Woodstock 50 Officially Off

[truth_seeker]

Santana also said he was so high he doesn't remember being there.  But you are right so many are dead or so old they really can't sing or preform anymore.  Or maybe the audience just ain't high enough and they always sounded like they do now?

Quite a lot of music from that time, had drug use involved.

Plenty of good musicians have died since from drugs.

And several that survived it became inspirations about their recoveries.

Clapton, Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Paul Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, 

[goatprairie]

Santana also said he was so high he doesn't remember being there.  But you are right so many are dead or so old they really can't sing or preform anymore.  Or maybe the audience just ain't high enough and they always sounded like they do now?

I never smoked dope, and I loved sixties music.  What happened was the people who made the best music had a certain amount of music inside them.  My guess is that too much dope ruined their creative abilities. Few of the big stars made good new music into the seventies.
The Beatles for example. After the sixties, McCartney's new music was mostly pathetic, maudlin crap. Ditto for John Lennon.
Bob Dylan's new music in the seventies was largely mediocre garbage as well.
Drugs probably ruined more good musicians than made good music.

[EasyAce]

I never smoked dope, and I loved sixties music.  What happened was the people who made the best music had a certain amount of music inside them.  My guess is that too much dope ruined their creative abilities. Few of the big stars made good new music into the seventies.
The Beatles for example. After the sixties, McCartney's new music was mostly pathetic, maudlin crap. Ditto for John Lennon.

George Harrison made the best post-Beatles music (though John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and Walls & Bridges were pretty damn good too . . . )

Bob Dylan's new music in the seventies was largely mediocre garbage as well.
Drugs probably ruined more good musicians than made good music.

Dylan was never going to make anything as good as Another Side of Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, and Highway 61 Revisited again. (Who would?) But he got as close as he'd ever get with . . .



I think sometimes of the performers who didn't make the cut of the Woodstock film, for assorted reasons---the Band, the last solid edition of the Butterfield Blues Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Mountain, Sweetwater.

And, some of those who were invited to play Woodstock but didn't appear there for various reasons: Jeff Beck (his group broke up before the festival), Bob Dylan (invited but signed to play the Isle of Wight instead), Simon & Garfunkel (declined because they were working on an album), Led Zeppelin (declined when their manager complained they'd be just another band on the bill, despite them playing the Atlanta Pop Festival earlier that summer), Tommy James and the Shondells (they were told only that "some pig farmer" was putting on a show, not realising a) it was dairy farmer Max Yasgur lending his farm to the festival, and b) that it was going to be Woodstock: "We realised what we missed a couple of days later!"), the Moody Blues (had to decline because they were booked for concerts in Paris the same weekend), Joni Mitchell (her manager feared it would cause her to miss an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show), Procol Harum (their then-guitarist Robin Trower's wife was due to deliver their first child that weekend, after a long concert tour), the Rascals (like Simon & Garfunel, they, too, were recording a new album), the Doors (they were led to believe Woodstock would only be a second-rate imitation of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and declined, to their regret), and Iron Butterfly. (The Butterfly were stuck at La Guardia Airport and wired promoters demanding they send helicopters to the airport, fly the band in to the grounds, fly them out immediately after their set, and the band was promptly disinvited even though they were scheduled to play that Sunday.)

[mountaineer]

Mr. M gave me a Santana's greatest hits CD (not sure why, because I'd never expressed any great admiration), but there's no denying his tremendous talent. I enjoy listening to it every once in a while.

[goatprairie]

