Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock

by Pete Fornatale, Country Joe McDonald (Foreword)

On the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock, renowned author and new York city disc jockey Pete fornatale brings the iconic rock concert to vivid life through original interviews with roger daltry, Joan baez, david crosby, richie havens, Joe cocker, and dozens of headliners, organizers, and fans. On Friday, August 15th, 1969, a crowd of 400,000— an unprecedented and unexpected number at the time—gathered on Max Yasgur's farm in upstate New York for a weekend of rock 'n' roll, a new form of American music that had emerged only a decade earlier. But for America's counterculture youth, Woodstock became a symbol of more than just sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll—it was about peace, love, and a new way of living. It was a seminal event that epitomized the ways in which the culture, the country, and the core values of an entire generation were shifting. On one glorious weekend, this generation found its voice through one music. Back to the Garden celebrates the music and the spirit of Woodstock through the words of some of the era's biggest musical stars, as well as those who participated in the fair. From Richie Haven's legendary opening act to The Who's violent performance; from The Grateful Dead's jam to Jefferson Airplane's wake up call, all culminating with Jimi Hendrix's career defining moment, Fornatale brings new stories to light and sets the record straight on some common misperceptions. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs, authoritative, and highly entertaining, Back to the Garden is the soon-to-be classic telling of three days of peace and music.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Pop Culture, American History, Rock N Roll, Biography Memoir

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2009

About the author

Peter "Pete" Fornatale (August 23, 1945 – April 26, 2012) was a New York City disc jockey and author of numerous books on rock and roll. He is considered a "pioneer of FM rock, who played an important role in the progressive rock era of FM broadcasting. He was the first person to host a rock music show on New York City's FM band, commencing November 21, 1964 on WFUV. By broadcasting progressive rock and long album tracks, he was noted for introducing a musical alternative to Top 40 AM radio in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Billboard called his station "a legend, affecting and inspiring people throughout the industry.
He gave early exposure to country-rock bands like Buffalo Springfield and Poco, and did one of the first American interviews with Elton John. In 1991 he was co-host of "Paul Simon Live in Central Park" and was often called to be an expert guest commentator on PBS specials, including those featuring Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and others.

Reviews

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading the books on Woodstock and, while none of them is particularly compelling, I think this is the best introduction. Fornatale's voice is very "DJ" because that's what he was, but he covers the story reasonably objectively and incorporates both the backstage movers and the musicians better than any of the competitors. I'd probably give this three stars except for the fact that it beats the competition.

[Robert Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of you who did not attend the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, but think you know what happened there because you saw the movie and listened to the soundtrack, forget it. You don't. For those of you who did attend Woodstock, and think you know what happened there, forget it. You were way too stoned to have any idea.

Pete Fornatale puts together a comprehensive play-by-play documentary account of Woodstock, featuring a cast of characters numbering over 100, most of whom are not even the actual performers.

Woodstock was a massive and complex undertaking that could easily have fallen apart a dozen times during the planning stages. That it actually took place was a miracle. That it was truly a weekend of peace, love, and music was a second miracle. That there was almost no violence or disruptive behavior is a third miracle. That no one was electrocuted is the most amazing miracle of all.

So many things went wrong, yet the promoters, producers, performers, roadies, sound techs, film makers, entrepreneurs, and managers overcame each obstacle as it came along. To the half million stoners in the audience the concert was exactly what they expected and wanted.

This book is so full of insights and back stories that it is a must for anyone with even a cursory interest in an event that happened 44 years ago, yet in its way changed the world.

[Dan Secor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a ride.

I've always felt that Woodstock was a key part of my life, even though I was too young to remember it actually happening. A month prior to the festival I lost the first close person in my life, my maternal grandmother, and the world was still buzzing about the first moon landing. At nine years old I was just starting to realize that the world was an unpredictable place, eventually becoming numb by watching the Vietnam Conflict play out on the evening news. Woodstock, as it turned out, proved that even though there was a great divide in our country, that a half million young people, shunned by the "establishment", could live in peace and harmony while the world around them was going to hell.

