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Various Artists:
Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur's Farm
Back to Yasgur's Farm cover
Album cover Back to Yasgur's Farm box set
Released Aug 18, 2009
Length 469:33
Label Rhino
Producer Andy Zax
Links
  • All Music Guide link

The original goal of producer Andy Zax was to re-create the entire Woodstock festival on 30 CDs[1]. Such a monstrous project failed because it was impossible to secure all of the necessary permissions from the artists and their record companies in order to include the complete performances by each act. The next goal was to compile a box set which included at least one song from every artist who performed at Woodstock. Also this failed. The licencing rights could not be secured for The Band, Ten Years After and the Keef Hartley Band. A decade later, Zax was able to attain almost all of the songs that were recorded at Woodstock (one Sha Na Na song was not recorded and the estate of Jimi Hendrix blocked two songs from being released) and put them into the massive box set Woodstock - Back to the Garden.

The box set, released exactly on the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock festival, is nevertheless impressive. Next to the six CDs is an 80 page large-format book with colour and black/white photos. The introduction is written by Andy Zax and the extensive liner notes by Bud Scoppa. The music is not reduced to bands performing songs. It covers the whole festival, the sound, the feeling, the historic moments. You hear the announcments by stage managers John Morris and Chip Monk, Abbie Hoffman's speech inflicting The Who's set, Wavy Gravy's sharing his ideas for breakfast for 400,000, the farmer Max Yasgur talking to the crowd and even the sound of the rainstorm. The music, announcements and speeches are now chronological correct which is a huge improvement over the earlier box set.

You also don't need to worry about the sound quality. Everything was sourced from the multi-track master reels. Well, almost everything: Melanie's and Ravi Shankar's set seem to be lost according to the liner notes. Their songs are therefore probably sourced from the mono tapes from the Wadleigh film crew[2]. A lot of the songs are officially released for the first time. Some of them were released in truncated from, for example Canned Heat's "Woodstock Boogie" which is now proper 28 minutes long.

It's also nice to finally see - and hear - songs from bands which are said to have screwed up their gig. The Grateful Dead "Dark Star" is still strong at merciful 19 minutes. CCR rush by with three songs demonstrating their catchy Rock 'n Roll composition ability. Also The Incredible String Band is present with two prominent folk tunes.



Track Listing[]

Disc 1
# Title Artist Length
1. "Handsome Johnny" Richie Havens 5:11
2. "Freedom (Motherless Child)" Richie Havens 5:11
3. "Choppity Choppity" (stage announcement) John Morris 0:25
4. "Look Out" Sweetwater 4:27
5. "Two Worlds" Sweetwater 6:04
6. "Jennifer" Bert Sommer 3:14
7. "And When It's Over" Bert Sommer 3:02
8. "Smile" Bert Sommer 4:12
9. "There Goes Marilyn!" (stage announcement) John Morris 1:41
10. "Hang On To A Dream" Tim Hardin 4:23
11. "Simple Song Of Freedom" Tim Hardin 3:04
12. "Flat Blue Acid" (stage announcement) John Morris 1:04
13. "Rāga Puriya-Dhanashri (Gat In Sawarital)" Ravi Shankar 12:26
14. "Momma Momma" Melanie Safka 3:39
15. "Beautiful People" Melanie Safka 4:03
16. "Birthday Of The Sun" Melanie Safka 3:34
17. "Coming Into Los Angeles" Arlo Guthrie 4:00
18. "Wheel Of Fortune" Arlo Guthrie 2:25
19. "Every Hand In The Land" Arlo Guthrie 1:46
20. "All You Funny People" (stage announcement) John Morris 4:12
78:18


Disc 2
# Title Artist Length
1. "Joe Hill" Joan Baez 2:46
2. "Sweet Sir Galahad" Joan Baez 3:41
3. "Hickory Wind" Joan Baez 3:32
4. "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" Joan Baez 2:16
5. "Bring Scully His Asthma Pills" (stage announcement) John Morris 0:53
6. "Insulin > Quill Intro" (stage announcement) John Morris 0:30
7. "They Live the Life" Quill 8:46
8. "That's How I Eat" Quill 5:57
9. "I Understand Your Wife Is Having a Baby" (stage announcement) Chip Monk 0:59
10. "Donovan's Reef" Country Joe McDonald 4:25
11. "The "Fish" Cheer > I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" Country Joe McDonald 4:26
12. "Persuasion" Santana 3:07
13. "Soul Sacrifice" Santana 11:33
14. "How Have You Been" John B. Sebastian 5:35
15. "Rainbows All Over Your Blues" John B. Sebastian 4:24
16. "I Had a Dream" John B. Sebastian 3:05
17. "The Letter" The Incredible String Band 3:18
18. "When You Find Out Who You Are" The Incredible String Band 9:31
19. "She Is Lost" (stage announcement) Chip Monck 0:43
79:37