I suppose everybody loves the music they heard as a teen the most and thinks it's the greatest music ever.
But I remember thinking at the time I was a teen in the mid to late sixties when good bands/performers seemed to emerge every week that all this great music would continue far into the future.
Then the seventies rolled around, and while there was some good stuff, I didn't like it nearly as much as I did the sixties..chiefly the period from when the Beatles exploded on the scene and partially into the seventies.
But in the early seventies I noticed the emergence of a lot of bland bands whose names I won't mention, and the decline in quality of many of the best songwriters/bands of the sixties.
And then came punk rock, and I realized I was getting old. I hated punk rock.
And then came bands like KISS which was called by the teens in '77 as the best band going in one poll.
KISS's music was sh*t on stilts. (personal note...I actually saw KISS in concert. They were awful). And then came a lot more bands who turned the amps up to eleven.  Many of the teens loved that. I hated extra loud bands.  I knew then I was getting old.
But there was still some good bands who emerged in the seventies. 
But rap emerged in the eighties. Disco had the good manners to die after about five years.
We still have the plague of rap  afflicting the nation with no signs of it dying a deserved violent death.
And the rest of what passes for popular music/rock and roll is pretty gdamn awful as well.
Was the sixties and a little into the seventies the end of  good, popular music?
For the past fifteen years the wife and I have had to listen to the popular music of today in many restaurants piped over the speakers as we eat our dinner. We've yet to hear one song that we've liked.
I have no idea of what Beyonce sounds like or many of the other huge music stars.  I don't feel like I'm missing anything.
And yes, we still go to concerts of the old fogies from the sixties who are still living like Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, and some others.  The only old fogey who disappointed because his voice was shot was Gordon Lightfoot. All the others still sounded excellent.
But they'll be dead and gone in the not too distant future. Then no more concerts for us.

[sneakypete]

I have no idea of what Beyonce sounds like

@goatprairie

The truth is that neither does anyone else. I have seen her perform on tv several times,and honestly can't say I have ever heard her sing. She has "background dancers" hired to distract people from hearing her voice. ANYTIME you see a stage full of "background dancers" you KNOW the singer has good reason to distract the listeners.

Ever heard of Ed Sheeran? He not only doesn't have backup dancers,he doesn't even have other musicians on the stage with him. I don't like all of his songs,but he is pretty good.

Others you might want to give a listen to are Amos Lee,John Paul White,Mike Farris,John Fullbright,Jason Isbell,etc,etc,etc, who have incredible talents,and it's basically just them and their guitars.

Not mention the incredible Adele,who is working on a new album.

 

[Applewood]

@sneakypete

You're right about Beyoncé and a whole bunch of these so-called new talents.  And by the way, IMHO, even the "dancing" stinks.  A lot of jumping around and shaking various body parts.  I can do that, but I wouldn't call that dancing. 

And then there is a hip-hop and rap.  I watch these people and think, what the H is that?  Talking fast in rhymes to a beat?  Hardly music to me. 

There are only a handful of newer artists that I enjoy.  You mentioned Amos Lee.  I saw him perform once and he was rather good.  But give me the older guys and gals any day. 

[goatprairie]

@sneakypete

You're right about Beyoncé and a whole bunch of these so-called new talents.  And by the way, IMHO, even the "dancing" stinks.  A lot of jumping around and shaking various body parts.  I can do that, but I wouldn't call that dancing. 

And then there is a hip-hop and rap.  I watch these people and think, what the H is that?  Talking fast in rhymes to a beat?  Hardly music to me. 

There are only a handful of newer artists that I enjoy.  You mentioned Amos Lee.  I saw him perform once and he was rather good.  But give me the older guys and gals any day.

If when the wife and I are eating out, we hear just ONE!!!! new song that we like, I'll check the performer(s) out.
 But after listening to countless hours of new music over the last 17-18 years (and assuming most of the top current people in the music business were among them) and not hearing one song we've liked, I doubt we'll be finding anybody we will like.
But that's alright...there are thousands of hours of older music we like. If I never hear another new good song again, it's not going to ruin the rest of my life.

[sneakypete]

If when the wife and I are eating out, we hear just ONE!!!! new song that we like, I'll check the performer(s) out.
 But after listening to countless hours of new music over the last 17-18 years (and assuming most of the top current people in the music business were among them) and not hearing one song we've liked, I doubt we'll be finding anybody we will like.
But that's alright...there are thousands of hours of older music we like. If I never hear another new good song again, it's not going to ruin the rest of my life.

@goatprairie

Maybe you should check out  the songs by the names I mentioned above?

BTW,surely you have heard Adele sing,right?

Here is a new name for you I just remembered.


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[berdie]

I think most people stay in their comfort zone with the music they are comfortable with. Mine is '60s and '70s. Then I switched to C & W.  And then back to classic R & R.

My Dad only listened to Big Band, which I love btw. But I didn't want to stay "stuck" like he was. So I have tried to listen to the new music and am not impressed so far. There seems to be a bigger turn over of musicians than we had then.  That is probably the result of a faulty memory.