This was a great synopsis of why Woodstock was important and what was happening at the time - not only in the field at Bethel, but in our country in general. It was a reminder of how far we could have come, and didn't achieve that due to events from the seventies on.

While Michael Lang's book The Road to Woodstock was a good background on the challenges of putting on, and then maintaining the festival, Back to the Garden was a wonderful roadmap for the weekend, artist by artist. Interjected among the performances were the little things that made the weekend unique, such as making the festival "free" and the role Max Yasgur had in the success of the venture.

There were many highlights, and some things I wasn't aware of. I have a much better appreciation for Richie Havens' set. The conscious effort of the promoters to keep the festival free from politics as much as possible was eye-opening, and Country Joe McDonald's role (and as a former soldier being among the most political at the festival, along with Joan Baez) was a great read.

I almost gave this book four stars once I arrived at the day three description. Days one and two were jam-packed with great information, but on the last day I felt like the author was hurrying to the finish line. For example, the bulk of the chapter on The Band was spent lamenting on whether or not Dylan would appear. Not much time was spent on their set or their role in rock history. I felt like this was a lost opportunity. The same could be said about Blood, Sweat & Tears and Paul Butterfield.

The author redeemed himself in the epilogue when he talked about the film that came out a year after the festival. I was surprised to see how repressive the government in South Africa was during the Apartheid years.

The author himself, an early FM disc jockey pioneer from NYC, wasn't the best, but most of the book was comprised by passages from those who were there.

Of course, the good will generated by this remarkable weekend crashed and burned soon enough with the murders at Kent State and the events of Watergate. But this book was a great celebration of that magical weekend at Max's farm.

[Holly Morey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. For those of us who were not able to attend Woodstock this book gives us the inside scoop from the producers, performers and spectators. The numerous interviews give the reader an insight into the end of the 60's and early 70's. I think that this book may be more interesting to readers who are familiar with the music, but it is a fascinating perspective of a once in a lifetime event

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been interested in Woodstock since way back in the mid-80s, and have read many books and watched many shows, but this book really captured the aura of the event. And it wasn’t just an author’s research, there were interviews with EVERYONE, from the organizers, filmmakers, attendees, and performers. And it struck me that there was a common theme from the performers: the awesome view of a half-million people on the hillside as they approached Bethel via helicopter.
My topper would be to eventually get to the concert site, stand where the stage was, and imagine what it would look like with 500,000 people there.

[Paula Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a challenge I needed to read a book with the word "garden" in the title and I am so glad I found this one. This took me back a long way. I did not attend Woodstock, but I did attend other rock festivals. This look at the greatest of all time, was just a joy to read. Things I didn't know, things I didn't remember and a whole lot of great music. What a gift to have these memories!

[Tara Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me years to read, not because I don't like the material but it was tough to get through each band and stories about them and also stuff that didn't pertain to Woodstock at times and so it lagged and was hard to want to pick back up. It makes you want to see the film and hear the music though which is never a bad thing.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Drew Lovern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine going back in time when music was the product of counterculture. To a time where people ironically created a culture while trying to rebel against what’s already in place.
In Pete Fornatales, “Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock,” he does just that. Takes us back to such a peaceful time during a chaotic period. The novel combined all of my favorite things. The 60’s, music, radio, and Woodstock. Fornatale takes us back to the music festival now known as Woodstock captivates the reader as we read about the different shows and the events that led to the performance. For example, the band The Grateful Dead played the worst show they had ever played because of the crazy New York weather. However, right after they performed Creedence Clearwater Revival played what was possibly one of if not their greatest performance. So great that it inspired lead singer John Fogerty to rush straight back home and right the song “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” Inspired by that days events.
This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It lacks characters as it is about the whole 200,000 people that made the event. It is basically a compilation of interviews from band members or the festival leaders. I think I also loved this book because I had a personal connection in some way. A good friend of my dads was actually at Woodstock and he was one of the many devastated people who missed the electrifying performance of Jimi Hendrix on the following monday morning.
There wasn’t any one part that stood out at me except for quotes from band members saying that it wasn’t a great experience. Jefferson Airplane for example said that they did not enjoy it because of equipment malfunctions. Much like that of the Grateful Dead. I was really baffled by this and I was also baffled by how many bands there were in general and not just big name acts like Sly Stone and Janis Joplin. Another thing I loved was the setting. a mild and cold upstate New York experience plus all the fun, from the artists describing the sight from the stage onto the happy listeners or looking at the sea of people on their way to the stage via helicopter, It all made for a surreal and historically magical time. This has quickly jumped to the top spot in my favorite books of all time and will even read over passages again again because they truly make me feel as though I’m there.

