The Lady Who Edited Woodstock

Michael Wadleigh filming Richie Havens

I'm kind of obsessed with the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Not just the movie and the music, but how the event came together in bizarre circumstances - how it was both a triumph and a disaster. Perish the thought, but if I was ever to appear on the quiz show Mastermind, this would be my specialist subject.

Here's a wonderful story from someone who was right there in 1969.

My favourite podcast is This Cultural Life on BBC Sounds. Fascinating interviews by John Wilson with artists, writers and film-makers and not one that I haven’t enjoyed over about 50 episodes. In this episode, Wilson interviewed renowned film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who has worked closely with Martin Scorsese for over 50 years.

Thelma, now 85, reveals the process of working with Scorsese in the cutting room and how, through him, she met her late husband Michael Powell, whose films with Emeric Pressburger, both she and Scorsese had so admired from childhood.

The innovative three-screen display

The most remarkable part of the interview for me is when Thelma recalls how she and Scorsese were part of the filming and editing team on the Woodstock festival movie - for which she received her first Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing - the first documentary ever to be nominated in that category.

She tells how the team of documentary makers acquired a new editing machine that would allow them to have three images displayed at once. “We thought, why don’t we make a movie like this," said Schoonmaker. 

Marty and Thelma in 1969

"With great bravery, Michael Wadleigh, the director, decided to go for broke and spend his own money to get us all up at Woodstock, filming. That was just an amazing experience."

What they encountered at the site of the festival was not what they had expected.

"We had rented motel rooms. We thought we would drive back there after the evening performances. But we couldn’t even get out. It was jammed with traffic and people. So for three days we didn’t have a place to sleep. We slept on the ground – tics in our hair – no food. Every once in a while, someone would come up with a frankfurter, if you were lucky."

Thelma with Wadleigh and the editing team

"Marty felt we were going to be able to go out to dinner. He had brought cufflinks."

Although Woodstock was an ordeal, they found it tremendously exciting as the festival unfolded, with a bonded crowd of 400,000 young people entertained by many of the greatest acts of the 1960s. The film-makers' challenge was how to document it as closely as possible, in very difficult conditions.

"We had six cameramen on the stage; 15 out in the audience. We had no idea what we were getting. We were hoping it was OK because we couldn’t send the film out to be developed," said Schoonmaker.

"The main cameraman was Michael Wadleigh, who was looking through a lens for three days solid – no sleep, no food – doing these amazing shots of people like The Who."

Scorsese was helping Wadleigh decide what songs to shoot and negotiating with managers for the rights to do it. Sometimes they would get kicked off the stage.

"The Who kicked us off the stage"

"The Who actually kicked us off the stage, but then they didn’t even notice – they were putting on such a great show - that we snuck back on."

Thelma was mainly underneath the stage, trying to load the film magazines. "It was raining a lot and the cameras were jamming, so they would throw the magazine under the stage and we would try and reload it. It was a mammoth, absolutely back-breaking job, but so exciting.

“The great moment was the last day. It was dawn; we had been shooting all night, again. We were completely exhausted and then Jimi Hendrix came on. I thought, is this really him, or am I dreaming? And he did this incredible job of playing The Star Spangled Banner and massacre-ing it to show what was happening in Vietnam. It was a transformative moment.”

Hendrix performing to a thinned-out crowd

And then suddenly, it was all over.

"Everyone had left and there was just mud and detritus everywhere. We packed up and on the way home we stopped and ate. Michael Wadleigh was so tired his head just crashed into his spaghetti. When I got home, I had big whelts on my pants because I’d been wearing the same thing for three days.

In the BBC interview, John Wilson points to the visceral excitement that comes across in the movie, which Schoonmaker says was helped by the fact that she, as the editor, was there and she knew how it felt.

“Of course, we hadn’t seen all the footage we had of the people who were out in the field. There were so many wonderful interviews that we didn’t even know we had."

"A breakthrough in how to film music"

However, Warner Brothers were not interested in the film. "They said it’s a news event, just get it out quickly. We said no, you don’t understand, we have something very special here; a breakthrough in how to film festivals, how to film music."

It took an act of thievery to prevent them from cutting the movie back.

"We were supposed to bring the movie to New York City to show the press. Warner Bros were saying you have to cut the movie, you have to cut it down; we said no.

"Dale Bell, who was one of the producers, and I, stole the soundtrack from the vaults, to keep them from cutting it. So they had no choice but to send the version we wanted to New York.

"They had Pinkerton guards in the projection booth. I wasn’t allowed to go in, because they knew we had stolen the tracks. At one point I was standing watching the press reviewers and they were getting up and dancing in the aisles, which I’ve never seen. So we knew we had something special."

As the credits rolled, Ted Ashley, the head of Warners Bros, came up and touched Thelma on the shoulder. "OK, you’re right," he said. "We won’t cut it."