Fortunately for me...I saw most of the bands and singers that I like in the last 30 years.  They got old and so did I. I did see Gordon Lightfoot at a private event and he didn't sound bad but that's been 20 years ago.  The only one I was disappointed with was Van Morrison. And I was disappointed that I didn't see Waylon by himself before he died. (saw him at a Farm Aid concert).

I would like to see the Stones...but that probably won't happen.

[mountaineer]

I enjoyed the Melody Gardot video, pete. She's reminiscent of some 50s and 60s chanteuses, e.g., Peggy Lee.

[goatprairie]

I think most people stay in their comfort zone with the music they are comfortable with. Mine is '60s and '70s. Then I switched to C & W.  And then back to classic R & R.

My Dad only listened to Big Band, which I love btw. But I didn't want to stay "stuck" like he was. So I have tried to listen to the new music and am not impressed so far. There seems to be a bigger turn over of musicians than we had then.  That is probably the result of a faulty memory.

Fortunately for me...I saw most of the bands and singers that I like in the last 30 years.  They got old and so did I. I did see Gordon Lightfoot at a private event and he didn't sound bad but that's been 20 years ago.  The only one I was disappointed with was Van Morrison. And I was disappointed that I didn't see Waylon by himself before he died. (saw him at a Farm Aid concert).

I would like to see the Stones...but that probably won't happen.

The wife and I saw Lightfoot in Minneapolis a few years ago. His voice was just a croaking whisper. Really disappointed because I like a lot of his songs.
Too bad because in the last ten years we've seen a lot of big stars from the sixties who were all in their late sixties or seventies, and they all still sounded good/great.

[mountaineer]

I've seen Janis Ian in concert a couple of times in the past 20 years (her biggest "hit" was in 1975, "At Seventeen"). Still does a good show.

[corbe]

    I saw Dylan a couple of Summers ago at an outdoor venue in the area and he sounded like total crap, more so than usual.

[sneakypete]

I enjoyed the Melody Gardot video, pete. She's reminiscent of some 50s and 60s chanteuses, e.g., Peggy Lee.

@mountaineer

I think she is amazing. I just clicked on a link of her singing at random one day,and was blown away.

Keep in mind that I HATE Jazz. MY lifelong definition of jazz has been "All you SOB's know a note,but none of you know the same note and none of you know a song". The whole "if you can understand it,it's not good music" crap always ticked me off.

If I had known she was a jazz singer,I would have never clicked on that link.

BTW,she is not wearing the dark shades to look "cool" or "jazzy". She wears them because she was ran over by a bus several years ago near her home in Philly while riding her bicycle,and still has physical problems because of it. Mostly memory and sunlight. IIRC,she got back into music (she started playing the piano around age 5) after being bedridden by the accident. She didn't have anything else to do,so she started writing music to help her memory and to pass the time.

BTW,the name Peggy Lee finally struck a bell in my head,so I had to come back and add a comment about that. I had forgotten all about her,but you are right. The truth is that GOOD music is timeless because even people who can't understand the language of the singer,they can marvel at the sound. Hearing Edith Piaf for the first time really opened my eyes to possibilities,and I don't speak or understand a word of French. You don't have to speak French to understand or love her music. All you have to do is listen to her sing it.

[mountaineer]

Thanks, Pete, I'll check out more of her music.

[truth_seeker]

Melody Gardot had a "TBI" for traumatic brain injury.

[Smokin Joe]

I enjoyed the Melody Gardot video, pete. She's reminiscent of some 50s and 60s chanteuses, e.g., Peggy Lee.

Yep, I agree @sneakypete Nice sound that young lady has.

[dfwgator]

Best thing that happened at Woodstock, was Pete Townshend whacking Abbie Hoffman with his guitar.

[dfwgator]

The wife and I saw Lightfoot in Minneapolis a few years ago. His voice was just a croaking whisper. Really disappointed because I like a lot of his songs.
Too bad because in the last ten years we've seen a lot of big stars from the sixties who were all in their late sixties or seventies, and they all still sounded good/great.

