Stoned Circus (psych rock / USA)

Stoned Circus were a fine hippie quintet with male-female vocals in the Jefferson Airplane mould. They recorded their only album, on 4th September 1970 at Cavern Sound Studios, Missouri and were originally from Independence (Harry Truman's birthplace). This is the same studio where The Wizards From Kansas and Burlington Express laid down their first tracks. The album, which remained unissued until 1994, contains an excellent cover version of the traditional "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Led Zeppelin).

 ' Revisited' simply sounds just so extremely 1970-ish. According to the full color 8-page CD booklet in 1971, Stoned Circus got to open for some big names like the Guess Who, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Chicago, Steve Miller Band and Ritchie Havens.  

They've recently (35 years later) reunited with all six original members. 

Fans of Jefferson Airplane, Touch, Neighborhood Children, Big Brother And The Holding Company and Carrie Nations (that fictitious band in the movie 'Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls' ) should undoubtedly get a lot from this CD reissue.




Line-up: 

Johnny Isom - guitar & vocal, 
Harold Haney - bass & vocals 
Joe York - keyboard & vocals
Richard Van Sant - keyboard & vocals 
Nancy Lake Whedon - percussion & vocals  
Donna Kurtz Nugent -drums.



Feel:

Quotes

“If music be the food of love, play on.” 
William Shakespeare 



“If I cannot fly, let me sing.” 
Stephen Sondheim



“I think people who truly can live a life in music are telling the world, ‘You can have my love, you can have my smiles. Forget the bad parts, you don’t need them. Just take the music, the goodness, because it’s the very best, and it’s the part I give most willingly” 
George Harrison



“Music, my rampart and my only one.” 
Edna St. Vincent Millay



“If you've lost your faith in love and music then the end won't be long.” 
Pete Doherty



“... songs, to me, were more important than just light entertainment. They were my preceptor and guide into some altered consciousness of reality. Some different republic, some liberated republic... whatever the case, it wasn't that I was anti-popular culture or anything and I had no ambition to stir things up. I just thought of mainstream culture as lame as hell and a big trick. It was like the unbroken sea of frost that lay outside the window and you had to have awkward footgear to walk with.” 
Bob Dylan



“Through music we may wander where we will in time, and find friends in every century.” 
Helen Thompson



“Don't be afraid, just play the music.” 
Charlie Parker



“You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music.” 
Billie Holiday



“Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.” 
Edward Bulwer Lytton



“Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” 
Keith Richards

Dublin (follow-up)

Photos we have taken in The Temple Bar, Captain Americas, music shops and what we saw on the streets of Dublin:


The Temple Bar:

Every day from 14.00 till 02.00 live music (in all the pubs and cafes)

The Temple Bar. Note: World record marathon guitar player Dave Browne 114 uur live on 12-17 juni 2011 (this is not Dave Browne). 

The Whiskey Bar (inside The Temple Bar)

On the streets of Dublin:

Wall of Fame

Statue of Phil Lynott 1949 - 1986 (Harry Street)

Statue of  Molly Mallone  (Grafton Street)

Cookhouse/bar  "Captain Americas" :

Guitar of  Bryan May (Queen)

U2:  guitar and  signed T-shirt U2 POP (album)

Guitar of Bono + photo and  concertlist played on April 25th  2005

Edge and Bono 1988

Posters U2 - Joshua Tree and The Best of U2 

David Bowie

Phil Lynott

Eric Clapton

In a music shop:

The Jimi Hendrix experience - Are you experienced Cold Plated record limited edition 30/2500 

The Doors - Light My Fire  24kt golden plated record limited edition 670/2500

See also: photos taken in The Hard Rock Cafe (earlier blog post on November 23, 2012)

Sagittarius (psych. pop / USA)

Sagittarius was an American late 1960s studio group, devised by the record producer and songwriter, Gary Usher.


