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61st out of 109 books
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The Road to Woodstock
August 15, 1969. Richie Havens, the first act of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, takes the stage and welcomes a crowd of several hundred thousand to the green fields of Max Yasgur's farm--which is quickly becoming the second-largest city in New York State. People are dancing, imbibing, meeting, and helping the ever-increasing stream of new neighbors set up camp. Beyond
...moreHardcover, 304 pages
Published
July 1st 2009
by Ecco Press
(first published June 30th 2009)
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It’s hard to believe that 40 years ago, on a dairy farm in upstate New York, musical history was made. And that four decades later, people would still be talking about the phenomenon known as Woodstock.
Sure, there have been movies, documentaries and scores of books about the 1969 festival, but perhaps the defining account of what really went into putting on one of the most spectacular concerts in history can be found in the words of the man who thought it all up.
Michael L...more
Michael Lang was the guy who conceived Woodstock, and was principally responsible for organizing and putting it together and for defining its ethos. As the guy at the center of it all, this book is an invaluable historical resource, describing everything from the founding of the Woodstock Ventures partnership that funded and produced the show, the staffing of it, the selection of and negotiation with artists, the marketing of the show and all of the problems involved in fining a location.
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Ian Young
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If you are interested in the event that was known as Woodstock, then you should read this book. Watching the movie Taking Woodstock got me interested again, I watched the Director's Cut of Woodstock and then I found Michael Lang's book. It's fascinating how this seminal event almost never happened on so many occasions. In the end the vision of Michael Lang prevailed and the world was a better place for it. Lot's of behind the scenes information about how it came together, the major and minor pla...more
The man behind Woodstock gives us an often fascinating, though ultimately too-short book about the event that became a cultural benchmark. The title is significant; much of the book is about the ins and outs of the planning of the event, including a previous festival Lang produced (also featuring Jimi Hendrix) that turned out serving as a sort of dry run for the much larger event to come.
The book is consistently interesting and is broken up with input from many of those involved in W...more
The book is consistently interesting and is broken up with input from many of those involved in W...more
A good account of what went into putting together Woodstock. The writer has a bit of a smug attitude, and a little loose of an outlook on the use of drugs (like, all the time), but hey, if I was able to produce the biggest show of all time, etc., maybe I'd be smug too, and unable to do it without drugs, LOL... Anyway, it was very detailed and brought back a lot of memories of the people and events of that time period. I wish he'd have been a little more open about the "reunion" show...more
The Road to Woodstock From the Man Behind the Legendary Festival by Michael Lang (Harper Collins 2009)(781.660797) was a huge disappointment. What a weak, weak book. The author apparently believes that his personal back story is what the reader wants to hear. This tome runs 285 pages, and the festival hadn't even started by page 169! Does the author really think that it's important to the story - or that any reader would care - that the author once ran a failed head shop in Miami, or how the ...more
The story of the creation and execution of Woodstock from the creator himself. There is no better person that can describe the planning and experience of Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in 1969 than Michael Lang, thus making this book the perfect source of its history. Those who have any interest in Woodstock will get a very in-depth look at the intense planning of the festival. I thought this book was going to be more a musical retelling, but I was pleasantly surprised to take a dip into it...more
Wow. Any self-respecting music fan should read this book written by "the man behind the legendary music festival." An insider's view from the beginning of the concept up to an hour-by-hour detailing of the three days of peace and music, and beyond. Absolutely gripping: I read the book in five hours over the weekend and couldn't put it down. Woodstock is a testament to a time when our hearts were in the right place. I urge you to view this Aquarian Exposition through the lens of yo...more
As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, you might think that by now every moment of the summer of ‘69, the days leading up to the fabled weekend, and those following it would be chronicled in the greatest of details. The summer of 1969 was, after all, the culmination of something great, something both wondrous and ominous, which had been brewing and stewing for decades - a kind of heady mixture of ingredients like art, culture, communication and technology which made that ...more
Wow, when you think about all the stories about the drug culture of the 60's, this book really brings it home just how much drugs were a part of the whole music and festival scene. Seems like none of those directly involved with Woodstock could go a few hours without taking a hit of something. Hard to believe that the organizers could pull it off. And the tales of how some of the acts were so stoned makes it even more amazing that the "show went on." What's more interesting has bee...more
Watching a special on the History channel about Micheal Lang and the festival made me want to read this book. I could have just watched the special again however, I think all the vital information in this book was conveyed in the tv special. I was a little disappointed. I did enjoy the story and learning about all the bands that played and how they pulled it off, but I did feel that it was lacking a lot of the emotion. I would like to read someone elses book on it and maybe they could convey tha...more
Meleya
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I enjoyed reading this as it was interesting as a first read on the trials and tribulations of getting together a massive project like this. I do appreciate Michael Lang and his ability to get the job done without crumbling. I'll use him as a bit of inspiration in my own upcoming project. Worth a casual read. I also took a look at Woodstock - Three Days That Rocked the World edited by Mike Evans & Paul Kingsbury. Nice pictures to look at after reading this one.