My Woodstock 50th Anniversary Diary

IF YOU LIKE MY BLOG, PLEASE HIT THE FOLLOW BUTTON ON THE SIDE PANEL THANKS

Also on this blog:

2-Tone and possibly my best gig ever

Queen's 1976 Free Concert in Hyde Park

Memories of the Reading Festival, 1975

Five Days of High Drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970

From Pinner to LA - Elton's Big Breakthrough, 1970

A Wizard, A True Star - my all-time favourite album

Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan's Artistic Peak in the 1960s

 Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns

People Power - Live Aid , Mandela and Human Rights Now!

My mother just messaged me to say she's watching the re-run of Live Aid on the BBC.

"I'm looking for you in the crowd."

"But Mum, I wasn't there!!"

I'm not sure why I wasn't at Live Aid, 40 years ago today. As a committed concert-goer back then, I certainly would have been up for it. I imagine the event must have sold out quickly before I could get hold of a ticket. 

On the day, I remember I was in my car with the radio on, and hearing the now famous announcement: "It's 12 noon in London, 7am in Philadelphia and around the world it's time for Live Aid!"

I watched the day unfold on TV with friends, into the early hours of Sunday morning. I still have the audio tapes. On one of them, at the conclusion of Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven, you hear DJ Mike Smith saying "Well, if you won't give us at least a quid after hearing the most requested song of all time, well, there's no hope is there?"

My Live Aid cassettes

Live Aid showed what was possible when a whole community of artists work together to benefit those much less fortunate than themselves. It also engaged a generation of 20 and 30-somethings in a way that is perhaps hard to imagine now. 

The 1980s was a politically-charged time, but it was also the beginning of the Reagan/Thatcher-inspired age of neo-liberalism, that eroded the social contract and the power of trade unions. 

As the British journalist A.A. Gill wrote, "It was the decade when the people, after 20 years of activism and raised fists, seemed to be at their most powerless... the rise of multinationals, big government and international bankers."

Using music to highlight the issues of inequality, although it was radical, also seemed quite natural at the time. And after Live Aid, the torch was carried forward by some of these high profile rock stars in the fight for human rights, the fight against apartheid in South Africa and many other worthy causes.

Sting became involved in highlighting the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. His songwriting reflected an awareness of oppression in the Soviet Union (Russians) and in South America (They Dance Alone). Peter Gabriel wrote 'Biko' in response to the death in South African police custody of the anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko. The song was often used at the climax of Gabriel's live shows, encouraging the audience to chant in sympathy and comradeship.

So while much is rightly being made of the 40^th anniversary of Live Aid, the humanitarian and charity events that followed it are also an important part of the story. As such, the immediate legacy of Live Aid was the string of politically-charged concerts in the late 80s, beginning with another cracker of an event music-wise, the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium. 

My ticket

The June 1988 concert that spurred the release from jail of Nelson Mandela, was a remarkable collection of global talent. More diverse than Live Aid and featuring many of the biggest artists of the day.

It was probably the most politically influential of any concert held in the UK. The BBC fended off resistance to the idea of giving a whole day's TV (again!), not for famine relief this time, but to support the release of a political prisoner. 

Mandela had at this point served 26 years in prison. After the 70th Birthday Tribute concert was shown around the world (except in South Africa, of course), growing domestic and international pressure forced President F. W. de Klerk to release Mandela in 1990 and negotiate an end to apartheid. In 1994 Mandela became president of South Africa. 

Here’s the list of artists who appeared at the June 1988 show:

Harry Belafonte, Sting, George Michael, Eurythmics, Al Green, Joe Cocker, Ashford & Simpson, Natalie Cole, Tracy Chapman, Midge Ure, Phil Collins, Joan Armatrading, Paul Young, Bryan Adams, The Bee Gees, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Sly & Robbie, Aswad, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, UB40 and Chrissie Hynde, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Courtney Pine, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, Steve van Zandt, Jerry Dammers, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Dire Straits featuring Eric Clapton, Jessye Norman. With contributions from Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Gere, Jackson Browne, Michael Palin, Harry Enfield and a particularly emotional introduction to Dire Straits by Billy Connolly. 

Emotions ran high from the very start of the show. Sting had been persuaded to appear, even though he had a gig that night somewhere in Europe. Credit to him for going on early and getting the concert off on the right note, with his tribute to the Mothers of the Disappeared, ‘They Dance Alone’.

George Michael also went on early in the show and bravely chose to cover Stevie Wonder’s Village Ghetto Land.

Unfortunately for Stevie, and for us, the hard drive for his keyboards went missing just as he was about to take the stage. His scheduled performance was scrapped and Tracy Chapman stepped forward with her guitar and played Fast Car. Apparently, her record sales went stratospheric after this. 

Simple Minds came on and pumped up the audience with Waterfront and Alive and Kicking. 

The day would not have been complete without Jerry Dammers and an augmented Special AKA performing Free Nelson Mandela, with Ndonda Khuze on vocals. As the carnival vibes were ramped up, the crowd chanted "The Whole World Is Watching!!"

The Specials were the poster boys for the 2-Tone movement, which along with Rock Against Racism, was a reaction to the rise of the far-right National Front and the race riots that had become more frequent in the late 1970s, just as The Specials were getting to Number One on the charts with Ghost Town.  

"For me, it was no good being anti-racist if you didn't involve black people, so what The Specials tried to do was create something that was more integrated," said Dammers.