History:

Usher had been involved with music as a songwriter since the early 1960s (including writing lyrics for some of Brian Wilson's earliest songs), and soon branched out into production work. After considerable success as a producer, he eventually became a staff producer for Columbia Records. It was at this position that, during 1967, he produced Chad & Jeremy. They had played him several songs, which he felt lacked any commercial potential. He had heard a demo around that time for a song called "My World Fell Down" (also recorded by the British pop group The Ivy League), and he played it for them, thinking that it was a sure-fire hit. They balked at the idea of covering the song, and Usher felt that he would do it himself.
He brought in Los Angeles session musicians, as well as drafting friends such as Beach Boys touring alumni Glen Campbell (who did the lead vocal on the track) and Bruce Johnston and singer-turned-producer Terry Melcher for vocals. He finished off the recording by adding a musique concrète bridge. He presented it to Columbia executives under the group name Sagittarius, named after his astrological sign.

The single, reached #70 in the Billboard Hot 100. When there was pressure from Columbia for the group to tour, it was revealed that a group did not exist. Usher did, however, start working on an album for Columbia under the Sagittarius name. Most of this work was done in conjunction with Curt Boettcher.
Usher had met Boettcher when he was working with a group that he led and produced called The Ballroom. They were signed to Warner Bros. Records, and they recorded an album which was not released at the time. Usher, however, was impressed enough by Boettcher's talents that he utilized him as a songwriter, musician, and producer (two of the album's tracks were the same recordings made for the unreleased Ballroom album, though they appeared in stereo) throughout the album.
Prior to releasing an album, another single appeared, with the song "Hotel Indiscreet" as the A-side. The B-sides for some of the Sagittarius singles consisted of instrumentals that Usher had originally recorded for another studio project. As was the case with "My World Fell Down", the bridge featured an unrelated comedy bit by The Firesign Theatre, another Usher discovery, but unlike the previous single, it failed to chart.
In 1968, the Present Tense album was released, though it was a commercial failure. Because Clive Davis disliked the usage of musique concrete in the two singles, Usher removed these segments from the album versions. The album version of "My World Fell Down" featured a few bars of additional music between the first and second verses, that did not appear in the single version, and both were mixed in stereo for the album.
However, in 1969, Usher left his job at Columbia Records in order to start his own label, Together Records. Usher started work on another Sagittarius album, The Blue Marble, but this time, he contributed more as a musician, particularly as a vocalist. As he had done with the Byrds album The Notorious Byrd Brothers, he made extensive use of a Moog synthesizer throughout the record.
A cover of "In My Room", culled as a single from The Blue Marble, became a minor hit, peaking at #86 on Hot 100, though the album failed to chart. Several more non-album singles were released by Together Records, before then end of the label.
Both Sagittarius albums have been reissued on CD, and both contain bonus tracks (including single versions of Sagittarius songs, which in some cases differ from the album versions).


Discography:

1968: Present Tense
1969: The Blue Marble



The Truth is not Real:

Gladys: 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_(band)

Making Sense of the Sixties (by David Hoffman)

Making Sense of the Sixties - television series made for PBS by David Hoffman


The Early 1960s - A Time Of Innocence:

https://youtu.be/OW-GgFinUhc

What The 1960s Did To America: 

https://youtu.be/Ls7LJ2Bk0LY

Hippies Remember The Glory Days:

https://youtu.be/plgKnrpvtAI

Mount Rushmore (heavy blues rock / USA)

Mount Rushmore was a rock band in the late 1960s from San Francisco, California that played a heavy blues rock style with psychedelic elements.
The band formed in late 1966 at 1915 Oak Street, a large Victorian rooming house in the Haight-Ashbury district. In June and July 1967 they were featured on posters for shows at the Avalon Ballroom with other bands including the Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother and the Holding Company. After some members including Phillips left for the band Phoenix in 1968, new members were added and the group made two albums.








