longer cuts of festival goers that were in the Wadleigh film but it blends in well to this 3 hour film. I highly recommend this documentary from this historical landmark event of 1969.

I enjoyed watching the Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director's Cut (40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition with Amazon Exclusive Bonus Disc) and so I decided to get WOODSTOCK DIARY 1969: FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY DVD.

It's pretty good as a supplemental DVD to the movie and includes footage not seen in the documentary.

The "Woodstock" producer/promoter Michael Lang and the financial backers John Roberts and Joel Rosenman talk about how the concert came about and then viewers get to experience each of the three days of the concert, from morning to night, as performers come and go.

Unfortunately you have to choose each day, since there's no "play all" feature, but that's not a problem because you get to see performances that didn't make it onto the film like The Who's "My Generation," Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit," Janis Joplin's "Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)" and "Ball & Chain," (plus Janis talking to the audience about how music is good and people should be cool with one another) and Sly & The Family Stone's "Love City" (plus the end of the chant "Higher" and they walk off), which are just some of my favs, but there are plenty of others.

And you get great crowd reaction and participation shots that help you feel the excitement of being there.

I did notice that some of the audio seemed out of sync, but that was only during the interview with either Roberts or Rosenman, and only at the beginning.

The special features include:

***The Woodstock Story--text

***Artist Bio--text--you can read about each of the musicians and then select to go straight to their Woodstock performance.

Very nice and comes in a clear clamshell case (very sturdy) and a foldout pamphlet with liner notes by Chris White. Would make a nice gift to someone who enjoys classic rock, the 60s, Woodstock, or hippie culture.

I was really pleased with this DVD: Clear full screen picture, 5.1 sound, plus, it has a couple acts that I really wanted to see that weren't included in the original film. All in all, if it's more of the music from Woodstock that you're seeking, this DVD has it. I loved seeing Johnny Winter on stage again...I had forgotten how captivating his performances were. Expanded footage of Jefferson Airplane, although they sounded like chit, was still fun to see. Also, I liked seeing the Band and more of Janis. Odd how those acts were left off the original movie...anyway, I give this 5 stars. Definitely worth the $$ if it is more Woodstock you are seeking. There were plenty of interviews and tidbits that I hadn't heard before too. On the negative, they short/edited some of the performances that were also included on the original film...maybe they thought we were tired of seeing them?? The only one that really annoyed me was the cut job they did on Soul Sacrifice, Santana--that was just too great of a performance to chop up; I did like the different camera angles they included on this DVD of those performances though. But even with the cut jobs, this is a must addition for the Woodstock collection...get this, the original, and any more variations that come out in the future and maybe, just maybe they'll finally get what we are all after--to see ALL the bands!

Good video, plenty of background courtesy of the producers and creators who were actually there. Lots of
bands playing full length songs in three chapters, and while all that was going on were really nice performances
by and including Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Richie Havens, Canned Heat, Ten Years After, John Sebastian from
The Lovin' Spoonful, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Maountain, The Who, Sly and The Family Stone, Tim Hardin, Joe
Cocker and lots more. Look for the dove on the back of your DVD. The sound and light mastering are excellent.
I thought Janis stole the show, she sang two of her songs and was tops. The DVD is tops, and is worth having
whether you have other Woodstock concerts on CD or DVD. And especially if you don't have any of the Woodstock
media because there is so much to learn and find out about one of America's greatest concerts. Although it
rained.

Woodstock Diary 1969: Has a little updated history and several rare clips to fill in the gaps of your Woodstock collection. For those looking for a single DVD of the Woodstock Festival, the original movie is much better than this DVD, but this is a very nice addition to that film.

If you loved Woodstock, this is a must for the collection of the event. Get to see more and great production.