Various Artists - Woodstock 25th Anniversary (50 tracks) +Album Reviews

THE MAGIC IS MISSING

Avalon Don | Huntington Beach, California United States | 07/17/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This one of the best examples of when there is something special, don't tinker with it. What made the original Woostock albums was the music,the humor and the stage announcements. The second LP was a respectable follow up for people who couldn't get enough. The box set lacks direction and must have been a quick job to make $$$$. They should have combined both original albums with bonus tracks and a good remastering or put out cd's of all unreleased tracks sticking with old formula of mixing in funny stage and audience comments. On the box set, you get full versions of songs that came out better edited. Some artists get more songs (Creedence, Airplane) playing substandard sets and others (Santana, Ten Years After, The Who, Melanie ) who were "On" that weekend, get only one tune. A couple stand out performances from the original albums are missing like "Wooden Ships", "Birthday Of The Rain" and the stage comments. The sound quality of all Woodstock releases has always been inadequate, lacking no midrange and it's worse here. The booklet is lousy. They should have checked out "Monterey" and done their homework. Stick with the old albums, unless your a die hard Woodstock collector."

It has the music but forgets the festival

Avalon Don | 07/03/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was somewhat disappointed with this boxed set which I had been looking forward to playing. Although it has much of the music from the original three record set, which I have, and from the movie, plus much more, what it lacks is the real flavor of what Woodstock was. For some inexplicable reason, they left out almost all of the stage announcements and crowd noise which, for those who were there, those who saw the movie, or even for those who wished they were there, really defined the experience. Where was the "no rain" cheer, Chip Monk of the Hog Farm announcing "breakfast in bed for four hundred thousand" or Max Yasgur's greeting of praise for the the crowd? All that was a big part of Woodstock. To just have the music ignores the event itself. I'd recommend the remastered original instead."

Essential live recordings

Avalon Don | 07/09/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good set but it does have some faults.The mixes are not exactly brilliant. If you compare some of the tracks originally released on the 1970 WOODSTOCK LP you will find the earlier mixes far superior. Not only in terms of stereo but also in terms of overall sound. For example: "Joe Hill" is minus the backing instruments, "Going Up the Country" has a rather washed out lead guitar solo and some tracks, like Sly & the Family Stone's Medley, have problems with the overall mix (i.e. the wavering sound of the brass section). Whoever remixed these tracks did not desire clear definition of instruments. The classic 'orgasm' finale of "With a Little Help From My Friends" and the "Howitzer" finale of The Who are almost as muddy as the Festival site itself became. The bass is too low and the treble too flat.The inclusion of previously released material seems to be a waste of space. Both the original Woodstock albums are still available (remastered too!) So why double up on the tracks contained in them? Why not release all new material?Other than this, the set is worth it since it is the only way you can hear the chaos and madness that inspires such previously unreleased performances of Joplin, Creedence and The Band. The quality is not as bad as I make it out to be. (I guess I am too used to the classic stereo sound of the vinyl era.)This was a landmark festival in terms of recording (8 track) and, as such, deserves to be heard."

Why ?. Just give me a good reason why ...

Gerardo Martinez Casas | San Miguel de Cozumel, Quintana Roo, México | 04/18/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"this 25th Anniversary Box Set of such an important musical event is so poorly packaged . When I was 14 years old , my father made his first trip to the Usa ( 1970 ) , and he was nice enough to buy me two of my first Lp's . Woodstock and Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Nite . Woodstock opened a new musical world for me . So , not listening to the reviews offered at Amazon ( big mistake , Again ) , I went ahead and ordered this excuse of a Box Set . Memory is a strong asset , and , yes , where are the announcements , the original sequence ( that could have been inserted with the new material ) , the Original art work ( who made this tasteless cd covers )??? , I did like what happened in 1969 , but who keeps this bulky booklets at hand when playing the music ??? , etc... The let downs are too many to count . So , I am going to have to order the original Woodstock and with it , make my own Cd's . Any way ...."

It Could Have Been a Contender

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 01/06/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Several CDs and DVDs are available that cover Woodstock. I still recall listening to the first vinyl album from Woodstock. I was impressed at the time, inadequate as that first recording was. There have been other attempts at capturing the Woodstock experience, each with their own successes and failures. I thought that a boxed set commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Woodstock would have been something that a fan of 60s cutting edge music would be a requirement for my collection. I was wrong.

This collection does offer the most music of any of the collections of which I am aware. However, this collection also removes some of the better songs from the earlier collections, and adds all new mistakes. My biggest complaint is in the flow of the music. The music is chronologically out of order, which makes this album more of an excerpt of Woodstock versus a representation of Woodstock. Second, Woodstock lasted for days, and someone decided that these four hours of music were how fans should remember Woodstock. I like much of the music on these CDs, but there is so much more and more that is better, and I feel short changed. There are a few more famous songs from the cutting edge artists, but how did Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (who I really like) get almost half a CD while other famous artists, such as The Who, get one song? Who picked this music?

I also recall that some of the previous Woodstock albums had more announcements and more talk on stage. This CD seems to have reduced that material as extraneous. I once thought the material was extraneous, but now, in my nearly old age, I find the extraneous material helps provide a better feel for the Woodstock experience.

I am also surprised that the sound was not more improved. I expected with improved technology there would be improved sound. The sound is better than the early Woodstock albums, but still not as good as I think it could be.

The 25th anniversary boxed set was an opportunity for someone to make a truly historic and meaningful music statement about Woodstock. Instead, someone seems to have picked artists that they may have thought were more popular or better remembered, and overlooked some of the more influential artists or songs. Opportunities such as this come along all too infrequently, and it is a shame that such an important opportunity was missed for this event. Wait for the next boxed set with six or eight CDs, with someone guiding that project with a vision of how to really represent Woodstock.

"

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