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4 June, 2019Print

Woodstock Celebrates 50 Years With Comprehensive 38-CD Deluxe Boxed Set

Available From Rhino On August 2; 10-CD, 3-CD And 5-LP Versions Will Also Be Available On June 28

Limited Edition Collection Documents The Historic Festival In A Near

Complete Chronological Reconstruction Of Every Artist Performance

Across 38 Discs And 432 Tracks,

Including Nearly 20 Hours Of Previously Unreleased Audio

 

LOS ANGELES – This summer will be the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the defining event of a generation and one of the most iconic moments in popular music history. Despite its enduring cultural significance, no one has ever attempted to document the historic festival as it unfolded in real time. That is precisely what producers Andy Zax and Steve Woolard have done with a new 38-disc, 432-track boxed set that includes a near complete reconstruction of Woodstock across nearly 36 hours, with every artist performance from the festival included in chronological order. The collection boasts 267 previously unreleased audio tracks, totaling nearly 20 hours.

Limited to 1,969 individually numbered copies, WOODSTOCK - BACK TO THE GARDEN – THE DEFINITIVE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE comes in a screen-printed plywood box with canvas insert inspired by the Woodstock stage set up, designed by Grammy®-winning graphic designer Masaki Koike. The set also includes a Blu-ray copy of the Woodstock film, a replica of the original program, a guitar strap, two Woodstock posters, a reprint of a diary written by an attendee during the festival, two 8x10 prints from legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz, and essays by Zax, acclaimed music scribe Jesse Jarnow, and trailblazing rock critic Ellen Sander. Also included is a copy of Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (Reel Art Press), a comprehensive new hardbound book about the event written by Michael Lang, one of the festival’s co-creators. The collection will be available on August 2 for $799.98. Pre-orders are available now at www.rhino.com/woodstock50, bundled with four exclusive 18x15 lithographs by Dale Saltzman, based on banners that were onsite at the original festival.

Rhino also will release two other collections earlier in the summer on June 28. WOODSTOCK – BACK TO THE GARDEN – 50TH ANNIVERSARY EXPERIENCE features 162 tracks across 10 CDs and is the first Woodstock collection to feature live recordings of every performer at the festival ($149.98). WOODSTOCK – BACK TO THE GARDEN – 50TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION includes 42 tracks and will be available as a both 3-CD ($34.98) and 5-LP ($129.98) sets. The 10-disc version will also be available via digital download.

Between August 15-18, 1969, more than 400,000 people converged on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in upstate New York for Woodstock. Thirty-two acts performed including some of the most popular and influential musicians of the era such as Joan Baez, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Who.

The concert spawned Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar®-winning documentary as well as a pair of soundtrack albums. Together, the film and records have created a popular mythology surrounding Woodstock, one that only paints a partial picture of what actually happened. BACK TO THE GARDEN, producer Andy Zax writes in the liner notes, is intended to let people hear the festival as it really happened.

“Wadleigh’s film tells a story of Woodstock, but it doesn’t tell the story...This 50th anniversary archive — which presents nearly all of the audio from the festival in something approximating real time — tells a different kind of story. If Wadleigh’s film is a kind of psychedelic Busby Berkeley musical, Back To The Garden is an audio-verité documentary…All of the mythology of Woodstock is here in this box; or at least, everything that would eventually create that mythology. The reality is here, too. And neither invalidates the other.”

The time-consuming challenge of reconstructing the concert audio began with locating the more than 60 multi-track reels recorded by Eddie Kramer and Lee Osborne, as well as the 100 or so soundboard reels recorded by the onstage crew. Sorting through those tapes – some of which had been edited, mislabeled or lost – and then reassembling them properly was a process that, in some cases, took years to complete.

Zax says he, sound producer Brian Kehew and mastering engineer Dave Schultz avoided interfering with the tapes as much as possible in order to preserve their authenticity. “It’s not surprising that other producers’ first reaction to these tapes over the years has been ‘uh-oh,’ immediately followed by ‘we’ve gotta find a way to fix this.’ I'm not unsympathetic to that approach, but if there's a single overriding lesson that Brian Kehew and I have learned since we began working with the Woodstock tapes in 2005, it’s this: you can't fix them… That’s less grim than it seems, because once you’ve accepted the idea that there is no way to make these recordings sound slick, you realize that these tapes are the sonic equivalent of heirloom tomatoes — slightly imperfect, but delicious.”