Members on the Recordings:

Mike Bolan — "Bull" — guitar
Glenn Smith — "Smitty" — vocals, guitar
Travis Fullerton — drums, percussion
Terry Kimball — bass

Warren B. Phillips was the former lead singer for the band and wrote a few songs that were recorded by the band after he left.
Fullerton continued a career as a drummer. Mike Bolan and Glenn Smith were previously members of The Fabulous Shadows, a band from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 1963-1968. Mike Bolan rejoined them later and they have been performing in Idaho on through 2005. Terry Kimball (deceased) was a member of the band Tony Vance and The Progress Hornsby 4, from Spokane, Washington, 1967 - 1968


Albums:

High on Mount Rushmore:

produced by Ray Ruff, 1969, DOT Records DLP 25898 (there is a DJ only monophonic pressing, DOT 3898)

- Stone Free (Jimi Hendrix) 3:57
- Without No Smog (Glenn Smith, Mike Bolan) 5:27
- Ocean (Warren B. Phillips) 4:07
- I Don't Believe in Statues (Warren B. Phillips) 4:08
- Looking Back (Glenn Smith, Mike Bolan, T. Fullerton, T. Kimball) 9:40
- ('Cause) She's So Good to Me (Bobby Womack) 3:35
- Medley: 7:23:
     Fannie Mae (B. Brown, M. Robinson)
     Dope Song (Glenn Smith)

Album dedicated to: "The Love Burger Lady of Haight Street"



Mount Rushmore '69:

produced by Ray Ruff, 1969, DOT Records DLP 25934

- It's Just the Way I Feel (Glenn Smith) 4:35
- 10:09 Blues (Glenn Smith) 5:53
- Toe Jam (Kimball, Fullerton, Bolan) 5:45
- V-8 Ford Blues (Willie Lowe) 2:35
- Love is the Reason (Dotzler, Phillips, Bolan, Levin, Esterlie) 3:55
- I'm Comin' Home (Glenn Smith, Mike Bolan) 7:35
- King of Earrings (Warren B. Phillips) 4:00
- Somebody's Else's Games (Glenn Smith) 4:35


High On / '69:

In 2002, a European CD was released by Lizard that combined the two albums, with the songs from the '69 album first.


Single:

- Stone Free / ('Cause) She's So Good to Me, 1968, DOT 17158 


 I don't Believe in Statues:

Love is the Reason:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore_(band)

SONG OF THE DAY / CSN - Cathedral

Crosby, Stills and Nash - Cathedral :  https://youtu.be/jONH3LRD_c8 :

Summer of Love 1967 ( BBC documentary)

BBC: 1967 - The Summer of Love - documentary

https://youtu.be/KlxHJGD4ULg

No audio!!!!

Tír na nÓg (folk, prog. folk, prog. rock / Ireland)

Tír na nÓg are an Irish folk band formed in Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 by Leo O'Kelly and Sonny Condell. They are often considered as one of the first progressive folk bands with other artists like Nick Drake or group like Pentangle. Their music mainly consists of their own compositions, based on strong Celtic roots and typically featuring intricate acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. In their early years, they toured the folk clubs of the United Kingdom or internationally as a support act for several rock bands. Today, they regularly give concerts, especially in Ireland.
From 1971 to 1973, Tír na nÓg made three studio albums which were highly acclaimed by critics but didn't receive a big commercial success. No recording of live performances had been officially released until 2000, with the publication of Hibernian. A compilation of some of their live tracks recorded between 1972 and 1973 for the John Peel's radio show, was also published one year later.


Formation of the band:

Sonny Condell came from Newtownmountkennedy, a remote place in the Wicklow Hills. His early musical influences were mainly classical music. Before Tír na nÓg were formed, he played with cousin John Roberts as Tramcarr 88. They recorded one single before the breakup of the band.
Leo O'Kelly came from Carlow. He was influenced by heavy rock, including Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground and The Doors. Before the formation of Tír na nÓg he played in several bands starting with local Carlow beat group The Word before joining The Tropical Showband and Emmet Spiceland, with whom he toured.
O'Kelly and Condell met in Dublin in 1969 and discovered a shared ambition to be singer/songwriters. They started playing together, taking the name Tír na nÓg from Celtic mythology, and writing a song of the same name, which recounts the legend of Tír na nÓg. They travelled to London and began touring the folk clubs, and rapidly secured a recording deal with Chrysalis Records.