Disc 3
# Title Artist Length
1. "We're in Pretty Good Shape" (stage announcement) Chip Monck 0:28
2. "Going Up the Country" Canned Heat 3:57
3. "Woodstock Boogie" Canned Heat 28:33
4. "The Brown Acid Is Not Specifically Too Good" (stage announcement) Chip Monck 3:40
5. "Blood of the Sun" Mountain 2:55
6. "Theme for an Imaginary Western" Mountain 5:13
7. "For Yasgur's Farm" Mountain 3:49
8. "For Those of You Who Have Partaken of the Green Acid..." (stage announcement) Chip Monck 0:16
9. "Green Acid Advice" (stage announcement) Jerry Garcia 1:39
10. "Dark Star" The Grateful Dead 19:12
11. "Green River" Creedence Clearwater Revival 3:00
12. "Bad Moon Rising" Creedence Clearwater Revival 2:12
13. "I Put a Spell on You" Creedence Clearwater Revival 4:14
79:14


Disc 4
# Title Artist Length
1. "Work Me, Lord" Janis Joplin 7:45
2. "Ball and Chain" Janis Joplin 6:19
3. "Medley: Dance to the Music > Music Lover > I Want to Take You Higher" Sly & The Family Stone 17:44
4. "The Politics of the Situation" (stage announcement) Abbie Hoffman 0:33
5. "Amazing Journey" The Who 5:41
6. "Pinball Wizard" The Who 2:56
7. "Abbie Hoffman vs. Pete Townshend" The Who 0:25
8. "We're Not Gonna Take It" The Who 9:05
9. "The Other Side of This Life" Jefferson Airplane 8:23
10. "Somebody to Love" Jefferson Airplane 4:29
11. "Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon" Jefferson Airplane 5:03
12. "We Got a Whole Lot of Orange" (stage announcement) Grace Slick 0:13
13. "Volunteers" Jefferson Airplane 2:51
14. "Breakfast in Bed for 400,000" (stage announcement) Wavy Gravy 1:55
15. "It Just Keeps Goin'" (stage announcement) John Morris 0:46
16. "Max Yasgur Speaks" (stage announcement) Max Yasgur 3:11
77:26


Disc 5
# Title Artist Length
1. "Feelin' Alright" Joe Cocker 5:38
2. "Let's Go Get Stoned" Joe Cocker 6:59
3. "With a Little Help from My Friends" Joe Cocker 7:44
4. "The Rainstorm" Various 5:20
5. "Rock & Soul Music" Country Joe & The Fish 2:08
6. "Love" Country Joe & The Fish 3:02
7. "Not So Sweet, Martha Lorraine" Country Joe & The Fish 4:13
8. "Summer Dresses" Country Joe & The Fish 5:13
9. "Silver and Gold" Country Joe & The Fish 4:48
10. "Rock & Soul Music (Reprise)" Country Joe & The Fish 12:24
11. "Leland Mississippi Blues" Johnny Winter 4:54
12. "Mean Town Blues" Johnny Winter 10:33
13. "You've Made Me So Very Happy" Blood, Sweat & Tears 4:40
77:45


Disc 6
# Title Artist Length
1. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" Crosby, Stills & Nash 9:00
2. "Guinnevere" Crosby, Stills & Nash 6:01
3. "Marrakesh Express" Crosby, Stills & Nash 2:43
4. "4 + 20" Crosby, Stills & Nash 2:27
5. "Sea of Madness" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 3:27
6. "Wooden Ships" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 5:27
7. "No Amount of Loving" Paul Butterfield Blues Band 6:46
8. "Love March" Paul Butterfield Blues Band 9:02
9. "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" Paul Butterfield Blues Band 9:28
10. "Get a Job" Sha Na Na 2:22
11. "At the Hop" Sha Na Na 1:51
12. "Get a Job (Reprise)" Sha Na Na 0:23
13. "The Star Spangled Banner > Purple Haze > Woodstock Improvisation" Jimi Hendrix 14:40
14. "Woodstock Farewell" (stage anouncement) Jimi Hendrix 3:29
77:13

Images[]

References[]

  1. Yahoo! Woodstock Project mailing list - Rhino box set first impressions
  2. Yahoo! Woodstock Project mailing list - Rhino box set first impressions
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