[Jamie Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been intrigued by Woodstock since my teenage years. I was born in '73 so I wasn't there...man. But thanks to some cool teachers who I quickly discovered the music and everything else tied in with it. Since then I have dove into the music and the culture. The music of Hendrix, Santana, CSNY and others are regular spins in my house and car. However in addition to the music and the excellent film (try to find the director's cut if you can) this book and Michael Lang's book "Back to the Garden" really does tell the story. If you are a fan of the music, movie and overall culture of the '60's this (and the aforementioned Lang book) are essential reads....man.....✌

[Heep · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't serve in the Woodstock offensive and veterans will obviously question my capacity for judgment. You can dismiss my opinion if you like but I found the book to be disorganized and poorly written. I love the music and always had a mystical impression of the Woodstock event - perhaps the apogee of the 60s cultural counter-culture. The book seemed to have so much promise. There are some chapters - on Crosby, Stills, Nash and on Hendrix, for example - that were better and held my attention. Most of the book was a disappointment.

[Lexy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 months later and I finally finished it!
This book was not bad or boring, etc, by any means. It's just packed full of stories that don't always flow from one to another like a novel and I guess that threw me off. I very much tho did enjoy this and learned a few tidbits I hadn't known too.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#103 of 120 books pledged to read during 2019

[Ilene Arena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reminiscing about these great old days !

[Suzanne Auckerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the Woodstock Festival, how it came about and finding the right location, the festival itself, making of the movie and the impact that it had. Excellent read!

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but mostly anecdotal.

[Fernando Sobral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peaceful Woodstock

If you want to read about Woodstock, this is the book to get. What a crazy time that was in August of 1969. No fights broke out. Enjoy.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the late '60s, WNEW was the hippest rock station on the then-still-new FM dial, at least here in the NY tristate area, and it was propelled by a sextet of DJs who not only played music of their own liking, but had distinct and engaging on-air personalities as well. Those DJs were Rosko, Scott Muni, Alison Steele (all, sadly, passed on now), Zacherle, Jonathan Schwartz and--last but certainly not least--Pete Fornatale. These were the men and the woman who turned me on to so many pieces of hitherto unheard music, and I and many other baby boomers owe them a tremendous thank-you for that. Anyway, when I heard that Pete Fornatale had just released a new book, "Back to the Garden," on the occasion of Woodstock's 40th anniversary, I just knew that it had to be a good one. Fornatale, as he tells us in the book's intro, did an on-air commercial for the upcoming concert in July '69, during his very first night as an NEW DJ. His 40+ years in the music biz, his contacts and his personal collection of taped interviews have stood him in good stead here, and oh...it turns out that Pete can also write pretty darn well, too!

