http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_12803724
By Sue Gilmore
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 07/09/2009
TWO 40TH ANNIVERSARIES looming large on the horizon are recognized in
today's section man's first footsteps on the moon July 20, 1969,
and the huge musical and cultural upwelling on Max Yasgur's farm in
upstate New York from Aug. 15 to 17 the same year.
Not surprisingly, both milestones have spawned a publishing land
rush, but from where I sit, the output on the Woodstock reminiscences
is more like an avalanche. In addition to the
gleam-in-the-eye-that-became-Woodstock memoir from producer Michael
Lang reviewed on this page, multiple other volumes on the topic sit
on my desk. Here's a rundown for aging hippies and other interested parties:
"Woodstock Revisited: 50 Far Out, Groovy, Peace-Loving,
Flashback-Inducing Stories from Those Who Were There" (Adams Media,
$12.95, 240 pages) is compiled and edited by writer Susan Reynolds,
who was indeed there and contributes the first essay.
"Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock" (Touchstone Books,
$24.99, 303 pages), by New York radio man and music historian Pete
Fornatale, has a foreword by Berkeley's Country Joe
("I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag") McDonald and features a cast of
113 major players.
"Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories" (Krause Publications, $24.99,
255 pages) is a photo-and-graphics-dominated compendium by Woodstock
"preservationists" Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague, both of whom
were too young to attend the original festival. Record company exec
and Lang collaborator Artie Kornfeld writes the introduction, and the
epilogue comes from Berkeley icon Wavy Gravy of Hog Farm fame.
"Woodstock: Three Days That Rocked the World" (Sterling Publishing,
$35, 288 pages), compiled by editors Mike Evans and Paul Kingsbury,
has a foreword by Martin Scorsese and devotes a complete spread,
including set lists, to each of the 31 acts. It also includes gossipy
tidbits such as the revelation that Janis Joplin polished off all the
backstage bagels.
"By the Time We Got to Woodstock: The Great Rock 'n' Roll Revolution
of 1969" (Backbeat Books, $19.99 softcover, 300 pages), to be
published in mid-September, is by music writer and blogger
(thejoyofsegues.blogspot.com) Bruce Pollock.
Not on my desk yet, and that may have something to do with the
whopping $533 price tag, is the British-based Genesis Publications
limited (to 1,000 signed copies) commemorative edition "The Woodstock
Experience," a multimedia package producer Lang has compiled that
includes, believe it or not, an original unused ticket to the
festival. It can be ordered online at www.genesis-publications.com,
but it'd behoove you to hustle if you're interested. After the Aug.
15 anniversary kicks in, the price goes up to $602.
I could go on and on about the Woodstock tidal wave if you type
"Woodstock" in the Amazon.com search bar, you get 34,966 hits, and a
quick scroll-through indicates that many, many more are recent or
upcoming releases.
Wonder what the 50th anniversary will bring?
--
Reach Sue Gilmore at 925-977-8482 or sgilmore@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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