Tír na nÓg made three studio albums between 1971 and 1973. The first was called Tír na nÓg. It featured mainly their own songs, strongly rooted in the Celtic tradition, but also influenced by eastern music. Condell and O'Kelly played acoustic guitars and occasional bongos and other percussion instruments. Their guitar work was intricate and complex, leading to their being compared to bands such as The Incredible String Band and Pentangle. However, their style was quite distinctive. Often, they would use different open tunings for their two guitars.
Their second album A Tear and a Smile was released in 1972. This featured similar material to the first album. However, with their third album Strong in the Sun (released in 1973), produced by Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher who also played keyboards on the album, they introduced more electric instruments and drums. 
From Alan Robinson's 2004 liner notes to BGO's reissue of this and the previous album on one CD: "..Certainly, of the three original Tír na nÓg albums, Strong in the Sun is by far the most conventional, most mainstream, although that's not to say that Fisher had ironed out all of the band's entertainingly whimsical rough edges. Fisher gave a bit of a more clearly-defined shape and a greater depth to their sound, neatly framing the duo's contrasting vocal styles." Robinson also remarked that this high quality album didn't "reverse the duo's sales fortunes" and that it opened with "that rarest of things", a Nick Drake cover, "Free Ride".
As well as the folk club circuit, Tír na nÓg also toured internationally, as a support act for various rock bands, including Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, The Who and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. In July 1974, the British music magazine, NME, reported that the band was to play their final concert, in Dublin on 27 July that year.
The radio presenter, John Peel, promoted their music and they performed a number of live sessions for the BBC.


After the breakup of Tír na nÓg in 1974, they both returned to Ireland to pursue solo careers. Condell recorded a solo album called Camouflage in 1977 and went on to form the band Scullion with Philip King, Greg Boland and Jimmy O'Brien Moran. O'Kelly pursued a career as a producer and has also released solo albums.
Tír na nÓg reformed in 1985, releasing the single "Love Is Like a Violin", and have toured sporadically since then. Three more albums have been produced: Hibernian in 2000, a 1995 live performance in Birmingham, and Spotlight in 2001, from the original John Peel BBC radio sessions in 1972/1973.
In 2010, they launched a new live album, Live at Sirius, recorded at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, Co. Cork.



Genres: Folk, progressive folk, progressive rock
Years active: 1969 – 1974, 1985 – present
(one-time reunions: 1975, 1976)


"Tír na nÓg" ( from the album: Tír na nÓg):

 "Whitestone Bridge" (from the album: Strong in the Sun):

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%ADr_na_n%C3%93g_(band)

Pink Floyd - Zabriskie Point Sessions and The Lost Album

Pink Floyd - The Complete Zabriskie Point Sessions:

Recorded Live at Technicolor Sound Services, Rome, Italy - December 07-12, 1969.



https://youtu.be/a3F9mNSKIAQ :

01. Rain In The Country Take 1
02. The Violence Sequence Take 1
03. The Red Queen Theme Take 1
04. Fingal's Cave Take 1
05. Theme Take 2
06. Rain In The Country Take 2
07. Love Scene Take 1
08. Love Scene Take 2
09. Blues Scene Take 1
10. Fingal's Cave Take 2
11. Love Scene Take 3
12 Love Scene Take Four *
13. The Red Queen Theme Take 2
14. Crumbling Land Take 1
15 Unknown Song Take One *



Pink Floyd - Zabriskie Point - The Lost Album:

The Soundtrack album that never was - Zabriskie Point

This would have been the official soundtrack, if all songs were used and not butchered, for the movie:

Track listing:

1. Heartbeat, Pig Meat
2. Country Song
3. Fingal's Cave
4. Crumbling Land
5. Alan's Blues
6. Oenone
7. Rain In The Country
8. Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up 


===================================================================



Zabriskie Point (album)


Soundtrack album by various artists

Released: 9 February 1970

Genre: Progressive rock, psychedelic folk

Zabriskie Point is a soundtrack album to the Michelangelo Antonioni film of the same name. It was originally released in January 1970 and is composed of songs from various artists. A 1997 re-release includes four bonus tracks each from Jerry Garcia and Pink Floyd that were used in the film, but not the original soundtrack. Jim Morrison of the Doors wrote the track "L'America" for the film, but was rejected by Antonioni ("L'America" was later released on the Doors album L.A. Woman). A Rolling Stones track, "You Got the Silver", is featured in the film but not present on this album.