It was a time of violent confrontation on the streets, reflecting conflict not just between whites and blacks, but the police as well. A disproportionate number of black men died in custody in those years, and still do.

The country was falling apart, said Dammers. "You travelled from town to town and what was happening was terrible. In Liverpool, all the shops were shuttered up, everything was closing down. Margaret Thatcher was closing down all the industries, throwing millions of people on the dole.

"You could see the frustration and anger in the audience. In Glasgow, there were these little old ladies on the streets selling all their household goods, their cups and saucers. It was unbelievable. It was clear that something was very, very wrong."

Dammers wasn't afraid to use his platform to confront people on the issues of the day. He tapped into their frustration and lack of hope with songs that addressed them directly. Songs like Too Much Too Young, Rat Race, Stupid Marriage and Racist Friend.

Whitney Houston's appearance on the bill at the Free Nelson Mandela concert was perhaps seen as tame, but she won the audience over with the sheer power of her voice. After a few of her trademark vocal somersaults, we all looked at each like, wow, this girl can sing. It was a phenomenal performance, in less than ideal conditions for her, in the open air with the temperature dropping.

Then Stevie Wonder appeared suddenly. No keyboards, just standing at the mike calling out the key changes to the band. He didn't stay long. It fell a bit flat, to be honest. 

Night fell and Billy Connolly come on to introduce Dire Straits. He told us that when the band's album went to number one in South Africa, rather than take the royalties, they said send the money to Amnesty International.

"It must break the hearts of those shits, to sign the cheque every year and send it off. And as result, the boys are banned in South Africa, which is a compliment. Ladies and gentlemen, with a happy heart and a tear in either eye...Dire Straits". 

The band sounded immaculate, augmented by Eric Clapton, and as Dire Straits played Brothers In Arms, I've rarely witnessed such a charged atmosphere at a show. Maybe this clip gives some sense of what it was like. Mark Knopfler was clearly affected by it. 

"Best birthday party we've ever been to," he told the audience.

Jessye Norman sang Amazing Grace at the finale. The perfect end to a special day. 

The second Nelson Mandela concert, in April 1990 also at Wembley, was notable less for the music (although it was another bumper list of artists) but most of all because Mandela was there in person.

That remains one of the most thrilling and inspiring moments of my life. After 27 years in prison, he walked out on the stage to a massive ovation. It seemed to last a long time - in fact it was only about 6 minutes - before he was able to speak. 

Nelson Mandela on stage at Wembley

The Anti-Apartheid movement had been galvanised by that first Wembley concert, to increase the pressure on the South African regime to release Mandela. And here we were, two years later, to welcome him back. It may seem crazy to believe a pop concert could really make that much difference. But here was the proof. 

The Human Rights Now! concerts in September 1988, held around the world and featuring Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Youssou N'Dour and Tracy Chapman, were another example of how rock musicians put themselves forward as advocates for political change and awareness. This time, they didn't just turn up to Wembley and plug in, they took it out on the road and worked it. South America, Africa, Asia and points in between. Again, it was inspiring and engaged a new generation in the fight for freedom and equal rights.

My ticket

Here's Bruce Springsteen getting the crowd jumping in Argentina.

As the decade came to a close, the fall of the iron curtain across Eastern Europe and the release of Mandela were the culmination of this new sense that people did have the power to force change. 

Oppression and inequality haven't gone away, but events such as this gave us the belief that change can happen when people come together to show their opposition and resistance. 

Bruce is still out there making a stand, but there aren't too many of the new generation using their platform in protest. If ever there was a time for these stars to raise their voices in protest, surely the moment is NOW!

IF YOU LIKE MY BLOG, PLEASE HIT THE FOLLOW BUTTON ON THE SIDE PANEL THANKS

Also on this blog:
2-Tone and possibly my best gig ever

Queen's 1976 Free Concert in Hyde Park

Memories of the Reading Festival, 1975

Five Days of High Drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970

From Pinner to LA - Elton's Big Breakthrough, 1970

My Woodstock 50th Anniversary Diary

A Wizard, A True Star - my all-time favourite album

Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan's Artistic Peak in the 1960s

 Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Queen’s famous 1976 free concert in Hyde Park

London's Hyde Park - 18th September 1976 – it's the sixth anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death and I am at a free concert by Queen, who had recently hit the big-time with their classic single Bohemian Rhapsody and the album ‘A Night At The Opera’.

This was Queen in their flamboyant pomp, with Freddie Mercury prancing round the stage in a white leotard, calling everyone darling.

The fact that it was a free concert brought this corner of the West End of London to a standstill for the day. I well remember the crowds at Marble Arch and all along Park Lane. Despite the crowds, there was not much trouble, save for a brief fight down at the front during the show that got Steve Hillage very angry, for a hippie.

Queen wanted to cement their fanbase after the success of Bohemian Rhapsody, so they hit upon the idea of a free concert. The Rolling Stones had done one in 1969 and there were a few others, notably Blind Faith's first show in the UK that same year. 

