"Woodstock" soundtrack

[David R. Modny]

Other than the fact that it sells for about a gazillion dollars now on the collectors market - is there anything about the MoFi CDs, other than the book and packaging (i.e. the sound) that makes this so coveted. I have the Cotillion 1 & 2 album sets, and I know that the Anniversary CD box from a few years back was remixed using some *interesting* techniques.

So my question is, how do the cheapo stock copy Woodstock soundtrack CD's compare to the MoFi's? Is the Mo-Fi a flat transfer? I would be most interested in things such as master tapes being used, minimal eq'ing, and the original album mixes being utilized over something just ballyhooing being remastered. In other words, for anyone who has all or most of the CD issues (imports too)...how would you describe them in relation to each other? Include the remixed box, for descriptions sake, if needed. Thanks, Dave.

PS - I DO have the "Woodstock Diary" budget CD already...those mixes were taken from around the time of the 90's project, as I recall. I also have something that ran on Showtime 7 or 8 years ago called the "Lost Performances". I'll assume from memory that they, and the director's cut DVD, are remixes too...no?:confused:

[Dave]

Dave,

I have the MFSL's on cd-r and all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't fork over the required $150.00-$250.00 for the set as it's not great by any sense of the word. Sort of like the MFSL Gratefull Dead: At The Mars Hotel, not a very good recording period!

Hope this helps ya!;)

[David R. Modny]

Originally posted by Dave
Dave,

all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't fork over the required $150.00-$250.00 for the set as it's not great by any sense of the word. Sort of like the MFSL Gratefull Dead: At The Mars Hotel, not a very good recording period!

Hope this helps ya!;)


That is so true. The dodgy remote recording was far from audiophile material to begin with. Which is why I suppose I'm asking if the Mo-Fi is some kind of uncovered grail. That is, it would take someone telling me that it was cut from some "newly" discovered, pristine tape to sway me...lol!

[Dave]

Me too!:D ;)

[lukpac]

Originally posted by David R. Modny
That is so true. The dodgy remote recording was far from audiophile material to begin with. Which is why I suppose I'm asking if the Mo-Fi is some kind of uncovered grail. That is, it would take someone telling me that it was cut from some "newly" discovered, pristine tape to sway me...lol!

Well, I'm not sure if the problem was in the recording or the mixing. Take a listen to We're Not Gonna Take it on the Woodstock soundtrack, then listen to it on TKAA. The TKAA blows the Woodstock mix out of the water. The Woodstock mix is almost mono, with Pete's guitar off to one side, while the TKAA mix is a regular Who mix - vocals and drums centered, bass left, guitar right.

I have to wonder how some of the other stuff could sound remixed.

[John Oteri]

Funny, I thought of that as well. Same 8-track tape, two TOTALLY different sounding Who mixes. I bet the entire Woodstock concert sounds amazing on the eight-track tapes.

Now THIS would make a great 5:1 remix, with thousands of screaming fans behind the listener.

[Uncle Al]

I don't know about Woodstock in 5.1 - the DVD boasts a DD 5.1 soundtrack, and the rears are mostly this phoney - sounding added reverb. I suspect that (depite what the box says), this is a Matrixed Dolby Surround Mix recreated through DD 5.1 discreet...

[Steve Hoffman]

Uggh...

[nashreed]

I have a related question...
I was very obsessed with everything Woodstock a few years ago, and I was wondering...I know that less than half of the performances at Woodstock were filmed, but how much was recorded. Is it possible that there are all 65-some hours of music on tape somewhere that could be put together as the "Complete Woodstock" (The Biggest Bootleg Ever")?

There are sites that list the supposed complete artist and songs done at Woodstock, but they seem still, incomplete and sometimes contradict one another. Any tip for the MOST complete setlists in chronological order?


nashreed

[Gary]

Hey forget the bootleg idea! Official release! What an AMAZING box set it would be!

[Uncle Al]

Theres this site:

The Woodstock Project (http://www.woodstockproject.com/woodstock.html)

but the list is obviously incomplete. I always heard that much of the live taping was botched - didn't the Jefferson Airplane once complain that a good portion of their instrumental tracks were done in the studio as only 4 of the eight tracks were recorded during their set (supposedly a tape operator fell asleep)?

Does anyone know the story behind the "Abbie Hoffman incident" during The Who's set?

[nashreed]

That list looks all wrong. I'm sure the second artist after Richie Havens was Country Joe solo, and then John Sebastian. I'd love to see something so complete that it would have start times (5:45PM Richie Havens, etc.), and I can't believe some artists only did two songs. But I guess nobody was really paying that much attention....

nashreed

[David R. Modny]

Originally posted by lukpac


Well, I'm not sure if the problem was in the recording or the mixing. Take a listen to We're Not Gonna Take it on the Woodstock soundtrack, then listen to it on TKAA. The TKAA blows the Woodstock mix out of the water. The Woodstock mix is almost mono, with Pete's guitar off to one side, while the TKAA mix is a regular Who mix - vocals and drums centered, bass left, guitar right.

