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mbkarapcik's review against another edition
4.0
Did you ever fantasize about going to Woodstock? When I was much younger, I thought it would be so cool to attend one of the most famous rock festivals of all time. The music, the debauchery, the togetherness--I believed that it was all peace and love and guitars.
After reading this book, my opinion changed drastically because it sounded like an utter disaster even without the mud. This book was written about the conception of the festival and the whole process right up to the bitter end. Two businessmen and two hippies develop the festival, spending tons of cash, bending over backwards to get the right artists, the right venue, and to pull it off without a hitch. But, let me tell you, there was nothing but hitches.
Right from the start, the logistics sounded incredibly complex and coupled with the difficulties of getting a venue, it's amazing there even was a festival. Until you start reading, you cannot even imagine how much work went into bringing this festival to life. There's so much push back from the towns where they want to host the festival, from the police force who may provide security, from the commune of hippies who come out to help, and even from the musicians who demand heaven and earth.
So much information to read about it, but it's very dense with details, so sometimes it moves along at a very slow pace. My other caveat is that I wanted way more stories about the bands and artists who perform and felt it just brushed over the musicians with a little bit of color.
For instance, I watched a documentary or read a book (I cannot remember exactly) on Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young a while ago, and I learned that Neil Young did not want the cameras poised at him at all. As you may suspect, he was very anti-commercialism and wanted the music to be the star. Some stories like this appeared like Jimi Hendrix hiding out until the last day and how both Janis Joplin and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane felt intimidated by the immense crowds. I really wanted more of that.
Despite my disappointment, this chronicle dispels the notions that this festival only evoked peace, love, and understanding. Back in college, I wrote a short story for one of my writing classes about a girl attending the festival, and I wish I knew about this book. It would have changed my perspective, and actually I would love to read a book written from a festival goer's experiences to get a full picture.
After reading this book, my opinion changed drastically because it sounded like an utter disaster even without the mud. This book was written about the conception of the festival and the whole process right up to the bitter end. Two businessmen and two hippies develop the festival, spending tons of cash, bending over backwards to get the right artists, the right venue, and to pull it off without a hitch. But, let me tell you, there was nothing but hitches.
Right from the start, the logistics sounded incredibly complex and coupled with the difficulties of getting a venue, it's amazing there even was a festival. Until you start reading, you cannot even imagine how much work went into bringing this festival to life. There's so much push back from the towns where they want to host the festival, from the police force who may provide security, from the commune of hippies who come out to help, and even from the musicians who demand heaven and earth.
So much information to read about it, but it's very dense with details, so sometimes it moves along at a very slow pace. My other caveat is that I wanted way more stories about the bands and artists who perform and felt it just brushed over the musicians with a little bit of color.
For instance, I watched a documentary or read a book (I cannot remember exactly) on Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young a while ago, and I learned that Neil Young did not want the cameras poised at him at all. As you may suspect, he was very anti-commercialism and wanted the music to be the star. Some stories like this appeared like Jimi Hendrix hiding out until the last day and how both Janis Joplin and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane felt intimidated by the immense crowds. I really wanted more of that.
Despite my disappointment, this chronicle dispels the notions that this festival only evoked peace, love, and understanding. Back in college, I wrote a short story for one of my writing classes about a girl attending the festival, and I wish I knew about this book. It would have changed my perspective, and actually I would love to read a book written from a festival goer's experiences to get a full picture.
reading_and_wheeling's review
4.0
Barefoot in Babylon is a concise history of how the Woodstock Music and Art Fair came to be. This being the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, it seemed like the perfect time to give this one a go.
The book is thoroughly researched and packed with a lot of details of what went on behind the scenes. It's written in a way that keeps the readers attention and makes you feel like you are in the room with John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Michael Lang, and Artie Kornfeld on February 6, 1969 when the idea is pitched by Lang and Kornfeld to Roberts and Rosenman, and you're with them every step of the way until the festival closes. You are taken on the rollercoaster ride of the planning, negotiations with various entities, setbacks, and victories that Woodstock Ventures endured to put on the now iconic festival and at the festival itself listening to the music and experiencing the atmosphere.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of this period of time or lived it, is a fan of the music, or wants to learn more about Woodstock itself and all that went in to putting it together. I found it to be completely fascinating. I was amazed by all the things these four went through in putting Woodstock together and seeing it through to the end. The author does an excellent job of giving you a lot of information, but in a way that doesn't overwhelm the reader.
My appreciation to NetGalley, Bob Spitz, and Penguin Group Dutton for gifting me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is thoroughly researched and packed with a lot of details of what went on behind the scenes. It's written in a way that keeps the readers attention and makes you feel like you are in the room with John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Michael Lang, and Artie Kornfeld on February 6, 1969 when the idea is pitched by Lang and Kornfeld to Roberts and Rosenman, and you're with them every step of the way until the festival closes. You are taken on the rollercoaster ride of the planning, negotiations with various entities, setbacks, and victories that Woodstock Ventures endured to put on the now iconic festival and at the festival itself listening to the music and experiencing the atmosphere.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of this period of time or lived it, is a fan of the music, or wants to learn more about Woodstock itself and all that went in to putting it together. I found it to be completely fascinating. I was amazed by all the things these four went through in putting Woodstock together and seeing it through to the end. The author does an excellent job of giving you a lot of information, but in a way that doesn't overwhelm the reader.
My appreciation to NetGalley, Bob Spitz, and Penguin Group Dutton for gifting me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
deearr's review
5.0
For anyone seeking the story of how Woodstock festival came together, look no further. This is the definitive book.
Author Bob Spitz sifted through newspaper articles, pored over documents, and interviewed everyone remotely connected with the 1969 music festival. The result reads like a suspense novel, and the reader is taken on the same ride as the participants. It is amazing that the festival came together at all, and Mr. Spitz recounts the pitfalls on the way to the first note being sounded.
I first read the hardcover back in 1979, and somewhere in a box is that book. I believe there were pictures in that edition, which are missing from the Kindle version. This would only be a minor issue, as the author’s words tell more than any pictures would. If your knowledge of the festival is limited to knowing a few of the musicians who performed, this is a fascinating recount of the event.
Reading this, in fact, will provide insight into the principals who breathed life into something that began as a dream and morphed into something no one expected. Mr. Spitz pulls no punches, detailing the facts and letting the reader decide exactly what happened. It was not the bed of roses you might expect, especially when one considers the major differences between the four people who started the ball rolling. One can see right from the beginning that the dream would soon unravel, as the individual visions of what the festival should be were light years apart. Excellent book about a major event that was much more than most people could ever imagine. Five stars.
Author Bob Spitz sifted through newspaper articles, pored over documents, and interviewed everyone remotely connected with the 1969 music festival. The result reads like a suspense novel, and the reader is taken on the same ride as the participants. It is amazing that the festival came together at all, and Mr. Spitz recounts the pitfalls on the way to the first note being sounded.
I first read the hardcover back in 1979, and somewhere in a box is that book. I believe there were pictures in that edition, which are missing from the Kindle version. This would only be a minor issue, as the author’s words tell more than any pictures would. If your knowledge of the festival is limited to knowing a few of the musicians who performed, this is a fascinating recount of the event.
Reading this, in fact, will provide insight into the principals who breathed life into something that began as a dream and morphed into something no one expected. Mr. Spitz pulls no punches, detailing the facts and letting the reader decide exactly what happened. It was not the bed of roses you might expect, especially when one considers the major differences between the four people who started the ball rolling. One can see right from the beginning that the dream would soon unravel, as the individual visions of what the festival should be were light years apart. Excellent book about a major event that was much more than most people could ever imagine. Five stars.
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