Listening to a time warp
Pardon me for playing the nostalgic card, but this evening I’m enjoying the memories from a concert that I never attended. Too young, too poor, all the usual reasons for missing THE show of a lifetime.
I’m down to Yasgur’s farm, somewhere near Bethel, NY. A different time, when crossing the border wouldn’t have required a passport, a DNA profile and forced removal of my shoes (I may have been poor, but I still had those black hightop runners that allowed me to run with the pack).
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Someone has had the good sense to release a 6 CD set, entitled Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back To Yasgur’s Farm, that includes more of the concert (what a simple name for what happened there, 40 years ago). I’ve seen the movie; I’ve listened to the vinyl set that has been around for ever and ages. This is a worthwhile addition to the catalog. There’s also a new DVD version (check Amazon for details).
My first reaction is that the sound quality is better. Studio reprocessing does have its place, and after reading about some of the nightmarish conditions that the engineers encountered in three days of mud and rain, I appreciate the effort. My son was curious about the Ravi Shankar set; I explained that rock music is broad, with arms open wide to the world. It came into focus when I mentioned that he was also the father of Norah Jones. Kids just don’t get it.
There was a concert for the 40th anniversary (a couple of weeks back). Several, if Google is to be believed. Check out www.woodstock.com for all the salient details. Meanwhile, my room is rockin’, and the world is good.