Queen playing '39 at Hyde Park

In 1976 Richard Branson was developing the Virgin Records roster. He saw this as a good opportunity to promote the brand so Virgin agreed to help organise the concert and into the bargain Branson got to feature some of his acts, namely Steve Hillage and Supercharge.

Kiki Dee was also on the bill, fresh from her number one hit duet with Elton John. Elton wasn't available though, so at Hyde Park Kiki duetted with a life-sized cardboard cut-out.

A review of the show

Albie Donnelly, the lead singer of Supercharge - a big fella with a beard - got one of the biggest cheers of the day when he bounced on stage wearing - you guessed it - a white leotard.

I’d seen Steve Hillage live as part of Gong at Hammersmith Palais the previous year, playing their Flying Teapot music. I had both of Steve’s solo albums up to that point, Fish Rising, which featured most of the classic Gong band minus Daevid Allen, and L, which featured Todd Rundgren’s Utopia. His live band at Hyde Park included ex-Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker and a bass player called, naturally, Colin Bass. They played a really good set, topped off with Hillage’s version of the Beatles’ song ‘It’s All Too Much’.

Steve Hillage at Hyde Park

There was a darkly comic moment during his set, when a fight broke out down at the front. We were sat close enough to the stage to have a decent view but without getting involved in the melee closer to the stage, where people were jostling for position.

Anyway, a fight broke out and Hillage actually stopped playing to remonstrate with the offenders: “Stop fucking fighting! I don't care if we don't play another note.” I was rather shocked to hear this long-haired hippie get so irate. 

The bad vibes at the front didn’t spoil the party for everyone else, but it was clearly still a bit volatile down there as Queen took the stage. Well into their set, with cans being thrown, (presumably not at the band!) Freddie was told by the Police to instruct the audience to stop throwing stuff.

The view from Roger Taylor's drumkit

They had come on stage at dusk in their white androgynous costumes with lacey sleeves, smoke bombs and dry ice going off. After the customary guitar fanfare, they opened with 'Ogre Battle' from Queen II. The music was loud and leaned on the progressive/fantasy stylings of the time.

In 1976, Queen’s set was a mixed bag of heavy rock, acoustic ballads, mini-opera and music hall pastiche. People who only know Queen for ‘We Will Rock You’ or Live Aid wouldn’t recognise this early version of the band. How different it all was.

Visually more engaging than anything else that day, there was a sense that this was a really big event for the band, getting this level of support from a British audience.

Brian May has said that Hyde Park was one of the most significant gigs of their career. “There was a great affection because we'd kind of made it in a lot of countries by that time, but England was still, you know, we weren't really sure if we were acceptable here. So it was a wonderful feeling to come back and see the huge crowd and get that response.”

Punk rock would soon put paid to all that.

Like many of the bands who came of age in the early to mid 1970s, Queen's image changed radically in the post-punk era. Ten years later, post Live Aid, Queen's career gained a second wind and they became belatedly - if not hip - then at least more credible than they were in the mid-70s. 

"Is this man a prat?' asked the NME

No, it wasn’t hip to like Queen back then. For the record, though, this is the only time in their career when I actually bought their albums – Queen II being a particular favourite. 

There is video footage of the Hyde Park concert. I bought a pirated DVD of it in Japan several years ago. The quality is poor and it transpires that the master recording has deteriorated to the extent that an official release is now highly unlikely. My DVD includes some silent footage of the band backstage and a clip of Steve Hillage’s set.

This is the best footage available of Queen's show, that marries the original video with a separate audio source.

Despite the poor visuals, the audio track is still largely intact, and as a snapshot of the time, it’s fascinating to revisit for anyone who was there. 

The concert ended abruptly owing to a strict curfew. Queen were prevented from playing their usual rock 'n' roll medley as a second encore. The show had over-run its allotted time and the police were adamant that the show must NOT go on. 

The police went so far as to threaten the band that if they went on again, they would be arrested. I imagine Freddie didn't fancy being locked up in a leotard. 

The stage was dark for ages before any announcement was made to the crowd. Finally, DJ Bob Harris had the thankless task of announcing to the crowd that Queen would not be coming on again. The main power was cut and plunged 150,000 people into darkness. Not a great way to end the day.

Queen’s Hyde Park Set List: Overture / Ogre Battle / Sweet Lady / White Queen / Flick of the Wrist / Medley: You’re My Best Friend, Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, March of the Black Queen / Bring Back That Leroy Brown / Brighton Rock / Son & Daughter / ’39 / You Take My Breath Away / The Prophet’s Song / Stone-cold Crazy / Keep Yourself Alive / Liar / In The Lap of the Gods.

A week later this advert appeared in the UK music papers

IF YOU LIKE MY BLOG, PLEASE HIT THE FOLLOW BUTTON ON THE SIDE PANEL THANKS

Also on this blog:
2-Tone and possibly my best gig ever

Memories of the Reading Festival, 1975

Five Days of High Drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970

From Pinner to LA - Elton's Big Breakthrough, 1970

My Woodstock 50th Anniversary Diary

A Wizard, A True Star - my all-time favourite album

Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan's Artistic Peak in the 1960s

 Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Five days of high drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970

Melody Maker's extensive coverage of the festival

There are many stories and legends that grew out of the aftermath of the 1970 Isle of Wight music festival. 

