Back To The Garden

Forty years on, Woodstock’s epochal celebration of music, peace and unleashed hedonism is being marked with an unprecedented deluge of audio and visual releases. KRIS NEEDS charts what actually happened during the three days which rocked the world, guided by “voice of Woodstock” Chip Monck (and supporting cast). Photos by Henry Diltz.

The Woodstock Music & Art Fair changed history as the biggest musical gathering the world has ever seen; one occasion when the 60s dream of peace, love and unity became reality, setting the template for Glastonbury and countless other festivals.

No other musical event has seen such a deluge of related CD and DVD celebrations as those released to tie-in with Woodstock’s 40th anniversary, not the least of which is a lavishly-packaged box set boasting hours of audio and visual documentation which, rather unbelievably, has sat on the shelf all this time. Now it’s finally possible to get an all-round picture of the festival which, for the last 40 years, has been represented by Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace & Music movie and its soundtrack (plus the Woodstock II follow-up), which boosted – and even launched – the careers of many featured acts.

Warner Home Video has released Wadleigh’s four-hour director’s cut, accompanied by reams of previously-unseen live footage, including many acts that didn’t feature in the original movie, such as The Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter, Mountain and Creedence Clearwater Revival, plus a raft of bonus features and interviews, spread over four DVDs. There’s also Wienerworld’s Woodstock …

by Henry Diltz.
<< Back to Issue 367

You must be a subscriber to view the full article, subscribe now for full access to all online content.

Already a Magazine Subscriber? Register now for online access.

Login Here

Free Newsletter


Subscribe to
our email newsletter by emailing:

anna.bowen@
metropolis.co.uk