His book largely takes the form of various interviews, from various sources, many conducted by the author himself, of some 113 (by my count) Woodstock attendees, promoters, and of course performers, not to mention music biz people, journalists, technicians, filmmakers, etc. Each of the 113 is quoted liberally; indeed, Pete can truly be said to have only "written" perhaps half of the book. The volume's chapters are arranged in the order that the various artists performed that weekend, and since 32 performers are covered (including such "forgotten" acts as Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, Quill, and the Keef Hartley Band), the chapters are perforce a bit shorter than many would perhaps like. (For example, I could have used a bit more about one of my personal favorites, Ten Years After.) Pete does a good job, though, of delineating the cultural importance of the festival and in giving us overviews of each performer and his/her/their relative accomplishments at the weekend in question. The author writes clearly and occasionally with humor; for example, I got a good chuckle at the line, in regard to John Sebastian's being unexpectedly put on stage, that the "(tie) dye was cast." Needless to say, the book is chockful of fascinating tidbits that most readers will be completely unfamiliar with, such as why Jefferson Airplane's Jorma Kaukonen liked to play so long (as an old Hot Tuna fan, I just loved this bit!), and how the South African secret police tried to actually kill "Woodstock" director Michael Wadleigh! Many of the interview statements given by the 113 are contradictory, and Fornatale himself admits that the book must be taken as a "Rashomon"-like grouping of remembered subjective realities. Still, his book provides the invaluable service of not only giving a history of the event and putting it into context, but of letting us experience it through the day-to-day memories of many of the folks involved. For those of us who were too young to make it to the event, such as myself, that's enough.

The book, good as it is, however, does contain a few gaffes, both on the part of the interviewees and the author. For example, the IWW (which the real Joe Hill, of the song that Joan Baez made famous at Woodstock, was a member of) was not an acronym for the International Workers of the World, but rather the Industrial Workers of the World. The name of the Ten Years After song referenced is "I May Be Wrong But I Won't Be Wrong Always," NOT "I May Be Wrong But I Won't Always Be Wrong." The title of Grace Slick's autobiography is "Somebody To Love?" and not "Somebody To Love"; the question mark is crucial there. Doug Clifford was the drummer in Creedence and Stu Cook the bassist, not the other way around! There are also several instances of faulty grammar to be found on the author's part, and one interviewee, rock critic Ellen Sander, is quoted twice saying the same identical thing (on pgs. 41 and 175). Still, these are minor quibbles. Pete's book is endlessly fascinating, a true page-turner, and a volume that will hopefully remain in print as a valuable reference work and updated every 10 years on successive Woodstock anniversaries. I have already read it twice. Nice work, Pete! Flowers and groovy buttons to you!

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to hear about so many behind-the-scenes aspects of the concert and the making of the movie, and because these experiences came right from people who were there and from the musicians, it's real and honest and highly entertaining.

While I thought it was neat to read transcriptions of interviews from a rock radio legend, it was also a format that I found a bit annoying to follow at times. There was a lot of repetition within chapters, as well as very unnecessary prose (since it's written as if these people were talking to you). I think the prose could have been cleaned up a bit to not be so verbatim, perhaps in a more traditional paragraph style with quotes from the interviews strewn throughout. I also found the chapter separations to not always be consistent. Some chapters that were named after a certain artist had maybe one or two notes about that artist and the rest was about something totally unrelated. Seemed a bit unorganized at times.

Nonetheless, this was a great book to read while I took breaks from more heavy fiction - it's light and entertaining and even though I read it in itnerludes over the course of about 7 months, it was easy to pick it up again without feeling like you didn't know what was going on or where you were in the story. And reading about more than just the music and drugs, but the whole philosophy behind this three day, historical concert, just reaffirmed that I was born too late in life.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always had a fascination with the legend that is Woodstock (the music festival, not Snoopy's little friend). How could all of the pieces fit together so magically as to make the perfect puzzle? How could a curly-haired, baby-faced, basically unknown producer get acts like the Who, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix to perform on Max Yasgur's farm in New York? How did a for-profit festival suddenly turn free?

Woodstock...just the name conjures mixed reviews. Many people claim to be there who were not. Even the people who WERE there have very different memories of what happened. This is probably not surprising at all with all the "smoke" in the air. Back to the Garden is a collection of remembrances by musicians, managers, producers, and attendees who sometimes completely contradict each other. Fornatale goes through each day and act in chronological order, from Richie Havens after 5:00 PM on Friday (He was not supposed to be the first.) to Hendrix's legendary rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" very early Monday morning (Most people had left already.).

Back to the Garden provides one of the best retellings of Woodstock yet. His interviews come together to create an extremely thorough picture. This is must reading for everyone, including the people who were there but do not "remember" everything.