There was the invasion by French anarchists; the stage meltdown by promoter Rikki Farr ("you go to hell!"); the way Joni Mitchell won over a restless crowd; the remarkable performance of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix's last UK show, The Who playing on until dawn, ELP's breakthrough and many others. 

It was five days of high drama. The festival was undoubtedly a triumph musically, but the bad vibes on the fringes were such that they curtailed the development of commercial festivals for several years afterwards. The free festival agitators were a powerful lobby and at the IOW they made life hell for the promoters even before the event began.

MM's verdict

In the UK music paper Melody Maker, the week after the IOW, the central editorial reflection (seen here >, click to read it) was that the festival "may well be the last occasion for a long time on which more than a quarter of a million kids come together to hear some rock and roll."

"There can be little doubt that the events of last weekend will have a chastening effect on any other promoter considering putting on a similar event.

"What kind of lunatic will want to risk having to deal with the French, Algerian and American revolutionaries who raised such hell?"

And yet even with all of that to contend with, the festival was a musical triumph, attended by many of the top performers from Europe and America at the time. Clicking on the links below will take you to clips of some of them.

Saturday's highlights included a more than two-hour set by John Sebastian, joined by his Lovin' Spoonful colleague Zal Yanofsky. Once again it seemed, as at Woodstock, Sebastian was on stage because no one else was ready to go on. 

"With that unique mixture of whimsy and open-hearted fun, John first shouted, "Just holler 'em up and I'll play whatever you want to hear!" 

Shawn Phillips followed on before Rikki Farr announced "a lovely surprise" and the arrival of Joni Mitchell.

the acts reviewed - click to view

An audience member was having a bad acid trip near the stage. Someone yelled, "Help!... we need a doctor" and as the MM noted, "suddenly, with terrifying swiftness, the good vibes turned right around."

Joni dealt with this and an attempted stage invasion with admirable poise. She brought the audience back onside by the sheer beauty of her songs - not to mention the genuine frustration she expressed at the bad vibes. You can read more about this in a separate piece I wrote.

A particular treat for the audience was the appearance of jazz giant Miles Davis, with a new electric band that included Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette.

"Miles took the stage in a red leather jacket and silver-studded jeans and boots - at 44 years old as hip as anyone there."

The response to this new style of jazz must have been very encouraging for Miles, who took a lot of criticism from traditional jazz fans back in America for his radical change of style. Makes you wonder what music would have resulted if Miles and Jimi Hendrix had got together, as it was suggested they might. 

"The group's use of rock rhythms was far more evident than before, but they proved beyond any doubt that they are capable of making it as subtle, as complex and as rewarding as any conventional jazz rhythm," said the reviewer. The word fusion had yet to be coined in the context of rock and jazz, but you only have to listen to Dave Holland's bass playing during the 36 minute set by Miles to know that he had an intimate knowledge of rock and soul bass lines. 

Another of the artists destined to divide opinion was keyboard wizard Keith Emerson, with his new band Emerson Lake & Palmer, who made their debut at the IOW festival.

The MM said, "It's quite likely there are some of the rock fraternity who don't approve of Keith adapting classical themes, his displays of virtuosity and touches of showbiz. 

"ELP let off two cannons in the penultimate number. The arrangements were long and adventurous. There were no long blues guitar solos. In fact, they were wide open to criticism.

"But they didn't half play good," said the reviewer.

"The applause was almost as deafening as the cannonade which blew the spectacles off a man sitting in the firing line."

The stage lights dimmed just after midnight on Saturday and The Doors wandered on and proceeded to play a rather more muted set than the previous band. The reviewer noted, though, that they sounded better than when they played London's Roundhouse in 1968. 

"We want the world and we want it now! screamed Jim Morrison at one point, but it was not evident what he would do if circumstances arose which would make this possible," said the MM.

The Who played all night

"And now, a nice rock band from Shepherds Bush - the 'OO," announced DJ Jeff Dexter. 

Pete Townshend cheered up the English contingent, saying "We come home and find ourselves playing to a load of bloody foreigners causing trouble."

The Who played on well after 4am and as they reached the climax of Tommy, they turned huge spotlights on the crowd. It was a euphoric moment, to judge from the film.

The Raver gloating about his luxurious experience...

Keith Moon had arrived at the IOW with Viv Stanshall the night before the Who's appearance, to apparently "dig the acts and drop egg yolks into reporters' hard won cups of tea."

Peter Frampton was also backstage with his girlfriend Mary, as were George and Patti Harrison. 

'The Raver' columnist in Melody Maker had a rather more comfortable festival experience than his colleague Michael Watts (see article below) who drew the short straw and was given the assignment of spending the weekend on 'Desolation Hill' with the great unwashed.

..while Mike Watts was slumming it
on Desolation Hill

The Raver meanwhile, was roughing it at the former home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, now a three star hotel at Freshwater. 

Ian Anderson is said to have given one of the finest individual performances of the entire five days at the festival. "Jethro Tull emerged triumphant as one of the most entertaining of all the bands," said MM.