In some cases, however, they needed to take advantage of new technology to perform much-needed restorations that would not have been possible just a few years ago. Zax says: “The only surviving recording of Ravi Shankar’s Woodstock performance…is a mono reel with less than optimal sound. But the breakthrough de-mixing process developed by James Clarke at Abbey Road Studios allowed us to isolate and extract the parts played by each instrument and then create a new stereo mix. Similarly, recent improvements in polyphonic tuning have allowed us to repair previously unfixable horn parts in the Blood, Sweat & Tears performance, allowing it, for the first time, to be heard as originally intended.”

But the Woodstock audio isn't solely about music: it’s also about the people who were there. Fortunately, the microphones were left on throughout the festival, capturing everything from stagehands discussing lunch and audience members shouting requests for baseball scores, to Max Yasgur’s uplifting address to the audience gathered on his farm.

You can also hear the cavalcade of stage announcements made by stage manager John Morris and lighting director Chip Monck, who were drafted as emcees for the festival because no one hired one. On all three of these new anniversary collections, you can hear them between songs making announcements about everything from lost keys to warnings about “flat blue acid.” The final disc in the 38-disc box serves as an appendix and contains ancillary recordings and a few bits of audio whose placement within the sequence could not be confirmed.

As the cliché goes: If you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t there. BACK TO THE GARDEN provides a way for people who weren’t there to remember them. And for anyone who was there, perhaps this will jog their memory.

For more information about WOODSTOCK, please contact Jason Elzy in the Rhino Media Relations Department at jason.elzy@rhino.com or 818-238-6220.

 

WOODSTOCK- BACK TO THE GARDEN – THE DEFINITIVE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE

Includes Full Performances by the Following Artists (In Chronological Order)

Richie Havens

Sweetwater

Bert Sommer

Tim Hardin

Ravi Shankar

Melanie

Arlo Guthrie

Joan Baez

Quill

Country Joe McDonald

Santana

John B. Sebastian

The Keef Hartley Band

The Incredible String Band

Canned Heat

Mountain

Grateful Dead

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Janis Joplin

Sly & The Family Stone

The Who

Jefferson Airplane

Joe Cocker

Country Joe & The Fish

Ten Years After

The Band

Johnny Winter

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

The Butterfield Blues Band

Sha Na Na

Jimi Hendrix

 

WOODSTOCK – BACK TO THE GARDEN – 50TH ANNIVERSARY EXPERIENCE

10 –CD Track Listing

Disc One

Richie Havens

  1. Hello!
  2. “From The Prison>Get Together>From The Prison”
  3. “High Flying Bird”
  4. “With A Little Help From My Friends”
  5. “Handsome Johnny”
  6. “Freedom”
  7. It seems there are a few cars blocking the road – John Morris

Sweetwater

  1. “Look Out”
  2. “Day Song”
  3. “Two Worlds”

Bert Sommer

  1. “Jennifer”
  2. “And When It’s Over”
  3. “America”
  4. “Smile”
  5. Let’s see how bright it can be – John Morris

Tim Hardin

  1. “How Can We Hang On To A Dream”
  2. “If I Were A Carpenter”
  3. “Reason To Believe”
  4. “Misty Roses”
  5. We're a pretty big city right now– John Morris

 

Disc Two

  1. Somebody, somewhere is giving out some flat blue acid – John Morris

Ravi Shankar

  1. “Raga Manj Kmahaj”

Melanie

  1. “Momma Momma”
  2. “Beautiful People”
  3. “Mr. Tambourine Man”
  4. “Birthday Of The Sun”
  5. It's a free concert from now on – John Morris

Arlo Guthrie

  1. “Coming Into Los Angeles”
  2. Lotta freaks!
  3. “Wheel Of Fortune”
  4. “Walking Down The Line”
  5. “Every Hand In The Land”
  6. Let's just make the festival, not the other stuff – John Morris

Joan Baez

  1. “The Last Thing On My Mind”
  2. “I Shall Be Released”
  3. He already had a very, very good hunger strike going
  4. “Joe Hill”
  5. “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man” – featuring Jeffrey Shurtleff
  6. That brings us fairly close to the dawn – John Morris
  7. I guess the reason we’re here is music – John Morris