MY RATING - 5

See this review on 1776books...
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2010/05...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading "Back to the Garden" was such a mind blowing experince. You felt as if you really attended Woodstock. However, it is a book and Woodstock was the past, but can still remain in our hearts. The book was set up into four parts. The four parts were the different days of the festival, which was Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Then each chapter consisted of a different band that played. I absolutley loved how the book was set up and also how it was written.
Since this book is more the history of the concert the writting was a bit different. Since each chapter consisted of a different band, that gave the writting its own persona. Meaning that the chapters had different peoples thoughts and overviews of that time in festival. Also these people were at the festval. In the chapters it gave not only the performances of the band, but also the stories of each bands experience. I found each story so interesting and full of excitement.
I fully enjoyed reading Pete Fornatale's book of Woodstock. It gave me more information that I didn't know and gave me different view on the festival. If you like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, and other band from that time period, you will love this book. You learn not only about their performace but a brief history of events in their lives. Pick up this book because you will enter a new world.

[Tahleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely worth reading; I learned so much about Woodstock and all of the performers who made it there, as well as a few who didn't. The greatest thing about this book is that it's mostly comprised of interviews from people who were there--performers, tech guys, organizers, and audience members, as well as the dudes who made the epic Woodstock documentary. It was really interesting to me, especially because it was such a one-time thing--I don't think there could ever be another event like it, as pretty much everyone in the book said.

That said, Fornatale's writing is pretty awful. He leans heavily on cliches and tends to repeat certain phrases ("This was supposed to happen, but it was not to be." blah blah blah). He was also way too liberal with exclamation points. But luckily that was only part of the book. It was mostly the interviews.

There are also a few pages with photos (black and white, but whatever). Those are great; especially for someone like me who had never seen pictures of it or of some of the performers before. And it really hits you when you see the first picture of all of those people... I mean, wow. I can't even imagine being there when it all happened. Crazy!

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to the Garden is not only a book about the Woodstock music festival, but about some of the after effects of the festival. The author takes the reader through the festival beginning with the first act to perform on the first day and taking the reader chronologically through the last to perform on the last day. The story in the main is told by interview responses from both performers and persons involved with the festival or those performers. I enjoyed the insights into the performers and performances.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in music, the history of the late 1960s and early 1970s and Woodstock in general.

[Heather Downs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a couple of books about Woodstock; notably "Taking Woodstock" (great movie - interesting book) and Michael Lang's book. Assumed that I knew most of what happened that weekend. Surprisingly, there was some new information in Fornatale's book. However, I didn't care for his writing style. He tended to use long quotes to explain the events. It would have been nice to read a cohesive narrative. I recommend reading it if you have a serious interest in those 3 days of peace and music!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Consists mostly of interviews with musicians, media, fans, and the organizers of Woodstock, connected by commentary from the author. Presented in chapters chronologically by the groups that performed, which was an effective way to let the reader experience it. Interesting, but the author (a NY d.j.) doesn't write that well, and there was a lot of repetition that the editor should have slashed.

[F.C. Etier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick! Name the group whose 1969 album sold over three million copies, had three hit singles that each went to #2 on the charts, and won the 1970 Grammy for “Album of the Year” over the Beatles’ Abbey Road. Need a hint? They also performed at Woodstock.

Read my entire review at:

http://blogcritics.org/books/article/...

[GraceAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not at Woodstock (I had a four-month-old at the time) but my younger twin brothers were. Fornatale makes a very nicely done history of those three days of peace, love, and mud, arranged by day and by artist, with many quotes and his own lively, lucid, and occasionally quite funny commentary tying it all together. Groovy.

[Shenanitims · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think your enjoyment of this book will be proportional to how much you enjoy the bands talked about within. Unfortunately the most iconic performers (Hendrix, Joplin, etc.) are dead, making them unable to participate in the discussion. I didn't realize how large an effect the film had after the festival. Has its points.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic look into not only the event but also the planning, and the stories of the artist's and some of their personal accounts. The recounting of the artist's stories told a side of Woodstock that I feel is rarely addressed in other media about the event. A "must read" for anyone who is interested in Woodstock or that era in general.