I have to wonder how some of the other stuff could sound remixed.

The other stuff HAS been remixed. The box set from a few years back took care of that. Stereo placement aside, from what I've heard, it's still is pretty much a lost cause for higher fidelity from most of the recordings. The "interesting" techniques that I referred to above were stated in an interview from the box set producers when it came out. They said they did things such as re-run original guitar tracks from the multis through Marshall guitar tube amps, then re-record the output in the studio to warm up the sound!

It's also a known fact that some of the groups did experience "gremlins" on the stage which probably didn't help (e.g. the Grateful Dead and their amps). I think there's only so much that can be done with most of the stuff. Alot of the vocals seem overloaded going into the console to begin with...even on the remixed stuff I've heard from Wooodstock Diary. Maybe, inconsitent is a better choice of words for describing all of the recordings. There's also been a long standing rumor that CSN recut some of their vocals in the studio afterward. "Marrakesh Express" also has some extra acoustic guitar work audible that couldn't have been played live....only one guitar on stage at the time.

[David R. Modny]

Originally posted by nashreed
That list looks all wrong. I'm sure the second artist after Richie Havens was Country Joe solo, and then John Sebastian. I'd love to see something so complete that it would have start times (5:45PM Richie Havens, etc.), and I can't believe some artists only did two songs. But I guess nobody was really paying that much attention....

nashreed

Record Collector put out a "great festivals" issue in August of 1989 that lists the order that everyone played. On Friday after Richie Havens opened the show, a band called Sweetwater played. They were actually supposed to open the festival but got caught in a traffic jam instead! After them, it was Tim Hardin (not in the movie), then Ravi Shankar, Melanie (not in movie), Arlo Guthrie, and Joan Baez closing in the middle of the night.

Saturday was opened by a band named Quill, THEN Country Joe, and then John Sebastian. The magic of the movie editing changes everything though....lol!

[David R. Modny]

Originally posted by David R. Modny


After them, it was Tim Hardin (not in the movie), then Ravi Shankar, Melanie (not in movie), Arlo Guthrie, and Joan Baez closing in the middle of the night.



Also, I forgot Bert Sommer. Insert him between Sweetwater and Tim Hardin.

*Trivia fact* - Bert Sommer is the lead singer on the Left Banke songs "And Suddenly" and "Ivy, Ivy". Recorded with Michael Brown when the first "feud" occurred within the band in 1967 between its members.

[Terry]

I beg to differ. If you want to hear an incredible Woodstock, listen to the superb MFSL lp version--much better than the CD. In addition, you can buy a remastered version of Woodstock that was issued in Holland. This is by far the best CD version.

[ascot]

Hello everyone,

I agree with Terry: the best CD version is the Holland import, which I believe was just released in the last couple years. This was mastered by Joe Gastwirt. I have no knowledge of the MFSL pressings.

For the purists, this import CD also contains the proper running time. The original U.S. CD had a fade out after the song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". The track continues and fades back in for Stephen's comment about being "scared sh**less". The import plays the sequence without the fade just like the original LP.

The difference between the two CD issues is about 40 seconds - the U.S. version runs longer.


Although I was born after Woodstock, I have had a considerable interest in the event. As stated before, the 1994 box set was remixed for better sound and includes a number of previously unissued performances. Not every track from the original 1970 LP was included on the box set, however. I think "Wooden Ships" was one of them. The leftover songs appeared on The Best of Woodstock - a single CD also released in 1994 and mastered by Joe Gastwirt - using the original mixes.

Video-wise, the version currently available on video and DVD is the director's cut with, I think, 40 extra minutes of footage. As if a three hour movie wasn't long enough! But I'll take it.

The previously mentioned "Lost Performances" came out in 1989 or 1990 and includes some things not in the director's cut, like CS&N's "Blackbird" and John Sebastian's "Darling Be Home Soon".

There were also some Japanese laserdiscs I saw many years ago that contained lots of extra footage. I wish I could have gotten them but I just couldn't afford them at the time. I remember seeing Sweetwater listed on one of them, and I know Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix were on another. My memory is fuzzy on these but I swear they were legitimate WEA releases.

I am also interested in any albums or box sets that contain extra performances from Woodstock. I have picked up a few over the years like Viva Santana! and the Jefferson Airplane box. The John Sebastian set from Rhino Handmade contains his complete performance.

Hope that helps!