Quill

  1. “They Live The Life”
  2. “That’s How I Eat”

 

Disc Three

  1.  Can those of you in the back hear well? – Chip Monck

Country Joe McDonald

  1. “Janis”
  2. “Donovan’s Reef”
  3. “The “Fish” Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag”
  4. Those wishing to be lost, those wishing to be found – Chip Monck

Santana

  1. “Savor”
  2. “Jingo”
  3. “Persuasion”
  4. “Soul Sacrifice”
  5. An exciting set is understandable – Chip Monck

John B. Sebastian

  1. “How Have You Been”
  2. “Rainbows All Over Your Blues”
  3. “I Had A Dream”
  4. “Darling Be Home Soon”

The Keef Hartley Band

  1. Halfbreed Medley: “Sinning For You>Leaving Trunk>Just To Cry>Sinning For You”
  2. Bring Jerry's nitroglycerin pills to the Indian Pavilion – Chip Monck

 

Disc Four

  1. Go to Mr. Lang's office right away – Chip Monck

The Incredible String Band

  1. “Invocation”
  2. “The Letter”
  3. “Gather ‘Round”
  4. “When You Find Out Who You Are”
  5. If things aren't going well for you or whatever – Chip Monck & Hugh Romney

Canned Heat

  1. “Going Up The Country”
  2. “Woodstock Boogie”
  3. Can we have a little juice on this other microphone, please? – Bob Hite & Chip Monck
  4. “On The Road Again”
  5. It’s your own trip – Chip Monck

 

Disc Five

  1. We'll take care of that right away – Chip Monck

Mountain

  1. “Theme For An Imaginary Western”
  2. “Long Red”
  3. “Who Am I But You And The Sun (For Yasgur’s Farm)”
  4. “Southbound Train”
  5. Open your eyes wide – Chip Monck & Joshua White
  6. So many people have been able to participate in such a debacle – Ken Babbs

Grateful Dead

  1. “Mama Tried”
  2.  It’s a sinister plot! – Ken Babbs, Country Joe McDonald, et al
  3. “Dark Star”
  4. “High Time”
  5.  You're carrying Janis's wah-wah pedals – John Morris

Creedence Clearwater Revival

  1. “Green River”
  2. “Bad Moon Rising”
  3. “I Put A Spell On You”
  4. It’s going to be a very long evening – Chip Monck

 

Disc Six

Janis Joplin

  1. “To Love Somebody”
  2. “Kozmic Blues”
  3. “Piece Of My Heart”
  4. Music's for grooving, man
  5. “Ball And Chain”
  6. Just in case you should get any ideas about leaving – Chip Monck

Sly & The Family Stone

  1. Medley: “Everyday People>Dance To The Music>Music Lover>I Want To Take You Higher”
  2. Are you supposed to be up there rapping? No, man. – Abbie Hoffman & stagehand

The Who

  1. “I Can’t Explain”
  2. “Pinball Wizard”
  3.  I can dig it – Abbie Hoffman & Pete Townshend
  4. “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
  5. “Shakin’ All Over”
  6. “My Generation”
  7. Welcome this new day – Chip Monck

 

Disc Seven

Jefferson Airplane

  1. “The Other Side Of This Life”
  2. “Somebody To Love”
  3. Let’s play it out of tune – Grace Slick
  4. “3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds”
  5. “Won’t You Try/Saturday Afternoon”
  6. We got a whole lot of orange and it was fine – Grace Slick
  7. “Plastic Fantastic Lover”
  8. “Volunteers”
  9.  If you're too tired to chew, pass it on – Hugh Romney
  10. The roads are fairly clear now – John Morris
  11.  This is the largest group of people ever assembled in one place – Max Yasgur

Joe Cocker

  1. “Dear Landlord”
  2. “Feelin’ Alright”
  3. “Let’s Go Get Stoned”
  4. “Hitchcock Railway”
  5. “With A Little Help From My Friends”
  6.  Isn’t the rain beautiful? – John Morris, Barry Melton, rainstorm & audience

 

Disc Eight

Country Joe & The Fish

  1. “Rock And Soul Music”
  2. “Love”
  3. “Silver And Gold”
  4. “Rock And Soul Music” (Reprise)

