May 25, 2012

Warner Home Video Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock

by Beth Levin | Published August 13, 2008

Our generation will be celebrating music and freedom in a different fashion: Through a DVD.

August 15th, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Woodstock music festival. To celebrate, Warner Home Video plans to release a new DVD of the fest, including newly discovered full performances from artists such as The Who and Joe Cocker. The DVD will also include thoughts and insights from various musicians, celebrities and other industry experts regarding the cultural impact of Woodstock 40 years after the event. Also within this Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be a short documentary by Robert Kline, adapted from his memorabilia-filled book, Children of the 60’s. Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature Bob Maurice produced the DVD, while the crew included notable moviemakers such as Martin Scorsese. This may just be the perfect time to take a look back to 40 years ago for, as WHV’s executive VP Jeff Baker says, “The music, artists and spirit of Woodstock resonate as strongly today as in 1969.”

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Comment by Keith Malvern on 9/02/08 at 7:58 pm

Hi, this is great, can’t wait to purchase the DVD. When will it be available? What is the latest on a reunion concert or other 40th anniversary activities?

Comment by Mal, MNN on 10/02/08 at 3:50 pm

and now, an Ang Lee comedy on the festival, TAKING WOODSTOCK

http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2008/10/woodstock-comed.html

Comment by Jesse Slokum on 2/01/09 at 11:14 am

Since I appear in the original and subsequent editions of the movie, in the audience segment of the Richie Havens FREEDOM Medley, as the fellow whose back gets zoomed up on as Richie sings CLAP YOUR HANDS (& I appear to be leading the response as I started clapping even as I turn towards the stage :-), with folks standing up until the panorama shot has thousands of us doing the same...), I’d love to hear of any info about this product...and what else Warner plans to do.

Here’s the one picture of Richie Havens & I that exists, so far, taken April 9, 2006, at Diogenes Delarue

PLUS a glimpse of the Busker4FREEDOM</b> I have become, with 6 songs…

Comment by gta 5 cheats on 2/18/09 at 8:17 pm

I’m a bit young, but I remember watching a lot of this footage. It’s incredible how talented these musicians were. Interesting how many of them were on lsd…

Comment by jesse slokum on 2/19/09 at 12:17 pm

I’ve seen & met Richie Havens several times since 1991 and yes, he is quite talented. In 2006, when he was 65 (I’m STILL not that old yet) I saw him kick his beat tapping foot over his head at the END of an hour & 1/2 show. The picture I referred to was taken 2 hours later at a meet & greet.

I met Jerry Garcia & Phil Lesh on stage as a guest of their band in Cincinnatti in 1971, and YES! They sure are talented…

Eventually, I would meet Wavy in Berkeley, in the eighties, and I assure you, he’s a very down-to-earth guy.

They had to be gritty to deal with the circumstances, those were the early days of outdoor fests and everything wasn’t as cush as it now is.

LSD? I can’t answer for them. Please remember this when you hear folks like Edwin Meese ranting insanely about that. August 1969 wasn’t even 3 years after lsd was made illegal - foolishly in MY regard - and many of the Hog Farm people, who accompanied Wavy Gravy to the event, were EXPERIENCED at talking people straight.

It’s like Wavy was recorded saying. “There are no “bum” trips here, only hobo sojourns.” They had several years of learning that in benign rural settings in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California & Trujas, NM.

I refer you to an interview Wavy gave Derek Taylor for the book “It Was Years Ago Today” that came out in 1987. Do a search, you’ll be glad you did. In that Wavy details how the “bummer tent” - which was a giant parachute set up like a tent - operated. VERY few people had to be attended to by pyschiatrists who VOLUNTEERED to be there.

Since I am forever identified with the event through the movie, I still get people asking me if I “took the none too specifically very good brown...” (THAT would explain my natural weirdness?)

The straight answer is simple: NO!!

Finally, I decided to play with the thing and started replying - humorously, mind you - NO!! I took the chartreuse, and it was a TRIP!!!! LOL!!! :-)

If America is ever to “get over the sixties” it needs to search its soul and progress away from the ostrich-headed drug policy that is so ineffective AND exploitative (what with the news surfacing of judges in Pennsylvania taking kick-backs to commit teenagers to private juvenile “facilities” where they weren’t even told what kind of meds they were given).
A review of the laws regarding “psychedelics” & cannabis would be a worthy start, IMOHO.
Jesse “busker4freedom” Slokum

Comment by windows salt lake city utah on 5/07/09 at 1:14 am

Hi,
On August 15, it will be thirty-nine years ago to the day that some half-million people gathered in upstate New York for a three-day festival featuring some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll performers of all time. Warner Home Video has announced its plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the music history milestone July 28, 2009 by releasing a spectacular Ultimate Collectors Edition (UCE) of the Oscar(R)-winning Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music.

Comment by flooring on 10/28/09 at 4:31 am

Whats the special for 40th Anniversary of Woodstock?

Comment by miami auto repair on 12/19/10 at 4:24 pm

Woodstock music festival shows a great commitment with the music, artists and the new talent.
I think It’s one of the most important events I like to go!!

Comment by taps on 2/29/12 at 1:12 am