"Cocking his knee, grimacing, leaping, screaming, muttering, gibbering, sneezing, he looked like a brilliant but demented 18th century German music master.

Ian Anderson: brilliant but demented

"When Ian wasn't amazing us all with his flute, which leapt from the explosive to the beautiful, there was also the fine guitar of Martin Barre and some brilliant drumming by Clive Bunker to enjoy. One of the greatest assets of Tull proved to be the gifted piano playing of John Evan."

"Yes - it has been a long time, hasn't it?" said a cool, casual, but seemingly happy Jimi Hendrix. He was probably referring to the last time we saw him play in Britain, rather than the one-hour plus delay while one drum kit, a guitar and bass were set in working order.

"But it was nice to see him again, even if the sound was terrible - somehow there is always something wrong with the machinery of rock when Hendrix plugs in. Noel Redding's replacement, Billy Cox, proved a good bassman, but Mitch Mitchell, long a favourite drummer, was disappointing. He was hampered by a distorted PA and his playing seemed somewhat stiff."

One last look at the genius of Jimi Hendrix

The audience response was muted, probably because many were asleep, but slowly things started to improve. Jimi's guitar picked up. 

"They may be having an off-night but he is still incredibly good," said Peter Frampton, one of the crush in the VIP and press enclosure.

"Okay, we'll start all over again," said Jimi. "Hello England."

"Suddenly there was life on stage and Jimi showed why he is one of the all-time greats by some superb blues playing and singing on Red House."

As it turned out, this was Jimi's last show in the UK. A friend of mine attended the festival specifically to see Hendrix, but was asleep when he came on. Sadly, there would be no next time. September 18th 2020 will be the 50th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death, at just 27 years of age. 

Rory Gallagher and Taste

Earlier in the weekend, there were two stand-out performances, from Taste and Chicago. Taste were already popular, and starting with What's Going On they ran through their repertoire "with undiminished adulation from the crowd".  

Rory Gallagher, it was noted, "is technically excellent with the ability to play long passages at high speed." They were called back for four encores.

Chicago's set began at dusk on Friday. Guitarist Terry Kath made a big impression. "His guitar was fast and fluent. He looked like the kind of guy who would go down among the audience and personally sort out anyone who messed with his music. A girl actually screamed during one electrifying high speed guitar solo."

No such thing as a Free lunch

Free's set mid-afternoon on Sunday was well received: "Paul Rodger's tough, hairy voice and the obvious sensuality of Paul Kossoff's guitar were the outstanding points." 

But the reviewer said the time of day wasn't ideal for them: "It was a little too close to lunchtime to feel that funky."

"Their number one hit All Right Now really got the crowd moving, although the few who stood up to dance were soon on the ground again after a volley of Coke cans."

For a run-down of all the others artists appearing at the festival, check out the cuttings accompanying this piece. 

 

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On this blog, see also:
Joni Mitchell Tames The Tiger at the Isle of Wight

My Woodstock 50th Anniversary Diary

Memories of the Reading Festival, 1975

Jimi Hendrix - The Last Interview

Who's Next - Lightning In A Bottle

Memories of the Reading Festival 1975

In amongst the old brown suitcase full of music memorabilia from my youth is quite a bit of stuff from Reading Rock '75.

I even have my festival t-shirt, which has somehow survived.

The 1975 Reading Festival featured a wide range of music and a few bands at the top of their game, including Yes and Hawkwind.

It was probably the last of the classic rock/prog era festivals, before heavy metal and new wave took over. It was also notable for featuring bands who became much bigger sometime later, like Thin Lizzy, Supertramp, Judas Priest and Joan Armatrading.

The denim-clad hordes descended on the Thames-side festival site on the August Bank Holiday of 1975. It was typically squally bank holiday weather and that played its part, not least for fans of the Saturday night headliners, Yes, who endured a heavy rainstorm. On Sunday, though, the weather was warm and sunny all day, culminating in a blistering afternoon of rock guitar from John McLaughlin, Robin Trower and Wishbone Ash.

Shirts off - it didn't rain all the time!

On the festival site, the atmosphere was largely peaceful amongst the crowd of probably around 50,000 people.

But this was still the era when the hardcore freaks believed that bands should be playing for free - anything else was a sell-out, man! So there was a degree of suspicion and cynicism among the more experienced festival goers.

One of the regular conversations heard through the weekend was who was going to be at the free festival at Watchfield the following week. The hardcore freaks were all going to be there and Hawkwind were headlining. See the report by Allan Jones at the end of this article for more on that.

The two-stage set up at Reading

Onstage at Reading, there were several musical highlights for me. The '75 festival had a strong line-up, but you can see from my crossings-out on this flyer that Richard & Linda Thompson and Lou Reed were no-shows.

from the Festival newspaper

Here are the highlights for me, with links to audio and video where available:

HAWKWIND
The headliners on the Friday night, they were suitably loud, spacey and heavy - a mind-expanding experience.

Singer and lyricist Robert Calvert made a guest appearance at Reading, after which he chose to rejoin the band as a full-time lead vocalist.