Ten Years After

  1. “Help Me”
  2. “I’m Going Home”
  3. Come down and say hello to us – Chip Monck

The Band

  1. “Chest Fever”
  2. “Tears Of Rage”
  3. “This Wheel’s On Fire”
  4. “I Shall Be Released”
  5. “The Weight”
  6. We've just had a slight change in running order – Chip Monck

 

Disc Nine

  1. It’s really a drag – Chip Monck

Johnny Winter

  1. “Leland Mississippi Blues”
  2. “Mean Town Blues”
  3. “Johnny B. Goode”
  4. It just doesn't seem to be necessary – Chip Monck

Blood, Sweat & Tears

  1. “More And More”
  2. “Spinning Wheel”
  3. “Smiling Phases”
  4. “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”

Crosby, Stills & Nash

  1. Tell 'em who we are, man
  2. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”
  3. “Blackbird”
  4. “Marrakesh Express”

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

  1. “Sea Of Madness”
  2. “Wooden Ships”
  3. Bummer!
  4. “49 Bye-Byes”

 

Disc Ten

The Butterfield Blues Band

  1. “No Amount Of Loving”
  2. “Love March”
  3. “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”

Sha Na Na

  1.  Test – Chip Monck & Sha Na Na
  2. “Get A Job”
  3. “Come Go With Me”
  4. “Silhouettes”
  5. “At The Hop”
  6. “Duke Of Earl”
  7. “Get A Job” (Reprise)
  8. Thank you for making all this possible – Chip Monck

Jimi Hendrix

  1. “Hear My Train A Comin’”
  2. “Izabella”
  3. “The Star Spangled Banner>Purple Haze”
  4. Good wishes, good day, and a good life – Chip Monck

 

WOODSTOCK – BACK TO THE GARDEN – 50TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

3-CD Track Listing (5-LP Version Also Available)

 

Disc One

  1. “Handsome Johnny” – Richie Havens 
  2. “Freedom (Motherless Child)” – Richie Havens
  3. Everybody’s ground getting comfortable? – John Morris
  4. “Reason To Believe” – Tim Hardin 
  5. It’s deadly serious, man – John Morris 
  6. “Coming Into Los Angeles” – Arlo Guthrie 
  7. Lotta Freaks! – Arlo Guthrie 
  8. “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man” – Joan Baez With Jeffrey Shurtleff 
  9. Please come down – Chip Monck 
  10. “The “Fish” Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag” – Country Joe McDonald
  11. “Jingo” – Santana
  12. “Soul Sacrifice” – Santana
  13. Helen Savage, please call your father – Chip Monck
  14. “Darling Be Home Soon” – John B. Sebastian
  15. It’s not poison! – Hugh Romney 
  16. “Going Up The Country” – Canned Heat
  17. “On The Road Again” – Canned Heat 

 

Disc Two

  1. Country common sense! – Chip Monck, Country Joe Mcdonald, Ken Babbs 
  2. “Dark Star” – Grateful Dead 
  3. We’ve got the keys to your house – John Morris 
  4. “Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
  5. “I Put A Spell On You” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
  6. “Kozmic Blues” – Janis Joplin
  7. “Piece Of My Heart” – Janis Joplin
  8. Medley: “Dance To The Music>Music Lover>I Want To Take You Higher” – Sly & The Family Stone
  9. “We’re Not Gonna Take It” – The Who
  10. “My Generation” – The Who
  11. “Somebody To Love” – Jefferson Airplane
  12. “Volunteers” – Jefferson Airplane
  13. We must be in heaven, man! – Hugh Romney

 

Disc Three

  1. I think you people have proven something to the world – Max Yasgur
  2. “With A Little Help From My Friends” – Joe Cocker
  3. Looks like we’re gonna get a little bit of rain – John Morris
  4. “I’m Going Home” – Ten Years After
  5. “The Weight” – The Band
  6. “Spinning Wheel” – Blood, Sweat & Tears
  7. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” – Crosby, Stills & Nash
  8. “Sea Of Madness” – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  9. “Wooden Ships” – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  10. “Love March” – The Butterfield Blues Band
  11. “At The Hop” – Sha Na Na 
  12. It’s been a delight seeing you – Chip Monck