Pink Floyd:

Pink Floyd's contributions to the album were recorded in November and December 1969,  "Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up" is a re-recording of "Careful with That Axe, Eugene". "Love Scene (Version 4)" is a Richard Wright solo piano composition. "Country Song" (also known as "The Red Queen") is a ballad filled with chess metaphors. "Unknown Song" (also known as "Rain in the Country") is a relaxed instrumental. "Love Scene (Version 6)" is a bluesy instrumental. A track entitled "Fingal's Cave" and another called "Oenone" were recorded but did not appear on the finished album.
Pink Floyd also recorded other unreleased material during the same sessions. Most notable is a lengthy composition which at that time was known as "The Violent Sequence" (later released on The Dark Side of the Moon Immersion Box Set). This piece is immediately recognizable as the basis of "Us and Them" from The Dark Side of the Moon.


Track listing:

1. "Heart Beat, Pig Meat" - David Gilmour/Roger Waters/Richard Wright/Nick Mason  (Pink Floyd) 3:12
2. "Brother Mary" - David Lindley  (Kaleidoscope) 2:42
3. "Dark Star" (excerpt) Jerry Garcia/Mickey Hart/Robert Hunter/Bill Kreutzmann/Phil Lesh/Ron "Pigpen" McKernan/Bob Weir  (Grateful Dead) 2:32
4. "Crumbling Land"  - Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason  (Pink Floyd) 4:16
5. "Tennessee Waltz" - Pee Wee King/Redd Stewart  (Patti Page) 3:03
6. "Sugar Babe"  - Jesse Colin Young  (The Youngbloods) 2:13
7. "Love Scene" - Garcia   (Jerry Garcia) 7:02
8. ""I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again"  - Roscoe Holcomb/Traditional  (Roscoe Holcomb) 1:56
9. "Mickey's Tune"  - Lindley (Kaleidoscope)  1:42
10. "Dance of Death"  - John Fahey  (John Fahey) 2:43
11. "Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up"  - Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason (Pink Floyd)  5:01

Bonus disc from 1997 release: 

1. "Love Scene Improvisations (Version 1)" (Garcia) Jerry Garcia 6:18
2. "Love Scene Improvisations (Version 2)" (Garcia) Jerry Garcia 8:00
3. "Love Scene Improvisations (Version 3)" (Garcia) Jerry Garcia 7:52
4. "Love Scene Improvisations (Version 4)" (Garcia) Jerry Garcia 8:04
5. "Country Song" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason) Pink Floyd      4:37
6. "Unknown Song" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason) Pink Floyd 6:01
7. "Love Scene (Version 6)" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason) Pink Floyd 7:26
8. "Love Scene (Version 4)" (Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason) Pink Floyd 6:45

Twenty Sixty Six and Then (Heavy prog. rock / Germany)

Twenty Sixty Six and Then made one of the most touted of heavy psychedelic Krautrock albums, Reflections… took the atypical Kraut hard-rock style, added some Zappa touches, riffing aggression of the heavy Bacillus-label bands, and even some off-the-wall electronics.


The group created this uncommon name by adding thousand years to the historic battle of Hastings in 1066. Unfortunately, their lifespan was rather short, from Spring 1971 to Summer 1972.
Their one and only album is nothing short of an all time classic. Reflections On The Future (1972), recorded during Autumn 1971 at the Dierks Studio, Stommeln near Cologne. This album contained long heavy progressive tracks with a dramatic mood and a quite unique German styling. "At My Home", a fast tempo opener, kicked off the album with stunning heavy guitars, swirling hammond organs and Geff Harrison's great, though slightly soul influenced vocals. The track "Autumn" brought in the topics of death and desintergration. The melancholic lyrics predated Pink Floyd's "Time".