Bob Calvert

They started out playing Warrior On The Edge of Time and then played Psychedelic Warlords Disappear In Smoke and Master Of The Universe.
Bob Calvert wasn't much of a singer, but he was the perfect frontman for Hawkwind, chanting his space poetry.

"In the event of sonic attack...!"

As the official programme noted in very un-PC terms, "even if you don't like the music, there's the ample frontage of Stacia to keep you occupied, as she cavorts about the stage".

Simon King's impressive drumkit

Visuals were always a large part of the Hawkwind experience, with psychedelic lighting provided by Liquid Len and the Lensmen. Stacia had joined Hawkwind in 1971 as a dancer, typically performing topless and wearing body paint.

Stacia having a bit of a cavort

Reading '75 was the end of an era, though, as this was the amazonian dancer's last gig with the band.

The Melody Maker reviewer was unimpressed, describing Stacia "stomping around with all the grace of the Statue of Liberty animated by Ray Harryhausen on an off-day."

Their encore was the much-anticipated Silver Machine and then, as midnight approached, Dave Brock wished the audience a good night and told them to "smoke plenty of good dope".

The reviewer concluded that "The Hawks were surprisingly tight and well-disciplined. One would suggest this was one of their better performances. Simon House, on violin and keyboards, displayed a fine lyrical mastery that proved an excellent counterbalance to the rumblings of Nik Turner and the rest of the band."

Judge for yourself. Here's the full set they played at Reading

Second on the bill on Friday were Dr. Feelgood. They warmed up the crowd with a typically high energy set. I'd seen them earlier in the year at Brunel University, so knew what to expect. We were a bit too far away to get the full effect - the two stage set-up meant you had to make a choice if you wanted a good position for the headliners. The Melody Maker review (see the scans at the end of this blog) reckoned they were one of the festival highlights. Here's some film of them just a month before the festival.

YES - Saturday night
As Hawkwind had done the previous evening, Yes kept us waiting, but eventually put on a show worthy of festival headliners, complete with an elaborate stage set designed by album cover artist Roger Dean.

Rick Wakeman had left the band earlier in 1975, after a series of disagreements over what he saw as the over-indulgent music on their last album Tales From Topographic Oceans.

His replacement, Swiss keyboard whizz Patrick Moraz, brought a similarly showy and virtuoso style to the music. They began their set at Reading with the track Soundchaser from their new album Relayer. The set included many of their most popular favourites, such as I've Seen All Good People, And You and I and Close To The Edge.

YES played on through the rain

Unfortunately for us, as the set progressed, it began to rain and became torrential by the end of their set, as laser beams pierced through the deluge. "Silvery specks of rain cascaded through the green pencil beams and the soaked hordes roared their defiance against elements," said the MM review.

"Until the rain, Yes played magnificently. They played on regardless, with commendable courage and they were greeted with tumultuous cheers.

"And You And I was exceptional, with fine country guitar work from Steve Howe."

I have a bootleg CD of it, bought in Japan several years ago. Jon Anderson thanks the audience profusely for braving the conditions.

My clip featured here gives you some idea of how it looked. And here's a reasonable audio of it. For a better idea of their set from this time, check out the Live at QPR films that are fairly easy to find.

John McLaughlin at Reading

The Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring John McLaughlin - Sunday Afternoon
This was a later version of Mahavishnu, stripped down to a four piece featuring Narada Michael Walden on drums, Ralphe Armstrong on bass and Stu Goldberg on keyboards.

Although the band had changed, much of the material they played was familiar to fans of the first two Mahavishnu albums, The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire.

They began their set with Meeting Of The Spirits, which was as frenetic as ever. The MM reviewer was surprised how animated McLaughlin appeared: "Stomping about the stage like a heavy metal kid rather than the darling of the jazz rock avant garde, face bearing a smile that was positively beatific, except when he was wringing out those deliciously agonising galaxies of notes on his guitar."

Here's a link to the MO's set at Reading.

The sun was out and there was a good vibe in the crowd. Festival DJ John Peel played Cream's Born Under A Bad Sign and next up on the left hand stage was the Robin Trower band.

Robin Trower and drummer Bill Lordan at Reading

This was the high point of the Sunday afternoon and perhaps the whole weekend. I have this memory of the crowd getting in such a frenzy – it was a lovely sunny afternoon and a kind of delirium came over the crowd during Trower’s set. 

At the climax of one of the songs, a great wave of cheering could be heard as a rubbish fight broke out across a no-man’s land puddle of mud towards the back of the crowd. Or maybe they were just chucking everything into the void. I just remember this cloud of paper and empty bottles suspended in the air, the crowd seemingly spurred on by the excitement of the music.

MM hails Trower and Yes

Trower's set was drawn from the first three albums, particularly the classic Bridge of Sighs. Another highlight was always Trower's tribute to 'the man', the song Daydream, dedicated to Jimi Hendrix.  

Trower had been saddled with being a Hendrix imitator and the MM's reviewer said he still sounded like Jimi. "Not an imitator, you'll note, but if you close your eyes and just listen to the chops, feel the chord sequences in your gut, it might well be James Marshall Hendrix reincarnated."

