Various Artists - Woodstock 2

Out of print in the U.S.! Digitally remastered two CD set featuring performances from the historic 1969 three day festival that did not make the original Woodstock soundtrack and more. Includes rare performances from Jimi Hendrix ('Jam Back At The House', 'Izabella', 'Get My Heart Back Together'), Jefferson Airplane ('Saturday Afternoon/Won't You Try', 'Eskimo Blue Day'), Joan Baez, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Crosby Stills & Nash ('Guinnevere', '4 + 20', 'Marrakesh Express'), Melanie, Mountain and Canned Heat. The CD comes with the original artwork that features the classic photo of the nekkid children playing with the musical instruments on stage. Warner. Album Description

Very cool

I like this mix of the Woodstock songs. The boxed set presents it in a sometimes hazy and muddy mix. I have some examples. The percussionists in Hendrix's set on the box set are not audible at at all. On this, much of Juma Sultan's work is audible. The cowbell and triangle give "Jam Back at the House" a nice drive and the maracas in "Hear My Train A Comin'" are very appropriate. Also, I like a lot of the lesser known material. Get this if you can! February 28, 2007

A must for Woodstock fans.

I bought the vinyl version of this album when it hit the bargain bins in 1973, and I was impressed. There's definitely some good music here, though not the intense highs of the first Woodstock album. All tracks by the Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are good. For me the high point is Canned Heat's rocker "Woodstock Boogie," which has a ZZ Top sound. This second Woodstock album has a tamer sound than the first, with a lot of acoustic, folk, ballads, and blues pieces. Hendrix's pieces are possibly an exception, but those are all long and relatively uninteresting jams. Melanie sings her heart out on "Birthday of the Sun," although some might object to her strained voice. I actually prefer this live version of "Marrakesh Express" to the studio version with organ that sounds overly slick. This album is a must if you're trying to sustain that magical feeling of those 3 days of muddy fun and music. October 17, 2002

Again, what was the criterion?

There are some things we'll never understand. For instance: what motivated the compilers of this record. Let's start from the beginning: an entire side to Hendrix' minor moments seems to me an undeserved thing. Idem to the Canned Heat tune (12 minutes!). To give space again to Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez and Butterfield Blues Band, leaving off one single register of the rare to find Incredible String Band (at Woodstock! what a lovely moment it should have been), sounds equally dull to me.

Anyway, cheers for the beautiful cover and the CSN&Y tunes. July 15, 2001

Great Original

This was the second instalment of Woodstock audio material released originally by Atlantic. This was a 2 LP set back in 1971. If you collect Woodstock recordings or just like live sixties music then get this rarity in you collection now! Four tracks are not available on the box set. These tracks make up half the CD set. They are: Jefferson Airplane's 'Eskimo Blue Day,' The Butterfield Blues Band's 'Everything's Gonna Be Alright,' Melanie's 'Birthday of the Sun' and Canned Heat's 'Woodstock Boogie' [all 12 minutes of it]. The other tracks are mixed better than on the box set [with much clearer definition]. These include tracks by Hendrix, CSN&Y and Mountain. Be warned, however, some material has been edited [to meet with vinyl constraints]. Notably the three Hendrix cuts (which won't bother you since you will have the new 2 CD set by Hendrix as well...won't you?) June 30, 1999

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