Personnel:

Geff Harrison - lead vocals, lyrics
Gagey Mrozeck - guitar
Veit Marvos - keyboard, vibes, synth, mellotron, vocals
Dieter Baucer - bass
Steve Robinson-  keyboard, vibes, synth, mellotron, vocals
Konstantin Bommarius - drums
Guest:
Wolfgang Schöonbrot - flute
Curt Cress - drums



From the album:  Reflections  (1972)


At My Home:

Autumn: 

Spring:

Caravan (prog. rock, Canterbury scene, psych. rock)

Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending psychedelic rock and jazz to create a distinctive sound like their contemporaries Soft Machine. Caravan still remains active as a live band in the 21st century.


Genres: Progressive rock, Canterbury scene, psychedelic rock, jazz
Years active: 1968–present (part time)


Caravan were the other half of the Wilde Flowers - the Soft Machine being the other - that originated in Canterbury, Kent. The band itself was originally formed in early 1968 by guitarist/vocalist Pye Hastings, keyboardist Dave Sinclair, bassist/vocalist Richard Sinclair and drummer Richard Coughlan. All four members of Caravan were, at one time or another, in that band. They were a leading exponent of what became known as "the Canterbury sound". 

The band's 1968 self-titled debut was a hybrid of jazz and psychedelia. Things became serious with the second album, "If I Could Do It All Over Again,I'd Do It All Over You" and would mark the start of their classic period. The material was a very original mixture of styles including classical, jazz, and traditional English influences. A milestone in their history. This recipe was used to great success on the next album, "In the Land of Grey and Pink". This album was a perfect blend between simple northern-English pop and complex progressive rock. Quite simply one of the greatest progressive rock classics. The style dominated the next album, "Waterloo Lily", released in May of 1972, which marked a clear step towards jazz. Yet, Richard SINCLAIR's influence was clearly apparent on the first side. "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night" marked another change in the band's sound, this time towards a more streamlined symphonic approach. This album is not a bad album taken by itself, but the classic Canterbury sound stopped here. For a more representative look at Caravan in their prime, check out the preceding three albums. This lineup also recorded the live album "Caravan and the New Symphonia", a live 1973 performance accompanied by a full orchestra.

"Cunning Stunts" (1975) marked the beginning of a series of mediocre releases and lineup changes, eventually leading to the reunion of the original members on "Back to Front". Many different compilations and live albums were released in the intervening twelve years before a new studio album, "Battle of Hastings", which was released in 1995.



Members:

Pye Hastings
Richard Coughlan
Geoffrey Richardson
Jan Schelhaas
Jim Leverton
Simon Bentall
Doug Boyle
Mark Walker

Past members:

Jimmy Hastings
Richard Sinclair
David Sinclair
Steve Miller
Derek Austin
Stuart Evans
John Perry
Mike Wedgwood
Dek Messecar


Caravan (1968):

Fantastic debut album from one of Canterbury scene's finest groups. 

0:00 Place Of My Own
04:02 Ride
07:43 Policeman
09:34 Love Song With Flute
13:43 Cecil Rons
17:48 Magic Man
21:53 Grandma's Lawn
24:19 Where But For Caravan Would I?

Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (documentary)

The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at East Afton Farm an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, greater than the attendance of Woodstock.
 Although estimates vary, the Guinness Book of Records estimated 600,000, possibly 700,000 people attended. It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ronnie, Ray and Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.


The preceding Isle of Wight Festivals, also promoted by the Foulks, had already gained a good reputation in 1968 and 1969 by featuring acts such as Jefferson Airplane, T. Rex, The Move, The Pretty Things, Joe Cocker, The Who and Bob Dylan in his first performance since his 1966 motorcycle accident.



The 1970 version, following Woodstock in the previous year, set out to move one step forward and enlisted Jimi Hendrix. With Hendrix confirmed, artists such as Chicago, The Doors, The Who, Miles Davis, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, Sly & the Family Stone, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Free willingly took up the chance to play there. The event had a magnificent but impractical site, since the prevailing wind blew the sound sideways across the venue, and the sound system had to be augmented by Pink Floyd's PA. There was a strong, but inconsistent line up, and the logistical nightmare of transporting 600,000 people onto an island with a population of less than 100,000.