Trower proved that the heavy power trio had far from run out of steam, said the review. "I would not have believed it possible for such limited instrumentation to keep one's interest alive for 90 minutes. But Trower did it, and of course they loved him for it, calling him back for two encores."

I've written a separate blog piece about the Robin Trower band who were close to their peak at this time, certainly in terms of the intensity of their playing. 

Here's a link to audio of Robin Trower's set at Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8rRhH9uEFI

According to a fan of the band (in the comments below), Sunday night headliners Wishbone Ash were very late taking the stage owing to technical problems. I do remember there were problems and doubts even that they would appear, because the stage was dark for ages. It was a slightly disappointing end to a great day. No footage or boots that I can find of their show at Reading, possibly because the technical problems. But here's some film of them playing at Winterland in February '76.

from the festival newspaper

Thin Lizzy - This was early days for the Mark II Lizzy but they had already trademarked the twin guitar sound, with new guys Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. Later on in 1977 and '78, Lizzy would hit the big time with Jailbreak and the Live & Dangerous album.

In 1975 though, they were still building up to that and went on mid-afternoon, playing songs from their current album Fighting. I'd heard them playing a session on the radio and, as a fan of the original band (I bought Whiskey In The Jar and The Rocker) I was interested to see how the new one compared.

John Peel announced them as "one of the best bands you're going to hear this weekend."

Of course, they were great. The template was set, Lynott leading the line with a swagger and bantering with the crowd. It may have taken them a while to get the crowd going, but eventually "the pounding of Brian Downey's two bass drums and the twin guitar leads backing Lynott' earthy vocals began to bite," said the MM.

Thin Lizzy at Reading '75

"Heavy riffs came flying, but it was 'I'm Still In Love With You', a slow piece, that helped relax the band and gave space for a fine solo by Brian Robertson."

Here's some brief film of that show tagged with a recording of it, for those who were there.

If that's too rough for your taste, here's a sample of their live set from that tour.

Supertramp - all dressed in white jumpsuits as I recall. They played a faithful rendition of the Crime of The Century album. It was raining though, and I remember ducking for cover at one point. It felt like I wasn't missing much, because Supertramp were not projecting any great spectacle to the crowd. It was just like listening to the album.

Here's audio of them playing School in 1975
and here's video of them playing Dreamer

UFO - Another band I was fond of at the time, they played before Dr. Feelgood on Friday evening.  Doctor Doctor has become a rock classic and in this clip, they are playing another, Rock Bottom in 1975

Soft Machine, were a treat for jazz rock fans. John Etheridge joined the band in early 1975, replacing Allan Holdsworth, the guitarist on their then current album Bundles. Etheridge told Jazzwise magazine, "Following Allan as the Soft Machine guitarist was demanding. I felt that I was one of the few people who could cope. I was quite proud of that.”

Although they didn't do much in the way of performance, a bit like Supertramp, I found their music was quite intriguing. The MM noted their set consisted mainly of songs from Bundles, "together with some rather nice material distinguished by good wind and guitar voicings and an excellent drum solo  by John Marshall."

Here is Etheridge with Soft Machine in 1975.

Judas Priest - I was a fan of their first album Rocka Rolla. This was well before their international fame in the 80s and Rob Halford's leather fixation. Halford had long hair at this time and the music was much more blues rock than the metal of later years. Good though. This is probably the earliest footage of them, live at Reading.

And for any diehard Judas Priest fans, here's a link to the audio of their set
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjFRYutoJsE

Joan Armatrading

Gary Holton - stage left, standing on a
speaker, hones his acting skills

She was the opening act on Sunday. It was clear she had something special. A deep beguiling voice and some good songs. She was promoting a new album, Back To The Night.

"Joan announced she was going to sing some blues and the response from the crowd was immediate," said the MM. "By the time she finished with 'Back To The Night' she had raised them from their somnolence."

Not sure if I'd heard her before this, but she definitely made an impression.

The Heavy Metal Kids - They'd shortened their name to The Kids at this point. They were my mate Kev's favourite from the weekend, I think, because of singer Gary Holton's theatrics. It was apparent that Holton was a character,  even then, way before he appeared as one of the cast in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

The band were a lot tighter than their appearance here the previous year, said the reviewer. "They roared through 'Boogie Woogie', 'The Cops are Coming', 'Rock and Roll Man' and even a jokey chorus from the Bay City Rollers. Gary raced around the stage, gesticulating, posing and being just enough of a pain in the neck to arouse the ire of a whole coach load of rock writers."

As we trudged home on the bank holiday Monday, tired and hungry, a voice cried out from the distance: WALLY!!!

IF YOU LIKE MY BLOG, PLEASE HIT THE FOLLOW BUTTON ON THE SIDE PANEL THANKS

Also on this blog:

Steve Howe joins Yes, Rick Wakeman joins The Strawbs

The Yes Album - 50 years old and still sounding great

The Who Put The Boot In at Charlton FC, 1976

Five Days of High Drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970

The following week, the bikers and hardcore hippies convened at Watchfield