I read this right after Back to the Garden. They came at the same event from very different perspectives. This was from a much more on-the-ground vantage point. It focused quite a bit on making Woodstock happen which I think was the most interesting part of the book in many ways. How so many quirks, guesses, mistakes, failures and serendipitous happenings led to the phenomenon that was Woodstock makes for a very engaging story.
When i first started to read this book i was excited to read about my favorite music era. This book focused more on a Jewish man from Bensonhurst who grew upin an Italian Jewish neighborhood. over the summer he went to camp in the Catskills mountains which lead him to creating the concert of Woodstock. Although the festival was in Bethel they called it woodstock because of how close it was to where Bob Dylan lived. The festival was full of Drugs, Rain, Mud and music. what seemed to be a mu...more
I really enjoyed this. Amazing that Michael Lang was only 24 when he organized Woodstock. I think when I was 24 I could have organized maybe a yard sale! Fascinating book. I wish I could have been there, but with the mud and lack of food and "facilities", maybe not. Reading about it is a great substitute and alot more comfortable.
On the whole good but not great. Very interesting reading about how the festival came to be. However, the festival itself and the aftermath felt compressed, almost as if he needed to finish it to get it published before the 40th anniversary in August. Essential reading for the background of the festival. Look elsewhere for a chronicle of the event itself.
Wow and I thought Woodstock was innocent when really it was just a lot of drugs that made it so peaceful. Don't get me wrong, it sounded life changing, but up to a point, when it seems the drugs took over any form of life.
Michael Lang, main organizer and promoter for Woodstock Ventures and their iconic 1969 concert, tells his story. Given the mythology of Woodstock, he can be forgiving for sounding self-aggrandizing (and after all, it is his story), but a reader can tell there are many points of view that are not being told here. Still, it is a quick and interesting read about how Lang got into the music business and with his partners, almost accidentally organized the event that would define a generation.
this was a little dry for me considering the topic, but there are some fun behind the scenes commentary. See my review for "Young Men With Unlimited Capitol".
I really enjoyed this book. It took you not only backstage, but back to the beginning. Lots of insight into how the how festival came to be.
I really enjoyed this book because it took me back to people and places from when I began in the music business, a few years after Woodstock.
Great insider's look at how the original festival came to be, from the founder. Fascinating behind the scenes details. Enjoy a trip back in time!
I loved reading about how the most amazing festival thriving on peace, love, and music (my motto for life) came together. Michael Lang is an inspiration and so was Max Yasgur! I am shocked to learn what it took to put the event together; a lot of determination and passion. Too bad Michael Lang got the short end of the stick as far as, getting paid, but on a positive note he was happy that his dream came true! I find myself wondering if Michael Lang has ever been to a DMB show or a Bonnaroo Festi...more
Good account of everything that lead up to and through the three days of Woodstock from the man who put it together.
For any fan of this historical concert and the events surrounding it. Told by the concert founder himself Michael Lang.
liked this book and would of never thought of all that had to go into producing this large of a show, plus i was still in heaven when it all happened too!
woodstock, just amazing!
woodstock, just amazing!
Cali Beeson
added it
Totally in love with the book which the movie is based on, it truly brings what the 60s era was forward.
There is no one that is closer to the Woodstock story than Michael Lang, who dreamed up the festival, and then made it happen. His book is the closest thing we'll ever get to an accurate account of how it happened. Michael writes in a nice conversational style and provides a nice account of the planning of the festival, and then event itself.
It was interesting to see what all went in to pulling Woodstock off.
breezy read, but I preferred "Young Men With Unlimited Capital."
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“As I watch from the stage, I see more and more people wandering away. Jimi notices too, and says, “You can leave if you want to. We’re just jamming, that’s all. You can leave, or you can clap.” He looks up at the streaks of sun pouring through the clouds — some of the first rays we’ve seen in a while. “The sky church is still here, as you can see,” he murmurs.”
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“On Max Yasgur’s six hundred acres, everyone dropped their defenses and became a huge extended family. Joining together, getting into the music and each other, being part of so many people when calamity struck — the traffic jams, the rainstorms — was a life-changing experience. None of the problems damaged our spirit. In fact, they drew us closer. We recognized one another for what we were at the core, as brothers and sisters, and we embraced one another in that knowledge.”
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