Of all the old rockers, Paul Rodgers still sounds like he did in his prime.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

The wife and I saw Lightfoot in Minneapolis a few years ago. His voice was just a croaking whisper. Really disappointed because I like a lot of his songs.
Too bad because in the last ten years we've seen a lot of big stars from the sixties who were all in their late sixties or seventies, and they all still sounded good/great.

I saw Charlie Daniels sing the anthem at the Outback Bowl some years back.  Probably the worst voice I've heard, and the best performance because it completely obvious it wasn't about him.

[jmyrlefuller]

Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z ... sheesh.
I was a kid during the original Woodstock and didn't have any use for drug-addled hippies, but give me a break! With acts like these, it's no wonder this reboot is a disaster.

The organizers of Woodstock 50 totally missed the ethos of what Woodstock was about, especially with their choice of acts. Most were contemporary, but they were folk, rock, and just a bit out of the mainstream—with a little bit of oddity like Sha-Na-Na thrown in.

I don't know what the 1969 equivalent of the bands they tried to get to do 2019 would be. The worst acts that era really had to offer were the manufactured bubblegum acts, and even they were escapist and pretty easy to listen to (except Fabian... sorry). Yet artists like Jay-Z and Miley Cyrus represent the worst of why the 2000s were such a terrible decade for music. (There were a few exceptions, but they were indeed few. The 2010s, on the other hand, have been somewhat better.)

Woodstock was hosted by a conservative, war-supporting Republican who nonetheless had enough respect for those he disagreed with to try and make peace. Can you see today's musicians wanting to promote that kind of stuff? Ha! They have so much personal hatred for conservatism, and pointed hatred of Donald Trump (so much that they'll blame anyone right of Hillary Clinton as x-ist/x-phobe/etc...) There's no desire for reconciliation anymore. That'd require respecting the possibility that they might be wrong. "Peace and love" has become a Ringo Starr slogan.

[jmyrlefuller]

The wife and I saw Lightfoot in Minneapolis a few years ago. His voice was just a croaking whisper. Really disappointed because I like a lot of his songs.
Too bad because in the last ten years we've seen a lot of big stars from the sixties who were all in their late sixties or seventies, and they all still sounded good/great.

I think Gordon had surgery on his throat a while back, which is why his voice was so substantially altered. He had to relearn all his songs, from what I read, since everything had to be put in a different key from when he originally recorded them.

[jmyrlefuller]

I suppose everybody loves the music they heard as a teen the most and thinks it's the greatest music ever.

Heh. The music that I listened to as a teen was god-awful. That was when all the angry hip-hop started to go mainstream, the things like Jay-Z and all. I hated it. Plus, the angry punks like Green Day... and Nickelback. Ugh. So much bad Canadian music. (Though Barenaked Ladies, I like their sound.)

'Course, I lived in the sticks. There was one "hot AC" station in the nearest big city 40-50 miles away that came in pretty clear but it repeated songs every few hours and got old quick. The other choices we had were oldies, country, classic rock, public radio, or "contemporary Christian." The ten million iterations of singing "I love you Jesus, you're so great" was just about as bad—so I avoided that like the plague. My parents were big into classic rock so I got exposed to quite a bit of that. But I personally went on to develop appreciation for the classic country, oldies (60s/70s especially, though I eventually warmed to 50s... still not a big fan of a lot of 80s stuff they call "classic") and jazz, just from the choices I had. I still tend to prefer older music, but I try to keep things diverse.

[goatprairie]

    I saw Dylan a couple of Summers ago at an outdoor venue in the area and he sounded like total crap, more so than usual.

Dylan and Lightfoot are the exceptions to the generally still good voices that most of the old rockers still  have. Of course, Lightfoot was never scalded for his singing like Dylan was back in the day.
I remember back in the sixties when he, Dylan,  was heavily criticized for his voice, but compared to what he sounds like now, a broken foghorn, he sounds like Pavarotti on his older records.
I guess he just doesn't give a damn. Unless a person has harmed their vocal chords, there's no reason they can't sound good in their later years. Tony Bennett stills sounds remarkably good at age ninety.
Dylan's disregard of his poor singing voice is similar to his attitude about recording where he was known by some fellow rockers as One-Take Zimmy.  Eric Clapton couldn't believe it when recording with Dylan, Dylan didn't want to do more than one take  on many of his songs regardless of klinkers.