An impression:

FILM Award winning director Murray Lerner distilled material from the festival into the film "Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival" released theatrically in 1996 and subsequently on DVD. The film puts a negative slant on the 1970 event by splicing in footage of violent incidents preceding the festival itself. Chief Constable, Hampshire Constabulary, Sir Douglas Osmond emphasised the peaceful nature of the event in his evidence given to the Stevenson Report, 1971, (submitted to parliament as evidence in favour of future Isle of Festivals) "...By the end of the festival the press representatives became almost desperate for material and they seemed a little disappointed that the patrons had been so well behaved."



The documentary:

Performances:



Wednesday 26th:

Judas Jump: A heavy progressive rock band featuring Andy Bown and Henry Spinetti of The Herd and Allan Jones of Amen Corner.
Kathy Smith: A Californian singer-songwriter, signed to Richie Havens' label, "Stormy Forest", was well received.
Rosalie Sorrels: Another folk musician, accompanied by...
David Bromberg: Bromberg was not on the bill, but he performed a popular set.
Redbone: Native American pop/rock outfit.
Kris Kristofferson: Performed a controversial set. Due to poor sound, the audience was unable to hear his set, and it appeared that they were jeering him. He was eventually booed off the stage.
Mighty Baby: psychedelic rock band.


Thursday 27th:

Gary Farr: The brother of Rikki Farr, Gary had been the front man of the T-Bones, an R&B combo that featured Keith Emerson on keyboards. By this time, he had become a solo artist.
Supertramp: Their debut album had just been released a month prior to the festival.
Andy Roberts' Everyone:
Howl (band): Scottish hard-rock band formerly known as "The Stoics", featuring Frankie Miller
Black Widow: a British band that wrote songs about Satan worship in their 1970 debut LP, "Sacrifice".
The Groundhogs: English blues rockers
Terry Reid: The English singer performed with David Lindley. 
Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso: Brazilian musicians, playing to a frenzied audience.
Gracious: British Progressive Rock Band.


Friday 28th:

Fairfield Parlour: They had recorded a single called "Let The World Wash In", released under the name I Luv Wight, which they hoped would become the festival's theme song. They had also previously recorded as Kaleidoscope.
Arrival: Their set, which included a Leonard Cohen cover, was well received.
Lighthouse: This popular Canadian act performed two sets at the festival.
Taste: Legendary guitarist Rory Gallagher had a blues trio from 1968 to 1970. This was one of their final shows, which was filmed and recorded. An album, Live at the Isle of Wight, was released of their set in 1971.
Tony Joe White: Performed hits including Polk Salad Annie; his drummer was Cozy Powell. 
Chicago: Their set, including "25 or 6 to 4," "Beginnings" and "I'm a Man," was a highlight of the night.
Family:
Procol Harum: Frontman Gary Brooker commented that it was a cold night.
Voices of East Harlem: Their set received several standing ovations. Not actually a band, but a bunch of singing school children from Harlem.
Cactus: Two songs from their set were featured on the LP The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies.
Mungo Jerry were there but decided not to play


Saturday 29th:

