The Road to Woodstock [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Hardcover,283 pages of text-including a short "Where are they now?" section,and a complete set-list of performers at Woodstock. There is also an index and source section,not included in the above page count. There are twenty-four pages of black and white photographs which lend a good,though limited,visual idea of the festival.

This is another good book about the three day event in 1969,which centers a lot on Michael Lang,which is fine. His partner,Artie Kornfeld, was crucial in helping distill Lang's ideas into something approaching a workable plan,especially in the beginning,for which he should be remembered. Between the two of them,they arrived at the idea of holding a music festival to pay for a recording studio set-up they envisioned in the Woodstock area,an area where a lot of musicians either "hung out" or lived nearby.

The book,written in a combination of first person and historical style,begins with a short overview of Lang's youth in Brooklyn,and continues with his college-age days and beyond in Florida. He talks about his "headshop" and producing the Miami Pop (with five dollar admission) Festival. After moving to Woodstock N.Y.,is when the studio complex/living area idea began to crystallize (no pun intended) in his head. Talking it over with Kornfeld (an A&R man in the music business) they thought people would love the bucolic surroundings and come into the area to live and record.

The story is also told through other people involved in the venture and through a number of performers at the event. This is where the "meat" of this book is found. The viewpoints of the many people (Chip Monck,Pete Townshend (among many performers),Wavy Gravy,John Roberts,et al) really tell the story in an immediate,"I was there" way. The story is told chronologically from the very beginning until the three day event came to a close. The small vignettes and viewpoints told by various attendees is what holds this book together and makes it worthwhile. The book's epilogue finishes with information on Lang and post-Woodstock activities. This is a real "insiders" look into how this festival came to fruition,and the narrative moves along at a good pace.

With a number of books being published on this,the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock,it's nice to have this book which combines not only Lang's thoughts and views from his perspective,but many others involved as well. The text is clearly written and makes for an entertaining and interesting read,no doubt with the help of writer Holly George-Warren. This book,together with two other recent books (WOODSTOCK REVISITED,Susan Reynolds,editor and BACK TO THE GARDEN by Pete Fornatale) the first of which tells about the three day festival through the eyes of the "average" person who attended or tried to attend,and the second,which combines historical and narrative styles,is a good overview of what went on at the festival (even though the author mistakenly has CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL's Stu Cook on drums and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford on bass) through the experiences of the performers. Together,these will give as much information and insight into the event that most readers will need.

The combination of Lang's "nuts and bolts,from the start" build-up,on through the festival,gives a good picture of how this event came to pass. In the end,THE ROAD TO WOODSTOCK will make most readers wish they,too,could have traveled to this pasture land for this once in a lifetime event. If you grew up in the sixties-here's a chance to relive a part of your youth. If you weren't around to remember the times-this book will help you understand it a bit better. This book gives insight into the "sixties" era,and the mind-set of the time-a time and event that will never happen again.

In a book like this, "THE ROAD TO WOODSTOCK" all that really matters is that it is a fun read. Whether or not it completely accurate is beside the point because after all if a poll were taken now, 40 years later you could well find several million people who will swear they were there/ Why? Maybe it is that sixties nostalgia that people now in their late fifties and early sixties - for the most part - want to believe they didn't miss one of the major events in their lifetime. Honestly, I wasn't there and even though I am now sixty, I admit I am glad I was not there, mainly because no one would believe me if I did say I was there. What I do have is a ticket to the three day event that is one of my prized possessions and one I will never part with. Unfortunately at the last minute the employer I worked for at the time (I was trying to save enough for the next semester at college) cancelled my vacation and insisted I work the weekend or don't bother coming back. Maybe I should have balked, but as they say water under the bridge.

What I do remember about Woodstock, and this book and many others have retold it over and over is that it was, despite the terrible weather, insane crowds, lack of food, medical services and sanitation, it all came off without any crime at all. Think about it, when have a half million people gathered under unexpected circumstances and everyone acted civilly. No rapes, no murders, no beatings and no theft. It is completely unbelievable but at the same time it says something absolutley amazing about that (my) generation, especially considering the social upheavals going on all around the world at that time. At the center of the SIXTIES, it was phenomenal, and shows something very positive can still come out of difficult times.

It was a pleasure to read, and contains no political tirades or hate hate speak from the right or left, and that alone makes it worthwhile. Highly recommended summer read

This book is like a time machine which transports you back to an era of great social upheaval and change. Woodstock gave our generation a much needed ray of sunshine. "The Road to Woodstock" is such a fun read that it's difficult to put down. Having many of the musicians reminisce about their experiences at Woodstock gives this book a timeless feel, like it happened only yesterday. For young people, who weren't even born yet, this book will show them why Woodstock mattered well beyond just being a music festival and that their parents and grandparents did make a difference.