John Sebastian: Performed an 80-minute set, during which former Lovin' Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky, made a surprise guest appearance.
Shawn Phillips: American folk musician performed an impromptu solo set following John Sebastian.
Lighthouse (second set)
Joni Mitchell: Played a controversial set; Following her performance of "Woodstock", a hippie named Yogi Joe interrupted her set to make a speech about Desolation Row. When Joe was hauled off by Joni's manager, the audience began to boo until Mitchell made an emotional appeal to them for some respect for the performers.  Contrary to popular belief, Joe was not the man who was ranting about a "psychedelic concentration camp". That was another incident that took place the previous day. After the crowd quieted down, Mitchell closed her set with "Big Yellow Taxi"
Tiny Tim: His rendition of "There'll Always Be an England" can be seen in the film Message to Love.
Miles Davis: A DVD of his complete set was released in 2004.
Ten Years After: British blues rockers performing what was basically a reproduction of their famous Woodstock set. 
Emerson, Lake & Palmer: This was their second gig. Pictures at an Exhibition, which featured the Moog synthesizer was the centerpiece of their historic set. Commercially released as Emerson, Lake and Palmer Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 in 1997.
The Doors: Their set was shrouded in darkness due to Jim Morrison's unwillingness to have movie spotlights on the band. Their performances of "The End" and "When the Music's Over" are featured in Message to Love.
The Who: Their entire set, including the rock opera Tommy, was released in 1996 on CD (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970). Three years later their set appeared on DVD with significant cuts from Tommy and a few other songs (such as "Naked Eye") missing. In addition, the DVD song set order was radically altered to present Tommy as if having been performed at the second-half of the concert (with "See Me, Feel Me"/"Listening to You" as the conclusion), when, in fact, Tommy was performed in the middle of their lengthy set, and the closing title was "Magic Bus", which concluded some Who concerts at that time. A 2006-reissued DVD of the concert retains the altered order, despite having been personally "supervised" by Who guitarist and songwriter Peter Townshend.
Sly & the Family Stone: The showstoppers of Woodstock performed to a tired audience on the early morning of Sunday. However, the audience woke up for spirited renditions of "I Want to Take You Higher", "Dance to the Music" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", which featured Sly on guitar. Prior to their encore, another political militant decided it was time to make a speech, and the booing audience started to throw beer cans onto the stage. Freddie Stone was hit by a flying can and an angry Sly decided to skip the encore. He did promise a second appearance, but this never occurred.
Melanie: This Woodstock veteran played a well-received set as the sun rose. Prior to her set, Keith Moon of The Who offered her some moral support and encouragement. Not until afterwards did Melanie realize who he was. Her performance of her own song, 'What Have They Done to My Song Ma' was included in a 2010 French documentary, spanning the 1970 and 2010 I.O.W. festivals, called 'From Wight to Wight' and first shown on TV station ARTE, on 30/07/2010.


Sunday 30th:

Good News: American acoustic duo.
Kris Kristofferson (Second set)
Ralph McTell: Despite an enthusiastic reception from the audience, he did not play an encore, and the stage was cleared for Donovan.
Heaven: English answer to Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears
Free: Their set list consisted of "Ride on a Pony", "Mr. Big", "Woman", "The Stealer", "Be My Friend", "Fire & Water", "I'm a Mover", "The Hunter", their classic hit "All Right Now", and concluded with a cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads".
Donovan: He first performed an acoustic set, and then an electric set with his band Open Road.
Pentangle: British folk combo. A German woman interrupted their set to deliver a political message to the audience.
The Moody Blues: A popular British act and veteran of the 1969 festival. Their rendition of "Nights in White Satin" can be seen in Message to Love : Their set is featured on Threshold of A Dream Live at the Isle of Wight 1970.
Jethro Tull: Their set is featured on Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970. 
Jimi Hendrix: The star of the festival performed in the early hours of 31 August with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Billy Cox on bass. His set has been released on CD and video in various forms. In the beginning Hendrix had technical problems, which at one point during "Machine Gun" involved the security's radio signal interfering with his amp's output. David Gilmour from Pink Floyd has confirmed that he watched this Hendrix concert.
Joan Baez: Her version of "Let It Be" can be seen in the film Message to Love.
Leonard Cohen: Backed by his band The Army, his tune "Suzanne" can be seen in the film Message to Love. In October 2009 audio and video (both DVD and Blu-ray) recording of his set, Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 was released.
Richie Havens: The musician who opened Woodstock closed this festival with a set during the morning of 31 August. As Havens performed his version of "Here Comes the Sun", a cloudy dawn broke, so he changed the lyrics to "Here Comes the Dawn". Havens' set, which is available as an audience recording, also included "Maggie's Farm" by Bob Dylan, "Freedom", "Minstrel from Gault" and the Hare Krishna mantra.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1970

More info: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/iow-menu.html
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